Zoo Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Pack Mentality
Christine Laskodi
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The pack has spoken, and they have a new googly-eyed Alpha.
On Zoo Season 1 Episode 4, Jackson and the other animal avengers headed to Mississippi to figure out why wolves would break into a prison, and everyone learned something important along the way.
The team learned that Evan Lee Hartley, our escaped death row inmate, has become the new leader of the pack, not the kind that the Shangri-Las sang about, but a much scarier one on a mission to kill hunters.
Abraham: I like this Chloe. She's, what do you say, peppery?
Mitch: Yeah, I was never a fan of peppery.
Jackson learned that Chloe isn't the helpless girl that he met in Africa. She's actually incredibly smart, quick thinking, and a great leader. I was pleased to see this character fleshing out a bit more, as we've not had a chance to really see her in action other than finding out that her sister stole her soon-to-be husband.
The Chloe Tousignant we got to see in "Pack Mentality" was hardened and tough, especially in the way that she thwarted the advances – and questions – of FBI agent (and hottie) Ben Shaffer.
In fact, the only time we saw Chloe really lose her cool was when she tried to prove to Jackson that she didn't need him to look after her. The intelligent, quick thinking, poised woman suddenly became a six-year-old girl, turning up her chin because she needed to impress the boy she has a crush on.
The romance brewing between the zoologist and the investigator is obvious and entertaining.
Abraham: You have an ex? Good to know. Some might think that you are incapable of deep human contact.
Mitch: Yeah, my ex is one of them.
Abraham learned that Mitch not only has an ex-wife, but also a daughter. One huge benefit to having Zoo's cast come together is that Billy Burke can now share screen time with Nonso Anozie. Mitch's scenes with Abraham were a huge highlight of the episode, whether they were being attacked by hunters in the gun store, or by wolves in the woods. I'd wager that they may have the best chemistry on the show.
Wendy and Margaret learned that birds do not belong in captivity, at least not according to the bats, who were intent on cutting off power (and heat) to the ladies of Antarctica just to prove a point. The Antarctica story was another vignette, much like the Slovenia one that we saw in Zoo Season 1 Episode 2.
These vignettes are great in showing the viewers how the animals are changing around the world, and this one seemed to hit a little better than the Slovenia story.
Margaret: We should let the birds go. Just in case.
Wendy: Just in case what?
Margaret: Just in case you're right.
Jamie learned that Robert Oz is somehow connected to (shocker!) Evan, thanks to a photograph she found in Evan's Bible of the two standing together. Jamie had a chance to shine this week along with Chloe, as she went off on her own to deceptively investigate at the prison, showing off some of the skills that made her a great reporter.
Mitch learned that bacteria has infected the wolves, and is contributing to their aggressive behavior, which unlocks a lot of new questions. Where did the bacteria come from? Did it somehow come from Robert in an experiment gone awry?
If the bacteria is global, does that mean Reiden Global did play a part in the change? Is the bacteria what's causing the animals' ability to communicate across the globe?
The most important thing that we all learned is that you can successfully perform a science experiment in a hotel room with a dying wolf, a coffee maker, and $100 in coconuts.
Jamie: Wolf poop is called scat?
Jackson: It is.
Jamie: Wow. You learn something new everyday.
Stray thoughts:
- Did anyone else think that when Chloe got down to the bar, Jackson would show up? I mean, they woke up at the same time. Jackson's non-game is showing again.
- Would anyone else watch the Mitch & Abraham spin-off? Because I'd be all over that.
- So when animal control shows up to get that wolf, do you think they'll notice the smell of infected blood and coconut smoothies, and wonder what the heck the people in the room were doing?
- Robert was afraid of the squirrels. We have that in common.
- After Abraham drank all of the alcohol in the mini-bar, did Jackson make him a hangover concoction, just like the one that Abe himself makes?
How do you think Evan and Robert are connected? Did Robert experiment on Evan? Have we seen the last of Agent Shaffer?
As always, you can watch Zoo online, right here at TV Fanatic, and be sure to come back next week for Zoo Season 1 Episode 5, "Blame It On Leo" and join in on the speculation of one of the greatest mysteries of the summer!
