There was one shocking revelation after another on Absentia Season 2 Episode 8 but I was disappointed with a couple of secrets that remained hidden.

First, was that we still don't know for certain whether Tommy committed suicide or was murdered.

Second, Alice didn't come clean about her affair.

The heart to heart between Alice and Nick was a long time coming, and Nick took responsibility for emotionally disappearing on their family and did his best to explain why it happened.

I felt like a coward. I wanted to tell you that. I’m no hero. I ran from a…I ran away from our son when he was struggling because I didn’t know how to help him and then I ran away from you after the miscarriage because I was afraid to face the pain, honestly. We lost a child and I wasn’t there for you, for us.
Nick

Permalink: I felt like a coward. I wanted to tell you that. I’m no hero. I ran from a…I ran away from...

Under different circumstances, I'd say that Alice and Nick have a chance at saving their marriage. They've both been in so much pain.

Between Emily's return, Flynn's trauma, the miscarriage, and now learning that they might never have a biological child of their own, they've been going through a lot in a relatively short time frame.

But Alice still has a huge secret she's keeping and when it comes out it's going to destroy them.

Alice and Jack have been doing their version of Grey's Anatomy in the hospital corridors and when the truth finally comes out, I fear Jack will be the collateral damage.

Alice doesn't love Jack and I believe she will fight for her marriage to Nick if she thinks they have a chance at putting things back together.

How will Jack react when realizes he's been nothing more than a fun distraction in Alice's troubled life?

Not well because, as naive as it may be, he's hoping this turns into a real relationship.

Jack: I think I’m kind of seeing someone.
Emily: Yeah? Who is she?
Jack: I don’t want to say, not yet. It’s just that we’re still figuring it out.

Permalink: I don’t want to say, not yet. It’s just that we’re still figuring it out.

And since Alice appears to have been acting as his unofficial AA sponsor, the fallout could be catastrophic for Jack's future.

I was a little surprised that Nick didn't come out and ask her if she was having an affair but maybe this is a case where he doesn't want to hear the truth.

Besides, opening up to her about nearly being killed was hard enough, did he really want to endure hearing about how his wife has been sleeping with someone else?

And he has no clue that person is his brother-in-law!

If you thought that the last family dinner was a disaster, can you imagine what future ones would be like if the truth came out?

I'm so relieved that Emily turned Nick down when he showed up at her door. He was drunk and hurting and still very married, so anything happening between them was a bad idea.

Emily: No. No. No.
Nick: Why not?
Emily: Because we don’t get to go backward.

Permalink: Because we don’t get to go backward.

But back to the Fentanyl Killer investigation...

I can't believe that Tommy is dead. That one still stings. If Emily ever pulled herself together I thought they could make a great couple, but now that will never happen.

At least Emily suspects that Tommy didn't commit suicide and Cal thinks that her theory is plausible.

She's been sharing a lot more with Cal, probably due to their having formed a stronger bond while undercover, and the fact that Emily has no one else to talk to and she needs to get out of her own head.

It was sad that Cal and Emily had to convince Crown to keep open the investigation of the Fentanyl killings...

Cal: Sir, we still don’t know why he killed his victims.
Emily: Wolfe said he was ordered to kill. We can’t ignore that.
Crown: The Son of Sam was ordered to kill by a dog.
Cal: Sir, this was a clear-headed soldier on a mission.
Emily: We believe there are people above him.

Permalink: We believe there are people above him.

Crown is more interested in appearances and covering his ass than in stopping this conspiracy that has taken so many lives.

I like Crown as a character because he's realistic. He supported Emily's return to the FBI, he works hard, but he's also incredibly flawed, which leaves him conflicted over the right thing to do when his own future could be affected.

I was glad that Cal kept Emily on track. Without a warrant, what they could have found at Catalyst might not be admissible in court. Does Emily want the perpetrators prosecuted or does she want to deliver her own brand of justice?

Tracking down Dr. Ulf Maston of the former Quill project was a huge breakthrough.

The original premise behind the research raised an interesting question...

Why are some people so effective in the face of stress and why do some fall apart?

Regrettably, the serum they came up with to try and control a person's reaction to stress took a horrific turn.

So, the serum works but not the way I thought it would. These rats can withstand stress. They have fewer heart attackers and better odds of survival in a fight but they become more aggressive, violent, murderous even towards their fellow rodents.
Dr. Ulf Maston

Permalink: So, the serum works but not the way I thought it would. These rats can withstand stress. They...

So that could explain Tyler Mills, whose mother said he was in therapy when he was younger.

It also could give us an explanation for Emily beating up on Tommy.

The more terrifying thought is that seeing Dr. Semo Oduwale photo on that wall could mean that they're also doing the experiments on Flynn!