S01.E02: Don't Discuss Your Life Before

[Tara Ariano]

Ethan is helped by Beverly as he continues looking for clues to figure out how Secret Service agent Bill Evans' body ended up in an abandoned house; and he gets answers to the mystery of why people in Wayward Pines always have to answer their phones. Elsewhere, Theresa and Ben decide to take their search to Idaho.

[Primetimer]

Ethan attempts to escape Wayward Pines again -- this time, with the help of an unstable Scientologist.

Read the story

[Laurie4H]

Wow very disturbing. I love disturbing so I'm really liking this. And Matt Dillon is a definite plus.

[Valny]

OMG, they killed Juliette Lewis!  You bastards!

Or did they? Maybe it was staged?  Just throwing that out there.  At any rate, I am not happy she's gone, thought she be around much longer.  But there was something off about her...the way she'd talk.

That ice cream cone Pope had looked good.  The kind that doesn't melt.  :)  Want.

Enjoying this so far.  The hour went by really fast, didn't drag....and that's always a good thing for my short attention span brain.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Valny

[AConspiracy]

My guess: Maybe the town runners are making clones of people?

They seemingly had "duplicates" of his wife and son.

If the clones all "start" in 1999 then new copies just think that a year has passed, but they were not active during the last decade.

And one Harold clone kills himself in front of his wife and another is killed in town.

Kate's clone was activated in town 12 years ago while real Kate lived outside.

[wanderingstar]

The last 5 minutes of this episode stressed me out.

[alias1]

Juliette Lewis always talks funny.  I think she went the way of Agent Evans.  It was way too disturbing for me (I don't like disturbing). 

 

All the houses and all the props look fake.  It's like a horror version of the Truman Show.  I thought it was an elaborate government experiment (since Ethan's boss tried to "call it off" and the fake psychiatrist said they "couldn't stop it now").  It's pretty sadistic to be staged.  Maybe the sheriff took the experiment beyond where it what it was supposed to be.

[Laurie4H]

I hope it doesn't turn out to be aliens. That would be a cop out.

[Lorimac]

Can anyone help me? Couch hubby and I recall watching a show several years ago where a seemingly random group of people woke in a town from which they could not escape. There was force field on the exit road, and occasionally one of them would disappear. Does anyone recall this show? (No, not Under the Dome). I thought it ended on a ship but Coach Hub disagrees and says we lost interest and stopped watching before the finale. Anywho, that show, if anyone else remembers it, reminds me of this show except for this show's gratuitous violence.

[Valny]

I know exactly what show you are talking about Lorimac. It was called Persons Unknown.  I really liked that one, too bad it didn't come back for a second season.  It's streaming on Netflix too.

 

I thought it ended on a ship but Coach Hub disagrees and says we lost interest and stopped watching before the finale.

 

  You would win that argument! I actually had to go back and watch the last minutes because I thought it ended with

them escaping in the van but then it crashed.

  I totally forgot about the ship,so good on your memory!

Edited May 22, 2015 by Valny

[thuganomics85]

Hmm... did not see them already killing Beverly.  Since Juliette Lewis is listed in the main credits, I have to think there is more to this. Maybe there is some kind of clone thing going on, and she'll be back, but no longer remember her past life.  I have no idea at this point.

 

Interesting that it almost look like Dr. Jenkins/Toby Jones had Ethan close to be convinced to submitting to the surgery, but seeing Nurse Pam again, snapped him out of that funk.  She might be the person Ethan understandable trusts the least.  Melissa Leo is still highly amusing in this role.

 

Kate still seems to be possibly helping Ethan (pointing him towards the dead agent's wife), but sure sounded like she sold Ethan/Beverly out, but maybe that was because Harold/Reed Diamond seem to on them too, and she had to maintain her cover with him.  Or she's just toying with Ethan.  Again, I'm prepared for anything.

 

Pope and his never melting ice cream, sure are quite the duo.

