This part of the walkthrough looks at episodes 17 and 18 fromLast Man on Earthssecond season.
Note: This interview has been edited for brevity.
Meanwhile, Mike learns more about Erica than the group has ever uncovered about her.
Was this something you wanted to flesh out for a while now?
EMILY SPIVEY:Yes!
We always wanted to spring a rich backstory for Erica when the time was right.
And when we finally got the chance we had a blast imagining her pre-virus journey.
ANDY BOBROW:This was an issue going back to the day Gail and Erica joined the story.
Phil asks about themselves, and in early drafts, we had written much longer versions of their backstories.
But those kinds of scenes are trouble, especially in a 21-minute show.
People talking about their pasts for more than one sentence can be a real slow-down.
You mostly care about whats happening now, not what happened before.
Especially in this new world.
Typically when someone asks you about yourself, you say what you do for work.
And thats not relevant anymore, unless youre a Navy Seal or a doctor.
Shesliterallythe most interesting person alive.
Its easily the most fun that shes ever been.
EMILY SPIVEY:Thanks!
But its also our comment on the new reality.
For most people, your backstory contains information about how you function in this huge machine.
Where youve placed yourself in the world.
EMILY SPIVEY:Exactly.
ANDY BOBROW:Yes, especially if you believe that God is a character on this show.
Or if you dont want to call it God, just call it The Big Irony.
It doles out rewards and punishments, sometimes logically, sometimes not.
The journey that Todd has been on is definitely a transformative one.
It feels like hes about to snap at any minute now.
ANDY BOBROW:It just started happening naturally.
And even though we were just looking for funny stuff, there was an emotional truth to it.
So yeah, its Todds turn to go down the rabbit hole here.
Similarly, Gails baggage gets unpacked this episode a little with her trying to sober up.
Its a nice moment for the character since drinking has defineda lotof her personality.
Do you look for these larger character beats as you close out a season?
We are trying to get closure on issues for both the viewers sake and our sake.
We had been talking about dealing with Gails drinking head on for a while.
And then it dove tailed nicely into Gail seeing the drone and no one believing her.
Mike leaving, whether hes dying or just self-exiling himself is just devastating.
Was this trajectory for Mike always the plan since Sudeikis was on board?
Did you make a run at work out a deal where he sticks around?
Did you think about what that version of the show would have looked like?
ANDY BOBROW:The contract side and the creative side really went hand-in-hand.
We did talk about other ways to remove him from the story without the virus.
At one point, we talked about Mike taking everyone away in an airplane, leaving Tandy alone.
But ultimately the decision to get him sick was a creative one, not a business one.
Its just so incredibly powerful and it illuminated everyones heart in the best way possible.
Just shut down any feelings for Mike and get fucking serious.
Now, I dont want to promise anything, but he does not die on camera.
(Dont read anything into this.
We have not had any discussions about Season 3 yet.
Were all enjoying a hard-earned hiatus.)
MAXWELL KESSLER:Pfff.
I didnt cry when we were offered the script.
Block out times to cry like the rest of us, dude.
When watching animated movies.
ANDY BOBROW:This is a deliberate strategy on my part.
The DeLorean as Tandys vehicle is a perfect background detail.
ANDY BOBROW:We have a steady drumbeat here of people saying But whats the wish fulfillment thing?
We need more wish fulfillment.
Viewers loved it and certainly the data pipe and studio jumped on that right away.
So we are always looking for DeLoreans.
This is Carol Fucking Pilbasian.
Thats pretty fast for Gails sobriety, huh?
And honestly we dont surround her with reasons sobriety would seem appealing.
Especially since shes their only shot.
MAXWELL KESSLER:Well, sure.
If she didnt use her powers to magically get out of the stocks, thatd be great.
But we just cant go back on the characteristics weve established for our characters.
ED VOCCOLA:Putting her in the stocks for this moment was a long discussion.
Thats a really powerful ending that you guys pull off.
MAXWELL KESSLER:Truth is weve set out intending to do a lot of things.
Some of them worked out, and some of them didnt.
Usually something doesnt work out because its boring.
And then occasionally, something we didnt give much attention to ends up being totally fascinating.
Which is how we do a great deal of story breaking on this show.
Either way, Mark Boone Jr. killer beard, am I right?
Most importantly, does the return of Pat also mean the return of Phil the worm?
So, theres a good chance hell make another appearance.
Was there anything in this season of the show that you were hoping to get to but couldnt?
So I wont name any specifics.
So I hope to see some stuff carry over and be used in season three.
MAXWELL KESSLER:Im really excited to get paychecks again.
Im really hoping the shows new dynamic wont affect that.
Also, as I mentioned, getting to spend time with Mark Boone Jr.s beard is very exciting.
ED VOCCOLA:Thinking up more stuff you cant do on any other show.
The fullwalkthrough ofLast Man on Earthssecond season is readablehere.
Last Man on Earthwill return in the Fall on FOX with its third season.
