Sunday, March 23, 2014

Helix, Season 1, Episode 12: The Reaping




It’s the penultimate episode! We’re building towards the final where the goo-zombies eat Alan from the feet upwards!

Hey, I can dream!

Day 12
Beware the Scythe (I can never take such over dramatic names seriously). Who is a stroppy teenager and reporting in to his bosses (stroppily of course). His orders are to recover the virus and its new cure, bring in Hiroshi alive and kill everyone else.

Unfortunately for him, everyone’s alive and in great health – except Hiroshi who was badly injured.

Sarah hides her newly silver eyes and she and Alan discuss the world ending and why they can’t just run and hide. Miksa returns to give them news of the scientists the Scythe killed. Time for Miksa, the newly-cured Peter and Alan to go investigate and Peter to get all judgey about Miksa working for Ilaria (just like you Peter! And get up to date, Miksa’s not Team!Ilaria any more).

Sarah and Julia discuss their future as immortal beings who never get sick – and we learn Hiroshi is over 500 years old. Which leads well to looking at CCTV footage of the Scythe (real name Spencer) and reminding everyone that just because he looks 15 doesn’t mean he isn’t centuries old and very experienced at slicing and dicing.

Cut to the Scythe and his minions (who have a box with something living in it) who find the footage of Hiroshi killing Constance. The Scythe’s mother. He’s not pleased. Don’t worry, Minion #2 has distracting footage of Alan and Hiroshi discussing their plans in-a-totally-not-a-trap-fashion.

Just in case you missed the obvious-trap, Miksa and Julia discuss the fact it’s a trap. Next they will paint big signs “IT’S A TRAP!” everywhere in case it still managed to get past us. Miksa’s a little bitter about the fact he spent his whole life doting on Hiroshi but everything Hiroshi was doing was actually for Julia. He wants to leave, finish off the goo-zombies, escape and then be gone – though Julia is apparently trying to build a sibling relationship which is slightly creepy but appreciated; but he holds that he has a sister – Anana.

Hiroshi and Alan argue, yet again. Hiroshi obliquely referencing his 5 centuries of experience telling Alan he thinks he’s impetuous and incapable of thinking long term. Lotsa bickering before the plan starts with a fire hazard diversion. They go out into the snow and collect a canister from the frozen storage – and are confronted by the Scythe and his minions. After obligatory word bandying, Hiroshi throws the canister over thin ice and one of the minions grabs it – and falls.

Hiroshi and Alan draw guns, but Scythe and Minion #2 have disappeared. Back to the base to go into hiding

While Scythe and Minion #2 discuss the CCTV footage some more and learn that Hiroshi has a daughter – which is apparently shocking and impossible. Scythe then kisses his Minion had has her track down said daughter.

Hiroshi, Alan, Julia and Miksa try to return to the bunker- but the lift stops working. Down in said bunker, Peter and Sarah worry (with Peter revealing that Alan has always been controlling). When the power comes back on, Julia is missing. The gang except for her returns to the bunker and has another argument – Alan wants to charge in roaring while Hiroshi thinks they need to see what The Scythe is planning. The Scythe sends a message – a cylinder with a severed finger in it.

Alan loses his ever loving mind. Even Hiroshi starts to move but Miksa stops him – quoting his own words back to him about acting while angry. The note told Hiroshi to go to Isolation or he will cut more off Julia. Hiroshi wants to go and Alan agrees – so it’s probably going to happen since Alan has signed off on it. At least Miksa has a plan – send knock out gas through the vents. Just someone has to go up in the ducts to do it.

Miksa and Hiroshi have another conversation about Hiroshi blatantly favouring Julia while lying to his son.  Another sad but resigned conversation which segues later to Sarah discussing Hiroshi with Miksa – and getting Miksa denying Hiroshi’s fatherhood. In which Sarah, from her lofty position of knowing nothing about it, decides to defend Hiroshi. And later, Miksa is missing – and so is the virus. He goes before a camera outside a locked room and tells The Scythe he has what they want.

Cut to the Faragut brothers crawling around the vents and they bicker about opening the hatch they have to move. They open it – but Hiroshi goes silent and we don’t see him activate the gas.

He goes to see Scythe and begs for Julia’s life. And Scythe reveals his little game – both Julia and Miksa fitted with explosive collars. Miksa I think your plan went wrong. The Scythe wants Hiroshi to pick one who gets to live. Hiroshi adamantly refuses to play the sick game, he won’t pick, he won’t choose one of his children to die… and then Miksa speaks up, saying Hiroshi doesn’t need to choose, that he loves him – and he takes off his collar. There’s explosive blood splatter.

Hiroshi kicks the Scythe out his chair, Alan hurries in and hits him as well – and Hiroshi deactivates Julia’s collar. Peter holds the Scythe while Hiroshi grieves for Miksa – and Alan hits the Scythe on the head with a crowbar

That may be the first thing that Alan has done all season I approve of. But now all the TV screens shows the box with the living thing the Scythe brought. Minion #2 opens the box to reveal a woman – Julia’s mother.

Out on the ice, Sergio is leading the Inuit village’s evacuation – though Toluk questions why they’re following the Ilaria employee. Anana defends him. So he does goes to see Sergio and warn him off his bog sister because she totally needs her brother to police her love life. Sergio isn’t impressed.

But that’s nothing compared to Anana the next day who is righteously pissed at her brother “looking out for her.”





Wait wait wait… they had knock out gas they could handily ship through all the vents? And they didn’t use this on the infected? They didn’t use this when the people in isolation cut off their air? They didn’t use this when goo-zombies were raging around and they needed to get the virus? They didn’t use this when Constance arrived? They didn’t use this when the Scythe arrived?

Shenanigans! I call shenanigans! And this is even accepting that they have knock out gas piped around the base, just because.

Miksa’s dead! I was wondering if the story between him and Hiroshi would develop since it seemed to be stalled… this ending for him is grossly unsatisfactory, even if his father’s rage and grief show a level of connection; though none of that justifies his kidnapping