This episode of Revival just went from zero to absolute chaos in the span of forty five minutes and I have mention this before but Im loving this series until although it had a little twist that Im not so sure about, is it Aliens now?. Episode four titled "Run Along Little Lamb" still got me loop into what at the moment is the most interesting problem of the entire series, even aside from the revivers themself, who the F killed Em? and this episode seem to put some light into it, well at least thats what episode three and four have tried. The opening scene alone had me all tense as someone breaks into Professor Aaron's house while his sick wife sleeps, stealing what appears to be crucial evidence that could blow this whole thing wide open, not an action scene but the fact that she is so weak and fragile, most likely the person who got into their house was not aggressive, beside she didnt get to see anyone just felt the person going by. Romy Weltman as Em continues to evolve from confused revivor to someone actively hunting for answers about her own murder, her transformation feels great as she kinda evolve in every aspect and earned rather than forced. Melanie Scrofano also keeps killing the role as Officer Dana Cypress, showing us a woman who refuses to back down even when the investigation puts her directly in danger, the chemistry between these sisters hold together every scene they share. What really gets me a bit worried is the supernatural aspect of this specific episode with what looks like an Alien or some sort of supreme living thing, this confuse me because at the end the revival event was it generated by humans or aliens?
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13951052/
- Platform: Peacock
The episode keeps going right into the meat of the story with Em finally starting to piece together fragmented memories from the night she died on that bridge. Her relationship with her college professor Aaron becomes very very complicated as we learn more about their affair and how it might connect to her death but it gets worst as the episode keeps going not only we dont know who got into Aaron's house, we dont know what he was working on that keeps burning papers as they were possible proof or something? revival day probably? is his wife really sick? is she a reviver?. Sheriff Wayne continues to deal with the growing prejudice against revivers in his town, his character shows a man trying to maintain order while his own biases cloud his judgment and I wonder where his bias will be the moment he finds out Em is one of them too?. The introduction of mandatory revivor registration feels like a mirror to real world discrimination although from the security stand point considering what happen to Arlene its understandable, there is also that guy in the therapy group who also went rogue for a minute showing his how strong revivors are. Dr Ibrahim played by Andy McQueen brings scientific curiosity to the mix, his relationship both personal and professional with Dana feels like it could be crucial moving forward as they try to understand what exactly happened on revival day, him been the one that always seem to be in the middle of everything, science, discoveries, murder, craziness, Ibrahim is always there.
This episode hits different, everything just clicks together in a way that keeps you invested on the series without feeling like they are trying too hard, every scene cranks up the tension but it never feels forced, just builds naturally as Em starts remembering more about that night she died, piece by piece its all coming together. That whole thing with the ring she puked after coming back, especially when they track it down to some pawn shop and find out somebody ordered it during lockdown and payed way more than what it costs because he knew it could be the downfall to what he did, in this case suppose to kill Em!. Blaine also keeps doing a great job as this weird religious freak lurking around, always popping up at the worst times but sometimes with the right ideas like when he stop Arlene, his whole "revivers are evil but Im doing Gods work" thing is so messed up but it works for the show. CM Punk showing up as one of the Czech brothers was cool, when I first saw him didnt recognize him, they gave him a cool and important role in the short term, you can tell his character is mixed up in some shady shit that goes way beyond this little town, makes you wonder what kind of bigger mess is going on. The way they shoot this episode is pretty solid too, everything feels heavy and dark like something bad is always about to happen, even boring scenes like Dana checking out that garage or Em in therapy feel like someone might get shot any second.
Romy Weltman and Melanie Scrofano really carry this episode on their shoulders as the most part of the series but the thing is that when they are not on scene you dont are not constantly missing them or feel the lack of presence since the rest of the cast is as important, specially on this episode when we get many others from the police force involve, but I cant denied that their sister thing feels so real and you can see how much they care about each other. Em going from this confused girl to someone who is actually fighting for answers feels right, not like they just flipped a switch and made her tough overnight, it builds up naturally as she gets more memories back. Those flashback scenes where Em remembers getting attacked are handled really well, they give you enough to understand what went down without being gross about it or making it feel like torture porn. Dana doing detective work with that rental car and hospital parking thing shows Scrofano knows how to play a cop, she gets that balance between being professional but also personally close to others like when she tells the guy "you nice but so stupid" lol that made me laugh as she tells him to his face and the guy just smiles. Rodie keeps being the emotional support Em needs, their relationship feels natural without rushing into romance bullshit and it feels nice because the cliche is that he would push her into been part of his world but he is not, he always seem like so different and irrelevant to everything is going on with Em's life but at the same time he is very supportive to her. Aaron making those panicked phone calls to somebody we cant see hints at way bigger problems, you can feel how scared he is as everything starts falling apart around him. The episode plays so well with all these different threads really well, nothing gets forgotten or half assed, everything serves the bigger mystery while still feeling important on its own.
The ending in the woods really is everything you want from a mid season episode, when Em, Aaron and Dana all end up there things go to hell real quick and how everything comes together in the very same spot without each one of them knowing exactly whats going to happen, well Aaron did called Dana but she had no clue why and that others would be there, she thought he was going to confes and wanted privacy probably. That first gunshot drops Aaron and for a second you think okay mystery solved but then that second shot changes everything and suddenly both sisters are bleeding in the dirt screaming for help although only one can regenerate. The cliffhanger actually shocked me without feeling like a cheap trick, they earned this moment after building up the emotional connection all season long. What I really dig about Revival is how it manages to be a murder mystery and supernatural horror at the same time without dropping the ball on either side, these writers know how to blend genres without making it feel messy. The whole thing about prejudice and family loyalty and keeping secrets hits without beating you over and over during the season, they trust the audience to get it without spelling everything out. This episode proves Revival has found its sweet spot, everything moves at the right speed, the characters feel real and the mystery keeps getting deeper in ways that make sense. If they keep this quality up we might be looking at one of the best shows of the year, the whole dead people coming back thing combined with solid writing makes it must watch TV. Im giving this episode an 8/10, it hits on every level while setting up what should be a crazy second half of the season, I know Im a bit behind but will caguth up this week.
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