Helix - Reunion

Helix returned for it's second episode of season two with "Reunion."  It's clear from the picture above the one reunion that Alan is pining for is the one that includes Julia.

We got a few answers about Alan and what he has been doing post Paris meeting with Peter and the much referred to Ilaria bombing.  We get to see him interrogate at least two Immortals.  Okay, not interrogate, torture.  As he tortured the two he kept asking for the whereabouts of Julia.  They professed their ignorance but at least the woman gave him a thumb drive which gave him information about the island of St. Germain.

Both of Alan's prisoners paid with their lives which means Alan is a murderer now.  That's a bit extreme.  (Unless killing Immortals isn't murder, maybe it's more like war.) What has driven him to this?  Is he that concerned with Julia's safety?  At least we can pretty sure Alan didn't bomb the Ilaria building with the knowledge Julia was in there.

We've learned also that Ilaria was indeed interested in St. Germain.  It doesn't necessarily mean it is an Ilaria facility but at least it is on their radar.  We also now know why Alan is there but why would he interrupt his murderous pursuit of Julia to go there?

We switch to Sarah in bed with a bad nose bleed.  (More on that later!)  Sarah is about to have a fruitful day (pun semi-intended.)  Her spotting of Alan from her window opens up a can of worms and her first encounter with one of the Veggie Vectors, Isaac.  Good ol' Fungus Face leads her to the Hall of Weeds

Hmm, ivy covered walls?  Do you suppose Brother Michael went to an Ivy League school?  We saw a dead Harvard man on the yacht, does that make Michael is a Yale man?

Our story switches to Julia and a much calmer Caleb.  (Caleb is still a cipher to me.) He doesn't offer Julia much information but Julia presses him to join her in a "dig."

Thankfully, (no offense Julia) we get right back to the Hall of Weeds and we get a nice sermon from Brother Michael.  We see children amongst the faithful and at least one (enamored) young woman pregnant with child.   After episode one I had wondered if this was an adults only island.  Apparently not and as we later learn generations have lived there.  (Some are a little horny too, right Kyle?)

Michael's sermon deals with the "Loss of self" and "Free to be" not top mention the all important, "I am."  It's a little mysterious why a cult following would be into self-actualization.  Why would Michael instill in his flock a sense of individuality?  Seems counter intuitive.

I'm sure there is a catch somewhere so this bears watching.

A boy named Soren shows up to the gathering (Sarah has been watching all this including confirming Alan's presence) and the boy rains on Michael's parade.   Soren anxiously seeks out his mother and then proceeds to brutally beat her.  Is anger and violence a byproduct of the island virus?

The boy is subdued and Sarah takes the opportunity to reveal herself.  This forces Alan to face off with her but the both realize it is better to keep their mutual recognition a secret.

Julia gets a Shakespearean moment ("Alas, poor Yorick") and she quickly divines that the skull belongs to a woman and therefore Alan is not in that grave.   (I had wondered in my previous blog post if Alan was truly dead thirty years in the future.)  So there is hope he is still alive but I guess he and Julia haven't had much contact in that 30 year expanse.  

As Sarah begins her study of Soren's sample (with Michael's mysterious blessing) Peter and Kyle follow their due diligence which leads them to a wild encounter with Isaac.  (In the Bible, Isaac was very nearly sacrificed but for the intervention of an Angel.  Make of that what you will.)

Peter has a moment of sheer panic when Isaac rushes him.  It looks as though post traumatic stress disorder has a hold on Peter and it is likely we haven't seen the last of it.  Thankfully, Kyle intercedes to Peters rescue.  Oh, and we get more Veggie Vector anger.

I had alluded to Michael's mysterious blessing to the CDC help.  Anne is not for it at all.  She protests to Michael and refers to having to "protect" something on the island.  Michael overrules her but I sure do want to know what deserves protecting on that island.  The maternal based history is a Rubik's Cube also.  Why are women so important and yet a male is in the lead?

