Penny Dreadful, Season 2, Episode 7: Little Scorpion

In the basement of the mansion, Ethan is back to humanity and Sembene says some weird things about consuming animals and becoming a strange melange which is not how digestion works. He’s talking about wereanimals his people know about. He has a lot of questions but few answers – but decides it is a blessing because he knows Ethan. (What because he’s good? That would make it a curse, sureuy?)

Ethan wants to know what Sembene saw, because he never remembers his wolfy moments.

The other drama is addressing that Vanessa fainted at the party and Malcolm has the audacity to suggest female hysteria (Vanessa doesn’t even give him the “I shall flay the skin from your bones with my eyes” look, he’s not worth it) and Vanessa snaps back at the insult of such nonsense. It’s very clear that Malcolm isn’t thinking clearly as he thinks Vanessa was “overstimulated” and doesn’t think Vanessa can sense things – something even Victor has come to believe in.

Vanessa decides it’s time to leave London to be safe – taking Ethan with her. Lyle quickly agrees, adding that she shouldn’t even tell them where they’re going. Malcolm disapproves but Victor can see the wisdom when their enemy is something that can’t see or sense or stop.

She does trust Victor with where she’s going (and no, she’s not running, she’s finding a better weapon) and adds that he needs to watch and look after sir Malcolm. Also she wants to reassure Victor that Lily will totally come back to him.

Vanessa and Ethan go to the Cut Wife’s home – with lots of poignant emotion from Vanessa. She speaks of the Cut Wife, remembering her fondly before seeing the terrible book she left to Vanessa.

When foraging, Vanessa also speaks of his relationship with Sir Malcolm, how they bonded over their mutual rage and pain – and how Malcolm has now lost that and their relationship is damaged because of it. She both misses that closeness and recognises the selfishness of it

That night they both share childhood stories and it’s such fun to see them like that (and fear of Victorian dolls is quite healthy because they are beyond creepy) as they turn serious and reflect on how they’ve been made into what they are now - and the monster/demon inside them. Before Ethan goes out under the moon, telling Vanessa to bolt the door behind her.

Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 10: Mother's Mercy

The North

Killing princesses causes a thaw! Is that it – clear pathways? You’d think a princess would be worth a few fireballs or a phoenix or something? Stannis is pouty and grim – well grimmer than usual. For added problem, half of his men have deserted – freezing your balls off all winter then watching your fanatic king burn his own daughter to death is apparently damaging for morale. And Selyse, his wife, has committed suicide.

Stannis is not having the best day.

The remnants of his army march on, on foot. At Winterfell they are spotted by Pod who hurries to tell Brienne (remember Brienne hates Stannis). Brienne seems more focused on him now – which means she doesn’t see the distress signal that Sansa finally raises.

Stannis prepares for siege – and the Boltons ride out against him. And they seem to vastly out number him – you really should have bargained more out of your sacrificed princess. Stannis’s forces appear to be destroyed and a wounded Stannis cannot stand as he lays against a tree – and Brienne finds him. Stannis admits to murdering his brother with blood magic and Brienne sentences him to death – he tells her to do his duty and she appears to kill him

Just as Ramsay finishes off the straggling remnants of Stannis’s forces.

Back in the castle Sansa tries to leave and I stopped by Theon and Myranda – Myranda says nasty things about Ramsay torturing Sansa and points a bow at her so Theon throws her off the wall. No I’m not even going to try to drag this out, ever since the Sansa rape scene we knew Theon was on the path to redemption, I’m not going to even pretend this is a surprise. They run and jump off the wall.

Dorne

Time for a farewell and the Sandsnakes continually to be horrendously underused as Jaime takes Mycella home with Trystane. And Jaime decides to awkwardly tell his big secret to his daughter/niece but she totally knows he’s her daddy/uncle and is super happy about it. Then she bleeds to death from her nostrils

Did I mention that Ellaria kissed Mycella goodbye? And is now on the dockside taking the antidote.