 

Glad that Ethan's family seems to be already be heading to Idaho, because I'm not all that interested in the stuff outside of Wayward Pines.  Need to get them into the main story sooner rather then later.

[Valny]

Or she's just toying with Ethan.

 

  Toying! :) That was a good pun!  You know you punned there right thuganomics85?

[Free]

I know exactly what show you are talking about Lorimac. It was called Persons Unknown.  I really liked that one, too bad it didn't come back for a second season.  It's streaming on Netflix too.

 

Oh I remember that.  These kinds of stories work better as self contained, I heard they're doing all the books in 1 season, so I wouldn't want them to go off-book in that case (*cough* Under the Dome *cough*).

[peach]

I liked the first episode, but this just seemed stupid.  My kids and I were almost laughing through the second half.  What kind of agent is this? What kind of idiotic "escape plan" was that?  Let's act all nervous at this dinner and THEN make a run for it...to...the arrow on the childish map?  Very chill, who would suspect, it's not like anyone is watching his behavior or anything. 

 

Why didn't Beverly tell him BEFORE that the sheriff murdered Evans?  WTF?  Maybe that would be important?  Why doesn't Burke have a gun in the sheriff's mouth for an interrogation?  Or why not spy on him?  Or figure out where the camera feeds are going?  Or investigate anything in any way?  No, he treks through a giant patch of woods and FINDS A PACK UP IN A RANDOM TREE.  Sure.  Then has a sketchy argument with weepy Beverly in the MIDDLE OF THE STREET.  Then act more sketchy and try to run away when they most suspect you.
 

After watching Beverly's murder, I would think an Archer rampage was called for.  But I guess there will just be more discussions in the middle of the street.

 

Also, that weird son of his telling his mom he's going with her on the search for his cheating dad...and she just giggles.  Just...so dumb.

[ottoDbusdriver]

There were more than a few WTF moments, besides them killing Beverly:

• The coffee shop barista nearly snapping when Ethan mentioned Kate by her real last name, and she didn't know who that was.
• How did those kids on bikes know Ethan's name when he was being read the riot act by the sheriff at the side of the road ?
• Beverly mentions that she has never seen a plane fly overhead in all the time she has been there.
• What was guy in the mountains shooting at when Ethan was retrieving the pack from the tree ?  And why was he using a handheld cannon to do it ?
• The nurse having to stitch her own nose -- is she the only person working in the hospital ?
• Everyone calls Ethan "Mr. Burke", despite the fact he hasn't met most of them before
• The local newspaper hasn't been published in a couple of weeks.
• What's the deal with Pope and eating ice cream while in the police station ?
• It's everybody's job to keep this town safe -- from what ?  Are they on Skull Island and the fence is keeping Kong out ?
• Why is everyone using counterfeit money ?
• Why are all the tombstones unmarked ? Or are they fake too ?
• Where did the ever-so-handy mobile execution truck come from ?
• Who implanted the microchip into Ethan ?

 

I was waiting for the sky to turn to day a la Truman Show when all the villagers were getting their pitchforks and torches to search for Beverly.

 

From the notes in Bill Evans' notebook, it looks like Bill was testing people to see who he could trust -- ranking them 'responsive' or 'not responsive'.  And according to the map, there is a train track to somewhere nearby.

[peach]

I just wanted Rick Grimes to show up and take over.

[slothgirl]

There were more than a few WTF moments, besides them killing Beverly:

etc

You left out... if Evans was killed by Sheriff Cherry-Pop in front of everyone in true Handmaid's Tale fashion, why is his corpse tied to a bed like he was tortured and killed there?

 

And if even the widow is still dealing with the (supposedly recent) loss of her Body Snatched husband, how did the house fall into such ruin so fast? Are we meant to believe that in this little idylic town of Stepford Pines that a long abandoned house never gets tidied up, so that its just waiting for the need to dispose of a corpse... by tying it to an available bed for no apparent reason?

