Every story has a rock bottom. You know, the moment where things are at their most dire. The moment when the magic sword breaks, or the MC’s one true love decides to move to Kankakee, or the last ditch escape vehicle dies right in the middle of a horde of zombies. There’s that moment when things get really bad, and it seems like there’s just no hope.Episode 7 of ReMade? I’d argue that if it’s not rock bottom, it’s pretty darned close.I’m not going to give spoilers or specifics, but it’s safe to say that Mourning Train (aka Ep 7) takes place in the aftermath of some horrible things. Not everyone made it out of said things unscathed. These teens are in a tough situation, to say the least. And it was tough to write. Things are really bad on the train, and rightfully so, but there has to be some glimmer of hope to keep the episode from being a total downer to read, right?That’s why I think Nevaeh is the perfect choice to narrate this episode. Nevaeh, out of all the teens of ReMade, has come to terms with death. She’s seen people die and life go on. She’s dealt with survivor’s guilt. She’s determined to forge on, and she puts that determination to work in caring for the others as they try to deal with what’s happened. Not because she has some miraculous power to let things go, but because she’s already come to terms with these feelings in the past. They’re familiar to her.Then she explores. She talks to the new people on the train. She investigates the other train cars. Yes, it’s done with some guilt and some angst, but really, given everything they saw, who wouldn’t feel a little guilty, frightened, and angsty? I sure would! But underneath it all, life is still lifing. Things are still happening, and Nevaeh is interested in seeking out those new experiences She hasn’t been broken by what’s happened, or frightened into inaction. In this episode, I think her actions say something about who she is. About her strength.Personally, I’m really drawn to that kind of story. I love a good hero, but I particularly love the heroes you don’t expect. The ones who are too nerdy or quiet or outright scrawny. The ones you’d expect to cower in a corner when the bad things happen. On the surface, I think Nevaeh isn’t the kind of person you’d expect strength or heroism from. She’s just too nice, sometimes to a fault. But on the train? She’s the one people can lean on. The one who will keep things going. She doesn’t see herself as strong, and if thanked, she’d probably be annoyingly modest, but I love the hints of strength we see from her in this episode. She’s no leader or star, but she shows up when she’s needed, flaws and all, and I just love that about her.