The Accidental Human (Accidentals #3) by Dakota Cassidy

Wanda has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and has been given six months to live.  Unlike her supernatural friends Marty and Nina, Wanda has not had the luck of meeting a supernatural lover and so decides that it's time to get her affairs in order, so as not to burden her friends and family when she is gone.  Enter the very human Heath Jefferson.  Heath is down on his luck and very much in need of a job and so decides to answer Wanda's ad for a make up sales person.  First, Heath must convince Wanda that even though he is a man, he can sell makeup to women and then when he discovers his attraction to her, Heath has to find a way to make Wanda admit her attraction to him as well.  The clock is ticking though, and with only a few months left to live, Wanda has to consider whether its fair to lead Heath on, though he just might be the love of her life.

The Accidental Human is a bit of a relief after reading Accidentally Dead, which had Nina as the protagonist.  Wanda is thoughtful, conservative, and an obsessive list maker.  Learning of her impending death causes Wanda to step outside of her comfort zone.  Unfortunately, Wanda is another gently used protagonist, so part of her dealing with her impending death, is to attempt to have a friends with benefits relationship with Heath.  Wanda also begins to swear freely for the first time and even calls her childhood bully to tell him off.  For the most part, Wanda is enjoyable.

I still found myself cringing with every scene Nina appeared in.  Nina continues to be hostile and angry for the sake of giving the appearance of toughness and ends up being a distraction each time she appears. I like that Wanda is the glue which holds the friendship between her, Marty and Nina together.  At the end of the day, despite their differences, these women really care about each other and make their relationship a priority despite the hectic nature of their lives.  I really like that Nina encourages Wendy to have sex and take of her "womanly needs", without any kind of shame. 

The love interest in The Accidental Human is Heath, a former vampire. Heath wakes up one day to find that he is human after two hundred years and all of his earthly possessions have disappeared because they were all the result of magic.  With his manservant at his side, Heath is determined to embrace his sudden humanity, though it means sleeping in a homeless shelter while searching for a way for a job.  Having been turned down from various fast food placed and Walmart, the prospects look grim.  If this is Cassidy's version of attempting to introduce class into the Accidentals series, it fails miserably.  Heath mentions that it is difficult to stay clean and yet, beyond this statement of fact, he is always impeccably groomed. Because of his sudden poverty, Heath is forced to eat things like Ramen Noodles and Spam, yet is overjoyed by this diet because he finally has the opportunity to eat food after two hundred years.  He only vaguely mentions gaining weight because of his diet and never discusses how a diet lacking in things like fiber, fruit and vegetable and high in sugar and starch, can leave one unhealthy and without energy.

When Heath calls about a job selling Bobbie-Sue  makeup products, and Wanda expresses doubt about his ability to sell, he invokes gender discrimination.  This is meant to be used for a laugh because it perplexes Wanda because she cannot understand why a man would want to step outside of society's rigid gender roles and sell makeup, despite the fact that Heath goes to great lengths to make it clear that he needs a job.  This bit of role reversal with Wanda being Heath's boss and Heath invoking gender discrimination for laughs really didn't work for me at all.

Defiance, Season 3, Episode 1 & 2: The World We Seize. The Last Unicorns.

After a dramatic recap of the last episode we move on to this season… I’m leery about this, Defiance has done it before and it tends to ram a lot into the downtime

7 months later

A giant ship approaches Earth, on board are a father and daughter on an ominous mission – they are transferred to Earth and look for Gulanite. They reach the McCawley mines using their super technology to drill through the caved in tunnels. They find the Votan Arc underground and seem surprised to find it there. Among the lifepods they find Irisa and Noland and the woman frees them (they’re connected by some strange brain tube she cuts because it’s all kinds of nasty). She smells them – then grows some massive fangs (ok, these guys are definitely not Votans – Space vampires!) but her dad stops her chowing down on Nolan’s face. Nolan wakes up – they ask if he speaks Irathient (they’re Irathient?) and they fight – Nolan ends up unconscious.

They – or someone – dumps Irisa and Nolan in the snow. It looks very very very very cold. They head towards the Gateway Arch. They try to recap what happened to them and both confirm that they don’t know what species the aliens were who rescued them. Irisa is afraid to go back as a mass-murderer who destroyed New York and killed Tommy – though Nolan angrily rejects that since she defeated the Arc brain that was really doing the killing – she saved them all.

