Endless Love
Still reeling from the events at the end of the last episode, Esther begins “Troubles” suspecting the people who have taken Josephine are after her implant in an act of corporate espionage. With the company still reeling over the cyber-attacks, Esther deliberates over whether to activate the implants to save her Mum or not. After talking to Paul and discussing the next course of action for the test, Esther decides to go ahead, informed by the AI Martin that the memories are now activated. As Esther tries to disguise her role in sabotaging the project, Ana meets up with her bosses and reveals to them the information about the project as well as her hallucinations as well. Meanwhile, Paul shows a group of investors around the Project but becomes distracted by a symbol of the implant in his arm. As he stares off into space, he thinks back to an early memory involving Josephine where they argued about love and science, reflecting themes which most of this series anchors around. It’s a small segment but it’s also one that’s really quite relevant to the overarching story. Snapping out of his funk, the investors bring the conversation back to the Project and in particular, targeted adverts. Looking to exploit this new technology in every way they can, Paul refuses to engage in a discussion around monetisation, instead focusing his attention on making sure Osmosis has a successful launch. After heeding the warnings of getting too close to his soul-mate Claire, Niels questions the way he feels about her before succumbing to a hallucination of his own. Unfortunately, his is a little less pleasant compared to Ana and the ensuing chaos causes some serious issues between him and Claire. As the three candidates question why they were all experiencing the exact same visions back at Osmosis HQ, Esther tries to disguise her knowledge in what they’re going through. The episode then ends with Paul approached by an unknown woman who clearly has his number. After a brief discussion together, she leaves him to ponder over what she’s said and offer us more questions over just what the content of their conversation was. The third episode really builds on the foundation set in the first two, setting up a really interesting clash of ideas around technology and love. The three candidates all have enough screen time to feel fleshed out and the way each of them approach love and the trial itself is ultimately what makes this series so enjoyable. While it may not be the most stylish or have the best acting, it does have a very strong thematic core and for that alone, Osmosis continues to deliver in its third episode.