Isaac won't be any help with that mystery as he promptly kills himself upon discovery of his second hiding place.  Note the pollen like expulsion as Isaac cuts his throat.  There is yellow goo also but the pollen suggests the virus could well be airborne as well as contagious via contact with the liquid.

Not good.

In the meantime Sarah confides in Peter she has seen Alan.  He is incredulous not to mention irate.  Peter claims Alan has been discredited by the CDC (we later learn Alan left the CDC instead of being ousted.  An important distinction.) and there are arrest warrants out for Alan. 

Time out!

Alan has really gone off the reservation.  If a may offer a crackpot theory, I'm thinking Sergio and Tulok are working with Alan as Ilaria hunters and are part of Alan's rogue outfit.  (We haven't seen them yet but Mark Ghanime continues to get credits.)

It's almost a relief to get back to Julia and her bone findings.  The hip bone of which contains a map.  Caleb is reluctant to reveal anything about it but eventually agrees to take Julia to what I can only guess is the secret lair to the island's "Smoke Monster."

 Julia also discerns the remains she found belong to several different people.  Is there really something feeding on people out there and they don't care what they do with the remains?  Then why mark them with Alan's headstone?  I'm starting to think part of this is Alan's doing.

News flash.  Soren is okay!  What the hell?  Are children immune to the veggie virus?

As Sarah suffers another nosebleed (we're getting there) the CDC group continues to investigate the paths of Soren and Isaac.  Sarah goes out to the orchard with Sister Agnes (?)  She spies Alan and takes the opportunity to confront him.

We should back track a little to Alan's meeting with Michael.  Alan is a lot more forthcoming than I would have thought and for his part Michael doesn't seem too disturbed by Alan's admission that he has killed people.  Alan confronts Michael with his geneticist background.  We get into a Darwinian lecture and Michael makes the distinction between what is random and created.  (Alarm bells go off.)

Back at the orchard we learn from Agnes that the "children are never alone" and a quick reference to hybrid apples.

Alarm bells!

Crackpot theory!

The children are hybrid apples.  That's what Michael was alluding to when he mentioned "random versus created" to Alan.  The children have been genetically spliced together.  Sure they may be incubated in the womb, such as the young woman in the council meeting,  but for whatever reason, Michael is genetically experimenting with children.  This isn't a fully formed theory yet.  I still don't why we have Veggie Vectors or why people are being forced to swallow the goo in the basement.  Perhaps Michael wants to see what the children are resistant to and Soren was not meant to survive?

Things really begin to pop in this episode.

Alan gives the high sign to Sarah to run.  She relates this to Peter but he boldly imparts the "CDC doesn't run" (guess he hasn't seen the previews.)

Julia reveals to Caleb she doesn't have much time, perhaps only days.  She wants to see where that Smoke Monster lives!  (I'm only half kidding.) 

Sarah tops that by telling Alan she is pregnant. 15 MONTHS PREGNANT!!!  There is your nosebleed tie in.  It's not cancer or whatever.  15 MONTHS PREGNANT!  She looks great.  Boy, immortal children develop slowly.  Sarah might begin to show in two, maybe three years.  It makes you wonder how old "The Scythe" really is.  200?

If your mind wasn't blown enough we get this fella as that bald goon Landry leads Soren out of the compound alone.  I knew Landry couldn't be trusted.  He had "Igor" written all over him.  As the episode closes we hear Soren's panicked screams.  Is he being sacrificed?  Also, the Veggie Vector tells Soren, "Hello."  What a polite monster.  The hello means he is in possession of his faculties.  But is he just a polite cannibal?  Is that why we see so many bones on the island and the bones of a child that Julia finds later?  Why sacrifice Soren?  Was he a mistake as I spoke of before?  Should he not have gotten the virus?

Questions, questions brother Michael!  Splicing versus yellow goo injection?  Kill or cure?

Is the smoke monster lair filled with veggie vector survivors?  We want answers Julia, get up that mountain!