Stuart
Episode 7 of Solos begins on a beach. Stuart has Alzheimer’s and as he sits on a sofa, looking out at the waves, he’s approached by a health worker called Otto. Otto injects something into Stuart’s arm which seems to hold stem cells that are linked to the memory regeneration we saw in Jenny’s chapter. Anyway, as the green light on his wrist begins to show a percentage increasing, Stuart’s memory slowly starts to return. He doesn’t remember Otto though, who claims to be from the National Health Organization. This is a procedure that’s free and apparently the cure to Alzheimer’s. With the memory regeneration hitting 50%, phase 2 sees Stuart’s personal memories start to come flooding back. Now it becomes clear that everything is connected. Stuart mentions memories of Tom, or at least Tom 2 anyway. “Code red” and farting is mentioned, while he also chimes in about seeing his best friend Nia and visiting Ming Chong in the supermarket. Everything is jumbled up. However, now the truth is revealed. Stuart is an addict – a memory stealer of sorts. Apparently he’s taken memories before and made a habit of doing this from a number of different patients. Otto is not actually from the health department, he’s there because he wants the memories of his Mother back. He too is a victim of Stuart’s dastardly plans. Eventually Stuart succumbs and starts verbalizing the memories of Otto’s Mother. After, Stuart explains that during the Stay he lost a loved one – his own child – and regretted this ever since. He spiraled and eventually this led to stealing. He stole from hundreds of victims but suffers with dementia, forced to relive the same cold, hard truth about love and loss. Eventually Stuart apologizes after reliving the last moments of Otto’s time with his Mother. Otto stands up and decides to take the memories back. Stuart pleads with him to leave just one memory – but he doesn’t know which one. Before the two part ways, Stuart and Otto hug. A new, real memory between two people at the end.
The Episode Review
What a beautiful episode. A touching and thought provoking chapter finishes off Solos in what’s actually been a pretty compelling and well written anthology. It’s one of those shows that, in the moment, doesn’t actually have a lot to offer. However, much like Calls earlier this year, the collective whole is much stronger and forces you to really examine everything that’s been shown and come to your own conclusions. It’s clear that every single episode is connected together, driven by Leah as the catalyst to everything that’s happened. Her distortion of the timeline seems to have caused the catastrophic events that have followed. After all, if Leah has become a time traveler and figured out that technology, there’s nothing stopping humanity’s technological progress expanding exponentially. However, this chapter takes a slightly different look at things, honing in on Stuart who’s a memory stealer and linked to the previous episode with E-ternity and what they’re up to. Overall though Solos has been a really enjoyable watch and while it won’t be for everyone, the powerhouse acting and thought provoking chapters make this a really solid series.
