NOTE: Full spoilers for this episode of, “The Last Man on Earth”, including a major character death, are present in this review
After a truly fantastic kick-off to this week’s two-part season finale event for The Last Man on Earth, the second half manages to keep pace pretty well, providing another big change for the group, along with at least one big tease for the direction of a potential fourth season. “Nature’s Horchata” had Phil and Jasper rushing back to everyone to warn them about the nuclear meltdown, forcing everyone to hit the road again, though some survivors are definitely more eager to leave than others!
After the swell of joy from the birth of Erica’s new baby, Dawn, the show didn’t waste any time hitting everyone with a fresh set of circumstances, as they must scramble to grab what they can and drive off in the RV. The device of the group having to find a new home every season might come off as repetitive to some, but once again, the series seemed to handle it pretty well, even if the exit had to be pretty hasty.
Still, this presented a nice chance to switch the backdrop for the proper final episode of Season Three, which is a bold move, though one that paid off pretty well, as everyone tries to piece together their next move. Everyone convening at the library to read books on what happens with the collapse of society, while Phil predictably opts out to find a geiger counter, painted a pretty good picture of a surprisingly realistic apocalypse scenario, particularly for a sitcom. Turns out, there’s a lot more to worry about than supplies and crazy people, as the foundation of civilization doesn’t collapse quietly! While we didn’t get a direct payoff to the falling satellites that were seen a few episodes ago, at least they made that point pretty clear!
As the group drives on, Erica is also frustrated to find that Dawn won’t breastfeed. Phil tries to ‘help’ by nosing up to the baby, upon Erica’s breast, in as creepy and off-putting a manner as possible, calling back a bit to classic Phil Miller from the first season fairly nicely. Phil was a little more helpful than usual in this episode, but he was still an amusing nuisance at the same time, even when he tries whispering some advice to Dawn that finally allows her to breastfeed. Did Phil have anything to do with that? Maybe, but probably not. Still, it’s good to see that Phil wasn’t a complete waste of space this week, since at that point, you’d have to wonder why the survivors don’t just chuck him out of the RV!
On the less useful end, Phil also tries to put together a shrine of relaxation for Carol in their old house… Which he somehow places on the RV trailer to take with everyone! How Phil managed to get the house onto the RV is not explained, and in any other show, this would really stick out as a plot hole. In a way though, it’s almost funnier to not be quite sure how Phil managed to get the house onto the RV very quickly, and without waking a sleeping Carol! Even funnier was Phil placing a candle that later accidentally burns the house down, leaving Carol’s hopeful baby home in shambles, right as the group is forced to return to Los Angeles and find a boat to escape the radiation. It was very funny to have Phil work as both a force of calm and destruction at the same time throughout this season finale, that’s for sure!
The return to Los Angeles was another effective way to have The Last Man on Earth come full circle, as the survivors struggle with the prospect of having to see Pat again. Remember Pat from the start of the season? Just enough time had passed for many people to no doubt forget that he’s still out there, and probably still angry. The smoke from the fire does indeed attract Pat back to the survivors as well, made all the more easy by Phil’s overlong friendship toast that he makes before the yacht that everyone selects can cast off! With an enraged Pat then brandishing a shotgun at everyone, it really does look like this is the end for the protagonists!… Until Pat is suddenly shot dead and collapses to the ground, with a sheepish Pamela Brinton behind him, who says hello right as the episode, and the season, ends. Hooray! Pamela found the survivors, even if it was right as Season Three ended!
The exciting tease of Kristen Wiig joining the show’s cast, even in a mere guest capacity, is incentive enough to have fans begging FOX for a fourth season of The Last Man on Earth. I do hope that it gets one as well, since the Pamela introduction would certainly be an unsatisfying note to end the series on. Regardless though, it’s great to see that, “Nature’s Horchata” continued to be a standout second half for The Last Man on Earth’s two-episode season finale, as it brought the survivors to yet another new home, while also conveniently being curtains for Pat, along with any other lingering issues for the leads. It certainly feels like this show’s apocalypse is becoming more exciting than ever, which is all the more reason to hope that it manages another season. It’s all in FOX’s hands now, I suppose.