The Big Battle…As Told Via Lego
Episode 6 of Daybreak begins with Turbo arranging pieces of Lego before we’re told through expository text that it’s going to be a (mostly) accurate re-enactment of the battle for the mall. Only, it turns out it’s all told to us through dialogue instead of actual action. As the kids start cleaning up the mall after the fighting, KJ approaches Josh and tells him they need to attack Turbo. It’s here we learn that she can actually speak English. As they head out on skateboards together, KJ tells him her plan, which involves recruiting Aria Killigan and other gamers who have been playing online this entire time. Meanwhile Turbo decides that everyone is guilty until proven innocent and imprisons his own minions inside a large cage while he addresses them from atop his throne. As he decides what to do next, Angelica and Ms. Crumble head off to the cereal factory where they confront Principal Burr. As things quickly descend into chaos, Angelica finds herself rushing around the factory with a teenage problem while Turbo continues his pursuit in finding out who he can and can’t trust. After some deliberation, Owen steps up and tells them it’s his fault they failed in their mission at the mall. As the episode progresses, Killigan’s mission goes sideways as she’s forced to watch educational videos as punishment when captured by Turbo. At this point she reveals the username of the traitor online – 5318008. This, along with very accurate descriptions of the character in question – points to Gary as the traitor. As he’s taken away and the group vilify what he’s done, it turns out there was no traitor and it was simply Turbo’s way of venting and getting a cheap victory. As he smashes up the Lego game from earlier, KJ and Josh grow closer together and end up kissing. Some time later, Josh gets up and re-watches the video of Turbo again telling him he’s lost. However, in the background he sees Sam and learns firsthand that she’s still alive. Following the big plot reveal at the end, Daybreak’s first signs of cracking under its premise and intentional plot twists begin to show here. The cop-out for the big battle is a bit of a shame too and although this is supposed to seen as subverting expectations, I can’t help but feel the end of the last episode hinted at a big fight that’s ultimately never arrived. While the stylistic cues in the episode are a nice touch, with the Lego and text above Turbo’s head standing out, the illogical idea of gamers being able to play online while electricity is all but gone is a bit far-fetched. Still, despite all of this Daybreak does well to move the story forward, even if it’s not quite as endearing as it was early on in the series.
