After all the questions Zoo left us with at the end of the previous episode, I was expecting a lot of answers. I feel like this episode was attempting to answer them but, ultimately, it just left me more confused and with more questions than ever before.
I’m so happy that Mitch didn’t give Reiden the mother cell after seeing their supposed boss at Reiden headquarters. However, this whole relationship between Delavenne and Reiden is still very confusing to me. At first, I thought that maybe Reiden didn't know where the mother cell was after Leo stole it, so, in order to find it they assembled a task force under the guise of a separate mission in order to get it back. However, it seems like it didn’t even cross Reiden’s mind that the team could end up finding the mother cell and now they’re freaking out and desperately trying to get it back. I’m just still a little confused about the task force’s intended purpose. Anyways, everyone’s a hater when Mitch gets back to the team and tells them all about his plan to backstab them. It’s kind of understandable, but come on, he was doing it for his dying child…I think they needed to cut him a bit more slack. Also, I just have to add this, my favorite part of the whole episode was when Mitch told Jackson he’s “a bit dramatic” after he says they need to “save ourselves and save the world”. Mitch took the words right out of my mouth.
There was no side-story this week and the episode did fine without one. The story was focused and really only brought in characters we already knew, which I liked. The big theme this week was birds and it was certainly scary. I actually found the birds in the this episode to be creepier than the rats. I love birds so maybe that’s why this one hit too close to home for me? Regardless, seeing a woman get pecked to death in front of her baby is not something anyone would expect to see in the world and at the end of the episode we even saw that these freak incidents are finally getting some mainstream media attention. It’s going to be hard to deny that there’s nothing going on after these attacks. Also, the fact that all the birds, no matter the species, are making the same sound and communicating is kind of a giveaway that something major is going on. Something tells me the public won’t be in the dark about this for much longer.
Throughout the episode tensions are high because a warrant has been issued by the FBI for Jamie and Chloe’s arrest after Agent Shaffer’s murder. The same guy from the last episode is on a mission to find them and get revenge for Shaffer’s murder. When he finally catches up to them and finds out that Shaffer was a double agent for Reiden he doesn't take it too well and still tries to kill them. Whether it’s because of this or the bird incident, Mitch’s family decides to pack up and head to Maine. I really hope it’s because of the FBI and not the birds, otherwise someone should really tell them there are still animals in Maine…but that’s what makes this story so scary - literally nowhere is safe!
Meanwhile, the team is still on a mission to find a cure for the animals using the mother cell, but the only way they can do this is by using an animal that has never been exposed to any Reiden products. Obviously, to do this they have to find an area of the world where Reiden products have never been used. Throughout the episode they think this through and even draw hundreds of tiny circles on a world map, but to me it seems pretty obvious. There are plenty of corners of the world that have been untouched by modern technology. Why couldn’t they just pick one and simply go there? Their whole process made no sense and only happened to be convenient when it turned out that they’re actually specifically looking for leopards in Zambia. This was also confusing because they looked up a bunch of strange leopard attacks in the region and deemed it the right place to go. If Zambia is Reiden-free and Reiden’s mother cell is causing the strange animal behavior, then why would the Reiden-free leopards still be behaving this way? Maybe I’m missing something but this makes it seem like Reiden isn't responsible after all.
This episode was exciting and creepy as ever, but I just feel like it came up short in terms of actual content and story. This show can only coast so far on it’s shock value and crazy animal attacks. At some point it needs to start making a bit more sense and start telling a more coherent story, hopefully that time is coming soon. But, maybe I missed something major and just don’t understand. Did anyone else struggle with their explanations? What did you think of the episode and the answers we got? Let me know in the comments!
About the Author - Kate Sidwell
Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (
eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!
