Devs (1.4) Episode Recap - The Worst is (Probably) Yet To Come

If you knew something bad was about to happen, what would you do to stop it?

While the question is implicit from the beginning of this week’s episode of Devs, it is one that comes with a swift and clear answer: nothing. Forest himself starts to wonder about the power of the projections the programmers can see at Devs. If the team can project into the future, can they do something to change the outcome? Katie does not much entertain the line of thinking as the discussion returns to the driving force of cause and effect. It is a short speech reminiscent of the one that Forest gave Sergei. It grounds the entire mission of his company. More importantly, the premise is omnipresent in this particular episode.

In an episode where everything starts to fall down around Lily, we finally get a glimpse of Forest’s vision. The company is named after Forest’s late daughter. In our introduction to the Amaya’s work with projections, we see him trying to project his daughter. This episode though, we learn just how thorough Forest’s commitment is to the project when he abruptly fires Lyndon. Lyndon introducing the multiverse causes Forest to draw a line in the sand. Though he masks it with theoretical defense – that creating projections from a multiverse perspective results in a different existence every time, no matter how minute those differences are – his reasoning is driven by other desires. It is then that Forest’s intentions are laid bare. It is not the purity of quantum computing and projections that he is seeking, it is the purity of his daughter. He will not be satisfied with any projection that is not exactly who she was. That is the underlying principle that defines his aggressive adherence to this approach. It also further cements his willingness to do anything to protect the project. Because it is not a project to him. It is a mission. A mission to save his daughter.

At one point in the episode, Lily tries to express to Jamie the gravity of the information they learned in the closing moments of last week’s episode. He suggests getting the police or FBI involved. She tells him “you need to think of [Amaya] as the mob.” Throughout this episode, that is exactly how Amaya functions. Rather than kill Lily, they exert their power and resources to discredit her. To do something worse. To close any door that she might have opened, they resign her to a life that is defined on their terms, not hers. The episode ends with her being taken to a psychiatric institution. Anything she says about them going forward, her stay in the institution will be brought up. So, this changes the game. We do not know how Lily can get out of the institution, but when she does, she won’t be able to fight fair. They played their hand. Now it is time to see what cards she managed to slide up her sleeve.

This fourth entry in Devs might be its best yet. Last week’s pacing was at times a struggle and it started to slow the progression of the story. This episode hits its beats in rhythm. It balanced itself among standoffs and intense vulnerability to create a push and pull between Amaya and the outside world. Lily is caught in the middle of that struggle. Her death has been foreseen. The rest of the series is going to put Katie and Forest’s theories on cause and effect to the test.