Maya Schmidt was out here spilling the tea on La Brea Season 3 Episode 3. But the question remains—can we trust her?
Right now, the verdict seems to be split right down the middle.
Maya saved Gavin and Sam when they were tied up at the military base, she was forthcoming with information about the secret Ladera project and her role in it and seems to be trying to right her wrongs while looking for her daughter in the process.
However, everything we’re learning about Maya—currently—is at face value. We have no one else to give us insight and no one else to trust, especially since Gavin can’t remember a chunk of his life, so we kind of have no choice but to believe her.
But there’s the other side of it once Gavin unlocks a crucial piece of information after his hallucinogenic mushroom trip that makes me think she’s still hiding something. Everyone knows that the best way to Gavin is through Eve since he’ll do anything to save her, so when the signal told him to find Maya, he did just that.
Maya could’ve easily orchestrated it to get inside Gavin’s mind and locate the microchip he seemingly stole from the Ladera Air Base (and has no recollection of right now) because she wants whatever is on it. It was way too easy for her to come up with a solution to help him tap into those repressed memories.
However, there’s another player that’s introduced in the final moments of the episode—and in the 2021 timeline. The unknown woman is stalking Gavin, Ty, and Sam and she has a gun, so it’s fair to assume that she sent the message in order to get to the microchip.
The next logical question becomes—what is on the microchip? What could be so important that everyone is spiraling over it?
Maya said she was going to be a whistleblower before she got caught, so maybe Gavin was helping her take down the whole operation. There could be proof on there of what the government’s been doing, or it could be the formula for traveling through time and space so that they can return to their present timeline.
Either way, the intel on the microchip is key to this big puzzle.
Whoever sent the signal also said they could see Eve at the very moment, so are we to assume that’s a clue about her location? Did she make it back to 2021? Or are they watching a different version of Eve?
Maya’s explanation of her role was illuminating, but there are still plenty of gaps to be filled, which is hopefully where Gavin (now onboard with what Ty is putting down), Ty, and Sam come into play.
They trio has figured out that the answers to helping those that they love must lie at Ladera Air Base, but in order to make any headway, Gavin, who is deep in the trenches of his alcoholism, needs to get a grip on himself.
He’s reluctant initially, but Ty is not only persuasive, he’s persistent, and Gavin eventually realizes that this is a lifeline he cannot ignore. Someone cares enough to come back again and again and help him; and he has the potential to do something significant, even if it all seems far-fetched from his viewpoint right now.
Gavin’s decision to turn his life around was also crucial in helping Ty make amends with his ex-wife. It was a significant day as it was mere hours before Sophie would make a life-changing decision by driving drunk and destroying a family’s life in addition to her own.
Ty felt responsible as he contributed to Sophie’s demise with his mean-spirited attitude toward her. After learning about his cancer, Ty gave up hope. He was in a bad place, so he dragged a good woman down with him.
Now, with so much perspective and experiences that need to be seen to be believed, he knows that his outlook was limited and Sophie never deserved it. Ty took his return to 2021 as an opportunity to right some longs—and hopefully, save some lives in the process.
It was extremely therapeutic for his character, while also giving fans so much insight into a man that they’ve come to love over the seasons. Ty didn’t need a redemption arc, but it didn’t hurt either—it normalized him even more, proving that even the best of people get lost sometimes.
You’d think Ty would be on alert when walking around with Gavin and Sam simply because of all he’s witnessed and his knowledge of how many military organizations have a hand in it. He’s messing with the big dogs, so you’d think he’d be more cautious and discreet. You never know who has been watching these auras and knows of his return.
Maya essentially confirmed that the military organization has been trying to weaponize time travel so that they can go back and eliminate their enemy first, so they are messing with some big dogs with a lot of control and capital, and thus, capabilities. They’ve made the unthinkable happen, so there’s a huge chance that they are keeping tabs on the auroras and who passes through them. Then again, there’s no point in discretion if the org has eyes everywhere—they’ll likely track his every move regardless.
Of course, my question still stands as to whether the military organization is connected to Gavin’s parents in any way or is this just sheer coincidence? On a calculated show like this, I don’t think coincidence exists, but I do worry that things have gotten too big to handle and they’re basically just asking for audiences to just forget all that happened with James and the tower.
Elsewhere, Izzy and Layla had the kind of adventure I don’t wish upon anyone that included a tarpit and wild boars. Dangers are lurking in every corner in 10K B.C., so I’m glad Izzy is investing in learning how to protect herself, though Layla’s decision to hunt the wild animal on their own was careless and could have cost her her life. Thankfully, it didn’t end with tragedy as Izzy pulled through for her, and their day ended with a romantic declaration that we all saw coming from a mile away. Who knew 10K B.C. was so romantic? So many relationships have been formed her, though one seems to be a bit rocky as Lucas and Veronica had their first major disagreement.
Layla divulged that her brother and father died not to long ago, so I give Ruth a lot of credit for picking up the pieces and leading her village, but on the other hand, I do wonder if she purposefully created tension between Lucas and Veronica by enlisting the latter onto the council. Lucas was eyeing that freed up spot, a fact Veronica made crystal clear when she vouched for him, but Ruth was more interested in Veronica’s leadership skills. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe Veronica deserves something of her own and has what it takes, but I wish she considered that maybe Lucas’ reaction was less ego-driven and selfish and coming more from a place of valid concern. They don’t know much about Ruth or these people, so it’s only fair to wonder what her angle is. Sure, he could’ve changed his approach and been a bit more supportive, but I was disappointed with how quickly they fell apart at the first sign of tension.
By the end of the hour, Izzy almost lost someone she cared about to the tarpits and her father was brought back to the village after a seizure induced by dangerous wild mushrooms; the father that’s her only remaining family since her mother and brother’s disappearance.
At this point, we have no idea where they are—and while Gavin is more determined to find Eve, I’m curious as to where the aurora took Riley and Josh! Can we get any insight into that?
Is everyone about to bump into each other in 2021? And where are Levi and Petra? Will Maya’s rescue mission to find her daughter prove to be fruitful?
What did you think of the episode?