‘La Brea’ Recap: ‘Sierra’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LA BREA -- "Sierra" Episode 301 -- Pictured: (l-r) Nicholas Gonzalez as Levi, Chiké Okonkwo as Ty, Eoin Macken as Gavin, Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott, Asmara Feik as Petra -- (Photo by: Mark Taylor/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Three Premiere of ‘La Brea’.
​
For the most part, the final season premiere of a show, tends to be low key in nature. Simply because it is to serve as the setup for the grand finale ahead. So, it becomes the perfect time to reconnect with characters, explore them in ways the show has yet to before gently introducing what the characters will be dealing with or working toward in their final season. That way, the tension can build, the moments and the stakes can grow, and we are eventually treated to a whopping finale that takes our breath away. But not every show subscribes to that in their final/farewell season. For some, want to take us on a hell of a ride, from beginning to end, as evidenced by how the season three premiere of La Brea on NBC played out.

Or rather… how it eventually played out. Because ‘Sierra’ took the time to fool us really, for it opened up with everyone settling deeper into life in 10,000 B.C. to the point where defensive structures were being built for safety and where discussions of family life and the future came into play. Making it seem as though this final season was going to focus heavily on family and reunions, such as getting Eve back into the fold. For Gavin was laser focused on bringing her home and spent time here looking for ways to activate the computer he retrieved from the facility, to see if that would help him find clues as to where she ended up after going through that portal in the season two finale, and how to reverse that. All of which did bring about a low-key start to this story, one that felt very traditional in nature.

But that simply did not last. If anything, that lulled us into a false sense of security really, because just like that the Clearing was destroyed by a surprise dinosaur attack and there were more hardships on the horizon. The kind that saw Riley and Josh deal with some hard struggles. Simply because they were on the backend of the dinosaur attack and that brought about a bloody and violent and scary struggle with a velociraptor. One that left Riley in a bad way and well, in the wake of this madness, the group was forced to join forces with Paara’s camp to survive, and well… that attack made for some wild moments for certain. The kind that shook everything up and put the group on a new and scary path and well… the epic nature of this story didn’t end there.

Because eventually, that laptop did indeed work, after the group settled in to catch their breath and it opened up a line of communication to someone that stated they knew Eve and knew how to help reunite her and Gavin, provided he could bring them… ‘Sierra’. A codename that rang familiar for Gavin and eventually made sense to him, courtesy of a bevy of memories that were swirling about in his head since he was thinking deeply about the past and the journey he had endured with his family in this wild place. But before he could do much with it, a signal that was being chased, one that many thought related to Sierra… was cornered and what was discovered, was quite incredible. In that, portals awaited those who were brave enough to stand near them and well… that too brought about many surprises and changes for the group.

For Josh saw this as a chance to get Riley to some place safe, where she could be healed since she was in bad shape and in the process of going through that portal, Ty was pulled through a different one and came to… in the past. A few weeks before the sinkhole opened in 2021 in Los Angeles to be exact, giving rise to a new journey for him… and quite the cliffhanger to say the least. Because just like that, the group is scattered, the timeline is once again being played with and hope for a reunion for Gavin’s family hangs in the balance and well, that is an epic way to kick off the third and final season of this show. Since it informs us, this story is going to go big week in and week out and shock us and take us wild places we didn’t expect to go, all before bringing this tale to its grand finale, and truly… it will be fascinating to see what other surprises await us and how they will all bring this story together, as we inch toward the end of this long and winding journey through time. Until next time.

To learn more about what this journey has meant to the cast and crew of this show, check out our interviews with Series Creator, David Appelbaum and cast members: Veronica St. Clair and Jack Martin, Zyra Gorcki and Nicholas Gonzalez, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, and Rohan Mirchandaney, and Chiké Okonkwo and Jon Seda.

---

Watch ‘La Brea’

Powered by JustWatch