Ready or Not

"*Everyone is expecting so much from me... and I've trained as hard as I could, but what if the adults are right? What if I'm not ready?*"
—Naomi to Annabelle
**Ready or Not** is the twelfth episode of the first season of The CW's superhero drama *Naomi*.

## Synopsis

**SEASON FINALE (Part 1)** - In the first episode of the two-part season finale, after having visions from her brief time on Earth-29, Naomi seeks the advice of her protectors - Dee, Zumbado, Greg, Jen and Akira- but no one can agree on a plan... and Naomi feels sidelined in decisions about her own future. After Naomi receives a special gift from Akira, she sets off on a road trip with Annabelle in search of a specific place from a new vision... but something is tracking them closely. Meanwhile, Anthony's attempt to get Naomi's attention by revisiting the "Superman stunt" results in an unlikely alliance with Lourdes... but danger looms the closer they get to the truth.

## Plot

Baby Naomi is in her crib on Earth-29 when two masked individuals, presumably her mom and dad, grab Naomi from her crib and take her outside to the transport vessel, all the while being chased down by an assassin hired by Brutus. They place Naomi inside, and she is sent to earth. Meanwhile, present day, Naomi awakens from her sleep, from what she presumes was merely a dream.

Naomi eavesdrops on her parents' conversion with Dee, Zumbado, and Akira, who are planning to run, but Naomi doesn't want to leave her friends and old life behind. She'd rather fight. Jen and Greg warn her that trouble is afoot and that Brutus won't stop. Still, Naomi is determined, leading Akira to mention that they can try to find the power source, but Zumbado claims that it's nothing more than a fantasy. While Naomi has made great progress with her training, Dee tells her that she needs more time, as beings like Brutus aren't easily stopped. Naomi recalls Zumbado saying she was the key to reuniting the Twenty-Nine, but Zumbado tells her that she can only do that if she's alive and that it would be in her best interest to trust them. While Naomi doesn't agree with them, she concedes. They moved the pieces of Naomi's vessels to Akira's workspace, where it will take a couple of days until the repairs are done. Until then, they must lie low.

Anthony stumbles upon Naomi in a classroom, eating alone. She was simply looking for some alone time. However, Anthony suspects that she's actually avoiding Nathan. Fortunately, he has something that'll cheer her up, showing Naomi a sneak peek of next month's paper on the Superman incident in the square. There are some people who think the stunt wasn't a stunt at all and that Superman is real. Anthony was hoping to interview her and do a bit of cross promotion with her site, but Naomi has been taking a break from her site and tells Anthony that the Superman stunt is old news, advising him to look into a new topic.

Naomi goes to Akira's workspace, where she touches a piece of her transport vessel, which causes a memory to resurface. She shares this discovery with Akira, who asks if it happens often. The first time was with Zumbado when Naomi saw their home planet through his memories as if his memories were her own. Akira explains that Naomi has psionic and psychic powers, which she didn't account for and are difficult to define. Naomi still wants to stay, but Akira reminds her that the matter has already been settled, even if she doesn't agree. Akira reluctantly reveals that there are many unique elements in the multiverse, such as kryptonite and nth metal. They are sources of great power, and it is rumored that there's a power source on earth that can amplify Naomi's power, but Akira was never able to find it. She then reveals that Naomi's mother was her friend and that Naomi takes after her, before giving Naomi a locket, which she believes is the key to finding the source of power. When Naomi touches the locket, she sees a field with red flowers. She doesn't know what it means but believes that the secrets within the necklace are Naomi's to unlock.

Naomi and Annabelle drive out to the field she saw in her vision from the locket, which she can't even open. Luckily, she recognized the endangered species of red flowers, which only grow in Nevada, which they're about four hours from.

Anthony stops by the comic shop to interview Lourdes on the Superman incident, but Lourdes questions why he's writing it when he never cared for comics or Superman, eventually realizing that he's doing this for Naomi, who surprisingly has zero interest in talking to him about it, which is alarming given Naomi's fascination with the character, leading to a broader discussion of how Naomi has been acting strange lately, recalling the disk, the markings at the mill, Camp Shadow Ridge, and the trip to the base after the anniversary party. All this stemming from the Superman incident, turning their interview into an investigation.

Naomi and Annabelle stop at a diner for something to eat. Naomi recalls Annabelle's 16th birthday and how things were so much simpler back then. She then has a vision of a red-eyed alien assassin traveling down the road in search of her.

Jen and Greg join Akira at her workshop as she attempts to salvage the vessel. They came across the same material used for the ship in their research back home, dynamic vibrational alloy. Akira can hopefully regenerate and fuse the damaged areas. They take this opportunity to thank her for helping to get Naomi off the planet, even if she doesn't agree with their decision. Akira doesn't think running is the answer and says that Naomi has a greater purpose. Akira claims that if Naomi's birth parents knew she was the key to restoring their planet, they would want her to try. This leads to a fight as Akira argues that their fear is holding Naomi back, which Jen and Greg take great offense to, reminding Akira that she doesn't know Naomi and that they're her parents.

The Assassin enters the diner in search of Naomi, using his ability to choke out a waiter before exiting once he realizes that she's gone.

Annabelle contemplates going home after Naomi's vision of the alien assassin, reminding her that they don't even know if the energy source is real. She doesn't want to see Naomi get hurt, but Naomi refuses to turn back now. However, they come to an unexpected stop when Annabelle's car begins to overheat.

