Minority Report: The American Dream Review

This Minority Report review contains spoilers.

Minority Report Season 1 Episode 8

It certainly took awhile to get here, but Minority Report has finally delivered on its promise. The tenacious Lieutenant Blake’s discovery of the truth, the welcome return to the dark side for Arthur, and hints at a secret conspiracy behind the weekly crime all contributed to this excellent episode’s success. If this trend continues, the show could end the season (and its run?) with a dangerous but exciting turn for the finale.

Vega and Dash, having been fairly one-note all season, finally confront the threat of discovery, which was becoming less and less impactful the longer they got away with it. The progression of Blake’s investigation was paced well and followed a logical path in uncovering the secret. From the subtle manner in which Dash saved Blake’s life through his visions to the persuasive arguments Vega made to convince her boss to play along, the revelation of Dash as precog was artfully laid out before the lieutenant. The appeals to his ego were particularly convincing.

All of the steps along the way were believable and necessary, from Akeela’s attempt to allow Dash to escape the precinct to the tracking device Blake placed on the octopus drawing to draw in Arthur as informant. In fact, Arthur’s threatening statements towards Lieutenant Blake on more than one occasion helped return the more selfish brother to his original, much more interesting uncooperative and selfish persona. It’s not so far-fetched now to believe the pre-cogs could be headed for the milk baths if more people like Blake are added to the circle of trust.

The truth is, Blake’s immigrant backstory doesn’t make him more trustworthy. Although his self-made man story is both sad and inspiring, and his mother’s plight elicits sympathy, Blake is still a member of the DIA’s inner circle, the head of which would love to get his hands on a pre-cog for national security reasons. With the threat posed by the Memento Mori, a trio of precognitives in a milk bath would be very helpful despite the ethical considerations.

And ethics are what made Minority Report such an intriguing story in the theaters. The arrest of Blake’s stepfather when he was young was very reminiscent of a scene from the movie, and the thematic ideas that made that version great are present here. It’s hard to argue with Arthur’s self-preservation measures even as relief sets in upon seeing Blake appear to agree to work with Vega and her new partner.

But with the encoded message hidden inside The Origin of Species, a whole new danger arises, and the heroes have no idea what they’ve stumbled upon (nor does the audience). Will Blake experience a change of heart based on this episode, or will he be instrumental in bringing Dash and his siblings to the milk baths? Will the Memento Mori be a bigger threat to the precogs than the DIA, or will Dash have to become a fugitive, running from those who would use his power for their own purposes?

Whichever direction the final episodes of season one take, the show is taking an interesting turn for the better. There are certain chemistry and portrayal issues with a few of the characters, and it’s unclear whether those can be fixed. At least viewers will have a deeper mystery to mull over as the last two episodes air. Hopefully, Minority Report will go out with a bang even if renewal is not in the cards.