S02.E09: Aftermath

[ShellSeeker]

 

Arcadians mourn the loss of a beloved member of the community. The stem cells from Rachael’s baby do provide the cure for the virus, but when Rachael suddenly goes missing, Bellamy and Maggie turn to an unexpected source for help. Henry learns the truth about Margaret and his family’s role in the factory fire.

 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Arcadians mourn the loss of a beloved member of the community.

 

I just don't see all the Arcadians mourning that much because someone at the wake has to pipe up and say, "Don't worry, he'll be back, give it a few days."

 

Henry learns the truth about Margaret and his family’s role in the factory fire.

 

Bitchy Grandma didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world was turning.

 

The stem cells from Rachael’s baby do provide the cure for the virus

 

I guess this means that Ray gets better -- which is too bad since he is so useless.

 

I'm just surprised that there is no mention in the episode description about a manhunt for the guy that hit and run Pastor Tom.  He killed a regular human, not a Resurrected, so that should be treated as a murder.  I'd be willing to wager that Deputy Carl used his own pickup truck, since he's such an idiot, and because it's such a small town everyone should know who it belongs to (what with the newly smashed front windshield, but my guess is that he tries to shrug it off as hitting a deer).

[katycat74]

GOD, that was boring.  Did anything happen?  Only reason I watched live is because Walking Dead is on a break...

 

Why is Rachael just sitting at the stoplight?  Where did Bitch Grandma and annoying creepy Jacob go?  Will Tom return?   Will nutty wife wake up after getting smacked with the teapot?  Will I care anymore in January?

 

Probably not.

[Straycat80]

I liked this episode because Rachel finally grew a backbone and got away from psycho Mrs. Pastor Tom. Henry and Frank finally caught on to evil Grandma and Henry told her to leave. I hope they save Bellamy, I like him.

I hope Pastor Tom does come back. And it will be interesting to see if Grandma and Jacob stay gone. Or maybe Grandma will come back after she completes her role on Game of Thrones. Lady Stark, I've missed you on that show.

[Blue Plastic]

I cheered when Rachel finally clocked Religious Nut Wife on the head.  I thought she would never do it.  But now she is just sitting at the railroad tracks in the car like a moron.  WTH?

 

Is Bitchy Grandma going to get revenge against Henry by getting Jacob to "let go" or something?  Bitchy Grandma was handing out an extra helping of bitchiness tonight.

 

Did Fred really get the check back from Addison or whatever the heck the investor guy's name is with the Angry Young Grandpa?  Because that happened fast.  Did I miss a scene?  How would that work anyway?  Didn't Henry take out another mortgage on the family home?  Would "getting money back" from Addison be enough to pay that off?

 

Actually I thought everything kind of happened fast tonight.  Fast for this show, anyway.  Suddenly tonight we get:  BAM - Ma killed Barbara!  BAM - We don't want you here anymore, Ma!  BAM - The gov't doesn't want to work on a cure for Returned Ebola!  BAM -  Maggie handily finds magic amniotic fluid in her purse anyway!  BAM - Bitchy Grandma, it's time for us to go away now!

 

Well, I guess actually this fits the pattern of the season 1 finale.  Plod along and then have everything pile up at the end.  Then they wiped it away and started over, almost.  I hope they don't do that again if they manage to come back in January because I really would like to get a resolution before they cancel the show.

[Spencer Hastings]

Wait, so we are just dropping the factory story? Just like that? "Yeah, this guy's grandpa is pissed at our family. Here's your money back." Rushed is an understatement.

So it's only been 3 weeks since Rachel's first returned body got killed? Maggie said that the stem cells are good for 3 weeks, so I guess we are supposed to believe that all of this has happened over the course of less than a month, give or take a week. It's hard because I feel like Season 1 and Season 2 are two entirely different shows.

Jacob has become creepier than he was when he didn't sleep and disappeared into the night a lot. I wonder what their original intention was for him. And the show in general. I feel like this episode was a bunch of "We screwed up so let's just unravel this and try to clean it up..."

[ottoDbusdriver]

It's official -- Tom's dead.  But not before he has a hallucination of him and Rachel with his baby.  Awwwwwwwwww. At least he can't get anymore boring until he resurrects (which, come on, you know is going to happen -- and soon).

