‘Anna’ Recap: ‘You Gotta Make Ice Cream’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Anna’.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that post-apocalyptic fiction has settled into a groove now and has latched onto a specific crowd-pleasing formula. The kind where the survivors of the apocalypse in question, band together because of a common realization. One where they understand the gift they’ve been given and that’s why they pull together and fight for a better tomorrow, so that humanity can survive and thrive once more and never again revisit the mistakes that brought about its downfall. Which is indeed a wondrous way to handle a tale of devastation since it really does give us hope for tomorrow and humanity in general. Since mankind tends to let us down often. But while that formula does engender hope and good vibes, it is growing a touch stale.
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For it is being used quite often and that is why post-apocalyptic shows that break from said formula, need to be celebrated. Since those stories are clearly looking to break new ground in a popular genre and that is precisely why Anna on AMC+ is of note. For this series is doing just that and for proof… look no further than its next episode. For ‘You Gotta Make Ice Cream’ is a story that breaks all of that convention and reminds us of the fact that for some, specifically children in this case, rebuilding mankind wouldn’t be top of mind at the end of the world. Instead, the horror of that reality and the stresses that would accompany it, would motivate kids (and likely a bevy of adults) to just… do their best to let loose and enjoy the silence and their freedom and/or what little time is left, and that is precisely what Anna did in this particular tale. 

Because she had the opportunity to swing by Pietro’s place and say hello and when she did, he offered her quite the fun day. One where they could swim in the lake near his mobile home and just relax and forget about their troubles and she was happy to do so. Since it really did provide her with a level of joy, we’ve never seen her indulge in before and it also let her just… be a pre-teen. In fact, she went so deep in her adolescent indulgences that she even took the time to get high with Pietro and just enjoy the lucid ride. But while it was different and oddly refreshing to see people having fun in a story about the end of the world, there were indeed some dangerous consequences to accompany those actions. Because while Anna watched her world melt before her eyes, her little brother was indulging in some foolish behavior.

In that, Astor thought it would be fun to entertain himself by making a fire. One that burned so hot and so bright that the smoke it created, was spotted by the Blue Kids. Who were simply out and about looking for supplies and that brought about quite the twist. The kind that saw these feral children swing by Anna and Astor’s home and raid it and sully the shrine they made for their mother, before leaving with Astor… whether he liked it or not. Which eventually brought great panic to Anna, since she realized that being away from home for that long and not doing a better job of teaching her little brother how to handle himself around fire and in silence, led to his kidnapping and in the end… her only hope at rescuing him, was in the hands of a pair of twins that have clearly, lost their minds with the Red Fever preparing to overtake them. Since one of them trapped Anna instead of helping her.

Which, served as a fine reminder of how dark this world remains and how little hope there is for a future and well… in the end, this was simply a brilliant chapter in this harrowing journey. Because it really did hammer home the fact that a world without adults would be disastrous for children, since all of these actions would have been avoided with a single adult in the room. But alas, that blessing won’t happen here, and we as the audience, will have to suffer through frustrating and terrifying moments as these poor remaining children figure out how to do the right thing on their own, in ways where mistakes run rampant and well… that definitely compels one to continue the journey. To see if Anna can grow up before our eyes and save her brother and to see if by chance, there is any hope for a future, in a world where minds that cannot comprehend the end, are all that’s left of humanity. Until next time.

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