On the penultimate episode of Anna, the titular character teams up with another captive, Katia, to overpower and dispose of the leader of the White and Blue Kids, Angelica. Our heroine than races to Pietro hoping to see her brother but what she finds is her crush infected by the Red Death. She takes a break from her family search to help Pietro make one last pilgrimage. From their view from a mountain, she gains an idea for her next move.
As the show has done throughout the season, it solves the previous conflict fairly quickly before moving on to the next plot point. Anna and Astor are reunited in their home where the older sister decides they should try to travel from Sicily over to the mainland hoping that there might be adult survivors and a possible cure there.
Anna has a much lighter tone it its finale keeping the focus on the siblings. Both the flashbacks and the present highlight how close their relationship is. There is a typical brother/sister dynamic with the younger one often complaining and ready to give up while the elder keeps them focused and must be patient.
The parts from the past in particular do a good job showing Anna’s evolving feelings towards Astor because of their mom’s dying wish. The comparison to her father by the mom at her deathbed is an effective low blow in motivating her to care for him. Though mundane, her potty training her brother brings some levity to the episode.
Certain scenes fit with the playful and imaginative feel associated with children. Astor is visited by a puppet version of his mom in the beginning. It has a darker meaning as well because his memories begin to fade and he can’t remember her face. Similarly, when the mom actually dies in the flashbacks, Anna sees her leave the house in an astronaut suit for one last goodbye before embarking on her afterlife journey. Despite this cruel world they grew up in, they still retain a level of childlike whimsy and innocence.
During their sea voyage to the mainland, Astor loses their mother’s notebook of how to survive. Anna saves her brother from drowning and the notebook sinks to the bottom of the sea. It’s a symbolic event and a rite of passage for the pair as they must forge their own path using the tools and knowledge their mom provided them. The ending is a little unexpected and doesn’t provide the answers the siblings were searching for per se, but it does provide a hopeful and optimistic future after their final discovery.
“What to Do When Momma Dies” brings the focus back on Anna and Astor and the importance of family. The closeness of the siblings provides some positivity in this post-apocalyptic landscape and the closing minutes leaves them and the viewers in an encouraging situation.
Stream Anna on AMC+.
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