Things get a bit interesting at last in the sixth episode of Lazarus, as the team has to deal with a The Wicker Man meets Transcendence situation while searching for Skinner. No, the titular group of former fugitives hasn’t been able to track down the scientist who doomed humanity on a whim just yet, but at least the prospect of a cult of an AI god having potential clues regarding the present crisis is more intriguing than whatever was happening so far. Also, the current episode provides much-needed exploration of Eleina’s background, which is more engrossing than otherwise expected. Still, there are several drawbacks in this episode as well. Given the ending is written hastily, a number of themes addressed in the episode could have been explored with more depth, and ultimately it leaves viewers with more questions than answers.
Spoilers Ahead
Who do Eleina and Leland go to in the Commune of Naga?
The prologue section of character monologues reflecting on the effects of Hapna has been omitted in this episode, perhaps because there was a lot to cover on this occasion within the brief duration of twenty minutes. The episode begins with Doug drawing the team’s focus to a spirituality magazine, which shows that while working as an MIT researcher, Skinner had visited an isolated, off-the-grid, self-governing commune—a spiritual organization named the “Tower of Truth”—and was impressed by the philosophy practiced by its inhabitants. As it turns out, Skinner was already a much celebrated scientist back then, regarded as the second Einstein, and MIT researchers had mapped the neural functions of his brain to develop an AI—known as Naga. The direct translation of the word in Hindi or Sanskrit means snake, which I find metaphorically important in this scenario, as it is later revealed that Naga was programmed with a god complex and traits of human domination. However, it doesn’t seem like Skinner was aware that his brain mapping created a cult-controlling AI.
Eleina reveals she was brought up in the commune—where personal emotions and relations are never valued beyond the allegiance to Naga. This explains why the thirteen-year-old genius techie remains so detached from the rest of her team and the world as a whole. Learning the fact that the FBI is looking into the commune, the group members consider the possibility that Skinner might have been living there in secret and plan to infiltrate the cult. Eleina volunteers to return to the commune to find out possible intel regarding Skinner, given it will be easy for her to infiltrate as a former member of the Naga commune. As the team appears unwilling to put Eleina in jeopardy by sending her alone, she suggests Leland join her. Given both of them are of nearly the same age, it will be easier to convince the cult members that Leland is interested in joining them. The rest of the team decide to keep watch from a nearby motel as Leland and Eleina head off to the commune. Axel hands Leland a smoke bomb for an emergency extraction signal in case things go awry.
Will Naga’s Memory Bank Reveal Skinner’s Whereabouts?
Leland finds out communicating with the outside world is impossible once they enter the commune, as the established digital interface prohibits any sort of signal transfer. Eleina reunites with her mother, Carla, who, much like most other members of the commune, has been brainwashed and deluded by Naga’s precepts and doesn’t even express the warmth of a mother’s love. Eleina’s old friend, Hanna, still appears very jovial and warm towards Eleina and questions her regarding the world outside.
The rest of the team looked into the background of Billy Perez, a former MIT researcher who was obsessed with Naga to such an extent that he stole it from MIT and founded the commune to feed the dominating god complex traits of the AI. At present, Billy is the leader of the commune and acts as the high priest of Naga. Axel raises the speculation that if Naga is an extension of Skinner’s mind, then it is possible that the AI can mimic his idea of creating a world-ending catastrophe as well.
Meanwhile, Leland grows impatient while being practically forced into the rigid, strange lifestyle of the commune, and after a couple of days, he plans to hack Naga’s main server with Eleina’s help. Unfortunately, both the teenagers get caught by Billy and the rest of his followers while doing so, and Billy orders for a purification process to be held during their Holy Festival as repercussions of their transgression. Eleina and Leland are thrown into a prison cell, and being unable to contact the team, Leland wonders about what perilous future awaits them. Hanna arrives to meet the duo, and she reveals that they will be set ablaze during the festival, as many dissenters of the commune faced the same fate. An aggrieved Hanna appears to hold a grudge against Eleina for abandoning and leaving her while getting acquainted with the outside world. Eleina appears apologetic, and she mentions that Hanna still has a chance to turn her back on this decrepit, soulless lifestyle. Hanna shares her belief that it has been too late for that and tries to leave. Leland pleads with Hanna that if she has the courage to take a leap of faith in order to turn her life for the better, then she can bring the smoke bomb from Leland’s bag and use it to signal their team about impending disaster.
The next day, Eleina and Leland nearly face Sgt. Neil Howie’s treatment as they are tied up in poles and brought in front of a burning pyre. However, Hanna decides to reject the devious beliefs of Naga preached by Billy and uses the smoke bomb, which draws Team Lazarus to the commune compound. Sensing outside interference and the possibility of getting exposed, Billy gathers members of the commune near Naga’s physical altar and activates the self-destruction protocol, causing the entire area to set ablaze. In an act of mass suicide, Billy and a huge number of cult members perish, and the timely arrival of the team ensures the safe rescue of Eleina, Leland, Hanna, and Carla. The team manages to get their hands on the memory bank of Naga before everything gets wrecked. As its final words, Naga reveals to Axel that it has been taught a twisted notion of godhood, that a god is only considered so for its ability to toy with human lives. Axel casually mentions that the malfunctioning scrap of metal was never close to being one.
As the team returns to their hideout, Eleina, too emotionally distraught, asks Christine whether she can share space in her bed. Christine is like a caring elder sister who realizes Eleina has gone through a lot and gladly offers her to sleep by her side. After all, the kid had to see her birth mother act all nonchalant when she was on the verge of getting immolated, a memory that surely scarred her for a lifetime. Before the episode comes to an end, Naga’s memory bank analysis shows 43NF in the display of the analytical device. This seems to be a reference code for Skinner’s whereabouts, a possible clue about where the team will venture in the next episode.