In Defiance, Amanda is mayor again – and the power has just been cut, including their stasis net. The Gulanite reserves are gone and power and supplies are at a terrible low. It’s all grim and ominous. Amanda is called to the Need Want which she’s also running and where Yewl is gambling and winning and up to something because she is Yewl and the second most awesome person on this show. Amanda’s been called to intervene before Yewl breaks the bank.

More pressing concerns – a gang comes in with guns to rob the place. Amanda and Berlin (the new lawkeeper) take them out. It also gives Amanda time to exposition all that has gone wrong for Defiance’s collapsing economy lately.

Amanda returns Yewl’s winnings and learns that she intends to leave. Amanda protests that this town needs Yewl. Yewl’s response “what this town needs is a sensitively worded obituary” (see, this is why I love Yewl). Without a gulanite mine, the town will die especially without the Stasis Net for protection. She appeals to Yewl that as all the skilled people leave only those with no marketable skills are let behind and desperate. Yewl is duly snarky about their human attempts to appeal to her conscience but it seems to work.

Oklahoma City (500 miles from Defiance)

Datak and Stahma (the most awesome) and Rafe are following Pilar who has kidnapped Alakk, Christie and their grandchild. Stahma makes it clear that if Pilar has harmed any of them she will die and excruciating death. Of course she will also die an excruciating death if she hasn’t harmed them as well. Because Stahma. And yes I am cheering excruciating deaths – because Stahma. They’re also in Votanis Collective territory

Inside, Alak, Christie and Quentin are chained by their feet while Pilar pretends to be friendly. She insists that her whole kidnapping is completely reasonable.

They go back to the roller only to find a Votanis squad has taken it. They quickly rough Rafe up and pretend to take him captive (Rafe actually instigates the plan). They meet General Rahm Tak, known as “the beast”, a Castithan. He scorns Datak as a crime lord but as a lower lira (Castithan caste system) who only married above himself – he respects Stahma. They claim that Rafe is a bounty they’re claiming – but Rahm says they’re going to Defiance. So they can travel with him. Ooops. There he intends to slaughter all the humans and burn the place down. Also oops.

Dark Matter, Season One, Episode One: Pilot

The alarm is sounding on a space ship.  A pod opens and a man wakes.  He starts running through the ship.  The next person to wake in a pod is an Asian woman. The man rushes to the control panel to try to deal with the ship and he is attacked by the woman.  A fight breaks out between the two and she easily kicks his ass, then fixes what's wrong with the ship.  Life support to the ship returns, the alarm stops and all the lights turn on. The woman explains to the man she attacked that she attacked him because he was in the way. A third man enters the area carrying two guns, demanding to know who the man and woman are.  In unison they say they don't know and ask the man holding the guns who he is and he admits that he has no idea either.

When next we see the crew, there are six of them and none of them remember who they are, with no idea how they got where they are.  The first woman says that the systems were down and she was able to repair the ship but has no idea how she knew that information.  The crew decides that since they don't know their names, they are going to name themselves in the order that they woke up in.  Two finds communication buttons.  It's One who finds the weapons and Three is excited to get a gun.  Two takes it upon herself to hand out assignments and after arming themselves, they decide to check the ship out further.

Two and Five decide to head to the bridge to check out the ship. Something is still wrong with the ship and so Two decides to give it a go.

Three is paired with Six and Three immediately starts to suggest that they should pick a leader.  Six questions if Three has anyone in mind.  Three thinks that someone should make the final decisions and suggests that if he were to become leader, he would make Six second in command.  The two men discover another craft attached to the ship and Six wonders if he knows how to fly it.  Bored with the ship, Three tells Six to knock himself out.

One is with Four and is expressing confusion about Two being able to turn the life support back on.  One explains that he did the something but got nowhere and wants to figure out what is going on.  One wonders how long they were in the pods and says that it's not like their minds have been wiped clean, otherwise he wouldn't know what a pod is or be able to express himself at all.  Four instructs One to follow him and they end up in a training room.  Four picks up a set of matching swords and starts a series of movement which prove that he is more than proficient with the weapons.

