‘Pantheon’ Recap: ‘We Are You’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

This is a spoiler-free recap of ‘Pantheon’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is likely the hope of every inventor out there… that their creation be used for the betterment of mankind. Especially when they have given life to something that makes our lives easier or saves them. Because then their legacy will have been one of help and hope and that’s a wonderful impact to leave upon mankind. But sadly… as time continues along, it seems as though such hopes are often dashed by circumstances that relate to our flaws. After all, the invention of the nuclear bomb was designed to end war and keep the world from being surrounded by the darkness that the Third Reich tried to plunge it into. But instead, it led to an arms race out of fear of the power the atom bomb could yield and now… nukes are everywhere and the threat of darkness still persists through nuclear winter.

Not to mention, something as simple as insulin, a lifesaving drug that is a necessity for so many… went from being a revolutionary solve to a long-standing ailment… to nothing more than a chess piece in the grand scheme of capitalism. Wherein profits over people is the game being played and the list just goes on and on, and well… it is such a problem and of such concern that the next episode of Pantheon on AMC+ pondered upon the question… what would become of the digital afterlife if by chance, issues with the human condition, came into play regarding its existence? Which made ‘We Are You’ quite the harrowing tale. Simply because… this is a story that postulated the theory that something this powerful and this important, would indeed fall victim to our flaws.

Since it would easily fall into the hands of people that would be eager to abuse its might and its power, and of course, profitability and agenda would come into play, and it was both fascinating and horrifying to see the series explore those possibilites in the manner that it did. Plus, it was equally as moving and almost shocking to have it ponder upon whether or not a digital afterlife could in fact, be the utopia that one would hope for it to be. For if this is a place where a perfect copy of us is stored, have we actually grown? Have we transcended as we would in the good books of the world into a higher plane of existence and thought? Or is this… just a new playground for us? And a place for status quo? And the answers to all of those questions were powerful to say the least.   

However, this episode wasn’t solely dedicated to philosophy through and through. For this is a story that also took the time to check in with a very broken Caspian, and we were able to watch his path take some unique twists and turns. Not to mention, it was quite lovely that this episode touched upon some beauty as well. Since there was a powerful exploration on the power and the importance of every single experience we endure in life, and how that changes us in ways we never thought were possible. All before giving us one hell of an ending, one that posed new questions about the power of a digital afterlife and what kind of impact it could have upon the human mind long term, a wrinkle that will undoubtedly have major repercussions upon the finale.

But what matters more here, is that this series really showed off its hardcore sci-fi chops. All by digging deep into some ethics related questions and harsh examinations of the human condition and its fascinating quirks. Which might make us uncomfortable when we watch, but that is what great science fiction does. It leaves us unsettled and pondering upon the meaning of everything we just read or watched and that’s exactly what this episode accomplished, and it deserves a round of applause for going that route and for setting the stage for a powerful and intense finale. One where so much is as stake from an intimate and global perspective, and it will be fascinating to see how this incredible story wraps up, come next week.

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