As deeply as I love Harrison, I constantly find myself asking how she has managed to survive as long as she has. By the end of this episode, I think it’s the first time that Harrison truly understands the danger she’s put herself in, but doesn’t see an out at this point. She’s in too deep, and too deep means she might actually get hurt.
But there’s also something horrible about the idea of having to leave Anika entirely alone without help. Bailey’s message is borderline desperate (and also means that Max’s powers work a little bit better than we might have thought before) and if we’re truly to believe that this is the last time Anika will ever hear from her, it’s hard to imagine Anika on her own, even if Harrison should probably duck and cover.
In some ways, with her blog, it feels like this is what she wanted all along, to be in the thick of something bigger than herself. But with Anika losing control of herself, her powers acting up, and the gravity of the potential fatal nature of the situation for all involved, this is the first time Harrison has a smidgen of doubt about what she wants, truly.
Also, we’ve got Max’s dad. Whoa boy do we have Max’s dad. I wanted to dig into Max’s home life a little bit — again, what has to happen for a teenager to be hanging out with grown adults and seemingly have no other people to socialize with? Partially, I think it’s something about being grounded in their emotions, or at least a little less open about the chaos that comes with the human condition. Max has less moments where she feels “itchy” as she puts it — overwhelmed by disorganization and chaotic teenage hormones. Beyond the powers, she’s been dealing with adult problems her whole life, and her family is centering their day to day life around her father’s illness.
For Max, being around people who have and understand adult issues is a relief. I imagine that, in her mind, her powers are what set her apart from her peers. But, in reality, it’s more than that. She’s already living a life that people her age can’t relate to or understand. The powers are just an added secret.