Three has made his way to a cargo bay and he finds an android locked in another pod.  Three calls out for Six to join him.  On the bridge, Two and Five get a warning that ships defensive protocols have been launched. In the bay, Six and Three fight with the android. Six uses his commuicator to tell the bridge that they are under attack and need help.  One and Four race to the scene, as Six continues to get his but kicked.  Four arrives and manages to hold is own briefly and is only saved by One cutting off the android's hand, before being knocked to the ground.  Two and Five have managed to override the security protocol and the Android stops in her tracks. 

In medical bay, Three hands out food to the others.  Two explains that what they are dealing with is an android and that the nanites have almost fixed her broken parts.  Two has re-established the Android in its basic form, causing it to cease being a threat to them.  Two argues that the Android could be useful because it is linked directly with the ship and therefore she will be able to ensure a better repair of the ship.  One is resistant to the idea of waking the android up, so Two argues that the android might have some answers for them.  One grabs a weapon and so do the rest of the crew except for Five and Two starts up the Android.  One asks the Android her name and why she attacked them.  It seems that not only does the Android not have a name, it has no memory of attacking them. Two explains that the reboot must have wiped it's memory.  Two orders the android to establish a link with the ships computer and access any and all data related to the passengers on the ship.  The android responds that there's no such data.  One asks for information on the crew and the android again responds, "no such data exists." Two is shocked and suggests that someone must have deliberately deleted that information.

One, Three and Four are together searching the ship again. Three points out that they don't know for a fact that everyone has lost their memory and anyone could be lying about that. It's not long before Three is accusing One because One was the first person to be awake and could have done something while the others were sleeping.  One calls the allegations ridiculous and Four moves on rather than speak in One's defense.  Three comes across sleeping quarters and jumps on the bed. 

Two walks with the android and asks her to run a full diagnostic and restore all systems. The android closes her eyes to work remotely but Two requests to be personally shown.  The android sits at a terminal and get to work.  She finds a subspace transmission that's a distress signal.

Five and Six are in what looks like medical.  Six is looking for something to cure a headache and Five lists off all the causes of a headace and does a spiel on human biology as she works to assemble something.  When she adds how far blood will spray after the carotid is severed it drives up the creepy factor times ten. After a little more fumbling, Five manages to fix the machine she was working on.

Four has returned to the lockers where the communication badges were found.  He goes through the lockers one by one feeling for false walls.  Hidden in the back of a wall he finds a wooden box. 

The Messengers, Season One, Episode Nine: Death Becomes Her

Nadia is watching a zombie movie at night when Peter arrives back with Erin.  Erin explains that Joshua is getting Rose from the airport and that everyone else is getting take out. Peter of course ordered a chicken fried stake for Nadia.  Erin goes to check on Amy when she is told that Amy was in a bad mood tonight.  Nadia and Peter talk about Joshua's vision and then settle down to watch the movie.

Erin tells Amy that she loves her before leaving.  When Erin leaves, Amy sits up suddenly like she is being compelled and makes her way to window, to stare outside.

At The Last Super Bar and Grill, Vera looks at Amy's drawings and questions how she could have known about Michael. The Messengers start to consider how Amy knows about Michael and Joshua interjects to suggest that it's destiny, reminding everyone that Amy is the daughter of a Messenger. Joshua says that maybe Amy can even help Vera find Michael.  Their takeout arrives and the Messengers prepare to leave but before they can do so, Joshua gets a frantic call from Rose saying that she is hiding in a cemetery and because the devil is chasing her. Joshua promises that he will come to Rose's aid.

The Messengers prepare to leave and the lights flash off before the Devil makes his appearance behind the bar, declaring that they need to talk. Joshua demands that the devil leave, saying that he is not welcome here.  Raul instructs the other Messengers to walk away. They all head out through a door and find themselves on the other side of the bar. The devil makes it clear that they are going to have a nice little chat or they will end up dead. A determined Joshua heads for the door saying God would not allow them to be killed.  The devil's eyes go red and he asks Joshua to test him.  Joshua whispers to Kao that they cannot leave Rose out there and Kao promises that they won't.

