Episode 107, written by Kim Steele: Kirsten, who in the present day has been poisoned, travels in her delirium back to the beginning weeks of the pandemic and living with Jeevan and Frank. It's a way of telling the Whatever Happened to Frank story in a different way--which is interesting, in that the series already cuts back and forth between past and present in a meaningful way. We don't need Adult Kirsten in the past.
But what that moment gives us is a chance to meet an adult Kirsten that is not FIGHTING FOR/IN CHARGE OF/PROTECTING THINGS. For one hour she just gets to sit and hang out with her younger self as things happen and enjoy the time she had with Jeevan and Frank. The two watch, they give each other advice. The show has serious conflicts underlying both Kirstens' stories--we know at some point Frank is going to somehow die, and Big Kirsten wants to help Li'l Kirsten avoid it; meanwhile Big Kirsten is nearing death herself. Those conflicts are important; they keep the episode from going flabby or flat. This is not just Fun with Kirstens; there's stuff at stake.
There's a great insight there. Fun with Kirstens is a super fun idea, and really emotionally satisfying in and of itself. But an ep without significant ongoing conflict and stakes is like dough without yeast. It may rise for a while, but inevitably it's going to cave in on itself.
Having said that, the other lesson that I really take from the episode is about consciously working to put a character in situations that allow other sides of them to emerge. You've got a type A go getting hero character? Great. What's a situation where they can't be that, or where they might behave differently? I know, let's put her in a situation where she has to let her younger self take care of her, where there's no work to be done, and she can just delight in the life she had.
In part this is about deepening or leavening the character. In part it's about keeping the audience engaged. You keep playing the same trick and the show gets old. You need to mix things up. And in both cases, the end result is us loving the character even more.
It's interesting, it also changes how Big Kirsten proceeds going forward. When she wakes up she stops trying to fight or outwit the Prophet and becomes his ally. It still entails all her Type A hero skills, but used totally differently. Really, she becomes for him what Li'l Kirsten was for her.
I could go on and on about that episode. Maybe it's just me but I love a moment where an adult and younger version of a character get to interact. There can be great comedy, but there's also an opportunity for such healing and reconciliation. Our future self can become the sibling or parent we needed. And we get to see our past in a new way. It can be so beautiful.
