Absentia Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Accomplice
Christine Orlando
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Wow! Absentia Season 2 Episode 10 ended with a crazy twist that was scary, heartbreaking, and highly satisflying.
Because let's face it, we all hated Alice, at least a little.
And that was before we knew what she'd actually done to Nick and Flynn
I can recall during Absentia Season 1, how I'd desperately try to see things from Alice's point of view.
It couldn't have been easy to be Flynn's only mom for so many years, only to find that the mother she thought was dead was very much alive.
It would have been difficult for any step-parent to let someone they'd never met and didn't completely trust get close to the child they loved.
But Alice becoming Nick's wife and Flynn's step-mother after they tragically lost Emily wasn't by chance.
It was all part of a plan.
Dr. Odewale engineered it so that Alice was Nick's therapist after his wife was declared dead.
But that wasn't enough. Then he pushed her to have a personal relationship with him and eventually marry Nick in order to keep a better eye on Flynn.
[to Alice] Getting closer to the father guarantees Flynn’s safety. Remember why you’re here. Remember your purpose.
Dr. Odewale
Because Odewale needed to test Flynn's blood regularly, the same as he was doing with Emily while she was locked away.
But we still don't know if he had injected Flynn with any of his serum. Was Alice's role simply to protect and observe Flynn and get him to his blood tests on time, or was there something more?
With every reveal about what Alice had really been up to, I couldn't help but remember how everyone viewed Alice as safe, loving, and loyal.
Suzy Homemaker, Warren had called her.
I do think she loved playing the role of Nick's wife and Flynn's mom. She was the woman who had swooped into their lives and made them a family once again.
Related: Absentia Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Committed
But with Emily's return, her role had changed and the facade was not quite as gratifying as it had once been.
Perhaps that's why she was so desperate to have a baby with Nick because that would have made it a "real" marriage even if it had been built on a lie.
But there was something about Alice that always came off a bit cold to me, and that was on full display when she dumped Jack.
She was using Jack as a release, as a distraction from the corner she had painted herself into but Jack wasn't willing to be so easily dismissed.
Jack: So that’s it, just because you say it is? You’re not even giving us a chance.
Alice: I’m hanging up now.
Jack: If you do I’m coming over there.
Alice: What did you just say?
Jack: You just can’t drop me like I’m nothing. We’re good together.
Jack has had some issues in his past that have taken him down some dark roads. As a therapist, you'd think that Alice would have handled him a bit better.
Alice was quick to write Jack off as easy sex but it was clear that he thought their relationship meant more. How he'll react when he learns the truth is anyone's guess.
Emily and Cal were dogged in their hunt to uncover all of Odewale's files and find out who he had experimented on and if there were any accomplices out there.
But when there was a change in leadership at the FBI, I wondered if Emily was going to be sidelined.
Julianne: You were a good field agent. I’m offering you the opportunity to give that another try.
Crown: Excuse me?
Julianne: Deputy Director Webb feels that the Boston Field Office needs new leadership, someone from the outside who can assess things objectively.
Crown: So the time has come to kick me to the curb.
Julianne: You’re not being fired, just demoted.
Turns out Crown wasn't paranoid, Julianne really was after his job.
Luckily for Emily, she still wants her as a part of her team, but Julianne took a particular interest in Cal's file. Holt had mentioned Cal's questionable past as being a "deal breaker" in a relationship.
Could that apply to the FBI as well?
As the pieces came together back at the FBI, it was alarming to hear Alice planning an impromptu camping trip with Nick and Flynn.
Was she so far gone that she would hurt them? Was she going to try to weave some story to get Nick on her side?
None of the above.
Her own plan seemed to be to ditch them deep enough in the woods that it would give her plenty of time to get away.
I can't even imagine how NIck and Flynn will handle this betrayal.
Nick has been emotionally beating himself up since Emily "died."
He's blamed himself for believing she was dead and not continuing the search. Then he believed she was a murderer when she was being set up and hunted.
Now he has to live with not only allowing an evil therapist to experiment on his son but marrying a woman who had manipulated him into loving her just so she could get close to Flynn.
And I don't see how Flynn will ever be able to trust another human being in his life.
Alice was able to run from having to face Nick and Flynn but she couldn't escape Emily.
I trusted you with Flynn. I trusted you more than I trusted myself and you treated him like a lab rat.
Emily
And that must be agonizing. Emily was so worried that she could hurt her own son that it allowed Alice free reign over all major decisions concerning Flynn.
But in some way, I do believe that Alice loved Nick and Flynn, especially Flynn.
All I ever did was love Nick and love Flynn. It started as a lie but it was real.
Alice
And that's why Emily was willing to let her go.
Was that the right decision? Personally, I don't think I could have slept at night knowing that Alice was out there somewhere and perhaps Nick and Flynn would have been better off having been allowed to confront her as she sat in prison.
But Julianne took both of those options away.
On the one hand, what Julianne did made perfect sense. She followed an agent who should have had backup, saw the suspect holding a gun on that agent, had a clear shot and took it.
Is Julianne just an ambitious, consummate professional?
Possibly, or she could be part of the larger conspiracy and wanted Alice dead.
Anything is possible on Absentia.
Speaking of which, I've thoroughly enjoyed Absentia Season 2. It had less horror and gore than Absentia Season 1, which is a plus in my book, and more mystery and character development.
But my biggest complaint is the loss of Detective Tommy Gibbs.
Yes, it was a shock and fit in with the deadly conspiracy, but if we had to lose him then his death should have had more powerful impact on Emily.
Other than a couple of quick crying jags, Emily had to keep moving, and I'm left wishing she had Tommy to come home to.
So what did you think, TV Fanatics? Did Absentia Season 2 live up to your expectations?
Would you be willing to watch Absentia Season 3?
Let me know what you think, check out all of my Absentia reviews, and you can watch Absentia online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
