La Palma – Season 1 Episode 2 “Takeoff” Recap & Review

 Takeoff

Episode 2 of La Palma starts with Marie waking up at the hospital. Alvaro is waiting outside her ward and tells her that Haukur inhaled a lot of gas, so he is in an induced coma, and the rest of the people did not survive.

Marie and Alvaro disagree again about informing the public. Alvaro worries that the institute might “cry wolf” again and lose credibility, while Marie thinks that telling the people might give them enough time to prepare in case the inevitable happens since she has had a previous experience where her family was caught in a Tsunami in Thailand and lost both parents. She calls her brother, who is in the ocean, taking videos of the turtle migration and asks him to return to the house.

Later, Marie and Alvaro present their findings to the government, but the mayor is reluctant. She fears that the public might leave the island in panic, like in 2021, while there is no risk. Marie is adamant, so Alvaro tries to convince the mayor to set up a meeting with the government so they can present the data and let them decide on their next course of action. 

At the hotel, the family tries to enjoy a nice breakfast and take the BMW for a drive up the mountain for a hike. They learn about the gas emissions and that the access to the mountains is closing down, which spoils their plans. Also, Sara notices that a girl she has taken an interest in might be in a relationship, which makes her sad. Jennifer learns that Fredrik had lost Tobias the previous day, leading to a huge fight, which Sara overhears in her room.

Elsewhere, Marie fights her brother Erik to get him to leave the island and head back to Norway. She tells him a tsunami might occur, but Erik thinks she is only trying to get rid of him and storms away. Marie wants to follow, but Anna calls her back to the institute to review some data.

The scientists at the institute notice an increase in the occurrence of tremors all over the island, which Alvaro thinks shows ash is being emitted to the surface. Three stages indicate the possibility of a volcanic eruption, starting with the emission of gas, then ash, and finally lava. Data from the mountain shows that the crack is still expanding.

After hearing their parents fight, Sara buys a ticket to Madrid. She calls her uncle Jens, who works at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and asks for some money. Jens tries to tell her to wait and not head home alone, but Sara insists, saying she will still get on the plane and figure out how to get home from Madrid. Jens tries to call Jennifer, but her phone is silent since she is doing meditation yoga.

At the institute, the data shows that an ash eruption is imminent, so Alvaro tells Anna to call the air traffic and ground all planes. The plane Sara boards at the airport is on the runway, ready for takeoff. 

Suddenly, an ash eruption occurs. The notification to ground all planes arrived late, and Sara’s plane was already airborne. It flies through the cloud of Ash and crashes just as Jennifer informs Fredrick that Sara has left for Madrid. Fredrick and Jennifer want to rush to the airport, and Jen receives news of the plane crash while still at the office. Upon learning that survivors are being rushed to the hospital, Frederick and Jennifer decide to check the hospital first.

After an unsuccessful meeting with the government officials, Alvaro asks Anna and Marie to leave the island with their family. He says he will stay and monitor the situation since he predicts that a lava eruption will follow soon after the ash eruption. He asks Marie to find her brother and leave the island, saying they should not experience tsunami trauma twice. 

At the hospital, Jennifer and Fredrick get a list of the passengers on the plane. The officer tells them that Sara is not at the hospital but is missing. The front of the plane exploded, and the officers thought that the missing passengers might be dead. However, when they return to the hotel, they find Sara waiting with the babysitter and Tobias at home.

During a chat at the pool with Charlie, Sara tells her that she got off the plane after receiving a message from her. The tragedy also seems to bring Fredrick and Jennifer closer. At the pool, Sara confesses that she likes Charlie, who kisses her in confirmation that she likes her too. 

At the end of the episode, Marie receives a call from Erik’s phone and heads out to a local bar to pick him up. She finds the police arresting someone and rushes to help, thinking it is Erik. Marie accidentally punches a police officer and is arrested for violence against an officer. 

The Episode Review

How will Marie leave with her brother if she is charged with assault on a cop? Things keep getting worse even before the real disaster hits. Luckily, some people, like Sara and Charlie, are lucky enough to find a new connection. Time will tell if they will live long enough to see where their feelings lead them. The disaster at the airport also brings Fredrick and Jennifer together, so that is another silver lining.

Unfortunately, the series wavers between the thrill of the end of doom and the semblance of normalcy, never quite getting the balance right. On the other hand, we can see the government’s hesitation to take the initiative until it is too late. It shows how governments have mastered the art of bureaucracy to use it as an excuse for inaction.