From – Scar Tissue

By: Mariah Thomas

Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is frustrated about Dale’s (Cliff Saunders) decision to go through the tree and is taking it out on Jim (Eion Bailey) attempting to comfort her. “You want me to be the bad guy?” he yells and they argue about Tabitha wanting to do everything on her own. “That’s why you wanted a divorce. To deal with Thomas on your own.” Their marriage problems prior to entering the town boil over in an explosive fight.

Jade (David Alplay) is working around the clock to piece together the bottle tree findings. Boyd (Harold Perrineau) reveals there is another bottle tree and Jade is determined to see it. He discovers there are matching numbers between the two on the messages in bottles. Jade eventually finds the other bottle tree and sees another one of the ghosts he’s been seeing. The ghost tells him, “Nature has a design and that…someone put there,” is he getting close to the truth? Is the darkness sending ghosts to talk him out of finding more? We first are introduced to Jade as a self-absorbed, careless person. However, he seems the most determined now to find a way home.

Victor (Scott McCord) and his father awkwardly bond. Victor is determined to find Jasper the puppet and hopefully find answers for everyone, so he tells his father he has something dangerous to do but he’s free to walk with him. His father, not wanting his son in danger, offers to help. Refusing to leave him to do this alone, they enter the creature’s cave together. Victor places his small army men to attempt to find a way back out of the tunnel. Victor makes it to where Jasper should be, and it’s all gone now. His father tries to tell him they should leave but Victor is certain they will be safe.

Kenny (Ricky He) brings new medical supplies to Mari (Kaelen Ohm) and offers to help her, but she says she can do it alone. It leaves a lingering question for the audience on if she will use again. Boyd checks in on Randall (A.J. Simmons) and still feels immense guilt. Kristi assures him Randall is getting better as she sees the sadness in Boyd’s eyes watching him.

Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori) and Ellis (Corteon Moore) discuss her new craving for rotting vegetables. She has yet to disclose her newfound taste for blood.  He urges her to go tell Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot) but she is fearful of judgment. While at the medical center Kristi revealed to Boyd they acquired an ultrasound machine from the ambulance. Boyd goes to tell Ellis and Fatima about this, and they debate telling him about the vegetables. Ellis invites Boyd inside and they tell him the truth. Fatima is unsure of the machine out of fear something is wrong and people judging her. Boyd steps out of the room to give them a moment to talk and sighs with his head against the wall, assuming the worst. Since season one, Boyd and Ellias have been at odds as father and son. With this situation we see that relationship begin to heal as Boyd is there for his son at his most fearful moment. As Fatima walks downstairs Elgin (Nathan D. Simmons) takes her photo and the audience is left with an eerie feeling as the photo isn’t revealed at this moment. Fatima requests Boyd to go with them.

Tabitha talks to Donna (Elizabeth Saunders) about Dale as she stumbles upon her bricking over his body. Donna, being the strong force she is, immediately shifts the conversion to check in with how she’s doing after the meeting. Tabitha says people expect her to have answers and she let them down. She feels guilty over it and Donna simply says, “Don’t try to be a hero. Go spend time with your kids.” She really expresses the fear her children felt while she was gone. Tabitha hugs Donna as it is something they both need at the moment. Despite getting on her nerves, Donna and Dale had been good friends.

Mari tends to Randall’s wounds and changes his bandages. He asks to see his facial injuries after watching Mari slightly flinch at the sight. He asks for a minute alone and holds back tears seeing himself. When she returns, Randall says to her, “You can pretend all you want but you were there. same as me. what if it’s not over?” Previously, they both had out of body experiences that took them to dark places mentally. They are both still fearful of the “what ifs.” Randall makes a comment that makes it clear he is afraid of staying on the bus, so Mari says he’s welcome to stay in the medical unit instead.

Tabitha approaches Ethan (Simon Webster) who is standoffish to her. She apologizes that he overheard his parents’ fight. “I liked it better when we first got here. Everyone was so scared there was no time to be angry.” As she begins to comfort him, Tabitha hears a sound from upstairs and Ethan tells her no one is in the house. She slowly goes up to check and sees the ghost children again.  She apologizes to them and says she tried her best, Ethan snaps her out of it revealing it to be another vision.

Donna and Kenny comfort each other as they are both recovering from big losses. She offers him to come and stay at colony house as Jim and his family have been staying with him and his mother after their house was destroyed.

Victor is down to his final few army men as he and his father go further into the tunnel. Victor finds what he is looking for and there is a monster sleeping in the room. His dad recognizes something of his wife’s. He is overcome with emotion, which startles the monsters awake. “Victor, if you keep coming down here, one of these days we’ll make you stay,” one of the monsters taunts him. Victor has been stuck here for most of his life, so it is clear the monsters know who he is and what he is doing. The pair make it safely out of the caves and Victor takes his father to a decked-out bunker. “I used to hide here before the people came.” His father realizes he spent so much time alone and grows emotional.

Kristi administers the ultrasound but doesn’t see anything. Fatima is not pregnant. “There is something inside of me. I need you to find it.” Krisit and Mari assure her phantom symptoms are very normal and what this could be. Ellias and Boyd tell her it’s time to be honest with what has been happening. We finally see Fatima’s photo and it shows the ghost Elgin has been seeing. She asks for help. It leaves the audience to wonder if that is what is inhabiting Fatima’s body.

While talking to Jade, Tabitha recognizes some symbols and asks about the red stones seen at the village. She reveals when she was little, she would have a nightmare about this place and that imagery. Earlier in this season, we learned Victor’s mother had visions of the town before she was stuck. At this moment, Tabitha realizes she has, too. Her whole life.