(WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 EPISODE 3 OF THE PASSAGE)
Fans of Shauna Babcock (Brianne Howey) were definitely not disappointed in tonight's episode of The Passage on Fox. Sure there was plenty of focus on Amy and finally being brought to Project NOAH, but it was Babcock's turn to steal the show this week. Let's talk about some of the big moments in "The Never Should Have Happened To You."
You saw in the premiere that Shauna was singling out Clark Richards, and giving him nightmares, now we know why. After Shauna attacked that worker at Project NOAH, there was a meeting to discuss how to handle her. Well Richards suggests she should be executed, thinking that this could make his dreams stop. Once Shauna finds out about this, her and Fanning have a little chat. Fanning tells her that she has no idea how powerful that she is, and Shauna sets out to gain sympathy with Richards to get him to change his mind. He has already saved her once before, when some guards tried to sexually assault Shauna when she first arrived at the Project facility.
I won't go in to Shauna's entire backstory, but it was tragic to say the least. Sure she led a wild life, but she had a plan and the cash she needed to get there. I mean, it wasn't all acquired legally, but she still had it. I say had, because it ends up getting taken from her. This is really when the flood gates open and where you really start to feel for Shauna. Not only is her dream ripped away from her, we find out that he mother's boyfriend sexually assaulted her for years and her mother knew about it. The raw emotions of these scenes was incredible, up to and after seeing Shauna kill her own mother. While you could kind of see that moment coming, it was still shocking because you almost felt like she wouldn't possibly do it. Shauna may not have been a great person herself for many reasons, certainly one could possibly believe that she deserved what happened to her.
As all of this is playing out in front of our eyes, you have to remember that this is all playing out in Richards' mind as well. As Shauna is being burned in a chamber (being exposed to extreme, bright lighting), she is saved by Richards at the last minute. This would have been uncomfortable to watch without seeing Shauna's backstory, but it really was after the fact. Brianne Howey was stunning throughout the episode, and the way the writers structured this episode was top notch to say the least. I also don't want to leave out Vincent Piazza, who is really showing this slow descent into madness for Clark Richards progress level by level. While this is an ensemble cast, when each individual needs to steal a scene, they do it almost every time.
This really was a Shauna Babcock heavy episode, but was also got to see that Brad will be staying with Amy at Project NOAH. She pretty much refuses any treatment without him, and that pays off. So, naturally, they both try to find a way out and find the weak points of the security. Without re-hashing everything, there are a couple of very interesting moments. Not only does Brad run in to Carter (which was quite the clever exchange), we find out that Amy and Carter are neighbors. Amy starts writing notes to Carter and sliding them under the door. This is a really sweet and innocent exchange that I hope we get to see more of in future episodes. It also shows a soft side of Carter's character that we really have not gotten a chance to see yet. Even more important than that, Brad confronts Richards about everything that is going on and that's when he learns about the nightmares. He was also given a warning by one of the workers that Fanning would be coming for Amy. We are left with the cliffhanger of Brad finally meeting Dr. Lear for the first time, and finally coming face to face with Fanning in a dream.
One thing I catch myself doing a lot while I'm watching this show is rooting for the Virals. It's hard to remember that these are death row inmates, who we are finding out really weren't the best people themselves. It's when we get to dig a little deeper into their lives, and see what they are going through in the present, that you start to forget all about their past actions. You also tend to forget that there is a plot to destroy humanity going on here during these Viral chat sessions that are going on. I do like that no one seems really sure that Project NOAH is something that should be happening. There only seems to be one doctor in the whole group that thinks they are 100% doing the right thing. Whether it's Dr. Sykes questioning the morality of the project, or Dr. Lear slowly starting to figure out something more is going on with the Virals than they may be aware of, there is doubt all over that building. When you watch shows like this, you tend to root for certain characters or groups of characters. One of the best things about The Passage is, that could change from week to week. You obviously want to see Amy get away, but maybe you go back and forth with a character like Shauna after this episode. Last week, you probably felt very differently about her after her confrontation with Carter. This is a show that keeps you on your toes, and even on your guard, with every passing episode. I continue to be more and more impressed with The Passage with every episode.
How did you feel about Episode 3?
Photo Cr: Erika Doss / FOX.