As the episode begins, we hear several people reading lines from Miranda’s book while we see Kirsten from behind at various ages. Then, scenes show Miranda Carroll (Danielle Deadwyler) and a young Kirsten (Matilda Lawler) with a white and red hat on. We join an older Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) who is riding in the back of a pick-up truck with Alexandra (Philippine Velge). Alex tells her it has been over a week so she should stop worrying about David. As Kirsten sharpens her knife, Alex talks about how sad David was because of his wife. She wonders what happened to him before we see a flashback of Kirsten with David by the swimming spot. When they mention his wife’s name Rose, August (Prince Amponsah) says there likely wasn’t a woman named Rose. Alex doesn’t care if he made all that up since the pre-pans do it all the time. Kirsten wants to know what David (Daniel Zovatto) told her when they were alone although Alex doesn’t know why she cares.

Kirsten argues the world is still a very dangerous place and Alexandra shouldn’t be talking to strangers. The group arrives at Petoskey Station. As they walk together, Dieter (Joe Pingue) says he finished writing the Hamlet adaptation Wendy (Deborah Cox) wrote. It takes place in Portland, Oregon and is wild. As Dan (Dylan Taylor) looks at the wheel, he is told they don’t go off it. He asks why Pingtree is crossed off the list. He learns it is a golf course where a bunch of professors and their second-founding member Gil (David Cross) lives. Vlad (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) tells him how the actors used to go to Pingtree and the musicians used to continue to Nuevo Santiago since they love music there. Gil had a second marriage type arrangement going on in Pingtree with a girl named Katrina. When the conductor (Lori Petty) found out, she shot their director Gil and they haven’t gone to Pingtree since.

As Brian (Enrico Colantoni) rides toward them on a bike, everyone yells stranger. When he gets closer, they yell no danger. Since he is already there, he decides to invite them to the Museum of Civilization once again. He goes on to say they’re fans of Ms. Larson and shows her a CD she created. When the conductor says they won’t be coming to their town, Brian says he’ll try again in Nuevo Santiago. While doing cartwheels, Alexandra finds a note about David or the Prophet warning about his dangerous children cult. She runs back to Kirsten and reveals David asked her what it was like to be the only post-pan in the troupe. He told her the post-pans were special since they were the first generation free of trauma and the survivors were the only liars left. Kirsten says that is what the Undersea in the Station Eleven thought. She doesn’t think he could’ve read it since there was only one copy and she hid it.

Alex learns that Kirsten hid the book at Pingtree in Gil’s office. She believes they should go there that night to check on Gil and everyone else, but Kirsten says she’ll talk to Sarah. Later, Kirsten plays cards with Sarah who tells her not to try to score Hamlet because it will kill her. Sarah wants to know what had her when she was performing on stage. They talk about Sarah’s music and she admits she can’t play one of her songs. She fantasizes about the harlot hearing her play it for Gil though. Kirsten claims she heard a rumor that Katrina died of pneumonia. Sarah decides to split the troupe so the actors will go to Pingtree and the musicians will head to Nuevo Santiago. We jump back to year one in the cabin as Jeevan (Himesh Patel) cuts up the meat and Kirsten reads Station Eleven. Jeevan believes they should go scavenge since the road is open now. He says they get a new book. He doesn’t understand Station Eleven despite playing the main guy.

She reads the lines about being monsters to the monsters, but Jeevan doesn’t understand it. She tries to explain it and claims they’re the same as the wolves he killed. Once they reach Pingtree, they see that everything is the same, including the fake minefield and no sign of a prophet. Alex says she should’ve known what David was doing although Kirsten says she only knew because she was dangerous when she was little. She also says David played vulnerable to get people to turn their guard down. As they walk toward the building, they talk about the Red Bandanas or crystal meth militias that tried to take the place over many years ago. Vlad was a Red Bandana at one time although most killed each other. Gil and Katrina approach in a golf cart and scream that they’ve put the mines back in.

