- Nobody seems to know what year it is.
- The whole town is under surveillance by... somebody.
- Ethan's kid, Ben, is getting brainwashed, along with all the other kids at Wayward Academy by that weirdo hypnotherapist, Mrs. Fisher.
- Theresa has been offered a new job.
- Ethan has climbed the rock wall on the outskirts of town and there is a freaking THING out there!! Holy crap.
All right. MAJOR SPOILERS. Let's do this thing.
***
We start where we left off. Ethan has scaled the wall and that freaking thing is out there creepin'. Ethan fires off a near-infinite amount of shotgun shells, but that thing is speedy-quick. In the midst of the fracas, it zips by and slashes Ethan's arm with something sharp. And Ethan continues to unload cartridges into the woods. Cue the intro. Hashtag Wayward Pines.
***
All three members of the Burke family play vital parts this week and this episode did a great job of holding my attention for the full hour. I'll try to break it down as fluidly as possible, but the storyline jumped back and forth between the Burkes pretty consistently, so I'll see what I can do.
Ben and his new friend, Amy, seem to be growing closer. She wants to hang out with him a lot and even gives him a kiss here and there. Ben, however, grows a bit wary of the uncommon, almost unnatural sense of friendliness that he experiences at school. Kids never treated him this way before he got to Wayward Pines...
Theresa is also skeptical of Ben's new friends. She knows this place isn't safe, but has to keep "playing along," as to keep the authorities at bay. She's started up her new job as a realtor, and her boss, "Big Bill," seems like a real perv. He likes Theresa, though, and has her first client all ready to go, right off the bat. The guy's name is Wayne Johnson. He was just in a bad accident and needs a place to live. (He also gives his regards to Theresa's husband, Ethan, who he thanked for getting rid of Peter in the last episode.) Theresa meets Wayne in the hospital, but our new buddy just wants to be left alone. The two start to talk and Wayne just isn't feeling that hot. Theresa mentions that she, too, was in an accident, then Wayne asks if she saw it, too. Confused, Theresa, ever conscious of the Wayward Pines surveillance system, tries to get more information out of him, but to no avail. She suggests that they go somewhere a bit more private to talk. His new home, perhaps?
Back at Wayward Academy, Ben is asked to attend Orientation with two other students. They meet in a plain white room in three chairs, marked 109, 110 and 111. Time to get brainwashed, kids! Mrs. Fisher, the hypnotherapist, joins the three, informing them that they were selected based on their aptitude in their first round of meetings. If they graduate from Orientation, they will officially join the "First Generation of Wayward Pines." Only those who are truly ready are selected to proceed. Ready for the truth, she says.
So, orientation commences. Mrs. Fisher shows the kids a series of pictures that were taken outside The Fence. In one of the pictures, Ben spots one of the freaky creatures that Ethan has encountered in the woods. Mrs. Fisher goes on to teach the candidates about the history of these things - she calls them "Abbies" (short for "aberrations") - saying that they are genetic mutations that have evolved to become the most efficient carnivores on the planet. They have bird-like talons that can kill a foe in one strike, a heightened sense of smell and advanced hearing. Also, she notes that their DNA is extremely close to that of homo-sapiens... because they were homo-sapiens. These things are highly evolved humans!
Meanwhile, Ethan continues to make his way through the woods in hopes of finding some help. He has a couple close encounters to the monsters we now call Abbies. He, being the bright fellow that he is, hides behind a mutilated deer carcass, getting a close-up look at three of the mutants, which are just as ugly and dangerous as Mrs. Fisher described, and manages to evade them a bit longer. As he charts his course, he comes across a rusted, old highway sign, leading to Boise.
Back in Orientation, Mrs. Fisher gives Numbers 109-111 each a coin, which Ben figures was probably from the Roman era. But after rubbing off some of the dirt, he realizes that it's just a quarter! Then, upon further investigation, the students inspect the year on the coins. "This is not the year 2014," Mrs. Fisher says ominously. The date on the quarters is 2095. THEY'RE IN THE FUTURE!
But wait! Slowly, the hypnotherapist asks the students to dig deeper:"Don't think of it in terms of what is or is not possible, Ben. Think about it in terms of the facts. What do you know about what you are? ... What's the last thing you remember, before arriving in Wayward Pines? ... The accident."Each of the students were in a car accident. Each of them remembered waking up in the Wayward Pines Hospital. But just how long were they unconscious? She speaks to the children about lab rats. She talks about running tests on those rats that allow them to go all winter without food or the basic needs that sustain life. It's possible. They did it.
Jump back to Theresa and Wayne. Wayne remembers something after his accident. He remembers looking through glass - a small window. He remembers people looking at him through the glass. Nurse Pam was there. He remembers seeing many other people in similar chambers. Like lab rats.