 

What's that about? An obvious visible warning left for all to see (at the outskirts of town where no one is ever seen walking around) Are they afraid it will re-animate so they better tie it down lest it wander over to the Walking Dead set?

Edited May 22, 2015 by slothgirl

[Dowel Jones]

No more free drinks for Ethan.  I wonder how he can even enter the public arena of Wayward Pines, knowing what he knows now. 

[TeeVeeStevie]

They couldn't have waited for a more convenient night to make their escape? Like one when they didn't have dinner plans with the creepy neighbors. Then Beverly wouldn't have been so nervous and made so many mistakes. And Ethan left his microchip in his hotel room. Wouldn't it have made more sense for her to leave hers at home too? What good is it in the neighbors' bathroom? What if the escape had to be aborted and she needed to get the chip back? Didn't seem like a very well-thought-out plan, especially considering execution is the punishment for failure.

[Julie23]

I'm intrigued. I just hope it does not turn out that they are all dead (a la Lost), or that Ethan has been dreaming all along.

[penelope79]

I'm intrigued. I just hope it does not turn out that they are all dead (a la Lost), or that Ethan has been dreaming all along.

 

hum... in Lost they were not all dead. But I agree there's some chance they're all dead in WP (or that Ethan is hallucinating).

Edited May 22, 2015 by penelope79

[torus351]

For a Special Agent, he seems quite naive.

 

After the first episode, i would've stopped questioning the townsfolk and started taking a stealthier approach in looking for answers.

 

I'm still intrigued.

[Free]

I liked the first episode, but this just seemed stupid.  My kids and I were almost laughing through the second half.  What kind of agent is this? What kind of idiotic "escape plan" was that?  Let's act all nervous at this dinner and THEN make a run for it...to...the arrow on the childish map?  Very chill, who would suspect, it's not like anyone is watching his behavior or anything. 

 

Why didn't Beverly tell him BEFORE that the sheriff murdered Evans?  WTF?  Maybe that would be important?  Why doesn't Burke have a gun in the sheriff's mouth for an interrogation?  Or why not spy on him?  Or figure out where the camera feeds are going?  Or investigate anything in any way?  No, he treks through a giant patch of woods and FINDS A PACK UP IN A RANDOM TREE.  Sure.  Then has a sketchy argument with weepy Beverly in the MIDDLE OF THE STREET.  Then act more sketchy and try to run away when they most suspect you.

 

After watching Beverly's murder, I would think an Archer rampage was called for.  But I guess there will just be more discussions in the middle of the street.

 

Also, that weird son of his telling his mom he's going with her on the search for his cheating dad...and she just giggles.  Just...so dumb.

 

Agreed, I really hope it's self contained and not dragged out into next season.

[riverheightsnancy]

I like it and I made through an entire season of Dig, so you know I can see a show through to the bitter end! lol. Curious to see where it goes and like many have said, do not go Lost on us with purgatory. Yeah, I am looking at you Carleton Cuse!   Lost was one of my hands down favorite shows and they just screwed the pooch on that one. Used to love Twin Peaks too.  

[peach]

Well, I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading the book, because I'm impatient.  Don't worry, NO SPOILERS from me!  But in regards to pacing, I will say that there are some films I've felt would have been better if they had serialized them for television, like Divergent, for example.   I think Wayward Pines would have been better as a taut film. 

 

The situation with Ethan and Beverly was dragged out more to fit this format, and it makes less sense that way, IMO.  I'm speaking in terms of character actions, not the overall plot.  The original storyline is a tighter thriller, but they are turning it into more of a slow burn like Twin Peaks for the series.  I'll stick it out, though.

Edited May 22, 2015 by peach

[Chaos Theory]

What you have is a unrealiable narrator and a show with a twinpeaksy feel. I can see why it doesn't appeal to everyone. I kinda dig it. It is over the top but knows it and strives for it. I think i am in until further notice.

