Tom Swift gets kidnapped before learning some hard truths in “…And the Benefits of Bondage”
On June 30, The CW announced that they were cancelling Tom Swift even before the first season had completed its run. The fact that this news came before the show had even reached its sixth episode was pretty disappointing.
While there have certainly been issues with the early episodes, there have also been a lot of signs of growth and moving past the awkwardness of building a new series. And that is why this cancellation news is such a bummer, because in the sixth episode, “…And the Benefits of Bondage,” we really got to see what the show could become.
But just because Tom Swift may be cancelled, we still have a story to tell and in episode 6, we got a kidnapping, a rescue, and some unexpected truths. In fact, this was a chance to see what Tom can do without anyone, including his ever-present Barclay at his side to help him.
And even though his friends showed up to save him, he was doing a pretty good job of saving himself too. It was a brilliant episode that showed us what Tom Swift could truly become if given enough time.
Tom Swift gets kidnapped in order to learn the truth about his family heritage
In “…And the Benefits of Bondage,” we got to see what Tom can do without his usual tools and help at his disposal and it was a beautiful thing. It gave us proof that he really is a genius inventor. And when there was someone who he didn’t even know in danger, he was willing to forgo his own safety to help that person.
The fact that his tribe (if you will) was out there doing their part to track him down and save him was further proof that while he can be an overbearing jerk with an attitude, he is still a good person at heart.
By the end of the episode we learned that this was not a simple kidnapping. It was a test. It was a chance for his mother to bring him into the fold of the organization that his family is a part of (that he knew nothing about). And not only did he end up passing, but so did his friends.
Once Tom passed the trials, it was a chance for him to learn more about his family, their mission, and even what his mother has been through to get to where they are today. It was a hard lesson. It was a painful lesson. And it was a humanizing lesson for Tom.
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But after all that, we are left with plenty of questions. What comes next? Will Tom be able to save his father? What is wrong with Isaac? What is wrong with Rowan? And how will this story be told with the episodes that we actually have left?