Mikes Film Talk

You, Me and the Apocalypse: Saviour Day moves things that bit closer to the end of the world and it appears that  everyone is prepared to lie about that day. Except, it seems, Father Jude. While the world waits to see if Saviour is going to work, Frankie proves the power of the child and Celine makes a decision.

Layla and Jamie put up flyers about the missing Frankie. General Gaines and Scotty take the president into the command center to watch the missile hit the comet.  McNeil has  good gag with a banana and a muffin which he uses  as a visual aid.

Jude and Celine are interrupted by Father Christophe (Anthony Howell) and the sister hides in the closet. The two discuss leaving the church and Jude says they must wait until their mission is over.  

Frankie (Grace Taylor) may not necessarily be the new messiah, but she quickly discovers Ariel’s breaking point, mess and noise, after playing her version of 20 questions, and promising to wet herself repeatedly, till her evil uncle snaps.

Ariel: “Oh my God! Do you ever shut up?”

The tiny messiah has won and the evil twin goes to give her all the sweets she wants.  To be fair, Ariel does bring it on himself, after all, what child likes to eat peas?

Layla and Jamie discover a head-sized box by the canal where Frankie went missing.  The couple see the box:

Layla: “Jamie look…”

Jamie: “Have you seen Seven?”

Layla: (Angry) “How’s that helping Jamie? How’s that helping?”

Jamie: “No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

They open the box and find a balloon and a letter. The former has writing on it saying that Ariel wants Layla/Hawkwind back and the letter includes instructions on what he wants, in poem form.  Layla reads the directions and then goes on:

Layla: “Then it gets a bit porny…No, make that very  porny.”

Layla comes up with a plan to rescue Frankie by having Jamie take his wife hostage.

Celine is caught leaving Jude’s room by the mother superior and she tells the sister to make a choice. Jude, who Father Christophe called to a secret meeting is approached by his new wife and she tells him how she feels and what he needs to do.

Jude tells Celine they will talk later. Rhonda learns that now she is in a military prison, she will most likely be shot for treason. Layla pumps up Jamie to play the “snapped” good brother as he does not believe that Ariel will buy it:

Layla: “Jamie, I hate to break it to you, but you are absolutely 100 percent the type to snap.”

Jamie pulls it off.

Jude attends the meeting and learns that the church’s hierarchy plan to lie to the people and assign a false messiah. Disgusted at his fellow clergy, Jude removes his dog collar and quits.  As he leaves, the leader of the group gives Father Christophe a sign, it looks like Jude’s fate may be sealed, since they want their decision kept  secret.

At the command center, Scotty, Gen. Gaines and the president wait for the rocket to reach the comet.  After impact they wait to see if the projectile has been knocked off course. The impact takes place and the room breaks into wild celebration.

Celine makes her decision to go back into the order and leaves Jude a letter.

Layla and Jamie meet Ariel at the carpark where he was left by Mary. Layla quickly runs down things he needs to know, like Frankie’s giraffe outfit, she has spares and so on. She reveals that she and Frankie watched the videos that Jamie made while he searched for his wife.

Ariel arrives, with a bomb.

Ariel: “Looks like you brought a gun to a bomb fight, Jamie. School boy error…School boy error.”

Jamie wins, with help from Frankie and then Layla. Ariel runs off blinded by the mace after also being kicked in the b**** by Layla/Hawkwind. Although it is close. Ariel actually overpowers his twin at first, but Frankie’s sick(vomit) keeps the detonator from working.

Saviour does not work. When the news is announced it turns out that the clergy are not the only ones prepared to  lie. The command center personnel are rounded up by armed guards as the world is told via the media that the mission was a success.

The order of nuns that Celine returns to are dancing and drinking in celebration of the news about Saviour working.  Jude arrives and leaves a message for Celine, he hands the dog collar over to the mother superior and asks her to give it to his wife.

Jude: “I have always wanted to visit a convent and this is exactly as I hoped it would be.”

The president addresses the world and Scotty asks if he is okay doing this. The American leader replies, that he is fine, he has “done this a million times.” The implication being that he has lied to the public that many times. Brilliant.

Rhonda reacts jubilantly at the news that Saviour worked.  During the president’s speech  we see the captive command post personnel, Jamie, Frankie and Layla and also  Rhonda dancing around her cell.

Jude is in his room waiting for Celine, his door opens and he turns expectantly. Scotty and Arnold Gaines hug while the general cries, Rhonda shouts that she loves her brother and Celine enter’s Jude’s room to find his body hanging from the ceiling.

Standout Moments: 

Frankie, after discovering her uncle’s achilles heel looks at him coldly and dispassionately. She then launches into the world’s most annoying siren noise. This is followed by the promise to wet herself, twice and that he will have to clean it. This breaks the OCD villain  down completely.

Frankie, again, projectile vomiting all those sweets that Ariel gave her; all over him.

Layla telling Jamie that he is the nicest man she has even known, then asking him to be a “d***.”

Jude telling it like it is at the secret meeting: “Am I the only one with the b*** to stand up for the truth?”

Layla, again, spraying Jamie in the eyes with the mace in the car.

The president doing tongue twisters to warm up before this speech.

Final Thoughts:

You, Me and the Apocalypse: Saviour Day is a roller coaster episode. The end of which should have had the viewer in tears.  Brilliant comedy throughout the proceedings and then a rapid series of sucker punches, leaving the viewer saddened and reaching for that damned tissue box.

#YMATA has been ended after one season, but there are still a few episodes in this one to go yet. There is the question of just how all the people spotted in Jamie’s prologue, from that bunker in Slough, get there.

With two episodes left, much is left for the survivors to do. You, Me and the Apocalypse airs Thursdays on FOX. Tune is and see if Jude is really dead…Or did he overpower Father Christophe…Or is that wishful thinking?