Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Revolution Season One, Episode Four: The Plague Dogs

Charlie is running and being chased when a man catches up with her he tells her to hand it over. He says that he has to take her in and that it wasn't worth it to get a week's rations.  Miles appears and punches the man. Miles introduces himself and says that all of the stories are true and that he is looking for Captain Tom Neville. It is interesting that just his name alone is enough to inspire such great fear and it makes me wonder exactly what Miles is guilty of. The man says that Neville was there and had a boy with him. He says that he saw Neville yesterday and he was headed for Noblesville.  Miles then helps the man to stand up, only to knock him unconscious. Nora, Miles and Charlie head off and Charlie points out that the man was terrified of him and she wants to know more about his background. In frustration  Miles tells her to drop it and that he does not owe her an explanation. Miles then tells Charlie that she can find her brother by herself, if she doesn't let it go.

Maggie points out to Aaron that Miles and Charlie are late and that it has been exactly two weeks.  Aaron assures her that Charlie is tough and difficult. Maggie gets a memory of talking to her kids on the computer and them asking her when she is coming home. She promises that she will be home in two days, as her son begs for a story. Suddenly, all of the lights go out.  Aaron pulls her out of her memory and says that they cannot tell Miles and Charlie about the pendant.  Maggie is shocked and asks Aaron if doesn't trust Charlie.  Aaron assures Maggie that is not the case but that the pendant will cause people to kill for it and die for it and therefore the less people that know it the better.  Suddenly they hear Charlie calling out hello.

Maggie hugs Charlie though Charlie is clearly uncomfortable.  Maggie tells her that she wasn't sure she would see her again.  Charlie introduces Nora and says that she is going up against the militia. Miles tells Aaron to grab their stuff and go.  Charlie tells Maggie that Danny is close and they can maybe catch up by tomorrow.  It's night now and they are continuing to walk and come across a pack of wild dogs eating a deer. When the dogs see them, they show teeth and begin to bark and so Miles orders them to run. The dogs chase them down and as they climb a fence to escape, Aaron gets bitten.

Neville continues to move Danny and Danny calls to him to say that a storm is coming.  Neville asks if he is afraid of a little thunder.  Danny says that they need to find shelter because of the shift in the air.  One of the men points out that if they keep going they will be in Noblesville in a little under an hour.

Rachel is looking through a book with drawings on it when Monroe opens the door and asks her if she having trouble sleeping.  Rachel says she doesn't sleep there and asks him what he wants.  Monroe tells her that she knows and has always known and in return she says that she doesn't want to play this game because he has asked her these questions a 100 times. Monroe then asks what Ben was working on and in a dead pan voice, Rachel replies that Ben was an algebra teacher.  This does not hold water for Monroe who asks, "if Ben was an algebra teacher, why was he working for the department of defense and why he had full SAP clearance. Why on the night of the blackout did he call Miles and tell him that the power was going out five seconds before it did? Ben knew why the lights when out but did he know how to turn them back on?"  Rachel says that she does not know what Monroe is talking about.  Monroe points out that he has been a good host to her and has not put her in a dungeon and that is all out of a sense of respect for her and their friendship. Monroe then calls Sgt. Will Strausser into the room and Rachel puts her hands behind her back, as Strausser opens up a packet containing various tools. Stausser takes off his coat and says, "Mrs. Matheson, my apologies in advance," as Monroe leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Maggie is tending to Aaron's wound and he asks if he might have rabies.  Maggie replies, "probably not." Charlie watches Nora and Miles in conversation and then turns over her shoulder and sees what looks to be an abandoned school bus. It seems that someone is in the bushes watching them.  Nora tells Miles that Charlie did not deserve him exploding on her today and that he should go easier on her.  Miles replies, "I am going to go a whole lot easier, I'm going to leave.  It is better for everyone if I leave." Nora tells Miles that he is the same selfish dick, with the same dick excuses and whenever he gets close to anyone, he takes off. Miles says, "this is not about us and so don't start talking like it is." Nora agrees that it is not about them and that it is about the promise he made to Charlie, but Miles is adamant that he does not need any of this.  Nora tries again and points out that Charlie is his family but he answers, "that doesn't make her my responsibility. I have no idea why I signed on for this in the first place. It's not my fault. It's not my fault what happened to her mom. I don't even know Charlie. Family or not, I'm not doing this anymore, I'm out."  He turns to leave and finds Charlie staring at him and so he and Nora walk by her.

