Naomi is hitting its stride.

While the series has been above average from the start, things are really starting to click here as Naomi learns more about her history and the danger begins to take center stage.

Naomi Season 1 Episode 7 was a beautiful hour that allowed us to finally peel back the layers of the most mysterious character on the series; Zumbado.

“Don’t believe everything you think.”

We’ve been hearing that mantra for quite some time, and it all comes full circle here when we get a glimpse into Zumbado’s backstory. And it truly changes this story as we knew it on its head.

Zumbado has been a sort of flimsy villain to this point. He stalks around alleys and pops up to scare Naomi and those around her, but his attitude doesn’t add up all the time, and he gives Naomi just enough information to keep her curious but nothing more.

The audience and Naomi are repeatedly told not to trust him, and it’s not as if his actions speak us otherwise, but outside of warnings, it’s not crystal clear why he’s such a threat. Even Akira’s appearance, where she labels Zumbado the bad guy, is hard to trust wholeheartedly because we barely know her.

And let me preface all this by saying that if we find out Zumbado was lying to us or misleading Naomi after this hour, that will be a devastating reveal.

Zumbado hasn’t morphed himself into some kind of angel overnight, but his actions make much more sense now, and if anything, he’s should no longer be looked at as the devil.

Naomi: No, I don’t think I can do this.
Zumbado: You can. Just breathe through it.
Naomi: I thought you were going to tell me that I’m a disappointment.
Zumbado: I’m only disappointed because I know who you could be. Not for being afraid.

Allowing Naomi into his memories is a nifty trick to enable Naomi to do more than hear Zumbado’s words. Zumbado preaches about thinking for yourself and not trusting what people tell you at face value. So, allowing Naomi to see and feel his memories allowed her to be more open to what Zumbado told her.

Earth-29 is beautiful. The red flowers are intoxicating, and the two moons are stunning. We’ve heard that the planet was lovely, but seeing it was something else.

Zumbado’s trip down memory lane is fascinating because it sets into motion this idea of destiny and what that means.

By definition, destiny is a predetermined course of events. It’s the idea that everything we do has been set into motion, and we’re powerless to stop the course of events of our lives.

It’s a tricky concept for some people to wrap their heads around because it seemingly takes away our choice. Because no matter what we do, our life has been planned.

But the meteor strike on Earth-29 feels like fate, especially the more we learn.

Naomi: Was Akira right? Were there others like you?
Zumbado: Yes. There were 29 of us.
Naomi: 29? Like the writing on the disc.

Twenty-nine people affected with abilities on Earth-29. That’s not a coincidence.

Zumbado and Akira working together to help others is exactly what you’d think people with the ability to manipulate fire and possess superhuman strength would do, but what if that’s not the whole story?

Zumbado paints a tale of himself as a rather noble guy blamed for something he didn’t do.

We don’t learn much about Brutus here, outside of the fact that he’s terrible and the one who starts hunting the twenty-nine. But as we’ve learned throughout the series thus far, the disc is the way to find the twenty-nine. So, whether it was Zumbado or someone else, Brutus set everything in motion for the twenty-nine to splinter off.

Of course, at the episode’s end, we find out the biggest bombshell to date, and that’s the identity of Naomi’s birth parents.

Those familiar with the comics wouldn’t be surprised by this information, but we newbies certainly are.

Naomi’s parents’ having abilities makes sense, and it adds to her lore. While the others inherited their powers after the meteor crash, Naomi’s come to her by blood. And there is truly no telling what that means.

There is no power guidebook, and now Naomi’s importance comes into focus a little bit clearer.

We all know Naomi is unique, but just how special is she? What is she truly capable of? We’re all finding this out together.

Naomi and Zumbado may not be the best of friends after their evening escaping a radical scientist, but they do walk away with more respect for each other.

Zumbado left his planet, not by choice, and he landed on this planet that’s so opposite everything he’s ever known. And he’s had to reinvent himself while also protecting himself and Naomi from a distance.

Now has he gone about protecting Naomi in the best way possible? Absolutely not. Whether she was ready or not, his coldness toward her did nothing to help her in any way. She’s still a child, and his pushing her away only pushed her toward danger, not away from it.

But at the same time, everything that has happened to them brings them to this point and these moments. The moment he tells Naomi about his own fears to help her break through hers. The moment when he allows her to feel her planet through his memories. The moment when he tells her about her parents.

Zumbado was the star of this hour, but runner-up goes to Dee and Annabelle, who somehow make perhaps the greatest duo this show has seen yet.

Annabelle is the overall MVP of Naomi Season 1, with her fantastic comedic timing and role as Naomi’s number one supporter and confidant.

Teenagers can be unreliable and flaky, but Annabelle doesn’t just go about her evening when Naomi stands her up. No, she goes looking for her, and she winds up with Dee, who is as stoic as ever but still a huge help.

It was nice to see him take the news that Annabelle knows everything in stride because it would have been very easy for him to be less than pleased. But Naomi needs someone to confide in, and you could do a lot worse than Annabelle, who proves time and time again that she has Naomi’s best interest at heart. 

Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we see this duo because they were a lot of fun.

Naomi has a knack for making all their dynamics work because all the actors have great chemistry. And as we barrel towards the end of this season, hopefully, we’ll see more fun duos and group scenes along the way.

Extra, Extra

• 
  It’s so great seeing Naomi’s powers getting stronger and her controlling them better. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see her kick those guards’ butts, but it was nice to see her overpower that machine and shut down Dr. Bell’s smug self.

• 
  Do we think a portal was ultimately opened?

• 
  In all dimensions and on all planets, Zumbado knows how to dress. That man has never had an off day when it comes to fashion.

• 
  Seeing Zumbado watch over Naomi as she grew up was such a lovely touch to an episode that ended up being surprisingly emotional. Naomi has been surrounded by so much love her entire life, which is undoubtedly the one thing her parents would have wanted for her.

• 
  Correct me if I’m wrong, but during Akira’s first appearance, didn’t she allude to Zumbado being the one who destroyed their planet. But here, it feels more like the meteor strike started the deterioration of Earth-29. What is the truth?

This was another great installment, full of so much information and beautiful performances. Let me know in the comments what you thought about the hour and what you’re looking forward to seeing moving forward!

Do you believe Zumbado?

Did you enjoy Dee and Annabelle teaming up?

How will Naomi save the world?

Remember, you can watch Naomi online right here via TV Fanatic anytime you like!

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