Wayward Points S02E07: Marge in Charge

"Was it a mistake?"

***

What we already know:

• The Abbies are going crazy outside the Fence - and they're coming for the humans. Margaret, the female Abbie being held at the Complex has a strange mark on her palm and doesn't react like the rest of the monsters. She remains calm in her cage.
• The Abbies have burned most of the crop fields and CJ believes that Wayward Pines will starve to death within six weeks if nothing changes. CJ and Jason are both concerned about the town's ability to grow new crops because there is something wrong with the soil that Wayward Pines was built on.
• Adam Hassler was in love with Theresa Burke. He sent Ethan (RIP) to Wayward Pines so he could have Theresa for himself. Well, last episode he killed her (RIP), so there's that. On another note, Hassler seems to know what the brand on Marge's hand means.
• Mrs. Fisher and Theo have been running tests on Margaret, during which they discovered that the Abbies' brains are twice as developed as a normal human brain would be. Theo believes she might be able to communicate.

Wayward Points:

• THE MORNING BREAKS

• This episode was largely about our friend CJ Mitchum, who, we learned, woke up from his cryo sleep chamber every 20 years between April 19, 2034 and April 19, 4014 to check on the conditions of the world around Wayward Pines. (More on that in "What We Learned.") It turns out that CJ is much more than simply a harvester - he was hand-picked by David Pilcher to help usher in the dawn of Group A.
• Each time he awoke, CJ would check for news broadcasts and radio chatter, which eventually stopped completely by the year 2514, at which point humanity had been wiped out by the H1R3 virus, as Pilcher predicted. CJ would also walk around outside the Complex to gather soil samples and collect currency, which he kept in a cup inside the building. In the same year, 2514, CJ encounters a man named Griffin in the woods. Griffin has clearly been affected by H1R3, but CJ notices something even more disturbing about him - he has elongated fingers and long, pointy fingernails.
  This man, CJ would later figure out, was in the early stages of becoming an Aberration.
  
  The two discuss earth's deteriorating conditions and spend most of an entire day together, but CJ slips away as Griffin falls asleep. Griffin wakes up, finds himself alone and tracks down CJ, then begging the harvester to allow him to enter the Complex. CJ is forced to kill Griffin with his bare hands in order to protect the future residents of Wayward Pines.
• During the 1,980 years of monotonous labor, CJ struggled to maintain his sanity, at one point wondering if he was finally going to be "called home" by his wife, but he eventually made it to the appointed day when Pilcher, himself, would awaken and start up his utopian society. That plan came to a screeching halt, however, when Pilcher discovered that Abbies had created a settlement inside the intended borders of Wayward Pines. At that point, did not seem hostile - and CJ argues that they might remain as such if unprovoked - but Pilcher hastily decides that the Abbies must be driven away by force. They would be cleared out immediately and a Fence would be built to keep them out.
  
• Wayward Pines came fully to life in the year 4016, but CJ couldn't help but wonder if it was all a big mistake. He expresses his concerns to Mrs. Fisher, accurately predicting that Group A would not be able to handle the Truth. It was only a matter of time before he was watching the community self-destruct with tears in his eyes. Poor CJ.
• ABBIE COMPREHENSION 101

• After discovering that the Abbies' brains are twice as developed as a human brain in last week's episode, Dr. Theo Yedlin is determined to communicate with Margaret at the Complex. He devises a simple series of image-recognition exercises to to teach her simple words like "yes," "no," "friend" and "leader." He attempts to communicate to Marge that humans are friends and that Jason is the leader. (This concept is rejected by the female Abbie, who recognizes Theo as the leader.) It is also discovered that Margaret shows empathy for the other three Abbies being held in containment.
• Hassler barges in at one point in the episode, demanding that Margaret be released immediately. He says that the brand on Marge's palm means she is the leader of the Abbies, and that is exactly why the Abbies are swarming the Fence again. Theo and Kerry believe that Marge needs to remain contained for the time being, as Dr. Yedlin appears to be making progress communicating. Hassler also points out that the Abbies are hostile toward the humans because Pilcher's people destroyed an Abbie settlement in order to build Wayward Pines.
  