 

Looks like Janine was damned and determined to keep Rachel in that house -- did anyone else notice that the front door had an internal key and no handle to open the door.  That's kind of creepy -- did Rachel's sister intentionally build a house to imprison people or is that an add-on by Janine (since she looks like the handyman type).  But it's no creepier than Janine, having just been told her husband has been killed in a hit and run, seems to be completely unaffected by it when talking to Rachel -- so it looks like her baby stealing plans are unaffected.  But the great thing about Tom's death is it plays into Janine's baby stealing plans -- she was probably going to tell Rachel Tom was dead anyway, so it all works out.

 

Is it just me or does the actress playing Janine look like an older version of Lacey Chabert ?

 

And how did Fred know that Janine was staying at her sister's place -- since she was hiding there from Tom ?  Fred didn't get a hold of her at her home -- did he call her cell and she told him where to go ?  That's not really staying below the radar when you are committing a crime.

 

I don't get Louise's pep talk to Jacob after telling him that Tom is dead.  Tom's in a better place because he's in heaven, except Jacob was dead and he hasn't ever talked about being in a better place while he was dead, so Louise is pulling stuff out of her ass at this point.

 

So Bellamy finally runs out of doses of that mystery drug and Maggie wants to admit him -- doesn't she have the bulk of the supply of the drug that Bellamy gave her ? Or did the writers forget about that as well ?

 

Bitchy Grandma is priceless -- completely upset that Henry made a decision about THE FACTORY without her.  How dare he ?  And with Brian Addison of all people.

 

Janine goes right over the cliff into religious sociopath -- I guess you need to when it's necessary to quote scripture to justify the baby stealing.

 

Deputy Carl is such a buffoon with spilling his coffee after Sheriff Fred announces the revelation that they have a partial plate -- umm, shouldn't they be on the lookout for the owner of a black pickup matching that partial plate.  And shouldn't Sheriff Fred or the other deputies know that that Deputy Carl has a black pickup matching the description ?

 

Bitchy Grandma is a tad entitled -- marches straight into Fred's office to bitch about THE FACTORY purchase by Henry.  And Bitchy Grandma pulls out the big guns on Sheriff Fred to try and get her way, about how he's not a man.  Wow !!!!

 

Rachel goes into full-on hostage-compliant mode in order to make her escape. Janine is such an idiot to turn her back and --- BAM !!!! -- teapot to the head.  I think that's going to leave a permanent mark.  I wonder if Janine dies will she be resurrected.

 

Whoa -- they haven't buried Rachel's other corpse yet ?  It's been a couple of weeks since she was killed (the 2nd time).  What are they waiting for ?

 

Did Fred really get the check back from Addison or whatever the heck the investor guy's name is with the Angry Young Grandpa?  Because that happened fast.

 

Yeah, Fred sure got that money back from Brian Addison in a hurry -- complete with a cheque.  How exactly ?  So, Brian Addison basically confessed to a crime in progress -- grandpa Kirk's evil plan to steal the Langston's money. Isn't that conspiracy to commit fraud ? Shouldn't Brian Addison and Reusrrected grandpa be in jail ?

 

Henry doesn't take the fact that Bitchy Grandma was lying to him about THE FACTORY fire very well.  How can his mother be a big fat liar (even though Fred has no problem acknowledging that that crack by BG about his manhood) ?

 

Sheriff Fred finally figures out that Deputy Carl is the culprit -- took him long enough.

 

Bitchy Grandma was handing out an extra helping of bitchiness tonight.

 

Henry confronts BG about THE FACTORY fire and BG throws it back in his face, saying don't blame me for your shortcomings and weaknesses.  BG is really exemplifying the bitch in her nickname this week.  And Henry tells her to leave the house -- finally he stands up to her bullshit and lies.

 

Deputy Carl tries to blame Pastor Tom's death on the Resurrected -- because the Resurrected are going to be the end of us.  Except he didn't kill a Resurrected, he killed a regular old human being.

