Helix Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Reunion
Henry A. Otero
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Oh Helix how I've missed you! You have to appreciate a TV show this insanely unpredictable, that somehow still manages to make sense and keep you entertained.
Helix Season 2 Episode 2 gave us the return of Alan Farragut, some insight into the cult and let's not forget Sarah's 15-month pregnancy. That's some serious morning sickness we're talking about.
I don't know about you, but I love guessing, yet having no real clue where this show is headed.
Day two opens with Alan waking up and remembering how he murdered several immortals in his search for Jules. The guy is definitely hardcore this season folks. Now I understand "the dark place" Billy Campbell was referring to in our chat last week. I have no doubt he blew up the Paris building.
One of his victims hands him an Ilaria pen drive, which leads him to St. Germaine island. I've always loved how the Helix writers manage to provide answers while launching a whole new set of questions. It's cool to see that's not going to change any time soon.
At the Abbey, Alan is going by the name Brother Jerome. Did you know Geronimo (Spanish for Jerome) was an Apache religious and military leader who fought against Mexico and the U.S.? It's said that Mexican soldiers he fought called upon St. Jerome for help. I wonder if there's any significance to the name? All these new religious names might be a clue.
From her window, Sarah spied Alan and decided to go chasing after him. Naturally, she bumped into an infected cult member... Eeeek! Clearly the virus had reached the Abbey, despite what Brother Michael told the CDC previously. Is it possible he was in the dark?
Brother Michael's little sermon gave us a better idea what the cult is all about... (publicly anyway).
We surrendered ourselves to a simple life. And by the loss of the self, we became truly individuals. We are free to simply... be.
Brother Michael
When the infected little boy entered calling for his mother, I wondered if this was like The Strain Season 1. In that series, the infected seek out their loved ones in order to pass on the virus. It sure seemed that way to me, once the boy attacked his mother. During the confusion, Sarah sprung into action and caught Alan's eye. He didn't seem too pleased to see her.
Sarah shared this information with Peter and Kyle. The CDC team recommended locking the place down, and Brother Michael seemed very cooperative even providing a botany lab and quarantine area. The cult leader knew Brother Isaac was infected though. This reminded me straight away of Hatake in Helix Season 1, who knew exactly what was going on but had lost control.
Please help us figure out a way to stop this.
Brother Michael
Fast forward 30 years to Julia and Caleb digging up Alan's grave. I wasn't surprised those weren't Alan's remains, were you? The bones belonged to several people. Why were they in Alan's grave though? Jules says "dead or alive there's a clue here." Why three hip bones? Caleb obviously recognized the carvings on the bone. So the clue was a map of the island?
In the present timeline, the sick boy, Soren, was in the full throes of the disease. Sarah worked to collect samples, while Peter and Kyle went in search of Brother Isaac in the underground tunnels. Didn't that scene remind you of the lower levels of Arctic BioSystems from last season? Apparently, it reminded Peter of it as well because he had a major flashback to his time as King of the Vectors. Is there another reason Peter froze up?
Why was Peter so hostile when Sarah informed him Alan was on the island? He was a pawn of Ilaria's last season, is he still involved with them?
Peter: Why would Ilaria be interested in some crackpot isolationist cult? And why would my brother be investigating them?
Sarah: Well I'd be surprised if he's here for the food.
Peter: This isn't a joke. He has been discredited by the CDC and don't forget about the International arrest warrants. Whatever he is doing here, we're to have no contact with him.
I didn't think for a second Sarah would listen to Peter. Instead, she made sure to make contact with Alan while visiting the orchards. He warned her to get off the island, and gave her the same two finger signal Peter used last season. The roles sure are reversed this year aren't they?
While Sister Agnes gave Sarah that tour, her granddaughter; Sister Amy, made her move on Kyle. The poor Texan didn't know what hit him. Guess he knows now who the real "Hotzone" is haha.
Alan pegs Brother Michael as a geneticist during their chat. The guy created his own tea, what else is he up to? When Brother Michael quoted Darwin, Alan said "spoken like a man who knew him personally." Was this a hint that our cult leader is immortal? I mean, Darwin lived in the 1800's, but did Michael know the man? He didn't even flinch when Alan made that observation.
We also learned that Alan had been on the island just three months. He confessed to having taken lives and was in hiding. There's got to be more information hidden in that conversation. Let me know if you picked anything else up dear reader.
So the boy was miraculously healed, but we know from last season that if the TXM-7 virus was engineered by Ilaria, they probably have the cure as well. Now, if he's cured why dump the kid outside the gates at the end?
In the future, Jules discovers a boy's bones in the jungle; was it Soren? When she mentioned an animal must have gotten to him, Caleb replied "or something worse." This is starting to sound a lot like "The Island of Dr. Moreau." Are the similarities too obvious? Is this simply a red herring?
Sarah sneaks into Alan's room and one of the big mysteries from last season is resolved...
Sarah: You owe me an explanation... and you owe our baby.
Alan: Our what? Are you saying we have a child?
Sarah: No Alan, there's no child.
Alan: I'm so sorry.
Sarah: There's no child because I'm still pregnant. I've been pregnant for the last 15 months.
Say what?!? Apparently Sarah's little bean stopped aging when she received Julia's spinal fluid. Sarah became immortal and the fetus stopped aging as well. How in the world will they kickstart the baby's growth? If Caleb is the couple's son, what changed to allow him to be born?
Alan continued to insist his mission was too important and the CDC team needed to leave ASAP. I guess Alan's forgotten what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the secrets and lies. Hatake would be proud I think. Speaking of Hatake, when are we going to see him again?
--/ Hank's Hypotheses /--
- Sarah's bloody nose has to do with the 15-month pregnancy, not the virus.
- Still, we saw Sarah take off her safety gear since she's not worried about getting sick. Julia is infected, so we know the immortals are not immune. Perhaps catching the virus allows Sarah's fetus to continue growing?
- The cult names are of significance. They're all religious names: Michael (the Archangel), Isaac (the only son Abraham), Soren (Christian saint Severin of Cologne). Even the sisters' names have religious meaning. St. Agnes was a virgin–martyr, St. Anne the mother of the Virgin Mary and a Saint Aimee was healed of a disease later dedicating her life to God. Coincidence?
- Sister Anne and her ancestors are protecting the true secret of the island. Which has nothing to do with Ilaria or the immortals.
- Soren is not killed, but rather adopted into a new loving TXM-7 family. Yeah, not so much.
What did you think of "Reunion?" Did you enjoy catching up with Alan? Sarah's still pregnant, is that crazy or what? Your turn guys, please share your most insane theories with me in the comments below. I'm ready to talk more about Helix!
Need to go back and watch the season premiere again? No worries, you can watch Helix online right here via TV Fanatic.
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