In a flashback, Rachel says goodbye to Charlie and Danny and Charlie asks why she has to leave.  Ben tells Charlie that her mother has to leave to find supplies.  Rachel assures Charlie that she will be back in a couple of months, as Charlie begs her not to go.  Rachel asks her to promise to listen to her and to protect her brother.  Rachel then initiates a group hug and then starts walking down the road, as Charlie screams, "mom please don't go."

Maggie has just finished helping Aaron when they hear the dogs again and so Miles grabs his gear and says let's go. Charlie again looks around but she still doesn't see anyone. When they cut through a fence, they come across an old hydro field, as a man in the background hands a scrap of meat to a dog and then pets the dog on the head.

Neville and his men are hurrying to find shelter as the weather suddenly shifts and Nevile screams orders.  It looks like a tornado is blowing in.  Charlie is told not to move and he grabs a nail.

Aaron is walking and talking about how much he loves dogs.  From the bushes, Nate is watching them and getting a sense that something is not right, Miles breaks away from the group saying that he will be right back.  Miles sneaks around and attacks Nate. They fight until Charlie comes around the corner and breaks it up.  Miles says that he is militia and calls him Nate and Charlie replies, "his name is not Nate." When asks how she knows, Charlie admits that she saw him near Pontiac. Nate says that Charlie cuffed him to a pole and it took him two days get free.  Charlie joins in saying that she thought she handled it, but they have bigger problems to deal with. Miles points out hat Nate is a spy and no one knows what he told Neville or Monroe.  Charlie agrees and says that Nate is part of Neville's unit and they should find out what he has said and how much he knows. Charlie then asks Miles why he cares and points out that he is leaving. Nora says that Miles has got a point and handcuffs Nate, who says, "it's all good with me, I just get to keep a closer eye."

Miles leaves in frustration and we get a flashback from Maggie. She is on a pier asking for a boat to England and the man on the wharf tells her that this is just not possible. Maggie says that she spoke to a man in Montana but then she is cut off and is asked if she walked there from Montana. Maggie says no, she actually walked there from Seattle. Maggie begs and says that she has to get home, but he tells her that there are no more tall ships or steamboats and getting to England is like trying to get to the moon.

In the present, Danny frees himself, sets the horses loose and then climbs out the window, as the storm is getting ever closer. Neville tackles him and punches him as the sky grows dark. When they realise how close the storm is, Neville grabs Danny and throws him in a storm cellar and follows quickly behind him.

Maggie asks Miles if he's leaving and Miles tells her that she doesn't know who he is and what he has done.  Maggie tells him that she does know because Charlie told her and that makes him a murderer.
Miles then says that this is why Charlie is better off without him and she asks him what makes him think that he is better off without Charlie. She goes on to say that she spent years trying to get back to her family and that she walked across the country and up and down the east coast looking for one damn ship to take her home. Maggie admits that she gave up, knowing that she would never see her kids again and believes that they probably died scared and alone, crying for their mother.  Maggie says that she wondered and found herself Wisconsin and had poured herself a cup of poison, when Ben found her.


This begins a flashback to Maggie meeting Ben for the first time. She asks him to get water somewhere else and says  that she would rather be alone.  Instead of leaving, Ben tells her that he has a campfire nearby for him and his kids and that they have more food than they can eat.  Ben asked her if she was hungry and Maggie believes that Ben saw something desperate in his eyes.  Maggie says that she met Ben's kids and they gave her a reason to live and that they saved her. Maggie recommends that Miles give Charlie half a chance because she might be able to save him as well. I don't know about you but I feel like they're laying it on too thick with the whole Charlie as the great White female saviour.  At best she is the most annoying character on the show.

Once again, the team is surrounded by dogs and Miles says that there is a diner right behind them and that they should all head towards it. They all make it except for Maggie, who is caught and is being strangled and held at knife point by a man. Maggie wrestles with the man over the gun, but in the struggle she gets stabbed in the leg.  Miles finds her and brings her inside the diner.  Maggie says  that the man claimed she killed his dog. Maggie tells them that the man severed an artery and that she is bleeding out.

In the storm shelter, Neville asks how Danny got out of the cuffs and says that he likes him because he reminds him of his son. Neville says that he is not different from Ben and only wants a future for his son.  Danny points out that Ben didn't murder or hurt people. Neville says that Danny does not remember the days after the blackout because there was no food, no water and nothing but panic and dead everywhere you turn.  "If your daddy could go through all of that and hold onto all of his mercy, my hat is off to him, he was a better man than I," Neville says.