Dee receives an unexpected visit from Anthony and Lourdes, who have come asking about the Superman stunt in the square that Dee claimed was his doing to promote his shop. Dee advises him against the story since he already confessed to planning the stunt, but some of the specifics don't add up, like the fact that Dee's shop is empty. As they inquire further, Lourdes asks who is Akira. Zumbado interjects and asks how do they know that name. Lourdes reveals she overheard Naomi talking to Akira at her comic shop, and Anthony asks what he knows about the Superman incident. Zumbado simply tells them to stop asking questions and to never come back.

Naomi and Annabelle get a motel room for the night. Naomi asks if Annabelle wishes she could go back to life before the Superman stunt, which she doesn't, but Naomi sometimes wishes she could. Three months ago, she was a normal teenager, but so much has changed since then. Annabelle argues that some good came from it as well. They're now friends with Dee and Zumbado, they've also have learned that her parents are aliens, and Naomi is essentially Superman 2.0. Even if she's not quite Superman yet, Annabelle argues that the journey is the point. Naomi fears that the adults may be right and that she's not ready. She then has another premonition, revealing to Annabelle that the Assassin who chased her as a baby is at the motel.

With the Assassin currently going door-to-door, Naomi pulls the fire alarm to act as a distraction, allowing her and Annabelle to get to the car.

With Greg heading back to the base, Akira reveals to Jen that she's close to fixing the vessel. Jen hates that they're having to force Naomi to run and is beginning to question if she and Greg were the best choice to raise Naomi, wondering if she would've been better off with Zumbado or Akira, since they have powers and could've better prepared and protected Naomi. Akira and Jen recall when the tear first happened. It was devastating for everyone. But it gave Akira powers. She got stronger while everyone else suffered. She never came to terms with that, but for better or worse, Akira believed it was destiny and resigned herself to the fate of their planet until she met Naomi, and for the first time in a long time, she had hope. And that's because Jen and Greg raised an incredible daughter.

Naomi and Annabelle have made it to the field from her vision. Naomi tries to use her powers to open the necklace, but it remains locked.

Anthony and Lourdes head into the woods, as Anthony's friend said he saw a weird flash in the Red River Forest on the day of the Superman incident. So, they begin searching for anything that looks out of place, and they unknowingly stumble open Naomi's birth rock, recognizing the markings as the same ones from the mill. While Anthony takes photos, they are confronted by Julian, who launches a blue saber at the kids until Dee swoops in and shields them with his wings. Zumbado follows his lead and sends Julian flying to the ground. Realizing that he's outnumbered, Julian flees, though Anthony and Lourdes have witnessed it all.

Naomi and Annabelle begin walking through the field for any kind of energy source, but then Naomi senses that someone is coming. It's the Assassin. Naomi pleads with Annabelle to leave, but she refuses. Naomi remembers the man from when he came after her when she was a baby. While those before him came to take Naomi home, he came to take her out, brandishing two glowing red blades. Annabelle throws a rock at his head as a distraction, allowing Naomi to go in for the attack. She lands a few blows, but is ultimately outmatched. However, when the Assassin attempts to stab her, his blades shatter and he makes a swift escape.

Dee and Zumbado take Anthony and Lourdes back to the tattoo parlor, where they explain that the universe is vast and that the multiverse is real, as is Superman, much to their disbelief. When Lourdes asks how they were able to do what they did in the woods, Dee and Zumbado reveal that they're aliens. Lourdes asks why they saved her and Anthony. Dee explains that they were saved because Naomi cares for them. This leads Anthony to realize that Naomi must be an alien as well, which Dee neither confirms nor denies.

Naomi recalls the Assassin saying that in the end, life always goes back to the beginning. Realizing that the disk was the beginning of everything, Naomi places the locket inside the disk, which creates a door in the center of the field. Annabelle decides to wait in the field as Naomi enters through the door, which takes her to Earth-29, where she meets her birth parents for the first time. Although, it's not actually her parents, rather their essence. Naomi misses them and has many questions. They don't know what happened, but if Naomi is watching this, then it must've been catastrophic. She then asks why she was sent to that earth out of all of the planets in the multiverse. They believe it offered a path to understanding what went wrong on their planet. When Naomi reveals she couldn't find the energy source, they reveal there is no element and that she's the source of power to save their world.

Mac pays Dee a visit, accusing him of being a Thanagarian deserter. She suspects that he'd be willing to hear her out, as he surely doesn't want to fight another war that isn't his. Mac claims that Qyeala is alive and that she can help Dee find her if he helps her first.

Naomi's parents claim that she can save their world with help from the Twenty-Nine. Naomi fears that she's not ready, but her parents tell her to trust herself and that someone has betrayed them, warning Naomi to trust no one.

## Cast

* Cranston Johnson as Zumbado
* Alexander Wraith as Dee
* Mary-Charles Jones as Annabelle Peters
* Mouzam Makkar as Jennifer McDuffie
* Daniel Puig as Nathan (credit only)
* Camila Moreno as Lourdes
* Will Meyers as Anthony
* Aidan Gemme as Jacob (credit only)
* Barry Watson as Greg McDuffie
* Owen Harn as Julian

Co-Starring* Briana Venskus as Mac
* Derek Russo as The Assassin
* Lindsey Moser as Waitress
* Zach Lane as Busser
* Corey Jones as Naomi's Father

## Trivia

* The episode title, *Ready or Not*, refers to Naomi and whether she's prepared for the battle ahead.

## References

1. ↑ "Recently Added Episode Titles - Various Shows - 31st March 2022" - Spoiler TV
2. ↑ Listings - The Futon Critic