There's a stranger in my house.
I think it's me.
I think it's me.
Leilani is a Hawaiian activist who protests her land's redevelopment, in the process alienating her from her family. When she lets the developer's offer pass through the deadline, she realizes that she may have chosen the wrong decision.
Tropes featured in this episode:
- An Aesop: Don't be so committed to a cause to the point that you ignore your family. There's also an anvilicious message about Hawaii being carved up by white developers to the point where the history and people are being erased.
- Ambiguous Ending: Leilani is able to save Koa and Maile at the cost of her life, but Sanford still comes after Koa for the offer implying that it'll bring Leilani back if he accepts it, and it's unknown whether he will accept it or not.
- Ascetic Aesthetic: As the Hawaiians home are taken over by the white mainlanders, the world becomes more gray and sterile, with even the decor of the house becoming blander and more trite (when the closest thing to colorful decor is a mass produced "Live, Laugh, Love" item, you know it's bad).
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The Hawaiians being literally eliminated from existence because they reject a white developer from taking their land is obviously an allegory of the destruction of indigenous Americans' culture at the hands of white settlers.
- Here We Go Again!: At the end, the Sanford developer offers Koa to sign the deal stipulating him to sell the house, implying that he will suffer the same fate as Leilani if he refuses.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Leilani prays for the earth to bring Koa and Maile back, but is unable to save herself.
- Married to the Job: Leilani's focus on her activism strains her relationship with Koa and Maile.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: Koa could possibly bring back Leilani if he signs off on the deal with Sanford Development.
- Ret-Gone: Everyone who rejects Sanford's deal undergo this. The victims include Alana, Kala, and ultimately, Leilani.
- Villainous Gentrification: Sanford Development's gentrification of Leilani's ancestral land is the focus of the plot. When she rejects the offer, they end up eliminating her outright.