Only thing that will annoy me is if the make it a multi-season show. Self contained shows are nice for the summer.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[slothgirl]

Another thing that makes no sense... why would the male bar guy even bother to deny that Beverly works there? She obviously does. OTHER townspeople are shown interacting with her there. Other people interact with her on the street. Pretending she doesn't exist is just a weird mind%*#$.

 

On the one hand they're trying to convince our (unfortunately unlikable) hero that it's just a normal town and then they go out of their way to show that it isn't. They desperately want him to agree he needs medical help and give him every reason not to trust the medical professional he's had the most contact with.

 

What's their motivation for all this contradiction? Breaking him down? Because that worked SO well with the previous SS agent that stumbled across WPs?

[ottoDbusdriver]

Another thing that makes no sense... why would the male bar guy even bother to deny that Beverly works there? She obviously does. OTHER townspeople are shown interacting with her there. Other people interact with her on the street. Pretending she doesn't exist is just a weird mind%*#$.

 

That definitely made no sense either.

[designing1]

For a Special Agent, he seems quite naive.

 

After the first episode, i would've stopped questioning the townsfolk and started taking a stealthier approach in looking for answers.

 

I'm still intrigued.

 

It's kind of OK for me that he questions townsfolk; after all, Beverly is one of them and she's been an ally, and several of the people at the town square sacrifice seemed appropriately appalled and could become allies as well. But why demand answers from those who are clearly shady (to say the least), like the sheriff or the nurse? His being a Special Agent carries no weight there, why hasn't he noticed that yet?

 

It doesn't make sense, and as others have mentioned, neither does the bar guy's denial that Beverly works there. I too remain intrigued, and I too hope this doesn't go the Lost route...or that Patrick Duffy doesn't emerge from a shower at the end.

[iMonrey]

Bevery told Ethan "they're trying to break you" so I imagine the bar owner was in on the plan to make Ethan think he was crazy by denying Beverly worked there. The only people not in on that plan are Beverly and sorta Kate.

 

 

 

For a Special Agent, he seems quite naive.

After the first episode, i would've stopped questioning the townsfolk and started taking a stealthier approach in looking for answers.

 

Yeah, it bothered me that he was still trying to reason with Pope over Evans' body. By that point he should have known Pope wasn't on the up and up, about anything.

 

I don't know - this could still go either way but it's the second episode and I'm starting to get irritated with it already. The whole gimmick of shady characters who obviously know what's going on but won't say and answer in riddles or vagueries tires me out and annoys me. It's coy and manipulative and it's the way writers just like to dick around with the audience.

[alias1]

After thinking this over, things are most likely not what they seem (understatement, lol).  Maybe it's a version of Groundhog Day and they keep living this over and over.  When Ethan said to Beverly, "so you believe me, then", she said "I've always believed you," implying that they've had this conversation before.  At this point I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't really dead (but I certainly was shocked last night).  I haven't read the books so everything is pure speculation. 

 

so far, it has elements of Twilight Zone, The Truman Show, Person's Unknown, Twin Peaks, and possibly Groundhog Day.  I don't see any comparison to Lost, a show that was brilliant for 3 seasons and then went off the rails, and ended with a whimper. I don't think everyone is dead in this show.

[Fable]

Well, I was surprised.  Since the first episode up until the end of this one, I felt certain Beverly was playing a con on Ethan by lulling him into a sense of false security while pretending to help him, but was actually feeding information to the folks who are behind whatever is going on. 

 

I really enjoyed the first episode, but I found this one a bit frustrating and disjointed (too many WTF moments as noted by ottoDbusdriver).  I didn't hate it, but definitely thought it was less interesting than the last one.  I'm in until the end though because my obsessive-compulsive personality demands that I figure out what is actually happening.

[dr pepper]

All the houses and all the props look fake. 

 

Well the opening sequence shows a miniature of the town. I think eventually we're goig to see it in full.

Ethan attempts to escape Wayward Pines again -- this time, with the help of an unstable Scientologist.

 

Funny, you should use the word "scientologist". One of there theories about The Prisoner back in the 70s was that the Village was a Scientology offshoot and they were trying to clear the protagonist.