• To further illustrate the fact that humans are friends, Theo opens the cage of one of the male Abbies in the Complex by entering a pass code on a numerical keypad. But as Theo attempts to enter the cage, the male Abbie violently grabs his arm. Margaret angrily growls at her counterpart, signaling for it not to harm Theo. This solidifies the theory that Margaret is controlling the Abbies.
• Jason, yet again, is upset with Theo being right, and he angrily shoots the three male Abbies in the head, killing them. Margaret is understandably furious about this and, for the first time, shows hostility toward the humans by snarling at Theo. Kerry tries to talk some sense into Jason - and we see the softer side of Jason when Kerry suggests that he doesn't trust her - but, alas, Jason storms out of the room.
• MARGE IN CHARGE
• After Jason's murderous rampage in the Complex, Theo decides to go take a shower to clear his head. Kerry and Hassler also depart, leaving Mrs. Fisher alone to do research with three dead Abbies and Margaret still in her cage.
  
• Mrs. Fisher wheels over to her desk and begins to work and then her head bobs... Like, we're talking about hardcore head bobbing action. She must be really tired, I guess? She looks down at her feet in horror and we see a pool of blood forming beneath her wheelchair. Blood is running down her leg. She turns to see Margaret, out of her cage and holding a scalpel. Her final word is "Margaret..." and, at long last, the Abbies gave Mrs. Fisher the bloody death she's deserved (and we've been waiting for) since the middle of Season 1. RIP, Megan Fisher. RIP.
• We learn that Margaret watched as Theo entered the code to open the male Abbie's cage. She memorized the code and let herself out of her own imprisonment without anyone noticing, creeped over and slashed Mrs. Fisher's paralyzed legs. Dang. As the episode comes to a close, Margaret walks through the puddle of blood and out the door of the Complex containment bay.

Who we met:

• Griffin: A man infected with H1R3 who stumbles upon CJ in the woods in the year 2514. Griffin catches fish with his bare hands, snarls like a beast and doesn't react well to fire... because he's in the early stages of Abbie-dom.
• CJ's wife: She appears to him in a hallucination in the year 3214.

What we learned:

• The cryo chambers had automatic timers to allow individuals to be awakened at specific, pre-determined points in time.
• CJ's full name is Christopher James Mitchum.
• CJ was the first person awake at the Complex. Waking up in 4014 would have been his 100th time coming out of his cryo chamber.
• The plague that destroyed humanity was called the "H1R3 virus."
• Last week, Theo complained that Wayward Pines was running out of basic medical supplies.
  
  This week, we learned that he has started growing penicillin from moldy bread.
• Margaret is approximately 30 years old, which chronologically would make her an original resident of the Abbie settlement that was destroyed to make way for Wayward Pines.
• I saw a complaint online this week that we didn't know what the Abbies in the Complex had been eating. Stupid complaint, but I guess this person thought they look too healthy to be starving. We learned this week that the Abbies were being fed pellets from leftover food rations.
• Margaret is super smart.

Wayward Lines:

• Mrs. Fisher and Theo during Abbie Comprehension 101: "Am I supposed to eat one of these now?" "If you perform well."
• Theo to Mrs. Fisher, after teaching Margaret the word "leader": "Bow to me a little bit."
• CJ and Griffin: "You've lost someone?" "Didn't everyone?"
• CJ to Griffin, after killing him: "There were so many people we couldn't save... All I can save you from is what's coming next."
• Theo, on whether humans could beat the Abbies: "It's math. And they have the numbers. And they will win."
• CJ's wife: "Miles to go..."
• Pilcher to CJ: "What a privilege for us to prepare for Group A's awakening..."
• Pilcher, seeing an Abbie for the first time: "This isn't any animal, CJ. It's mankind gone wrong. These things stopped being human quite some time ago."
• Pilcher: "Don't worry. Humanity will win."
• Theo: "Territoriality is not solely a human trait."
• Kerry, condescendingly: "Even Megan has been swayed, now that an actual medial professional has weighed in."
• Hassler: "This really is the inmates running the asylum."
• Hassler to Theo, on the Abbies' place in history: "You may be Jason's replacement, but they are ours."
• Theo to Mrs. Fisher: "You're so indoctrinated that you can't see that the only animal in this room... was Jason."
• Jason: "I assure you, humanity will win."