The devil asks to know exactly what Joshua saw in his last vision.  Vera asks where her son is, suggesting then they might tell him about the next vision.  The devil wants to make a deal and says that he will tell them a story and if they pay attention, he will tell Vera where Michael is, clear Raul's name with the feds and return every dime Kao lost but when the devil turns to Joshua, Joshua is quick to say that he will not make a deal.  The devil says that when he's done, he's sure Joshua will give him everything he wants.

Peter and Nadia are watching the zombie movie, when Peter hears a sound at the front door.  It's Nadia who gets up to check the door and it turns out that Eliza is there. Eliza just walks into the house and introduces herself, adding that she is worried.

Joshua keeps looking at his watch and the devil says that it will have to wait until after the story. Vera points out that the devil is the one who took Michael and Raul adds that the devil is the one who killed Cesar.  To those charges, the devil simply says that he is not the one who is fooling them now and that it's time they open their eyes.  The devil adds that they should know the whole truth about their destiny.

The devil asks them if they know why April 6th, 2008 was a very special day.  It seems that it's the day that Michael was taken from Vera and the devil calls it an important moment for all of them. In a hospital Vera is freaking about losing Michael, Raul is getting an injury on his arm looked at, Rose is talking with a friend about the proposal she received, Erin is being wheeled in to have Amy, Joshua is visiting with a parishioner, Peter is talking to a social worker about moving in with new parents, and Kao is curled over in pain in the waiting room.  The Messengers concurs that they crossed paths seven years ago because destiny was trying to bring them together. The devil argues that destiny would have succeeded had he not tried to have Rose killed, adding that Rose isn't who they think she is.

Eliza asks Erin and Peter where the rest of The Messengers are and is told that they'll be back shortly. Eliza then opens a scrapbook containing pictures and clippings about The Messengers. She points to a picture of Erin in a hospital bed and asks what's going on.  Erin explains that she had to have a surgery.  Eliza says that this isn't possible because when the seven Messengers are together ,they no longer feel consequences for their gifts.  Erin questions why she is still getting sick and Eliza declares that something is wrong.

At the bar, Joshua says that he is going to make a break for it because Rose is in trouble. The Devil puts on some music and continues with his story.  The devil got a drug dealer to shoot Rose and it wasn't a fatal shot because God put a pause in his plan. It seems that the devil was summoned to heaven, warned not to interfere and is cast down to earth seven years later. The Messengers felt the devil's arrival and then they were all awakened with their gifts. The devil reveals that he would have done things differently if he had known about Rose and asks how well The Messengers know Rose.

Back at the house Erin asks how many Messengers there have been and Eliza responds that they - the sixth generation of Messengers, were called just after WW11.  Umm how hold is Eliza supposed to be? Eliza reveals that she was angry and they were tested to see if humanity was worth saving. Eliza says that she no longer has visions and that things haven't been easy. It seems that were times that she wasn't always lucid.  Eliza however assures The Messengers that she is in a good place now and knows that something is wrong.

The Devil asks if The Messengers were aware that Rose got her start in Afghanistan working as a combat nurse. One night she meet a young lieutenant who was mortally wounded.  He begged to be allowed to go home to God and Rose injected him with morphine. Upon hearing this, none of The Messengers judge Rose and they sympathise with her. The devil reveals that the soldier was the first person Rose killed but not the last.

Eliza tells Peter and Erin that her Messengers fought back with everything they had and that many of them will die.  With this news, Nadia leaves the room and Peter stands and follows.

The Devil tells the group that he is honest about his dishonesty but Raul is not buying it.  The devil suggests that out of everyone, Raul should have known better because he is the under cover agent. The devil points out that Raul got into El Heffe's group by getting close to him.  To a confused Vera, Kao explains that the Devil is suggesting that Rose is playing the long con - getting close to them and having the Messengers do her dirty work.