I know exactly what show you are talking about Lorimac. It was called Persons Unknown.  I really liked that one, too bad it didn't come back for a second season.  It's streaming on Netflix too.

 

 

Wow, i can't believe i forgot about that one.

[Free]

 

Only thing that will annoy me is if the make it a multi-season show. Self contained shows are nice for the summer.

 

Yeah, like I said before, I heard they were doing all the books in 1 season, so I want it to be self contained, I don't want them dragging things out and then having to make up ridiculous nonsense to prolong the series like they did with Under the Dome.

[dr pepper]

For a Special Agent, he seems quite naive.

 

After the first episode, i would've stopped questioning the townsfolk and started taking a stealthier approach in looking for answers.

 

Yeah, he's not very genre savvy.

This still reminds me of Nowhere Man.

[AndySmith]

If anyone is interested, this is of the few sites that spoils what will happen. I won't say anything about it, so as not to give any indication at all about. But it does make watching the show interesting, and it does the same for reading the comments here ;)

 

The spoiler is for the book, btw, and God only knows what they'll change for the TV show.

[Anela]

I'm afraid to say anything, now that I've read the first book.I don't want to slip up.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The spoiler is for the book, btw, and God only knows what they'll change for the TV show.

 

If a smoke monster or Mr. Eko shows up, all bets are off.  </snark>

[DrLar]

That was a weird way to slice a throat, wasn't it? from the side instead of the old "regular" across the neck and be more graphic.. but I suspect it is just enough to make them think she's dead... since time is irrelevant here I think those are the wife and kid taken.. we know they are heading that way and will probably be grabbed on the road.

[theatremouse]

And if even the widow is still dealing with the (supposedly recent) loss of her Body Snatched husband, how did the house fall into such ruin so fast? Are we meant to believe that in this little idylic town of Stepford Pines that a long abandoned house never gets tidied up, so that its just waiting for the need to dispose of a corpse... by tying it to an available bed for no apparent reason?

I'm not sure I'm misunderstanding what you meant, but the house where the body was still sitting and the house where the widow lived were two different houses. So the house that was in disrepair was presumably just a body dump site, and could've been in disrepair for who knows how long or who knows what reasons. It wasn't in disrepair because dead dude was dead in there, I don't think. So it doesn't matter how recently he died as relates to the disrepair of the house where Ethan found the body.

I also think if they were in some way trying to "break" Ethan, then staging the body there, and having Pope sort of go along with Burke's rantings as if he were maybe kinda sorta an actual law enorcement person doesn't make sense. Like, if you want him to know the rules, and follow the rules, why did they wait for him to see the signs on the walls about not talking about your former life, and why go along with him and let him keep talking as if he's an agent? It's weird that sometimes they're sort of humoring Burke but not telling him anything and trying to keep him in the dark about absolutely everything, and in other circumstances they're like, duh you're in a restricted society, just STFU and play by the rules on these little plaques. Or maybe that's also part of breaking him is keeping it totally disorienting.

[walnutqueen]

That was a weird way to slice a throat, wasn't it? from the side instead of the old "regular" across the neck and be more graphic.. but I suspect it is just enough to make them think she's dead... since time is irrelevant here I think those are the wife and kid taken.. we know they are heading that way and will probably be grabbed on the road.

 

It may be easier to hit the carotid and jugular at the side of the neck, or so I am guessing.  It hard to tell what is "real", though.

[riverheightsnancy]

Preface this to say: I have not read the books or any spoilers. But I think that everyone is acting a la The Truman Show.  I think they are trying to break Ethan, but I do not know what the purpose is yet. Perhaps they test people to see if they can break out (if they have the intelligence). If not, they end up having to stay there. If they have the intelligence to break out, then the person is cloned because they obviously have superior skills and their genetic material is desired. That's all I've got! 

