Naomi tries to come to terms with her new reality, and learns more about her past.

Last week’s episode of Naomi ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with our heroine’s parents revealing that they’d known she was from outer space all along, and this episode opens with a further explanation of how they found her. On a glowing rock, wrapped up in a blanket after a UFO sighting/crash whereupon they decided to take her in and raise her as their own and oh my god could this parallel Superman more closely if it tried?

Familiarity of concept aside, here is an opportunity for the show to do something interesting. After all, Naomi’s father is a member of the military, which creates interesting potential conflicts, and now that she can be open with her folks about what the deal is, she can get some adult help with all the issues her child self is struggling to overcome in her quest for knowledge. So what do they do? Invite Dee over for dinner.

And to be honest, by the end of it, you kind of wonder why. Dee himself is gracious and quiet in that way that he always seems to be as Alexander Wraith uses his impressive size and voice to convey stillness with a hint of violence bubbling under the surface. Qualities which unfortunately are largely wasted by a script which often seems intent on just having Dee spout forth cod philosophy platitudes. But Naomi’s parents, far from being grateful that Dee has taken their daughter under his wing (pun intended), seem intent on just snarking at him for a variety of bizarre reasons.

Elsewhere, Naomi elects that she’s going to go forth and claim what is hers in a scene which again makes little real sense but suggests again that the show is attempting to pull a long gotcha on us with one particular character. There’s some further revelation about where she comes from after an alien artefact bizarrely gives out a code in a binary which happens to be translatable by a VERY old human decoding device and furthermore has been considerate enough to make sure said message was in English.

And there’s some school-side stuff about class president which revolves around the students not liking that the current incumbent has put heathier snacks in the vending machines (no, really) and so organising a challenge and asking Naomi to stand, which leads to the most convoluted discovery of her own inner strength and desires that ultimately seems to have been put in to shunt her towards one of her many romantic interests in the show. Oh and an alien bounty hunter, just in case the show wasn’t feeling quite enough like a 90s genre cliché.

There’s real talent involved here in terms of writing, directing and the cast, but it all still just doesn’t land. We’re given no real reason for why Naomi is so popular and well-liked. She’s just this idealised, perfect central protagonist whose ‘flaw’ is that she just cares too damned much and she’s a bit impatient but that’s rather offset by the fact that she’s the most popular person in any room she enters even without the benefit of her powers. Superman/Clark Kent works – especially in the excellent Superman & Lois – because of the character’s real flaws, which make him human in a way that contrasts deeply with his abilities and strength. Naomi is, by contrast, two identical sides of a coin – it’s difficult to see what her powers will add to her character, beyond the obvious physical attributes, and I think that’s why the show is still failing to engage my interest. A shame, because this cast deserved better.

Verdict: Still stuttering out of the gate when it should already be running. 4/10

Greg D. Smith