As the town prepares for Deerfield High's homecoming basketball game, Jacob is encouraged to step into his brother's shoes.
Jacob doesn't feel like a hero. He's barely been keeping it together following the separate deaths of his mother and identical twin brother. He doesn't have a close relationship with his father. Everything has seemingly changed because he saved Principal Pat's life. All he did was call 911. That's still a significant action. He undermines it by saying anyone with a phone could have done it. However, Jacob was the person in the woods when Principal Pat needed it the most. Dusty would love to use this incident as proof that people shouldn't place all their faith in the results from the Morpho machine. He wants people to support his skepticism. And yet, Jacob's designation as a hero only makes more sense now. It's a title he has earned. It's something everyone can plainly see. He's celebrated for it. He's more than just the kid whose brother died. Colton was beloved in school. He was captain of the basketball team. Jacob is a nerd who escapes stressful situations to smoke. That brings him comfort. He's now asked to step into the life his brother had. He's capable of getting caught up in the moment too. He believes anything is possible when a crowd is cheering his name. That support is infectious. It doesn't magically give him the skill to dunk a basketball. Instead, he falls flat on his face. After that, everyone reassures him by saying they didn't expect him to make it. They simply wanted a sufficient way to honor Colton's memory. It's all performative. Jacob is still grieving. Even he doesn't know how to process these emotions. He can't express them in productive ways. He continues to live. He has to find a way to move forward. His father is inspired by what he has done. He seeks to honor him in a way he deserves. He becomes more vocal and present. That's still not good enough. He's excited when it comes to the idea of doing better. He's still a mess who can hardly come through when the time calls for it. Instead, it's much easier to quit his job and create a mess in the garage. Those actions are started. It invites more chaos into Jacob's life. He doesn't need that stress. No one really has the skills to help him handle it either. The town doctor is equally out of her depth. She asks Jacob for advice because she feels like an imposter. She goes quiet the moment she doesn't know something. She makes that confession. It's better to know that than place any authority onto what she says. However, that leaves people without a place to go. Instead, they put their faith in the Morpho machine. Those words provide clarity. Cass has even created a business helping people brand their potential. She encourages others to step up. She serves as that cheerleader even though it constantly leaves Dusty confused. He doesn't know all that his wife is capable of. He has reached his potential while others leave him in the dust with what they can still accomplish.
This culminates in a kiss between Jacob and Trina. That was an expected development given how often they flirt. It's complicated because Trina was Colton's girlfriend. That's a trauma she has endured as well. Her parents have given her the space to process it. They are just now starting to grow concerned about her behavior. And yet, they are absent from her big moment at the game too. She had a solo during the band's performance of "Angel" by Shaggy. Her parents arrive after. Instead, it's more crucial for them to be there when it comes time for the dunk. Cass takes the microphone from the coach to encourage Jacob to take the court and attempt the move. Trina isn't jealous about the love others receive from her parents. She understands the charm and drive to care for Jacob. He takes on newfound importance because he saved Principal Pat's life. However, Trina saw that greatness before this moment. They apparently had a deal to never kiss at school. It's a rule worth breaking now because Jacob needs that support. He received his life potential. He acted on it. People look at him differently. He doesn't know what to do with this affection. He doesn't need to have everything figured out. He's just a teenager. So much importance is thrust onto the situation. Generational differences are pronounced over the machine's results. Dusty and his peers see the cards as affirmation of the choices they've made so far in life. Meanwhile, the teenagers view them as the promise of what the future holds. Jacob was working at the general store when the Morpho machine appeared. He didn't oversee the delivery and installation. He took a smoke break. When he returned, it was just there. His boss decided to keep it because it brought in more business. Jacob was the first to receive his results. To do so, he skipped through all the legal disclaimers in the setup. The inclusion of that language suggests this may be an actual company using the personal information required for something else. The mystery certainly toes the line between the magical and realistic. It wants the audience to be guessing just as much as the characters are themselves. They each have to decide whether they want these results. That overwhelming urge for clarity supersedes protecting their personal information. They need the truth. And then, they let out these huge emotional responses to the results. Father Reuben's faith was tested. He thought he had clarity. Just like Cass though, his readout of "Father" could have a number of explanations. It could affirm the path he took. It could also send him away from the cloth in pursuit of raising a child. That may very well be something he once wanted. He saw his calling to join the priesthood as more compelling. That's in doubt once more. He's not the only one who feels that way. It's private in many of the situations. The actions that are provoked though hardly remain confined to the person who received the results they weren't expecting. Everyone is connected after all.