Aaron points out that they cannot get out because of all of the dogs.  Miles calls Nora and they sneak out of the building with the plan to find the man with dogs and get him to call them off. Inside, Charlie puts pressure on Maggie's leg and asks how she can help. Maggie instructs her to leave because Danny is less than 24 hours away and she would never forgive herself if they lost him because of her.  Aaron assures Maggie that they are going to find Danny together.  Charlie says that she knows that she hasn't been easy, but Maggie has always been there for her and that the least she can do is give her a taste of her own medicine.

The tornado passes over and Neville believes that they have made it through okay and yells amen, but then the ceiling crashes in on them.  At the diner, Maggie tells them that a tourniquet is not doing anything and she is losing too much blood.  Maggie says that there is a sewing needle in her bag and some scissors.  Aaron is freaked out because he realises that Maggie intends for them to perform surgery on her.  Maggie says that they need to sew up the artery and tells Charlie that they need to sterilise everything and that Miles has some whiskey in his bag.  When Charlie finds the whiskey, the man in control of the dogs, comes through the ceiling and grabs her.

When Miles and Nora return, they report that they were unable to find the man with the dogs and Aaron says that he now has Charlie and that he came through the ceiling.  Nate tells Miles that the man is heavily armed, with multiple knives, and Miles decides to cut Nate loose. Aaron says that she needs help and Nora agrees to stay and help with Maggie.

Neville is on his back and a beam has fallen across his chest. Neville tells Danny that if he walks up those stairs it's just like killing him.  He adds, "if your father was the man you said he was, how do you think he would feel to see his son murder someone in cold blood?" I gotta say that Neville is good. Danny grabs a pipe and wedges the beam off of Neville, who quickly grabs him and handcuffs him. Danny calls him a son of a bitch, and Neville says that he is sorry and that Danny is even more important than he knows.

Danny is tied up and the man tells her not to be afraid because she is in his home.  Charlie begs to be let go and he says that he would kill her if they had the chance. Charlies starts to ask about his family and learns that the mans daughter is dead. He is upset that she is dead and he says that people came and though he fought them off, there were too many. It seems that his daughter died of tetanus and they could not treat it, because the looters took all of the meds. The man then tells Charlie that she reminds him of his daughter. He then suggests that Charlie stay with him and strokes her cheek but Charlie recoils.  When Charlie hears Miles call out her name, Charlie yells for help, but the man puts duck tape on her mouth.

The kidnapper and Nate wrestle and he quickly takes Nate out.  Miles joins the fight and manages to jam an arrow into the kidnappers side.  Miles hears Charlie and starts moving in her direction but what he does not realise is that the door is jerry rigged to go off the minute it is opened. Maggie moves from side to side desperate to get her chair to topple over and thus move her out of the line of fire.  When Miles opens the door, Charlie manages to just move out of the way of the arrow.

Inside the diner, Aaron is sewing Maggie up when there is a loud whistle. Charlie, Nate and Miles walk in. When Aaron asks about the dogs, Miles holds up the whistle and says that he gave them a time out. Charlie bends down to see how Maggie is and Maggie tells Charlie, "you saved me." Charlie realises that Maggie is giving up. Aaron assures her that he did just what he said but Maggie says that she has lost too much blood and then asks for her phone.  They hand Maggie her phone and the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Charlie holds the phone up and we get a flashback of her sitting on a couch reading her children the story.  As Charlie begs her not to leave, Maggie lowers her head and is once again lost in the memory of her children and dies. Charlie says, "please don't go everyone leaves me," as Miles comforts her saying that he is not going anywhere.

Back at the camp, Monroe enters Rachel's room and asks what kind of mother she is. He tells Rachel that she abandoned her children and left them alone with Ben and asks if it even hurt, or if she is too cold of a bitch to feel anything.  Monroe says that Danny is going to be there soon and they will see how tough she is when they start ripping out his molars.  A look of fear crosses Rachel's face. Monroe touches her hair and says, "maybe you don't even care about your kids." We get a flashback to Rachel leaving her family and the tears streaming down her face with each step.  Rachel stands in front of Miles and says, "I came like you asked. Miles promise me that I will see my kids again." She holds out her hands and Miles handcuffs her.