Final Space: All's Well That Ends Well

By Dave B.

​Final Space (TBS) is an animated sci-fi television show that follows the adventures of Gary, who has been held captive on an automated prison ship for nearly five years, basically for being a dumbass while trying to impress a female soldier, Quinn. During his last days of confinement, Gary becomes ensnared in a plot that could result in the destruction of the Earth, and perhaps, the universe. With friends and allies that he acquires along the way, Gary’s journey culminates in a climactic battle, with the fate of reality itself at stake.

​As Final Space is produced by Conan O’Brien’s production company, Conaco, one would expect the show to be a comedy and at times it is, but the humor is VERY hit and miss. Frankly, for the first five episodes of the 10-episode series, I found the show to be more annoying than humorous. Gary, while earnest and good-hearted says some of the stupidest things imaginable and that makes him fairly unlikeable. At least at first. If you can make it past the first five episodes, I’m fairly confident that you’ll enjoy the series.

​What I found most interesting about Final Space is that characters in the show experience significant and believable personal development. Because of this, and the introduction of more dramatic elements into the show, the second half of Final Space is much better (and more watchable) than the first. Further, the show is pretty strong (but not always stellar) on technical aspects: the animation ranges from good to gorgeous, the soundtrack is usually solid, and the writing is pretty moving at times. In particular, I found the brief flash-forwards at the beginning of every episode to be a nice creative touch and well-executed. 

​With each episode running less than 30 minutes, the season as a whole often feels rushed: consistency of the plot is forced to take a backseat to character development which leads to some glaring plot holes, logical inconsistencies, and continuity issues. But the show’s ability to improve with each episode eventually makes these issues tolerable instead of deal-breakers. Primarily because of that ability, I’m going to recommend Final Space. It’s not perfect. At times, it’s not even good. But it finds it’s voice halfway through the series and that voice is worth hearing. I look forward to the second season, which I believe will be less annoying and more consistently good than season one. 

Rating: 6/10