Mrs. Fisher tells 109-111 that they have been chosen to be a part of a very special community. The quarters they held in their hands looked very old because they were very old. They are the last known relics of human civilization - a civilization that died out almost 2,000 years ago. "This is not the year 2014," she says. This is the year 4028." These kids, the First Generation, have been chosen to ensure the survival of humankind.
Ethan makes his way to a vantage point, where he looks out and sees the decayed remains of Boise, Idaho. Truly, this is the year 4028 - exactly double the year that Ethan set off to look for his partners. But hang on... is that what Boise looks like? I've never been there, but that looked an awful lot like Washington, D.C. to me... I dunno.
At Orientation, the kids learn about a scientist who foresaw the end of civilization. His name was David Pilcher. He would never hurt the residents of Wayward Pines. He is their "Protector." He created this community as an ark to protect thousands of years of culture. But, in order for it to work as he had planned, Ben and his classmates are forbidden from speaking of the truth they've learned to any adults. The future is not made for adults. Wayward Pines rests in the hands of the children - the First Generation. Speaking to their parents would result in catastrophic consequences. Any holes or cracks in the Ark would let the water in and drown everyone inside. It is up to the First Generation to steer the Ark safely to short. They are the First Generation. They are the First Generation. They are the First Generation. Students 109-111 have their picture taken and are ushered into another room, where a group of candle-toting classmates (led by Ben's friend, Amy) start a slow-clap to welcome them to their elite society.
Ethan has been followed by a helicopter, which lands in front of him. Out pops Dr. Jenkins, who has helped Ethan and been somewhat of a confidant to him in previous episodes. He introduces himself to Ethan as his true identity - David Pilcher, the creator of Wayward Pines. Ethan asks Pilcher what is going on, mentioning that he does not believe that the decaying city is truly Boise, but Pilcher counters with the suggestion that Ethan's mind is playing tricks on him, refusing to accept the truth that it is seeing. They can hear a herd of Abbies rushing through the woods. Pilcher asks Ethan to join him in the helicopter. (Basically, either join him or die.) Pilcher promises to show Ethan what Wayward Pines truly is and, probably hesitantly, Ethan makes his way to the chopper. Oh, and Nurse Pam is there. Goodie. They take off, through the trees and the fog, just before the herd of Abbies can reach them, and the episode draws to its close.
***
Wayward Points:
- Upon returning to her office, Theresa looks through a binder of "new client" files, including those of her family. She takes a quick look at Ethan's file. I paused the show and was able to read most of the fine print. In essence, the "new client" agreement says that residents of Wayward Pines can live in the city for free, so long as they remain "a positive and productive member of the town." All rights to the property must be relinquished if any of the town's bylaws are broken, whereupon all ownership of property and everything in the house belongs to the Township of Wayward Pines.
- "Big Bill" is proud of his newest realtor, Theresa. He gives her a gold star, in fact! He's got another client for Theresa. He says people come in like clockwork, just when they are needed. Theresa asks if people are always in accidents before they arrive. He tells her not to think too hard about it, lest something happen to her pretty little face.
- Pilcher's pitch to Ethan was basically this: "You've got a new community here: family, property, culture... Perhaps W.P. isn't that bad, after all... Right?" Better than getting ripped to pieces by the Abbies, I suppose.
What we learned:
- The Abbies are real.
- Amy confirms to Ben that they are in Idaho. Supposedly.
- It is the year 4028 - Double the year that it was for the most recent of the car accidents. W.T.Freak.
- Dr. Jenkins is David Pilcher.
- Theresa is warned several times not to be too much of a "free thinker."
- Mrs. Fisher warns that Pilcher's Ark will only work if everyone follows the Rules.
- Note: No phone calls this episode. No phone calls and no ice cream. :-(
Questions:
- So... apparently, Pilcher can time travel? We've seen him in 2014... or.. was that the past?... But that was 2,000 years ago! (Screenwriter Chad Hodge promised TVGuide.com answers in the next episode. Read that interview here.)
- What is Wayward Pines? Is Pilcher going to give Ethan the same information that Ben received in Orientation? What are Pilcher's true intentions?
- Who are the Abbies? Wayward rejects?
- Was that really Boise?
- Were the tests that Wayne described done in the same warehouse that Ethan stumbled across a couple episodes back? It's quite possible! Lots of doors and windows down there...
- Why does @WaywardPines keep tweeting backwards messages?
***
What the heck, people? What is happening? They promised a game-changer tonight and, by jove, I'll say they delivered. The show will be totally different from here on out - but we've got to wait two weeks until the next episode!! Please! Somebody comment! I need to talk to somebody about this show! It's awesome! Nobody died this week, though, so I guess I need to think of another obituary to post before I wrap this thing up... Hmm...
RIP Boise, Idaho
1863 - 2095
Until next week,
Work hard and be happy.
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