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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Naomi Episode 3: Zero To Sixty

January 26th, 2022 by Todd Black Comments

One thing I always find fascinating with new series is how they play off of one another, as well as what tropes are used on repeat. Sadly for Naomi, she followed one that is not just all too common, but incredibly played out. And not even by the old guard of the Arrowverse, but by one of its newer members, and that, along with other repeated tropes, is why “Zero To Sixty” did nothing more than tread water instead of really advancing things.

Granted, there was some movement. Including Zumbado proving just how clever he is with that disc swap (which I seriously called out before the swap was revealed, no way he would just leave it in the safe without some protection). Or how he and Naomi aren’t alone from their world (again, something very different from the comics). Rather, there are 29 other members of their “species” on Earth and Zumbado wants to get them united again and use Naomi as a key to get back home that he apparently got banished from. I definitely hope we get more of this world-building going forward.

Also, having Naomi’s parents reveal her true origin (at least in part for now) was important, as that would’ve been treading water as well given all that Naomi has been doing recently.

And while a bit simple, I liked the focus on “College Week” and how Naomi’s circle of friends all viewed themselves in terms of who they were and what they wanted to be via college.

What held back this episode though was two tropes. The first is one I noted last episode…repetition. Basically, Naomi gets her ENTIRE crew together, they go to a place to learn something, and it backfires in their face in a big way. It happened at the car dealership, the mill, and now the college. What’s worse, one of them even acknowledged (not once, but twice) that they’ve been doing this a lot recently, and…no one batted an eye?

Just as bad, Naomi “discovered a key location” and yet true to form despite it being 3 episodes in, she didn’t get what she wanted because she overextended her reach.

Which brings us to the other trope, the “I can handle this” trope. Why does Naomi think she can handle this? She’s only used her powers a few times, twice was on accident, and she never did very big things with them. So why was she so gung-ho to use her powers when she can’t even define them (as prove last episode)?

If you’re curious about what “newer member” of the Arrowverse I was referencing before, that would be Stargirl. Both in Season 1 & 2, Courtney was infamous for being this kind of gung-ho and it NEVER worked out for her. And yet, she didn’t seem to care. Naomi is MUCH more put together than Courtney is and yet she fell into the same tropes. Based on how we know her, and her actions from episode 1 pre-reveals, she would’ve taken things in stride. But instead, likely due to episode count, they had her rushing in and it almost got her killed, along with Annabelle.

Speaking of which, how did they get out of there without anyone caring? The place was collapsing around them RIGHT when they went in and that guard did…nothing? Uh-huh…

Just as bad in terms of being ‘like Courtney’, Naomi’s disbelief in how her parents were treating her really felt off. Her mom being mad at her was legitimate (and notice how we didn’t hear about what punishment they got…?) and yet Naomi overreacted just because it was her “first strike”. That’s not how parenting works. And then when she lied about her whereabouts and got mad that her parents were punishing her, what did she expect to happen? Discipline goes along with love, even in the best relationships.

And then…there’s Lordis. Seriously, who is she besides Naomi’s potential female love interest? She just HAPPENS to show up at Oregon State RIGHT BEFORE the break-in? And then she brings her comics (DC Comics…yeah…) to help her, admits how she is…and then drops that NOT SO SUBTLE hint about “seeing who she likes”? Really? And aside from Annabelle, none of her other friends are coming off much better.

Oh, and can we note how yet again another young hero doesn’t want to learn the basics despite being in the presence of a veteran fighter? Just saying.

In the end, “Zero To Sixty” did a lot of spinning its wheels, but hopefully now with some new pieces on the board, things can finally grow in a meaningful way.

3/5

Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!