Amazon's Hanna - Episode 2.04 "Welcome Mia"
Marissa joins Hanna at The Meadows, assuring her that she is on her side by arranging an escape plan for that evening.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Amazon's Hanna.
"Welcome Mia" was written by Laura Lomas and directed by Ugla Hauksdóttir
Hanna saw that it was a mistake to try to rescue Clara from the Meadows. She realized that the moment she saw her friend again. The way she approached the rescue though made it so she was all in on breaking her out as forcefully as possible. That meant she was stopped in her tracks the moment that a different outcome had to occur. As such, she has to make things up as she goes along in this journey. John actually wants to acclimate her to the program. He sees the value in her joining the rest of the trainees. When he sees her in action, he sees the project reaching its full potential. After all of these years hoping for the best, this is the best proof yet that greatness will come for whomever happens to be financing all of this. That is still shrouded in mystery. Marissa hopes to uncover some of those answers. At the moment though, she has to find a way to continue helping Hanna. It's all for the ultimate goal of getting her to Canada to start a new life. That is no longer a reality. The audience should accept that now. That was obvious the moment John knew that she was still alive. It's still positioned as this potential salvation though. It can't be. That is no longer feasible. That highlights the overall trend of this season that prevents the story from gaining much momentum. Hanna is making the same decisions to the same choices she has been presented with on several occasions. And now, the same is obviously happening with the other trainees. The first season ended with Hanna presenting them with their potential freedom. She came to the facility to break them all free. Clara was the only person who took her up on the offer. That was only because she had personal information that could make an immediate connection with her. This episode builds to a similar conclusion. Hanna knows it may be futile to offer that to Clara again. And yet, she does so because it is the only thing of value she can now present. When they get a moment in private, that is the only direction the conversation can go. Her personal motivation wasn't just to ensure that Clara was safe after the ambiguity in the hotel. It was to break her free. Hanna ultimately has to follow through with that. She allows herself to build up the hope that it could all work out in the end. She continues to have Marissa in her corner. She has to trust her even though Hanna attacked her thinking she was a double agent. Hanna has to trust her here because Marissa is clearly creating a cover story. She does her best to work in secret to hopefully avoid detection from John. It doesn't work. None of this does. That comes with the clarity that everything that happens at the Meadows has been planned. Any sense of rebellion that the trainees feel is something they have been programmed or manipulated into experiencing. That was an open question especially when it came to Jules' sexual orientation. Was she genuinely exploring what her sexual interests were? Or was she simply supposed to follow that narrative because the program needed her to do so? This hour shows that whatever Leo suggests immediately latches itself onto the minds of the trainees. He lets it slip that deliveries are coming and Jules believes it's an opportunity to break the rules a little bit. He justifies it by saying it's important to understand the urge to rebel. It's still carefully controlled and monitored behavior. Leo even reveals it as such. The girls could deduce that nothing they feel or experience is a genuine impulse. Nothing in their lives is theirs. It's just something given to them by others. Those people want them to be killers but are dressing this program up as noble public service to one's country. Hanna wants to break free of that. But the other trainees can't go outside their core directive. Clara was torn once. She is once more. She makes a different decision. That isn't all that surprise. It just will have major consequences for Hanna and Marissa. They want to disrupt this program. They see just how dire and corrosive it has been for these young girls. And yet, the desire to reverse the damage done isn't enough to ensure a better future. That hope is gone. This hour wants that to be a surprise. As such, it doesn't build as effectively as it could. It may just be the expected plot beat to reveal how little things have changed. But the show can't keep offering up the same ideas or opportunities. They have lost their potency even though this season has put in more effort to make Clara, Sandy and Jules more complex figures who understand what Hanna is going through. They buy into the idea of family. But that too is something they are just suppose to accept. It's easy for them to be manipulated because that temptation and longing for connection is powerful. But they are also choosing to ignore those who actually dictate what they can feel at any moment. They are just suppose to act as the faces and triggers for whatever this nefarious program hopes to do throughout the world.