 

When Rachel was sitting at that railway crossing, I was just waiting for the train derailment to happen. </snark>
Where the hell has Rachel been all this time in Janine's car ?  It was still daylight when she knocked out Janine and stole it.  If she is still in Arcadia, why haven't the cops spotted her yet ?

 

Poor Bitchy Grandma has been banished to a park bench.  Oh noes !!!!

And the Truly Living idiots show up at Pastor Tom's memorial to protest because he was a sympathizer.  Geez !!!  Let the witch hunt begin for all the sympathizers in town -- that would be everyone who 'claimed' a Resurrected.  THE FACTORY !!! That's the real reason the Truly Living idiots are all riled up.  Because of Henry's decision to close THE FACTORY. WTF ?

 

Just to stir the pot, the recently banished from the Langston household BG basically kidnaps Jacob since he trusts her.  Completely with panicky Louise to close the episode. What was with that fade to black with Louise uttering Jacob's name ?

 

Will Jacob every be found ? Will Maggie get Bellamy the fetal stem cells in time ?  Will BG find a place to stay with Jacob ?  Will Deputy Carl even go to prison for murder ?  Is Janine still unconscious all these hours later and still not woken up -- or is she dead, in which case now Rachel is a murderer (joining Caleb in the club of Resurrected murderers) ?

 

ETA:

Jacob has become creepier than he was when he didn't sleep and disappeared into the night a lot. I wonder what their original intention was for him. And the show in general. I feel like this episode was a bunch of "We screwed up so let's just unravel this and try to clean it up..."

 

I wonder if it's because they know cancellation is imminent, so they rushed as much as they could into the Fall finale.

Edited December 8, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[SunnyBeBe]

Correct Ottodbusdriver, The Returned don't seem to have an account of their time after death, so where have they been for all those years?  If Tom returns will have have gone to heaven when others have not?  Why?  It's so nonsensical.  How does a pastor continue to lead the church when dying isn't about going to heaven anymore. At least according to what they have experienced.  

 

I've missed some parts so I'm still confused as to how the factory killed people and ruined the town. Actually, I don't even think it's worth me trying to figure it out.  I don't even care about the factory, the people who died, how they died, what future there is for the factory.  Why should I even care?

 

I LOVED it when the deputy says to the sheriff that dying doesn't really matter in that town.  People are likely to return, so what's the big deal?  MY thoughts exactly.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Of everyone that knows Bellamy is a very recently Resurrected, yet no one has bothered to ask him where he went for that week before he came back.  How come no one is at least a little curious ?

 

Joey the Truly Living guy bitching about Henry closing the factory was beyond stupid -- that factory closed 30 years ago, get over it already.  It's not like he lost his job -- he probably wasn't even alive at the time, or if he was, he was probably a toddler.  I'm curious how the town of Arcadia survived all this time since THE FACTORY closed -- if that was basically the town's only major employer, it should be a ghost town by now.

 

I'm curious why the recently resurrected, like Bellamy and Bitchy Grandma, aren't sleeping and aren't hungry all the time like Jacob was when he resurrected.  Or are these yet two more plot point the writers have dropped long the way ?  BG cooks a lot, but you rarely see her eating -- even Jacob doesn't complain about being hungry anymore.

[TobinAlbers]

 

It's official -- Tom's dead.  But not before he has a hallucination of him and Rachel with his baby.  Awwwwwwwwww. At least he can't get anymore boring until he resurrects (which, come on, you know is going to happen -- and soon).

 

Since we're all expecting Tom to return, I'm betting that for some reason he'll take longer to return: remember Bellamy's family and a host of other returnees all came back decades after their deaths. And although some seem to pop right back up immediately, whatever was the trigger that brought all these people back may not apply to newly killed non-returnees (if that makes sense).

 

All the people killed thus far on the show have been returned, right? Tom is a fresh kill so to speak (no prior deaths) so he may be sincerely dead OR he's to return in a future batch of returned that's primed for decades later. If this show were to go a few more years ( I know, it's totally cancelled after this season) I could totally see them holding out until the series finale which would have a time jump to Tom returning to Arcadia where Bellamy and Maggie got married and had kids, Jacob's all grown up and a honorary big brother to Tom's son that was raised by Rachel who decided not to kill herself but to have faith and wait for Tom's return. It'd be a kind of symbolic full circle for them since he had to (unknowingly) wait for her to return for all those years.