[Neurochick]

I think this is some type of weird super max prison; or a government experiment.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Neurochick

[bilgistic]

I find myself so distracted by how much Matt Dillon looks like Frankenstein's monster. He's missing only the neck bolts.

[mtlchick]

Since it's a limited series and it's a cast that I mostly like in varying degrees (though I half expect Terrance Howard to stroll around in a fedora now), I'll commit to it.  Pretty weird stuff, if a bit formulaic. 

[DesertCyclist]

One thing I don't understand is if it's impossible to leave, why even bother keeping anyone from trying?

 

Another thing I don't understand...  Why the hell hasn't the sheriff locked Ethan up?  It's like they want him out running around snooping.

[jhlipton]

You left out... if Evans was killed by Sheriff Cherry-Pop in front of everyone in true Handmaid's Tale fashion, why is his corpse tied to a bed like he was tortured and killed there?

 

 

Evans has been killed at least twice: Once in the Town Square(the widow may have meant that his actions got him killed, so I'm sort of counting the "he killed himself in front of me" as the same as the Sheriff-cide) and once in the woods.

 

Sheriff Pope (any relation to Olivia?) let Ethan find the notebook.   He knew Ethan would head straight to the morgue, moreover, must have found the notebook when they stripped the body (it was in his boot, then fell out of his jacket...)

 

They couldn't have waited for a more convenient night to make their escape? Like one when they didn't have dinner plans with the creepy neighbors. Then Beverly wouldn't have been so nervous and made so many mistakes. And Ethan left his microchip in his hotel room. Wouldn't it have made more sense for her to leave hers at home too? What good is it in the neighbors' bathroom? What if the escape had to be aborted and she needed to get the chip back? Didn't seem like a very well-thought-out plan, especially considering execution is the punishment for failure.

 

I know.  They should have dug out Beverly's microchip at the cemetery and they both tape the chip to their thigh.  That way they can ditch it if need be -- say if Ethan wants to spend the nights exploring all the spots on the map.

 

 I really don't get what their plan was.  He had to be wearing his chip or the watchers would ping when he walked past the cameras.  So Beverly is supposed to dig out her microchip ("See you whittle a toothbrush into a shiv, then you dig out the chip.  No one is going to notice the gaping wound in your thigh!") and leave it in the bathroom.  At some point, they bid Kate and Harold a fond farewell, and Ethan ditches his chip..  Yeah, I don't think so.

[Fable]

I really don't get what their plan was.  He had to be wearing his chip or the watchers would ping when he walked past the cameras.  So Beverly is supposed to dig out her microchip ("See you whittle a toothbrush into a shiv, then you dig out the chip.  No one is going to notice the gaping wound in your thigh!") and leave it in the bathroom.  At some point, they bid Kate and Harold a fond farewell, and Ethan ditches his chip..  Yeah, I don't think so.

 

I thought Beverly was supposed to have removed her chip at some point in the past and kept it in her pocket to keep from being discovered, or at least that seemed to be what she indicated to Burke.  I thought I saw Burke tape his microchip to the undersurface of the table at Kate's.  

[queenanne]

I thought the Evans house had fallen into disrepair and no one remembered Beverly because the town has tesseracts or time jumps, but they clearly killed her in real time so now I don't know what to think...

...or DID they???

Isn't Melissa Leo the voice at the "FBI switchboard"? That lady's voice is pretty distinctive.

Is the first question tied into the fact/part where Beverly stopped herself in mid-walk, portentously hanging suspended between the gates of the open cemetery (if you're dead you can't leave)?

Why does Ethan keep returning to the hospital, and why do they let him walk out? I'd expect some more urgency after Nurse Melissa Leo was just chasing him around trying to drug him. Overall I kind of like the feeling of being caught in one of those nightmares where you keep getting sidetracked by fun-sounding mundanities when you're supposed to be running for your life and then remember "Oh yeah! These people want to kill me!", but I also wouldn't mind some definitive answers.

Edited May 23, 2015 by queenanne

[Lillybee]

So is Ethan no. 6?