When this episode begins, and even with this show’s history, it very much feels like this could be an installment that’s just Tandy and Mike hashing it out together as Mike slowly passes on. Something like that wouldn’t even be a bad finale per se, what with the chemistry that Forte and Sudeikis have brought to the table for the final stretch of episodes of the season. Last Man on Earth is often a show that has so many balls (with faces on them) up in the air that this is one time that I’m glad to not be getting a more muted, solitary sort of episode. Yes, the episode does dip into that a number of times, but it still takes on a much fuller plate. For one thing, we’ve got drones, baby! And it’d have been a tragedy if the show waited until next season to return to that nugget.

What’s even more exciting is how swiftly the episode deals with the drone in the form of Melissa sending some hot pieces of lead into its drone-y face. I couldn’t be happier that those stoic scenes of Melissa unwinding by firing her gun earlier in the season have actually come into practical use. We can see that she’s a hell of a shot, and as the rest of the group is eager to communicate, she wants to shoot first and ask questions later. It’s also appreciated to see some sort of deep-seated survivor issues coming into play with the character. The group has seen a lot of death and so with the recent exodus of Mike (and their cow) it’s absolutely normal that some of these people are going to be depressed as hell and edgy when it comes to the topic of preservation. The almost afterthought of her later being in the stocks as a result of this erratic behavior is almost too good.

Away from Tandy and Mike it’s nice to see a few more domestic moments being got into. I cheered in joy over the Yorbalinda and Bezequeel callback and it slipped my mind that now that Carol is pregnant, those could actually be one of the names of her child. Later on the episode makes a meal (sorry) out of moments like the group hitting the last of their cheese supply. I’m always a fan of these more human, dire beats on the show, whenever they happen. It’s a moment that just as easily could have been skipped over but if your cow just died and your dairy supply is finished, you would lament over something like this. On the topic of cow fatalities, I certainly feel bad for entertaining the idea that Todd might have been responsible for the cow’s death last week. He’s acting much more levelheaded here without Tandy’s approval being on the table.

Also, that was fast for Gail’s sobriety, huh? In what could have been an opportunity to address the character’s demons, this is pretty quickly swept under the table once her imaginary flying waffle iron is made real. I’m sure we’re not done with this angle of the character, and naturally an addicts first inclination here would be to go back to indulging. Nevertheless, I’m still a little bummed that this development might take a little longer for Gail.

Before we dig into the heavy Mike and Tandy material, the fact that Tandy’s vehicle of choice is the friggin’ DeLorean from Back to the Future needs to be addressed. This madness is not dwelled on for a single second and it’s a perfect example of the beautiful attention to detail and the hyperbolized world that this show takes place in. Something as simple as a car becomes this great visual gag. You really can’t believe that you’re getting some of these visuals.