Peter heads to see an upset Nadia.  When Peter tries to approach her, Nadia yells that she doesn't want Peter to die before initiating a kiss. They stare deeply for a moment into each other's eyes before kissing again.  Suddenly, there's a piercing scream. Erin goes to check on Amy, who cries that she had a nightmare.  Erin looks at the drawings on Amy's bed and Amy swears she has never seen them before. One drawing is of a cemetery and the other is a person in a coffin.

Wayward Pines, Season One, Episode Five: The Truth

Ethan has made it to the other side of the wall and finds himself moving  through the forest.  Around Ethan, a manlike creatures moves and Ethan takes out his gun and starts shooting.  The creature brushes against him and when Ethan checks his arms, he finds three deep scratches as though made from a claw. Ethan keeps firing until it sounds like he has hit something.

Amy walks Ben back home and asks if he would like to walk to school with her and a group of friends.  They stop in front of the house and it's the awkward to kiss or not to kiss moment.  Ben moves to enter his house and Amy stops him and kisses him chastely.

In the kitchen, Ben find Theresa doing the dishes.  Theresa explains that Ethan is working late so that the case can end and the family can get back to Seattle.

In the woods, an injured Ethan tends to his wounds.  He lays down at the base of a tree to get some rest but doesn't sleep easily because of the sound of the wildlife. The next morning Ethan wakes with the rifle in his hand.

At home, Theresa gets out of bed to find that Ethan didn't make it home. Theresa heads downstairs to find Ben dressed and ready to go, eating his breakfast.  When Ben reveals that he is rushing so that he can walk to school with a bunch of kids, Theresa is not pleased.  Theresa reminds him of the plan for her to walk him to school. Ben is not impressed and reminds Theresa that it's a five minute walk, adding he wants to be with his friends.  Theresa very calmly acknowledges the importance of being with ones friends, reminds him of the danger they face in this town and points out that they don't know yet who they can trust.  Ben being the awful angst ridden teenager that he is whines about his parents wanting him to fit in and then being upset about it when he does. Ben even accuses Theresa of just sitting around the house hopping that things will magically get better.

Using a map, Ethan checks out his location.

At the school, several of the kids take the time to say hi to Ben.  Ben is shocked that everyone is being nice to him and questions if there is an ulterior motive.  Ben says that in his old school, it was like he was invisible but here, after only a few days, everyone is nice to him and talks to him. Ben wants to know why things are different and so Amy explains that everyone is in this together and therefore their school isn't like any other school.  Over the loudspeaker, Ben is ordered to report to room one for orientation and has to cut short his conversation with Amy.

Theresa arrives at the Realtor office and meets Bill, the head realtor.They shake hands and Bill snarks about Theresa being a good friend and adds that Peter was a good friend - though he didn't agree with the graffiti.  When Bill tells Theresa that the secretary wanted Peter's job and was upset when Theresa received it, Theresa attempts to step out of the way; however, Bill informs Theresa that they have already made the decision.  Theresa asks about "they", and Bill immediately changes the subject to Theresa's first client.  Theresa looks through the file and learns that Wayne worked construction but he lost his phone in the accident.  Apparently, Wayne was hit by a police car and now that he is doing better and has lost everything, he doesn't have a place to stay.  Bill promises that Theresa will earn a gold star if she gives Wayne a house.  Before Bill leaves, he asks Theresa to thank Ethan for killing Peter.

Ben walks into a non-descript room with Ben and Carrie. The kids are in numerical order 109-111.  What do the numbers signify? More mystery from Wayward Pines. They are joined by Maggie, the principal and spouse of the mayor.  Maggie sets up a projector and welcomes the kids to orientation.

Ethan continues to make his way through the woods.  He stops to check his map once again.  He finds a marker for a church and looks around for the building.  What Ethan finds are the remains of said church.  Only one wall is still standing and the church looks over run by vegetation.

Maggie shows the kids an image of students 001 002 and 003, the first to complete orientation.  Maggie makes it clear that the kids were invited because they showed aptitude in the individual sessions. The kids are informed that they will become part of the first generation of Wayward Pines and that it's a great honour and privilege. 