Once they stop, Gil explains they put the mines back in because the Prophet took everything. Katrina mentions the cult coming before Alex screams out that they stole the children. She runs through the minefield and makes it down to Gil without being blown to pieces. Gil yells that they could use Sarah’s life and light right now. She tells him they’re performing Hamlet right now. They bicker briefly and Kirsten tells Gil not to be an ahole for a minute before they go inside and sit at the dinner table. Gil tells them how the Prophet came to Pringtree with a boy and crutches claiming they’re traveling together for the first time. Kirsten says it felt like he knew she knew he was pretending and it was a game. Alex says he seemed honest since most pre-pans don’t. Katrina says he isn’t innocent or kind. Gil reveals they gave the Prophet food and he left before returning the next day with another kid, story, and no crutches.

When they asked why, he said there is no before and the survivors are the problem. He stole the four children of Pingtree including Michael, Annie, Brett Olson, and Penelope. Sarah doesn’t understand how the grandchildren of professors would do something so foolish. Gil says he hates Hamlet. Then, he gets into an argument with Dieter who he calls a bad actor. Dieter responds in kind by calling him a bad director. He also complains about them golfing with weapons although Katrina says they were already here. She goes on to suggest Hamlet should be updated before being performed. When Gil claims they don’t like risks, Sarah says otherwise since they’re artists and everything is dangerous. She stands up and says Wendy has deconstructed Hamlet for them and it is set in Portland. Once Kirsten hears that Alex is the lead, she seems stunned but encourages everyone to go rehearse. Outside, Kirsten complains about the idea of using a camcorder to record videos.

Another actress doesn’t want to say it and Kirsten doesn’t like it either. Alex is the only one who believes the play makes sense. She claims it is powerful because Hamlet is the same and doesn’t see that Ophelia is faking everything. He is obsessed with his emotions. Again, Kirsten criticizes the idea. Alex says it will work and they should put it together. Kirsten gets mad and asks if she is directing now. Sayid (Andy McQueen) tells her to calm down and to help no matter what. Several children watch from a hill above. In a flashback, Kirsten learns Jeevan took the book. In the present, Kirsten gets up and tries to retrieve the Station Eleven book from Gil’s desk. Once she gets it and flips through the pages, Gil enters to play golf. They talk about the big book of Joy and Despair on his desk. He tells her to never try to write an oral history of the world after it ends. She hides the book and admits they miss him being their director.

Before she leaves, she asks if living off the wheel was what he thought it would be. Gil admits it is not so she asks him to come back. He believes it would be a bad idea since Katrina just lost everything although Kirsten says everyone did just 20 years ago. He tells her she sounds like the prophet. When she says he should do what he wants, Gil says this is what he wants. Then, we hear a young Kirsten talking about Station Eleven and the stranger named Dr. Eleven who was found floating unconscious in space. He gets stuck on a broken space station with Captain Lonegan who has no crew. The captain drinks scotch and talks about the past. The grown-ups drowned after an explosion and the survivors are kids called the Undersea. They want to go home and build a future earth using time travel. As for Dr. Eleven, he doesn’t care what they do. Kirsten reads the book in the past and present while playing with the cat. She remembers meeting Miranda and says she doesn’t want to live the wrong life and die while looking out of the window.

Kirsten goes to Alex and asks what the prophet said to her. Alex reveals he asked her to leave the symphony and she was tempted to do it at that point. She tried to meet him after the bonfire, but he didn’t show. Alexandra insists she didn’t want to be with him and just wanted to be the lead. As they get dressed, Alex says it is weird that Kirsten takes weapons to a play. During the play, we see two people walking behind the nearby scoreboard. Kirsten performs while saying her entire family lived and died before they even met and that is the same for everyone here. She says screw you Hamlet before pushing Sarah’s CD into Alex’s chest and walking away. Alex throws it at her causing the audience to cheer. It feels like more than a play. Gil praises the play and Alex’s performance while Katrina approaches Kirsten to tell her she brought them new life. She admits they’ve been scared since he came although the Traveling Symphony isn’t afraid of anything.

