Reeling from a major fallout with Annie - and running from anything related to Alex - Cassie brings Buckley along for an alcohol-fueled escapade that ends in a meltdown. Meanwhile, Megan embarks on a clandestine mission, and, amid mounting pressure from her co-conspirators, Miranda continues to hunt Cassie down.
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 HBO Max's The Flight Attendant.
"After Dark" was written by Jess Meyer and directed by Batan Silva
Various groups of people are trying to understand what happened in Bangkok. Cassie has always found herself in the middle of it too. She wants to know what happened mostly as a deflection from all the other problems she has going on in her life. When she has to stay still, that forces her to spiral in the uncomfortable and abusive life she has lived so far. People love to encourage her vices though. Megan even sees her as fun because she is so free-spirited. It's still sad that Cassie is Megan's best friend. Cassie only calls when she needs something. Right now, she needs support and distraction. Annie has typically filled that role for her. She can no longer do so. This friendship is no longer healthy. It probably hasn't been healthy in a long time. They have both done things that have caused significant damage to each other. Annie lost a piece of herself because of the job she took. Her desire to be the best actually saw her compromise her values and alienate her friends. She found love though. That was miraculous. As such, she has to hold on tight to Max. She has to keep hope alive that he will survive his injuries after being hit with a car. She doesn't want to believe in the conspiracy Cassie is talking about. That is completely irrelevant to her now. Yes, everyone should be concerned about Cassie's safety. She has survived numerous encounters with dangerous individuals. Sometimes she survives and doesn't know that she should be grateful to someone for helping her get out. She just takes so much from the people in her life. She gives very little back to them. It's exhausting. Annie has finally hit her limit. She no longer wants to live in a world where this is seen as a healthy friendship. It isn't. She is taking steps to change it. She has given away too much of herself. Right now, she simply has to be there for the man she loves. That's her priority. She can't provide emotional support to Cassie because she claims she did all of this to protect Annie. That's a flimsy rationalization. She gets people to go along with her reckless lifestyle because it seems full of purpose. It isn't. She is just constantly running because she is afraid to confront who she truly is. That continues to play out in her subconscious as well. She believes this dream version of Alex is changing all of her memories. He's simply getting her to admit that the perfect picture she has of her childhood is far from the truth. She wants to remember things as they actually happened. And yet, she fights the process every step of the way. Buckley encourages all of this. He is the only person along for the ride with her. Their bond is so vain and shallow too. It means absolutely nothing. It's purely an empty distraction. It's a fun escape that still carries consequences to it. One night in a jail cell is all it takes for Cassie to spiral. Her phone call with Davey is absolutely concerning. He worries about her. She admits that his version of past events was correct. Neither of them deserved the abuse inflicted by their father. Cassie is still suffering from so many psychological repercussions. She may not be able to address any of them even further though. Miranda posted her bail and is now holding her at gunpoint. She is determined to tie up this final loose end. Then, she can return to London having completed the job. It won't be that easy. Again, there are various individuals trying to get to the bottom of things. Kim realizes that parts of Cassie's insane story are starting to line up. It's all wild. It may once again offer reassurance that Cassie will survive her latest encounter with Miranda. That will still be far-fetched given how frequently the show now depicts her lethal abilities. But it will also create the sensation of rushing to the finish line. Everything is building to an epic climax. Friendships are being destroyed. Realities are being warped. Answers are coming. Cassie just has to survive long enough to realize them. Knowing what happened to Alex won't solve all of her problems. It may be minor in the grand scheme of things. And yet, all of this chaos serves as her wake-up call to admit her personal failings. That may still not allow others to be a part of her world. Those sacrifices have simply been too dire and too frequent to mean anything even if she proclaims her desire to change.
Various groups of people are trying to understand what happened in Bangkok. Cassie has always found herself in the middle of it too. She wants to know what happened mostly as a deflection from all the other problems she has going on in her life. When she has to stay still, that forces her to spiral in the uncomfortable and abusive life she has lived so far. People love to encourage her vices though. Megan even sees her as fun because she is so free-spirited. It's still sad that Cassie is Megan's best friend. Cassie only calls when she needs something. Right now, she needs support and distraction. Annie has typically filled that role for her. She can no longer do so. This friendship is no longer healthy. It probably hasn't been healthy in a long time. They have both done things that have caused significant damage to each other. Annie lost a piece of herself because of the job she took. Her desire to be the best actually saw her compromise her values and alienate her friends. She found love though. That was miraculous. As such, she has to hold on tight to Max. She has to keep hope alive that he will survive his injuries after being hit with a car. She doesn't want to believe in the conspiracy Cassie is talking about. That is completely irrelevant to her now. Yes, everyone should be concerned about Cassie's safety. She has survived numerous encounters with dangerous individuals. Sometimes she survives and doesn't know that she should be grateful to someone for helping her get out. She just takes so much from the people in her life. She gives very little back to them. It's exhausting. Annie has finally hit her limit. She no longer wants to live in a world where this is seen as a healthy friendship. It isn't. She is taking steps to change it. She has given away too much of herself. Right now, she simply has to be there for the man she loves. That's her priority. She can't provide emotional support to Cassie because she claims she did all of this to protect Annie. That's a flimsy rationalization. She gets people to go along with her reckless lifestyle because it seems full of purpose. It isn't. She is just constantly running because she is afraid to confront who she truly is. That continues to play out in her subconscious as well. She believes this dream version of Alex is changing all of her memories. He's simply getting her to admit that the perfect picture she has of her childhood is far from the truth. She wants to remember things as they actually happened. And yet, she fights the process every step of the way. Buckley encourages all of this. He is the only person along for the ride with her. Their bond is so vain and shallow too. It means absolutely nothing. It's purely an empty distraction. It's a fun escape that still carries consequences to it. One night in a jail cell is all it takes for Cassie to spiral. Her phone call with Davey is absolutely concerning. He worries about her. She admits that his version of past events was correct. Neither of them deserved the abuse inflicted by their father. Cassie is still suffering from so many psychological repercussions. She may not be able to address any of them even further though. Miranda posted her bail and is now holding her at gunpoint. She is determined to tie up this final loose end. Then, she can return to London having completed the job. It won't be that easy. Again, there are various individuals trying to get to the bottom of things. Kim realizes that parts of Cassie's insane story are starting to line up. It's all wild. It may once again offer reassurance that Cassie will survive her latest encounter with Miranda. That will still be far-fetched given how frequently the show now depicts her lethal abilities. But it will also create the sensation of rushing to the finish line. Everything is building to an epic climax. Friendships are being destroyed. Realities are being warped. Answers are coming. Cassie just has to survive long enough to realize them. Knowing what happened to Alex won't solve all of her problems. It may be minor in the grand scheme of things. And yet, all of this chaos serves as her wake-up call to admit her personal failings. That may still not allow others to be a part of her world. Those sacrifices have simply been too dire and too frequent to mean anything even if she proclaims her desire to change.
