The penultimate episode of The River picks up where the last one left off, with the group moving into the abandoned outpost. As everyone explores the courtyard, Kurt tries to phone someone called Hana but only reaches her voicemail. Are we finally going to find out what he's been up to? After some debate, the group moves into the main building. Why do I have a feeling this won't end well? Moving through the dark, abandoned corridors they find a room with a radio playing, barricaded windows and books on genetics. Noticing a trail of bloody footsteps, they follow them into a kitchen. Hearing sounds coming from a walk-in-fridge, they open it and a flood of insects come pouring out. Pushing back the plastic, they find that it is stock full of dead and rotting bodies. Deciding that they need to check to see if one of the bodies is Emmet's, Lincoln and Jonas (Scott Michael Foster) head in. Meanwhile, Kurt slinks away, noticed only by A.J., who decides to follow him.
The stench in the fridge is overwhelming and Jonas has to leave, joining the others in waiting for Lincoln to emerge. Lincoln finally emerges, just about managing to tell them that his father isn't in there before he throws up all over the floor. A.J., still following Kurt, sees him call someone again. This time, the other phone starts ringing nearby. A.J. follows Kurt, peeking into the room he goes into. At this point I should say how stupid it is that Kurt doesn't notice A.J. following him, who is after all only about twenty feet behind him and lugging round a massive camera. Inside the room, he finds the phone and a picture of him with a woman - Hanna. Cue flashback to Berlin four months ago: Kurt is filming Hana (Lili Bordan), who lies naked on his bed. Kurt finally spots A.J. and tells him that they aren't alone. Back in the kitchen, Lincoln says the bodies have been torn apart and have teeth marks. Ooh good, zombies! They resolve to leave and start making their way back, running into an operating room complete with a whiteboard that Lincoln tells us has genetic maps of cellular mutation and alteration for pharmaceutical research on it. Then they notice a tribesman floating in a tank of fluid. He has the trademark scars on his back and on his chest is the symbol from Lincoln's necklace and the back of Lena's neck. Kurt and A.J. then reappear, bringing Rabbit (Katie Featherston) with them. Tess isn't pleased to see her but when they hear noises Rabbit tells them, "they're coming".
Chased by (fast) zombies, Kurt takes one down as they run back into the room from earlier and barricade the door. Rabbit tells Tess that Emmet was here, he was in the infirmary before everyone changed. Lena opens up a laptop and plays footage from the operating room. Lincoln explains that they were attempting to isolate the tribesmen's gene and recombine it into a retrovirus to cure cancer. That is, until Hana, the head of security, comes in and tells them that their research cannot leave the building, opening fire on them and the canisters, exposing them all to the virus and turning them into zombies. Flashback to Berlin and Kurt proposes to Hana. Noticing something flashing, Kurt sees a signaling light coming from the infirmary. Flashback to Colorado 2 months ago and Lena is working in a shop in a mall. She collapses and whilst being revived by paramedics, she sits bolt upright and says that Emmet's still alive. Back in the room, the zombies are dissipating and the group heads for the infirmary. They walk past the sleeping zombies (now I've seen everything), with Kurt pausing at zombie Hana as the rest of them continue. A burst of gunfire follows and he catches up with them. Turns out the light was coming from a wind chime caught in the sunlight. Tess finally accepts that Emmet's dead and apologises to Lincoln. Just then, he spots the same kind of bug that possessed him and his father and they follow it outside and up a ladder onto the roof where, in another room, wrapped in a cocoon, they find Emmet.
A helpful clip from The Undiscovered Country tells us that butterflies and dragonflies can cocoon themselves for months or even years if food or water is scarce. Tess cuts Emmet out and he falls out, still breathing and barely alive. They make a break for it, running out of the outpost and through the jungle until they finally reach the Magus. They all get on board and Emmet is put in a bed, unconscious but alive. Lena brings some food to Lincoln and the two have a moment, almost kissing before he tells her that he has a girlfriend back home. You couldn't have mentioned this sooner, jackass? On deck, Tess talks to Rabbit, who thanks them for taking her with them. Tess tells her to remember what they did for her when she sells her story. She won't be selling anything, however, as when Tess goes back inside Rabbit is jumped on by a zombie.
In the video room, A.J. is confronted by a tipsy Kurt, who tells him in German to erase the tapes. A.J. asks him why he's really here and Kurt, in German, whispers that he's here to kill Emmet Cole. Then, he notices the zombie on the deck and he and A.J. head into the bridge, sending Jahel below deck and telling the others to lock themselves in. Kurt sees Hana at the window and asks her if she remembers him, telling her that he can help her. She doesn't understand and Kurt is forced to shoot her. In the kitchen, another zombie launches at Tess but has its brains suddenly blown out by... Emmet! He lowers his gun and asks them how his funeral was.
A surprisingly decent episode! There are several good bits in this episode, but just like in previous episodes they are accompanied by really stupid bits too. The zombies look pretty good but the way they get past them (they fall asleep) is really lame. Kurt's back story is done well, making us sympathise for him before throwing in the curveball when he says that his mission is to kill Emmet. However, the only nudity of the series so far, from Hana when she was in bed as Kurt proposed to her, is blurred. The first half of the episode is pretty good, nicely building tension as they make their way through the outpost. Unfortunately, the second half slips a bit as they discover Emmet in a convenient cocoon and somehow drag him across the courtyard without the zombies catching them.
All in all, probably the best episode of the series so far.
6 out of 10.
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