‘The Peripheral’ Recap: ‘What About Bob?’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘The Peripheral’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Prime Video series, The Peripheral, is taking an unconventional route in telling its grand and sweeping story. Because even though we are halfway through season one, we still don’t have a complete picture as to why Cherise’s dark forces are so keen on hunting Flynne Fisher and her family. Nor do we really know of the importance of her stub and the other stubs that are clearly being created throughout the fabric of time. Simply because this show is just… enjoying itself and taking a wild ride through a future world that is as fascinating as our own and well, it would seem this unconventional approach to storytelling isn’t going to end anytime soon, as evidenced by how this week’s episode played out.

For ‘What About Bob?’ spent a fair chunk of time, exploring the life and times of a man named Bob. Who appeared to be nothing more than a simple retiree who was settled down in Florida and enjoying his twilight years. But a call from Cherise’s forces and some hard threats regarding his daughter, allowed for this ‘old man’ to return to his former career… as a hit man. Because they wanted the best to bring down Flynne and after handling some ugly business with an old friend who helped to push him out of retirement, this highly skilled assassin, one who dropped a handful of men in close quarters without getting so much as blood on his blazer… set his sights on Flynne to ironically, keep his own family safe.

A move that well, failed miserably. Because despite setting up the perfect trap with the perfect weapon, the sonic blaster from the future… running into Billy Ann and being sucked into her rivalry with Burton… screwed the whole thing up for Bob. Since he couldn’t quite be as smooth with Billy Ann poking about and that let Flynne see the trap he’d laid and in the ensuing gunfight, one that Billy Ann took part in, our heroes were triumphant and left stunned. Simply because they didn’t know how to shake Cherise and stop these attacks and just… live their lives and well, that finally brought forth a desire on Flynne’s part to end this madness at the source. 

That meant, it was time to return to the future and talk with Wilf and find out where Cherise was holed up. So, a good old-fashioned face to face confrontation could take place and while that should have yielded answers for Flynne at last and resolution, it most certainly did not. Because while Cherise claimed that her desire to harm Flynne related to the fact that she stole from her, that just doesn’t seem like a good reason to traverse seventy-some years to bring harm to them, for no one is that petty. Plus, Flynne’s push to make a point about her prowess in a Peripheral ‘suit’, will only embolden Cherise further to continue the fight. In fact, it might make things worse. 
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But above all, we are no closer to answers in the slightest. Instead, the only facts that came out of this tale is that strange things are happening in other stubs, dangerous acts in fact. Leaving one to wonder if Flynne’s stub holds more significance than we know. And of course, the only way to know, is to continue the journey and wait patiently for next week’s tale and we undoubtedly will. Because regardless of the slow burn approach to answer here, we are indeed invested and the answers will come when the time is right, and that means we can be treated to more mind-bending science fiction visuals as we inch toward the truth and Flynne’s purpose. Until next time.

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