(WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 1, EPISODE 5 OF THE PASSAGE!)
The escape plan is on, but maybe for not who you think. It was another wild episode of The Passage this week, and for me, changed how I felt about a few of the characters. It's time to find out "How You Gonna Outrun The End Of The World?"
We already knew that Brad and Amy were forming a plan to escape, but that gets a bit accelerated this week. Project NOAH gets a visit from Horace Guilder (guest star James Le Gros), who is a high ranking government official who is about to drop a bit bombshell on everyone. Long story short, the focus of the project will no longer be on curing disease but on weaponizing the Virals. This does not sit will with Dr. Sykes, but of course, Dr. Pet claims to have a plan to be able to control the Virals. He really has been a problem since the beginning, and almost reminds me of Nedry in Jurassic Park. That becomes a bit more true later, but I'll get back to that.
Now Guilder wants to meet with Amy one on one, but this episode really belonged to Dr. Sykes. First, she comforts Dr. Lear as they put him in quarantine after a possible exposure to Viral blood in the last episode. After that, she confronts Richards about his DOD story that she pretty much knew was B.S. That relationship sure went south in a hurry, didn't it? Dr. Sykes then decides to crash the meeting between Amy and Guilder, basically shutting it down and taking Amy out of there. She then decides that she is going to help Brad and Amy escape. That morality that I talked about with Project NOAH before, we definitely found it in this episode. I'm not saying Dr. Lear doesn't have morals, but Dr. Sykes went from healer to fighter once she realized the government was trying to change the focus of Project NOAH. The risk she takes in helping them is huge, and she event gets "caught" by Richards near the end of the episode. We don't really get to see if she suffers any consequences, but I really hope she finds her way out of this one.
Speaking of finding their way out, Dr. Pet ends up making a HUGE mistake. Remember that attempt to mind control the virals that I mentioned earlier? We it seemed like it worked like a charm the first time they tried it. David (but we can call him Dave), followed all of his commands the first time. When there was an audience, it didn't go so well and Guilder is left unimpressed by Dr. Pet's claims. That's when Pet makes what could be the biggest mistake of the season so far. He goes down to try it again...alone. I think I did a legit facepalm when he did this. His own arrogance would do him in when he finds out that Viral Dave is pretty powerful and ends up controlling Dr. Pet. Thanks to Pet's mistake, Dave is now on the loose. Pet does pay the ultimate price, as he gets killed right in front of Dr. Lear while Lear is still in quarantine. Dave does have another run-in, but let's save the best for last, shall we?
Another major part of this episode was the flashback. We get to learn more about what really happened with Dr. Lear, his wife Elizabeth and Fanning. As it turns out, the good doctor was a bit of an absentee husband. He was away a lot and it took a toll on his marriage. What he didn't know what, Fanning took full advantage of this vulnerability. Fanning professes his love for Elizabeth and it turns out they had an affair. This was a tough moment to process for me at the time, because in my head I'm immediately trying to figure out who I am upset with the most. Fanning is communicating with Dr. Lear almost the entire time he is in quarantine, and we think that he is trying to torture him with this information about his wife. She was pretty much the reason that Dr. Lear started this whole project in the first place, so was it all for nothing? Just when we think that might be the case, Fanning claims to be able to cure Elizabeth. Problem is, his idea is to give her the virus. Up until this point, Fanning has been the one in control and getting the upper hand during these mind games. Dr. Lear becomes the first to actually throw some mental punches of his own. Turns out he knew about the affair, and he and his wife worked past it. Fanning doesn't take this news well, and that leads him to take some drastic measures. Using Grey, does end up giving Elizabeth the virus after "visiting" her in his mind. I'll tell you what, we really need to talk to whoever is in charge of guarding those vials with the virus in them. This does lead to one of the most powerful moments in this first season. Dr. Lear sees his wife, standing and talking for the first time since her illness. For a brief moment, you can see how happy he is to finally be able to talk to her. Then, as they embrace, he sees the needle by her chair and is completely devastated. This was a brilliant scene, and actually made me feel for Dr. Lear for probably the first time this season. For me, Lear was never really a bad guy but definitely had the chance to not let things get to this point. Now, you have to wonder if he will have the same moment of clarity that Sykes had at some point and do whatever it takes to shut things down.
The last thing I want to talk about is Amy. We are quickly seeing the virus start to take it's affect on her. Did I forget to mention, that last week she sped past everyone in an attempt to escape the rooftop shooter? It turns out, she can now do a lot more than that. She is now able to read minds and also control her body temperature. No surprise, Brad just wants to help her and make good on his promise to get her out. After that awkward meeting with Guilder, Sykes frees Brad and takes him to Amy. As they wait for their chance to escape, there is another wonderful moment between Brad and Amy where Brad opens up about losing someone very close to him. There were no specifics, but he promises to never leave her. I am so invested in the two of them together, that I am dreading the possibility of them being torn apart tragically. You know how sometimes you watch a show and you just get that bad feeling that you're being set up for something gut wrenching? That's how I feel here and I REALLY hope I'm wrong.
So here we go, their chance to escape. They meet a bit of resistance, but it's nothing that Brad can't handle. The alarms sound, but they have no idea that it has nothing to do with them. Remember Viral Dave? Well, he crosses paths with the two on their way out. Brad does his best to defend himself and keep him away from Amy, but this quickly looks like it will end badly. That's when it happens. Amy screams out, which tosses Viral Dave and makes him take off. This really takes it's toll on Amy, and they are both left in complete shock. We know that we are barely scratching the surface of what Amy will be able to do, but to think that she is this powerful already is incredible. The only problem here is, we don't actually see them get out. We also don't see anyone catch Viral Dave, so that's another problem that will need to be dealt with.
Will Brad and Amy get out safely? Will Dr. Sykes be punished for her role in helping them escape? What did Cater mean when he told Brad his job was to prepare Amy for what's coming? Will Dr. Lear lose his wife all over again? What's next for Lila and Lacey? What is Fanning's next move? There is SO MUCH going on in each episode of The Passage, that I don't know how you wouldn't be locked in for each one. I can't wait for next week.
What did you think of this week's episode?
(Photo Credit: Erika Doss/FOX)