At this point, we are no closer to knowing what "The Experiment" is, but what we do know is The River has no intention of leading us on a wild goose chase. It delivered the shocking news this week: Emmet Cole is alive!

A question that had gone unanswered since the first episode was why Kurt was along on this adventure. There will most certainly be a lot more to learn, but he had a personal involvement. His fiance was working at the outpost. Hana was one of the people he had been calling during the trip, and could possibly be the reason he told AJ his reason for being there: to kill Emmet Cole. He must have known he was alive all along.

We also got some vague allusions to the symbol on Lincoln's necklace and Lena's neck because one of the tribal guys the facility killed had that symbol on him, as well. That had to freak the Hell out of Lena. The dead dude was floating in a big tank and had what appeared to be bone, which looked to me like wings, growing out of his back. They reminded me of the dragonflies, and then I promptly lost that train of thought when cannibalistic pharmaceutical zombies started their chase.

Yes! Zombies. Everybody loves a zombie but we prefer our Zombies to be slow and lumbering. These suckers seemed to fit that bill, but only until they saw food. Then the race for life was on! Like most zombies, they died with a nice shot to the head.

What were the chances of Kurt's fiance a) being the one who let the virus out, b) still breathing and c) being easily found by Kurt? Why wasn't she a zombie, trouncing around looking for food? After all, she was in the room when the virus first escaped. Or... was she a zombie? None of the others were lying on the ground in the same spot they were infected. That was problematic for me.

Whatever her story was, Kurt whispered something about hoping she wasn't in a lot of pain and left her there on the floor, only adding to the mystery of what the heck their involvement with the facility was all about.

After all the frantic zombie fleeing, there was a moment of rest. That's when the dragonfly showed up. Oh yeah! I was wondering if their experimentation had anything to do with all those damned dragonfly varieties that seemed to be all over the Amazon. Using his college education, Lincoln decided they should follow it to find his dad.

I did not expect it to lead them to a pupa, or larvae, or cocoon containing Emmet Cole. When I saw that, I thought he was in there to transform into something with wings, like the dude in the tank. Since when do humans form these things around them? How would they? Did the dragonflies do it to him, and if so, how did they raise him up? Yes, all of those thoughts were flying through my head and then Tess thrust a knife into it to get Emmet out.

Thankfully, from what was immediately obvious, he wasn't in a state of transformation. They got him to the Magus, but not without some unwanted guests boarding. Kurt had to deal with Hana after all, and as Tess was being attacked, Emmet emerged from his coma-like state and shot a zombie in the head. It was such an exciting moment.

The best and most exciting thought is that Bruce Greenwood will be with the cast on a weekly basis going forward. For now, that means one week. Bruce Greenwood. Did he ever lead you astray? No! How I wish viewers had kept the faith, because I truly believe season two would kick ass. Maybe ABC could bring it back as a summer show. Give us more Emmet Cole. He just arrived and I'm not ready for him to go! What did you think of this energized installment? What do you think we'll see in the finale?

Other bits:

• I hope we see Salsa the dog again.
• When is Lena going to show them her mark?
• Finally, a creature Jahel didn't know about. Gotcha Jahel!
• Poor Rabbit. So close and yet so far.
• Why did they choose this particular episode to show the weird bits from the past? They weren't even connected. Strange.
• Thank goodness television isn't smellovision, because some of those scenes made me gag just from thinking about how they must smell!
• Was Emmet in the cocoon in jeans, or did they really take the time to dress him?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.