 

Hopefully TPTB don't have their heads in the sand, they know S2 is gonna be it and they've got a S2/series finale with Tom returning to for Rachel and their kid.

[LucyEth]

They seem to play fast and loose as to when and if people return.  Guess if it does not suit the story of Rachel and crazy wife, he will not be back.  So did bitch grandma and Jacob go back, doubt it.  Loved Henry telling her off, best part of the show for me.  Lucille thinking Jacob would take Tom's death hard was stupid, I have never seen him visit Jacob after the first few episodes.  Even Jacob said he didn't really know him anymore because he was an adult. I agree with you Jacob.

Edited December 8, 2014 by LucyEth

[CocoaGoddess]

I have to admit, I'm so relieved that the factory storyline was wrapped up, I really don't care HOW they did it, just that they did. 

 

Sheriff Fred has to be the most bizarrely written character in the history of forever. I just can't get over how evil and whiny he was in the first season, what with them even hinting of domestic violence against Barbara, to the voice of reason, town hero, law abiding citizen. He reminded that one dude (don't know his name, don't care) about how the military came in and put the entire town under lockdown, and I'm thinking, "HELLO? BECAUSE YOU CALLED THEM IN!" 

Even still, I like him, and I'm glad that he set the wheels in motion to give BG a dose of her own bitter medicine. 

 

Re: Rachel sitting at the train tracks and given her history (that they never explained, never delved into, and I think that they should have, because it probably would have been more interesting than the trials and tribulations of Pastor Tom and his Harem) and the cause of her first death, I'm pretty sure she was contemplating suicide by train smashing. I don't think she will go through with it, but she might "will" herself away, which ... you know, is still a form of suicide. 

 

That crack on Janine's head was the most satisfying sound EVER. 

 

ALSO, I do wonder if the writers are struggling with "Walt" syndrome with Jacob. I don't know why these showrunners keep making the same mistakes, building up huge stories around young kids who are approaching puberty. If one half of a season consists of only three weeks, then this is going to cause some problems for writing Jacob as a creepy 8 year old kid who looks 13. 

 

While I like Pastor Tom, I think for this story to really work, he needs to stay dead, and Rachel needs to explore why she committed suicide, why she came back, and how she needs to move forward and build a life for herself and her child. God, that sounded so boring even writing it out. 

Edited December 8, 2014 by CocoaGoddess

[Spencer Hastings]

ALSO, I do wonder if the writers are struggling with "Walt" syndrome with Jacob. I don't know why these showrunners keep making the same mistakes, building up huge stories around young kids who are approaching puberty. If one half of a season consists of only three weeks, then this is going to cause some problems for writing Jacob as a creepy 8 year old kid who looks 13. 

 

If the show were to continue, I could see them explaining his "aging" along the lines of what they did with Rachel's baby.  Since he is returned, he is aging more rapidly to catch up with the days and years he missed.  But they won't have to worry about that and the problems it would cause. 

[The Mighty Peanut]

I feel kind of guilty to check in each week just to hate on this show I continue to watch for reasons I do not fully comprehend, but...

Maggie finding the cure in 45 seconds remains bothersome

As did the sudden government abandonment of all Returnees after countless years of expert research just after it is cured by Maggie the small town family doctor

Government research facility presumably not having run any tests on the body of their one knocked up returnee

Government operative having the time and wherewithal to extract viable amniotic fluid from an oldish corpse that is a) frozen and b) A CORPSE, retrieve more ampules of the Ebola suppressant, and smuggle them out in a few minutes

Bellamy just now remembering and feeling kinda bad about his solemn promise to Jenny (I'm a bad person but I always hear her name like Jennnaaaay from Forrest Gump, not applicable to any Jenny IRL)

Jacob looking 11 if he's a day

Are Ray and Bellamy the only ones with Flubola? Weren't they running out of beds last week?

