Let’s face it: this show has been on a downward spiral ever since The Truth which ripped the show of its initial intrigue and turned what was supposed to be an entertaining mystery into an action-packed mess.
I had hopes that last week’s cliffhanger would lead to an interesting showdown between the humans and the abbeys (who are basically also humans, right?). Sadly, the result was anti-climactic as Ethan managed to stop their way into town in the opening moments of the episode. It was still an intense, heavy shootout but was I asking for too much when I said I wanted those abberations to make their way through? I really, really wanted them to capture Ben just to stop him for taking over more screen-time.
Another development that should have been much more intriguing was the first class of Wayward Pines High taking over the police station. This scene would have had more weight to it if these were people we’d seen before and not just met less than 20 minutes ago. Yes, it was a jaw-dropping, harrowing sequence but the only thing I loved about it was the fascinating direction by Nimród Antal as he highlighted the blood splashing onto the kid’s shoes. That, plus the way the camera cut from one execution to the other, was disturbingly incredible—but sadly, as I mentioned earlier, we hardly knew (or cared for) these characters.
It’s a trait that even David Pilcher himself is sick of as he realized that everyone in his town was going out of control, and he came to the conclusion that he can’t care for these people anymore and thus turned off the electricity from Wayward Pines in one of the episode’s best sequences. Since most of the hour was either pointless repetitive talk or eye-rolling developments to finally get Theresa up to date, I appreciate the “quietness” of that final scene. It puts everything that came before it to a major halt and acts as a good setup for next week’s finale.
It’s hard to tell what’s really coming up as the show closes its curtains, but I can only hope that the finale doesn’t tarnish what started out as a captivating mystery.
Eerie Bits & Pieces
– I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind that Kate wouldn’t be reckoned. The fact that the show led with that and flashed back 24 hours earlier was such an old trope that further added to my assurance that she would be okay.
– Who knew that fist-clapping would be so creepy?
– I doze off whenever Ben and Amy are taking over the screen. They’re just dull characters, so did I miss anything?
– Kudos once again for the director who really makes it impossible to look away even as the writing starts to drag from time to time.
– Who else really, really hated the ridiculousness of Theresa smashing the security cameras just as that woman’s coffee spilled? I almost cried.
– Adam Hassler’s involvement was answered and it was slightly disappointing. The fact that there were video journals in Plot 33 was way too contrived. But hey, anything to get Theresa to catch up.
– Speaking of which, I literally LOL’d at the bitch slap scene. Can’t say Miss Fisher didn’t have it coming though.
– Poor Arlene, trembling and crying as she tried to reach the phone during the disturbing police-station executions. I really felt for this character, all two times we’ve seen her.
Conclusion
Another misstep that makes me question where the show is going. Luckily, the ending was a nice buildup for the season finale.
Chris Rating
B-