The Rules:

• None that were prominently mentioned.

Easter Eggs:

• In an effort to keep himself sane, CJ is shown having a fake conversation with Beverly Brown, who was Reckoned in Episode 2 of Season 1. He tells her not to listen to Harold (Ballinger). Harold and his wife Kate were the ones who called in Beverly's Reckoning.
• CJ is also shown talking to Harold Ballinger's files.
• CJ witnesses the self-destruction of Group A.
• Wayward Pines completed construction in 4016, which verifies that, if she was awakened immediately, Kate Hewson would have been in the town for 12 years before being reunited with Ethan Burke. This also implies that she was part of Group A.
• CJ's glass of coins is shown in the year 4014. They have been rusted over by this point, which means that  these are likely the coins shown to students at Wayward Academy during Initiation.

Wayward Whines:

• ...to think that there was a point a couple weeks ago when I said (and I quote), "Um... none this week. Is this truly "Wayward Pines" if nobody dies in an episode?" HAHAHA I take it back.
• Were the comparisons to Christopher Columbus' takeover of America blatantly obvious to anybody else? Yikes... :-(

Wayward Signs:

• Green = Yes. Red = No. Hand = Friend. Crown = Leader.
• "Welcome to 4016!"

What we don't know:

• How did Margaret get inside the Fence in the first place? Did someone let her in? And if so, why?
• Did Theo mean for Margaret to see him putting in the code? I saw a theory online that says that it could have been part of his plan to negotiate peace - show Margaret how to escape so the Abbies don't attack the town. Makes sense, right?
• I still feel like there is more to learn about the brand on Marge's hand.
• It was implied that Pilcher's men basically terrorized the Abbies out of their settlement, but will we learn more about that incident moving forward?
• What is wrong with the soil?
• Is Ben Burke still alive?

Obituaries:

RIP Griffin
Season 2: Episode 7 (Year 2514)

Dennis, Max and their other imprisoned friend

Season 2: Episodes 1-7

Mrs. Megan Fisher

Season 1 - Season 2: Episode 7

***

I don't know about you, but I think this season is getting freaking good. It took a bit to get up and going, but now that the season is in full swing, I think it's great. The show is back to its good old "no one is safe" nature and, although none of the deaths, in my opinion have been as shocking as Sheriff Pope or Sheriff Burke (RIP), they've had some pretty big deaths here in the last couple episodes. I've been wanting Mrs. Fisher to die a terrible death for a full calendar year and they caught me quite off guard with last night's cliffhanger. Good work, people. Good work.

I thought this episode was particularly well-written, with lots of foreshadowing, including (most prominently) the conversation where Theo talks about understanding people from other cultures - you can decipher body language and vocal cues, like if you walked into the middle of an argument. Margaret did that exact same thing later in the episode. Theo caught himself, of course, and pointed out that, while they have been observing Margaret, she has been observing them right back. The ultimate culmination here was when she rejected Theo's explanation that Jason was the leader. Ah, that was a great scene.

Another thing I've really enjoyed is seeing David Pilcher play such a prominent role in Season 2. (While I'm thinking about it, never forget #LilPilcher!!) During Season 1, I think we all kind of wondered, "How the heck did this little town become so strange?" And, thanks to Season 2, we've gotten an up-close look at some of the stuff that happened before Ethan (RIP) woke up in the woods last summer. I certainly didn't imagine CJ playing such a big role with Group A, so that was a fun surprise.

What do you guys think? I've seen less people whining about Season 2 on the official Facebook page, so that's a good sign, and I saw an article on Twitter saying that ratings are up... Think we'll get a Season 3? With Theo Yedlin calling the shots?? That could be good. Theo is the man. Let me know what you thought about last night's episode - and what you think will happen moving forward - in the comments section below.

Until next week,

Work hard and be happy.