Lead Zealot Man revealing weird lifelong grudge about the factory closure

BG being totally fine with kidnapping Jacob with no money, job, home, or prospects we know of

Addison AFAIK not being investigated for conspiracy to commit fraud

Fred's mildly bummed reaction to Barbara's disappearance after being completely emotionally fucked to the point of calling the military in for petty revenge upon her rejection, and as another poster mentioned his selective amnesia about him being the one to call them

Rachel suicidal after being willing to risk everything for her baby literally a day ago and after returning two times, and after mystical psychic dream walking with BG

SO MANY THINGS

ETA: has the factory ever been given a name or is it just The Factory?

Edited December 9, 2014 by The Mighty Peanut

[ottoDbusdriver]

Jacob looking 11 if he's a day

 

Jacob is supposed to be 8, and if you include the week or so while he was being transported out of rural China to Chicago where he was picked up by Agent Bellamy, Jacob has been back on planet Earth a whole 4 or 5 weeks in show time.  And I'm pretty sure that birthday picture with BG in the photo album Jacob was perusing had more than 8 candles on it.

 

Remember how the resurrectees appeared all over the planet ? That has been thrown completely aside by the writers too.

[The Mighty Peanut]

Jacob is supposed to be 8, and if you include the week or so while he was being transported out of rural China to Chicago where he was picked up by Agent Bellamy, Jacob has been back on planet Earth a whole 4 or 5 weeks in show time.  And I'm pretty sure that birthday picture with BG in the photo album Jacob was perusing had more than 8 candles on it.

 

Remember how the resurrectees appeared all over the planet ? That has been thrown completely aside by the writers too.

Yes! What about them, anyway? Are they under honor code quarantine, too? As for Jacob, I could accept his aging as one of those inevitable child actor things if they didn't mention him being 8 all the damn time.

[shapeshifter]

...As for Jacob, I could accept his aging as one of those inevitable child actor things if they didn't mention him being 8 all the damn time.

According to IMDb, the young actor just turned 11 in November, so he would have been 10 when they shot this season. He has a round "baby face," so that helps, but, yeah, they would need to have a time jump if there was another season--which I seriously doubt will happen. I expect this show will end like The 4400--just quietly go off the air rather than have some sort of plot resolution.

Anyway I thought it was implied that Jacob and BG have just poofed out of existence. They had the little talk about it being "time." And then poor Lou was yelling "Jacob!" more desperately than "Walt!" on Lost.

Edited December 9, 2014 by shapeshifter

[The Mighty Peanut]

I thought she was just using Jacob's disillusionment, the True Living protesters, and her sons being mean to her as excuses to leave town with Jacob "for his own good". But it's totally possible they left Earth.

Edited December 9, 2014 by The Mighty Peanut

[Blue Plastic]

BG being totally fine with kidnapping Jacob with no money, job, home, or prospects we know of

SO MANY THINGS

After winter break, Bitchy Grandma will have either talked Jacob into "giving up" OR she will magically have a big fancy house for her and Jacob to live in with huge wardrobe for both of them and a blinged-out new car.  Maybe she stole Addison's magically acquired refund check and forged Henry's signature so she could cash it or something.  That's actually easier to explain than all the other dropped and/or Suddenly Resolved plot points.  "So many things" indeed!

 

I need some Pop Tards while I think about all this!

 

Isn't it a little late to think about committing suicide by train after the train has already passed?  Rachel's gonna have to sit there for a while and wait for another to come by.  By that point, Religious Nut Wife will probably happen along and drag her back to confinement.  Ugh!

[CocoaGoddess]

You guys are smart, it never even crossed my mind that BG actually left town with/kidnapped Jacob. That's fine with me, BG and Jacob having off-screen adventures, like Arya and The Hound. 

 

Janine doing her creepy singing/chanting thing to Rachel's stomach with Rachel looking as if she were slowly dying on the inside was stuff night terrors are made of. Looking forward to that being made into a gif some day. 

[chlban]

I thought she was just using Jacob's disillusionment, the True Living protesters, and her sons being mean to her as excuses to leave town with Jacob "for his own good". But it's totally possible they left Earth.

My take was they were leaving Earth, not just going away. Since BG seems to be the one with all the answers I just assumed she could make it happen. Hopefully the show will be back in January and we'll know for sure. At least about that part. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

The most predictable ending to this show would be to have the Army or whoever is in charge on the outside to come back to the town and see everyone and, perhaps,  everything has gone poof.    In other words, this was always the land of the returned...it's just that some knew they were returned and the others didn't.  Poof.

