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Wayward Pines: Our Town, Our Law

Could that be deliberate crucifixy symbolism?
"The only way to stay alive here is to play along."

Much less frustrating this time. I enjoyed this episode.

Probably because of Terrence Howard, who gave such a fun over-the-top performance as Sheriff Pope, rest in peace. The guy has been lording his power over the entire town and terrorizing its citizens, walking into kitchens and outright stealing their ice cream, and I was completely surprised when Ethan and his son Ben (1) ran over him, and (2) shot him dead. I did not expect that.

What took Pope's body? They didn't give us a good look. Are there monsters outside the Great Wall of Wayward Pines who like dead bodies? Fast moving monsters? Maybe leaving Wayward Pines really will kill you, like the sign said. Pope's last words were that the truth Ethan sought was worse than he could possibly imagine. That sounded ominous.

Why hasn't Ethan been executed by now? Because, according to a discussion between Pam and Pope, Ethan is special, and that's why they brought in his family. Sheriff Pope didn't appear to know why. He said to Ethan, "I don't even know what they see in you." The opening scene with Beverly's body and the little girl with the lily implied that Pope considered himself pretty important, and deludedly thought that everyone in town loved him. Will killing Sheriff Pope anger the Wayward Pines powers that be?

Pam is higher up in the pecking order in Wayward Pines (or as she fondly referred to it, W.P.) than Sheriff Pope was, and she seemed to know what was going on with the Burkes. But she was receiving orders on the phone, not giving them. Who is in charge? The other characters we've seen so far that I think are likely candidates are Kate's husband Howard (Reed Diamond, who can certainly play a supervillain since he just did it in this past season's Agents of SHIELD), the concerned and ubiquitous Dr. Jenkins (Toby Jones), and now the creepy realtor, played by Justin Kirk, the crazy brother-in-law from Weeds. Who am I forgetting?

The whole thing with the house was fascinating and creepy. Beverly was executed in the town square and before her body was even cold, her entire life was virtually erased as if she never existed. No funeral, not even a burial; her body was just strung up in that abandoned house as if it were so much trash. The realtor had her house completely cleaned out and refurnished, down to the food in the fridge and the name 'Burke' painted on the mailbox. Just move in with your family, settle down and shut the hell up, Ethan Burke. Which, of course, he isn't going to do. No matter how many times his former amour Kate tells him to, and despite the fact that he now has Theresa and Ben as hostages to fate. Although maybe he'll be a little more careful now.

The time factor was again fascinating. Theresa and Ben were driving from Boise toward Wayward Pines, and it was snowing. Shift to only nine miles away where Ethan hid in the food truck, and the sky was blue. The strange, pristine storage facility where the food truck was parked included an area with a lot of abandoned cars covered with dust, including the one Theresa was driving, with her own labeled personal effects inside of it. Kate told Ethan that she had lived in Wayward Pines for ten years when Bill suddenly showed up one day, and he hadn't aged.

And this is where I stop writing, because I've read the books. What do you guys think is happening? Post a comment! Unless you've read the book series and want to include book spoilers in your comment, in which case, please post it here on the Wayward Pines book series spoiler thread.

Bits:

— Executing people who break the rules is called 'reckoning'. Kate didn't turn Ethan in.

— The food truck's sign was "Finest International Foods" and it had a Wyoming license plate, which is why Ethan stowed away in the back.

— Theresa managed to distract the woman in the Boise secret service office and check Ethan's work account, proving that at least it exists. Is Theresa a detective in her spare time?

— In an obviously cutesy moment while Theresa and Ben are in their car, a show on the radio talks about how small towns offer a better life than the big city. Ben then says he hoped all this was a dream. I'm assuming what we're watching is not someone's dream.

— I actually sort of liked Ethan this time. I hear it's always a good thing when you like the lead in a series.

Three out of four freshly painted mailboxes,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

3 comments:

  1. I don't really know what to think about WP. I'm just as confused as the characters!


    The good:
    Well, there's a mystery, and I don't like my mysteries unsolved. So I will probably hang in there till the end. This whole time dimension thing seems interesting, and there are obviously some creatures around that we don't know what to make of yet.

    The bad:
    Claustrophobia. If I were in WP, I'm sure I would have had enough after an hour and left...except you can't. And watching this show makes me feel that I'm trapped in there too. Not a good feeling.
    Is the whole town some kind of sect or cult? I hate cults! And if there is some religious twist in the end I will be furious.
    I'm getting a "Lost" vibe, and that didn't end well IMO.

    Is this season supposed to cover the first book? or the whole book series?

    ReplyDelete
  2. TJ, I think they're only doing the first book, but I don't know for sure. I bet they're hoping that it will be a hit and run at least one more season, and if it's not a hit, they'll say they only intended for it to be a miniseries.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am enjoying this series a great deal more than I thought possible based on the premise. There have been way to many creepy small town shows that have disappointed, therefore prior to starting this show, I did something that I would NEVER normally do - I read a synopsis of the first book. You may think that this would spoil the series for me, but it has actually, FOR ME, made the series a lot more enjoyable knowing basically where it is headed. I am enjoying the journey, the clues, and the craziness, without the frustration and confusion that those in the dark are likely experiencing. Without giving anything away, the show is heading somewhere interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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