‘Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty’ Recap – ‘Episode 6: The Outcast’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty’.
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It is definitely safe to say that fans of Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty, were eagerly awaiting last night’s episode of this incredible show for one reason and one reason alone, Sencha. For this innocent little meerkat found herself on the receiving end of Flint’s protective fury during last week’s episode and that put her in quite the precarious place. For she was more or less banished from the family and facing an uncertain future and all of us were eager to learn as to whether or not she would ever have a chance at being welcomed back into the clan… or if she was about to spend the rest of her days fighting for survival and thankfully the midseason finale of this dynamic series, took the time to answer those questions and it was also quick to show us how she was doing on her own.
 
As it turns out, she was simply getting by, and that made the opening moments of ‘Episode 6: The Outcast”, a tad heartbreaking. Because it was obvious that Sencha was outright devastated by being cast out from her family and she was so distraught and uncomfortable with sleeping on her own and hunting on her own, that she outright hung near the pack in the hopes of potentially seeing a signal that she might be welcomed home, and this was hard to watch. Simply because we often see meerkat families function as one close knit unit and we are fully aware of how much they depend upon one another for survival. But despite being left to her own devices for far longer than she would have liked, there was in fact a bright spot to come out of her exile.
 
Because eventually a suitor made himself known and since Lilac didn’t have to fight with other males or keep his distance, romance was quick to bloom. And that definitely lifted Sencha’s spirits since she was near a meerkat that cared and that motivated her to do something quite bold, and attempt to reintegrate with the Hakuna Matata clan, since she felt enough time had passed and she wanted more of that sense of belonging. But alas that was a poor miscalculation on her part. For Flint was still on the warpath and in one last final push… she and the family did everything within their power to keep Sencha and her new beau as far away from the family as possible. To the point where she and Lilac were forced to run across the highway to what remains… an unknown future. For while there was a chance to mate, Sencha still has zero clue what comes next for her since Lilac might not stay and that is definitely a powerful way to end her tale, for now. 
 
But while it was indeed heartbreaking and rough to watch Sencha try and forge a path forward on her own… there were parts of this tale that offered up more uplifting moments. For instance, Swift came to realize that hanging out in a cattle field was eventually going to be a poor choice for the clan. Because the little ones were becoming curious about the world beyond the burrow, and despite having a solid babysitter around them… they started to venture into the world and while nothing happened to them during this little journey, the risk of them being trampled or harmed was far too great. Which motivated Swift to tell everyone to pack their tiny meerkat bags and bid the farm farewell in search of a safer environment and well… after a tense run in with an eagle, eventually they returned to an old burrow and quickly repaired it, in preparation for the next chapter in their journey.
 
If anything, this was simply a top-notch midseason finale when all is said and done. Because it featured a powerful cliffhanger involving Sencha since her harrowing saga has yet to reach resolution and of course, it had plenty of tension in regard to the Whiskers family because those little rascals running around and getting near trouble pretty much takes your breath away. But most important of all, it was supremely educational in nature. Because we received an inside look at how versatile a meerkat can be when they are isolated from the family they know and love since Sencha did find a way to survive. and Swift’s decisions here reinforced how cognizant a matriarch is of danger and the need to provide her family her with safety, and that was just incredible to learn for certain. But sadly, the time has now come to hurry up and wait for more episodes of this delightful series. But thankfully, we won’t have to wait all that long for more amazing adventures with these incredible cuties, for Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty will return to BBC America on September 4, 2021, and it will be quite interesting to see what kind of drama awaits us when we return to the Kalahari in a couple of months. Until next time.

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