Kirsten says they are terrified before Katrina wonders if they should be out there looking for the kids. Kirsten says they might come back on their own. Alex rushes up to Kirsten because she is thrilled with the performance. They go inside as Alex pleads with Kirsten to go ride the minefield with her to celebrate. When Alex says there is no before, Kirsten stops her and says that guy was a psychopath. Alex says no and that is all of them because they never deviate and constantly follow the same rules. She calls them the carnival of trauma and continues until Kirsten reminds her the group raised her. When Alex says she is going for a ride, Kirsten tells her no and she remembers Jeevan telling her the same. Kirsten says he is still out there because he didn’t die when she stabbed him. Alex asks Kirsten why she is mad at her and young Kirsten asks Jeevan the same.

They say that whatever happens to them will be their fault. Young Kirsten complains that Jeevan is the one who made them leave Frank (Nabhaan Rizwan) although Jeevan believes they stayed too long for her play anyway. Alexandra knows she can’t just say she is going to leave the Traveling Symphony one day before leaving the room. Jeevan tells Kirsten the book is still in the Ziploc bag as he leaves the cabin. Kirsten instructs Alex to make sure everyone comes inside because it is getting dark. Gil returns the CD to Sarah since he found it on the ground. Sarah confesses she never liked it because she recorded it shortly before her father passed and it reminds her of that. They talk about Gil’s new life while Sarah admits she didn’t treat him well. Gil doesn’t agree though. She tells him what he helped her do and they agree they loved everything they made together. Sarah reminds him that she didn’t leave.

Kirsten watches through the window as Alex rides a white horse away from the property toward the landmines. Outside, Sarah begins playing her song on the piano. Kirsten hears something and steps into the hallway where she finds a young kid who says she is in their room. The kid is wearing a mine which he calls beacons for the Prophet. She remembers David telling her that her friends would start disappearing as she tries to chase the little boy. Gil writes a letter to Katrina in his house before turning around and seeing Penelope who is also wearing a mine. The little girl says she is not Penelope as Kirsten runs down the stairs and warns others that he is wearing a bomb. Gil says he remembers a little girl who loved miniature golf. Kirsten tries to warn him about the bombs despite the fact he already knows. Dieter walks toward the piano and steps on Sarah’s glasses as she plays. Kirsten tells Gil about the bomb as he says they came back. The little kids hug him and the screen turns white which likely represents an explosion.

We jump back to the cabin as Kirsten gets tired of waiting for Jeevan to return. She goes outside and finds Station Eleven in a Ziploc bag near the mailbox. She screams for Jeevan while screaming for her friends in the present. As the episode ends and throughout the credits, we hear David the Prophet playing with the lighter over and over.

 

Station Eleven Review

After four episodes of a television series, I expect to have an intimate relationship with some of the characters. I need to feel sorry for them, cheer for their success, and fear for their safety. Unfortunately, it has been impossible to connect with the characters of Station Eleven besides maybe young Kirsten, but those scenes are few and far between now.

The show might’ve been able to sculpt Dan into an interesting character who just joined The Traveling Symphony and is trying to prove his worth. However, that was dropped after one episode and he has become an unimportant character with so many others. The script does the actors and actresses no favors since it paints them as unsympathetic, unsophisticated, and shallow.

The characters are oddly disconnected from one another despite being a tight-knit group. When Alexandra ran through the minefield it seemed no one really cared least of all the viewer. Furthermore, there are too many silly things going on. The whole premise is tainted considering these events are happening twenty years after the pandemic and these people are still walking around like cavemen and women. Among their biggest concerns are getting back at an old flame who left for another woman and getting the lead role in a makeshift play. Furthermore, I am not sure why the show is hung up on the idea that Miranda only had one book when this was debunked early on when she gave a copy to Arthur.

In fact, Kirsten was in that room drawing or coloring so she would’ve likely heard this too. It’d be easy enough to overlook the silliness of it all if the characters were interesting and dynamic, but none of them are and they’re far too many of them. Ultimately, the idea is good and it could be interesting enough to translate into a worthwhile television show. Sadly, there is no glue holding anything together or substance in the content.

It looks like the series is only going to delve deeper into absurdity. There shouldn’t be an argument that one must read the book before they understand the show. If this were the case, it would be totally pointless and insane to make the show in the first place. The fourth episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Station Eleven recaps are available on Reel Mockery here.