 

It would be even funnier if everyone in Arcadia disappeared except for Ray.  Kind of like that 'Grow a Guy' sketch on last Saturday's SNL.

[possibilities]

I'm still hung up on how Jacob returned to China, so why is everyone else returning to Arcadia? If the entire town disappears, I hope they wake up in China, just for the bookend effect.

[shapeshifter]

I'm still hung up on how Jacob returned to China, so why is everyone else returning to Arcadia? If the entire town disappears, I hope they wake up in China, just for the bookend effect.

It would be more expensive to continue to have scenes in China, and this show did not take off like Lost.

So, I'm guessing Jacob frequently imagined "digging a hole to China" (a frequently mentioned bit of geography to children in the 1950s and 60s, "Watcha doin? Digging a hole to China?") when he was playing outdoors (burying dead birds).

[ottoDbusdriver]

It would be more expensive to continue to have scenes in China, and this show did not take off like Lost.
So, I'm guessing Jacob frequently imagined "digging a hole to China" (a frequently mentioned bit of geography to children in the 1950s and 60s, "Watcha doin? Digging a hole to China?") when he was playing outdoors (burying dead birds).

 

But that doesn't explain how Caleb resurrected in the Seattle area or Rachel resurrected (the first time) in upstate New York, or Bellamy resurrected (the first time) in Chicago.

[jhlipton]

It would be more expensive to continue to have scenes in China, and this show did not take off like Lost.

 

It depends on where they shoot.  California has a lot of varied locations for shooting, so they could have the Resurrected come back pretty much anywhere.  If they're filming in Toronto, that's a different story.

[shapeshifter]

But that doesn't explain how Caleb resurrected in the Seattle area or Rachel resurrected (the first time) in upstate New York, or Bellamy resurrected (the first time) in Chicago.

I forgot about (or slept through) those points, but, yeah, I doubt the show will ever resolve or revisit the geolocation part of the story. In today's global society, this show could have just focused on that rather than bones hidden in Ye Olde Mill.

It depends on where they shoot.  California has a lot of varied locations for shooting...

True. I lived in Northern California on the slopes of eternally snow capped Mt. Shasta that could double for Mt. Fuji with a little CGI. Add a little fake greenery to the deserts that have palm trees and you could imagine Hawaii.

[ByTor]

Addison AFAIK not being investigated for conspiracy to commit fraud

I thought he was told charges wouldn't be brought if he gave up on trying to acquire the factory & just went away.

[bilgistic]

I had missed the second-to-last show before the break, but caught it on my mom's on-demand service over Christmas. I barely paid attention. I watched the last ep on my TiVo (it didn't record the aforementioned ep for some reason), and reading TiVo's description, I thought it was the last show ever. It said there was cure for the virus, and I mistakenly thought the "come back to life" virus, I guess.

If Pastor Tom doesn't come back and have his looney tunes wife locked up, I will riot. Bellamy and Maggie just need to use her amazing all-knowing doctor-forensic researcher-psychologist-scientist skills to synthesize the stem cells using a butane lighter and a hockey puck, and everyone will be saved and peace will reign on earth, but not the kind that Nutbags McPastorwife wants.

If Jacob vanishes by his evil grandmother's hand, I will send (mostly) decommissioned cans of tear gas to ABC. They can't and won't do that to his parents. That kid is weird, but you don't kill Red Foreman's and Frances Fisher's elementary school-age kid twice.

I just want a mostly satisfying end to this after I've so foolishly given it several hours of my life.

Edited December 26, 2014 by bilgistic

[shapeshifter]

...If Jacob vanishes by his evil grandmother's hand, I will send (mostly) decommissioned cans of tear gas to ABC. They can't and won't do that to his parents. That kid is weird, but you don't kill Red Foreman's and Frances Fisher's elementary school-age kid twice....

Yeah, that would be cruel, however, the child actor is aging out of the role and both Frances Fischer and Kurtwood Smith could easily pull Emmy worthy performances out of it, so I think they might go there.