Theresa is back at the hospital.  She makes her way to Wayne's room and finds him sitting on a bed staring at a wall.  Theresa introduces herself and explains that she heard he needs help in finding a place to live. Theresa starts to go into her spiel but Wayne asks her to stop because he wants to be alone.  Theresa offers to get a nurse but Wayne is adamant that he doesn't want Pam. Theresa tells Wayne that he can talk to her and that she also was in an accident.  Wayne explains that after the accident he saw something awful and something was done to him. Wayne is certain that Pam was there. Theresa checks to make sure that Wayne hasn't told anyone else before warning him that Wayward Pines is not safe and that he needs to be on his guard. What Theresa doesn't know is that Pam is standing by the door listening.  Before Wayne can tell Theresa in full what he saw, Pam interrupts.  Pam congratulates Theresa on getting Peter's job and then snarks that Peter was always too much of a free thinker to make it.  When Pam leaves, Theresa goes into Realtor mode, showing Wayne a picture of a house that he should like and that is very private.  Clearly, Theresa is using Kate's playbook by sending a message in a common sentences.

Back at the school, Maggie is showing the kids a photo taken 14 yards outside of the perimeter of Wayward Pines. Ben notices something in the top right hand corner.  The next image is blurry and looks like a grey humanoid monster.  Maggie reveals that two people died taking the picture. The creatures are called Aberrations and are the result of a genetic mutation.

Ethan is now running frantically through the woods.  Ethan comes across the carcass of a deer.  Ethan drags it behind him, as in the distance, an Aberration can be seen keeping pace with him.  Two Aberrations are following behind Ethan. Ethan has climbed under a log and left the carcass in front of the log.  The aberration sniffs the ear, it's muzzle and sharp fangs covered in blood. Three Aberrations then feast on the carcass.

The Aberrations are the apex predator now. A single Aberration can kill and eat an armed soldier in just a few minutes.  It is possible though unlikely to kill one Aberration; however, they always travel in herds. The kids are advised that if they ever come across a herd, it will be certain death.  Maggie pulls up a sketch of an aberration revealing bird like claws capable of killing in a single stroke. Their ears have an extended range of hearing and their sense of smell is 100x stronger than ours.  Maggie informs the kids that the Aberrations DNA is only 1/2 % different than the mammal they originated from.  That's right - Aberrations used to be human. 

The Messengers, Season One, Episode Eight: A House Divided

The Messengers wake up groggy and hung over after their night celebration.  Josh is in the kitchen and is joined by the other Messengers.  Vera reads off a letter from Rose, saying that it's all over and she's off in search of her ex fiance in Seattle.  The Messengers start to talk about what they want to do now that there's no threat hanging over them anymore.  They all talk about the possibility of a fresh start and a life without the devil troubling them.  Suddenly a red wave hits them and it's clear that another seal has been broken.

The Messengers watch the news and learn that Leland Schiller engineered a massacre at the hospital. Joshua is the first to say that this is all hopeless and that the apocalypse is a done deal.  Vera argues that people have to fight and asks what Rose would say if she were there.  Joshua is the first to leave the house, as Vera pleads for the Messengers to have a little faith. That's an odd statement coming from the atheist isn't it?

Raul and Erin both agree that there's still time for them to find a place and bunker down for the worst. They leave together.  Koa Lin moves to leave and Peter asks her for a ride.  With tears in her eyes, Vera says that this cannot be happening.

Joshua is deep into pills and booze when he gets a vision of two boys on a small tractor.  There's a knock on the door and it's Vera with the news that everyone is splitting up.  Joshua is adamant that he is done, so Vera tells him that Rose is coming back.  Vera argues that Joshua is their only hope and asks if he has had another vision.  Joshua lies and reiterates that prophecy is prophecy and there's no changing that. Joshua starts to swallow some pills and Vera knocks them away and asks Joshua if he is going back to the church to lie.  Joshua fights back reminding Vera that she hasn't told the father of her child that Michael exists.  An angry Vera storms out.

The doorbell rings and this time it's Jeff, who's an attorney at Joshua's father's church.  It seems that Jeff wants Joshua to come back to the church and be its new leader in the wake of the controversy surrounding Joshua's father.  Joshua is resistant and is about to close the door when Jeff promises a pay day in the seven figure range.

