Read this review to see if the Nautilus episode “Tick, Tick, Boom” is worth watching.
About Nautilus
- Season 1, Episode 2: “Tick, Tick, Boom”
- Directed by Michael Matthews
- Written by James Dormer
- Synopsis: When some of the crew try to leave the Nautilus and swim to shore, they are discovered by the company’s emissaries and forced back. Now the Nautilus must go out to sea to avoid capture.
- Airdate: July 06, 2025
- Starring: Shazad Latif, Georgia Flood, Céline Menville, Thierry Frémont, Luke Arnold, Jacob Collins-Levy, Damien Garvey, Kayden Price, Benedict Hardie, Arlo Green, Tyrone Ngatai, Ling Cooper Tang, Pacharo Mzembe, Andrew Shaw, Chum Ehelepola, and Ashan Kumar
If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode, skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Nautilus Season 1 Episode 2 “Tick, Tick, Boom”
Recap Nautilus (2025): S1E02 – “Tick, Tick, Boom”
The episode of Nautilus follows the sinking ship, where Humility Lucas (Georgia Flood) and Captain Nemo (Shazad Latif) attempt to pump air into the engine to revive it. However, the sinking increases oxygen loss, and the plan fails. Eventually, by an insane coincidence, they discover air is escaping from a pipe. They patch it, and that allows the submarine to return to the surface.
Meanwhile, the Company prepares to sail on the Dreadnought, with Lord Algernon Pitt (Cameron Cuffe) joining them. Director Crawley (Damien Garvey), a financier, wants to reach the Nautilus quickly. Captain Youngblood (Jacob Collins-Levy) advises against pushing the Dreadnought, but Crawley insists.
Unfortunately, Nemo reveals his location by surfacing. Humility, Loti (Céline Menville), Jagadish (Chum Ehelepola), and Ranbir try to escape by swimming to land. Just then, Company soldiers storm the beach and try to board the submarine. Jagadish and Ranbir return to the ship to avoid arrest. Humility decides not to land in the Company’s hands. Loti objects, but when the soldiers start shooting, the two head back too.
Nemo and Gustave Benoit (Thierry Frémont) figure out that Humility sabotaged the ship, and they manage to sail. The captain emphasizes to the crew that everyone is free to leave, but if they return to Company hands, they’ll be severely punished. Nemo tries to intimidate her, but she promises she’ll escape.
At dinner aboard the Dreadnought, we do eventually learn that Lord Algernon Pitt (Cameron Cuffe) is the man Humility is supposed to marry. He’s also who she’s been running from. Pitt is unusually motivated to capture him, while Billy Millais (Luke Arnold) is afraid of their vicious hunt for the former Indian royal. It gently brings up the Company’s long-standing bigotry against Nemo and India.
Another scene on the Nautilus echoes benign racism as Miss Lucas showcases her ignorance of cultural differences. She’s aghast that they eat with their hands even though this is a common custom in India. Indeed, eating with one’s hands is a common behaviour among many Indians and is ingrained in their culture and religious customs.
Her perspective also shapes how she views Nemo, who appears ruthless and stubborn. Benoit comes to his defense, hinting that the brilliant man has a reason for his bold determination.
Humility is a witness of Nemo’s empathy when he works tirelessly to save a whale and her calf from poachers. Frankly, I thought the scene with the whalers was ridiculous. Suddenly, they care about whales because they hear songs? But, one can sense her defenses lowering around the charismatic captain.
When the Dreadnought appears in the distance, the peaceful moment is broken. Youngblood is forced to shoot keg bombs at the submarine as Crawley gives the order to go full speed forward. To stay hidden, Nemo gives his first mate, Boniface, the command to go under the sea. Crawley believes that by upsetting the sea, the explosives would destroy the Nautilus and completely eradicate Nemo. But the Nautilus escapes the Dreadnought’s attack by settling on the ocean floor.
Nemo and his joyful crew have triumphed by escaping the peril above. But amid the dark depths, something lurks in the shadows. At the same time, Blaster finds a stowaway.
Overall: Watch Nautilus (2025): S1E02 – “Tick, Tick, Boom”
The first two episodes end on cliffhangers, leaving us eager for the rest. The plot is complex with characters’ motivations and end goals, and the sea’s unpredictable nature. Despite the tensions, the show uses humor to undercut them. Nautilus, despite its flaws and dark backstories, promises a good romp.
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