We have come a LONG way from the days of hating Zumbado, haven’t we?

Suddenly, the man is just full of wisdom and guidance. And on Naomi Season 1 Episode 8, he starts to push Naomi towards her full potential, with threats seemingly looming all around.

This is, of course, met with pushback from Dee, and it sets up an interesting predicament during the hour. Which man’s training style is not only better but necessary in the face of so much uncertainty?

This whole season has been building toward action of some variety. Naomi will eventually have to fight, whether it’s Brutus himself or someone else, and while we’ve gotten little snippets of what she can do, she’s still a long way from realizing the extent of her powers.

Dee has always taken a hands-on, balanced and steady approach. From meditation to hand-to-hand combat, Dee has been hoping to teach Naomi the ins and out of fighting, along with an understanding of her emotions. And it’s been working, albeit at a languid pace.

Zumbado is new to Naomi’s training regime, but it’s clear from the jump that he’s not a fan. Violence is coming, that’s a fact, and if Naomi isn’t ready, there could be deadly consequences. But the simple truth is that Naomi isn’t prepared.

She’s trying, and she is getting there, but throwing her into the fire and pushing her to use and manipulate her powers won’t work, and Dee knows that. He isn’t wrong to want to stick to his methodical pace because, in the long run, it’s probably what’s best for Naomi.

But there’s no time.

Things could go from bad to worse at any minute, and at the very least, Naomi needs to have more of a fundamental understanding of what her powers can do. And she’s only going to get that by using them, which is where Zumbado comes in.

Now that we know Zumbado isn’t a total bad guy, it’s fascinating to see how he approaches situations when they involve Naomi. It’s almost like a good cop/bad cop thing when Zumbado and Dee face off because they’re both coming from two different places, though they both care about Naomi at the end of the day.

Dee is much more concerned with protecting Naomi as much as possible, and it’s not like Zumbado is opposed to it, but he also understands that an ill-prepared Naomi is a recipe for disaster.

Zumbado: She needs to be pushed.
Dee: There’s a fine line between pushing her and overwhelming her.

When the preview dropped for this hour, and I saw the two of them fighting, I thought things were regressing between them, and we’d be back to a bad Zumbado. But the fight was really about showing each of them what they needed to do to help Naomi. They needed to work together and not against one another.

They’re both on the same team. Team Noami.

For her part, Naomi was barely giving either of them the time of day because she had her own thing going on, as someone else in her inner circle was finally let in on the alien secret!

Frankly, it’s about time someone else in the Scooby Gang knew, though my bet was on Anthony learning first. Jacob being the one in on the secret was quite the surprise. 

But of the whole crew, Jacob is the one most equipped to help Naomi with her various endeavors because the two of them know the most about science and a whole host of things I don’t even know how to pronounce.

And they end up making a pretty good team! They work well together and utilize their brains to develop a device to help Naomi find the missing disc. And said device is eventually able to find Naomi’s fellow alien brethren.

But before we get to that cliffhanger, let’s talk about Naomi and Annabelle because this series is doing this amazing thing: they’re giving us this incredibly rich and layered friendship between two teenage girls. And it’s such a breath of fresh air.

From the second Annabelle discovered Naomi’s “secret,” she has been nothing but supportive and a rock for her best friend as she navigates all the emotions of finding out her life is irrevocably changed. There’s never been any jealousy on Annabelle’s part, but instead overwhelming support.

Annabelle has been with Naomi every step of the way and stands beside her at every turn. She’s also kept her secret and never once wavered.

Typically with many teen shows, there are friendships, sure, but we often get that inevitable teen drama—friends competing against one another or fighting over boys. But Naomi subverts all those cliches to give us two young women who adore one another and fight for each other at every turn.

And it’s that deep connection that makes it so hard to see Naomi keep Annabelle in the dark, even if her actions are coming from a good place.

I get that you’re scared, but you and me are the OG members of this alien ride. You should have given me the chance to get off instead of making that call for me.

Annabelle [to Naomi]

Naomi will constantly be battling this need to protect the people she loves, especially as her threats become clearer. She doesn’t want anyone to get hurt simply because they know her or are trying to protect her. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Annabelle because of her.

So, keeping Annabelle away from the situation with Jacob makes some sense, but at this point, it’s also a little too late. Once Annabelle entered into the fold, she knew the risks and the sacrifice, so Naomi should have trusted her with this.

Annabelle does things because she wants to, and if she’s ever in over her head or ready to move on, there’s no doubt she would tell Naomi so. And Noami would never begrudge her that.

These two are truly the definition of friendship goals, and I like that their little spat resolved itself quickly because their relationship is such a special piece of this gorgeous little show, and I’d hate to see them at odds with one another long term.

Another great pair? Nathan and Anthony.

I’ve been calling it since Naomi Season 1 Episode 1 that these two would make better friends than enemies, and they keep proving me right every time they spend time together.

Here they get their own separate story where they get to spend time with Lourdes, who has been curiously sidelined this whole season. And the results are fun for a C-plot. There are some genuinely funny moments, and you get to see three of the most important people in Naomi’s life start to forge a bond.

It’s all sweet and pleasant, and while it maybe didn’t add a lot to the central plot, it was still solid. Now the Scooby Gang is truly all friends, and we could really use a team-up soon because it feels like it’s been forever!

Maybe we’ll get that, though, as a rouge alien is floating around Greg and Jennifer’s anniversary party!

That is one hell of a cliffhanger, and I love the idea of the gang having to play their own version of Clue as they try to figure out which guest isn’t who they seem.

Perhaps they’ll find Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with a Candlestick, but it’s actually an alien device! Or something like that.

Extra, Extra

• 
  Greg and Jennifer are the cutest! Going around and recreating some of their dates? That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.

• 
  Greg and Jennifer had the biggest cake I have ever seen in my life.

• 
  We know Brutus is coming, but the military threat is just as deadly if you ask me. Naomi truly has threats coming from every angle.

This was another great installment, and we got all the central characters back, which was nice!

Let me know in the comments what you thought about this hour and who you think the alien at the party could be!

Make sure to watch Naomi online right now so you can join the chat!

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