Back at the house, Erin and Raul are packing their things.  The plan is to go to Alaska because it's far away and they can reinvent themselves.  Raul adds that the bonus is that when the apocalypse happens, it will take awhile to reach them.  Erin asks about Nadia and is told by Amy that Nadia is outside with some lady.  Raul heads outside and finds Nadia arguing with her mother.  Nadia is not impressed and doubly so when Raul admits that he called Gabriela to take Nadia to Tulsa.  Nadia storms off saying that she can take care of herself.  Gabriela questions if Raul could have handled this any worse. Back inside, a frustrated Nadia looks up the G.E.D.

We get a flashback to Nadia asking her mother if she is going to get the computer she wants for her quinceañera.  Gabriela smiles and tells Nadia that when she was fifteen, she wanted high heels.  Clearly, the relationship between mother and daughter is good.  When Gabriela leaves the room, Nadia decides to search for her computer and comes across a strip of pictures of Gabriela and Raul.  On the back is written a declaration of love.

When Cesar enters, Nadia tries to hide the photos but she is not fast enough and her father asks to see what she is hiding. Later, the party is in full swing with a Mariachi band playing away, Cesar stops the music and accuses Gabriela of sleeping with his brother.  Cesar yells for Gabriela to get out and never come back.

In the present, Jeff sweetens his deal by offering complete control of the church, a company car and of course, use of the church jet.  How big is this church?  Really? He couldn't just fly coach?  Jeff then asserts that he believes that Joshua had a vision and that there are many who believe in him.  Joshua takes another drink, clearly starting to warm up to the idea. 

Kao and Peter are driving together and he holds his birth certificate in his hands. Kao points out that Peter will never be able to go back  after what he learns today and Peter points out that there's no going back to the Messengers because none of them are thinking of each other. Do you catch how Peter isn't including himself in that statement as though he isn't actively driving away with Kao. Peter is adamant that what he wants is a real family. When they pull up at the address Peter has for his mother, it turns out to be a run down former asylum.

Kao and Peter make their way into the asylum because it's the last known residence of Anne Moore, Peter's mother.  They are stopped by the caretaker and Peter explains that he is looking for more information on his mother.  When he says that his mother is Ann Moore, the caretake starts to listen instead of trying to shoo him out the door.

Raul goes to see an upset Nadia and explains that he believed calling Gabriela was the right thing to do. Nadia however believes that Raul called because he wants to finish what he started with Gabriela now that Cesar is dead. Raul however says that if he didn't call Gabriela, Nadia never would.  Nadia however feels that Gabriela ruined her life.  Raul admits to the affair and says that after Nadia came along, Gabriela ended it and stood by Cesar and Nadia.  Raul makes it clear that Gabriela chose Nadia because Nadia is the most important thing in Gabriela's life.

Back at the church, Joshua is informed that he has a full house waiting to hear what he has to say.  Joshua points out that his father ruined his reputation but Jeff is adamant that a lot of people believe in Joshua.  Jeff again reminds Joshua to think about everything he has to gain, as he walks him to the pulpit, professing that the kingdom is Joshua's now.

At the Bar and Grill, Vera sits with Leo and shows him a picture of Michael, calling Michael their son. Vera explains that she planned on telling Leo the night he broke up with her.  When Leo asks where Michael is, a sad Vera reveals that Michael is gone.

The caretaker leads Kao and Peter through the asylum.  He explains that Anne came from a religious background and was extremely sheltered.  When Ann became pregnant at 16, her family put her through hell and she tried to kill herself. The family put Ann in the asylum and then forgot about her after that. Peter's father tried to visit but wasn't allowed in, nor was he informed that Anne was pregnant. The caretaker explains that Ann really began to look forward to having Peter and she would stare out the window at the lilies dreaming while rubbing her stomach. 

Leo is angry that Vera kept the knowledge of Michael from him and Vera apologises.  Vera then goes into the details of Michael's kidnapping.  Leo starts asking questions about things like security cameras and asks to be walked through it again.  Vera assures Leo that she checked all of the theories going through his head and has proof of that.