From – These Fragile Lives

By: Mariah Thomas

Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot) immediately jumps into professional mode to help Fatima’s (Pegah Ghafoori) cravings. Fatima is rightfully concerned, and Krisit tells her if they were anywhere else, this is a classic psychosomatic pregnancy. However, being in the town changes the viewpoint. Fatima is still convinced she is pregnant and begins to storm out of the medical center not feeling believed. Kristi holds a much different tone toward Boyd (Harold Perrineau) afterwards than she did Fatima and Ellis (Corteon Moore). Everyone remains upset with his leadership.

Victor (Scott McCord) is upset Jasper (the puppet) isn’t speaking to him and he believes he holds the answer to going home. His father, Henry (Robert Joy), is concerned just seeing it as a puppet. He tries to console him while Victor remains antsy and decides to go off on his own.

Elgin’s (Nathan D. Simmons) camera takes a photo on its own. It is a photo of a cellar that Elgin goes to find on his own. He goes down to discover a wooden door that holds a dresser inside. Seeing it empty, Elgin goes to leave until he hears knocking coming from the other side. Pushing the dresser, he discovers a smaller red door. It opens up to a small room and he finds a body. Behind him, the ghost he’s been seeing appears.

Mari (Kaelen Ohm) sets Fatima up with an IV back in her room and tries to comfort her with her own experience. Mari tries to reason with her but again, Fatima grows upset. Ellis returns and tries to reason with her. However, Fatima grows offended; she does not believe that something is growing inside her. To everyone, she seems hysterical. Knowing this show, there is definitely something sinister taking place.

Boyd and Donna (Elizabeth Saunders) take a walk and discuss Fatima and the history of the town. We are reminded that Boyd’s wife previously had psychological issues because of the town and had to be killed by Boyd for the safety of everyone else. They want to keep track of Fatima to avoid this happening. Donna says she doesn’t think it is a good idea for Fatima and Ellis to remain at Colony House. She sees both possible routes as a deeper threat to everyone else. Boyd feels frustrated in having something else on his plate to now tell and re-home them.

Jim (Eion Bailey) is with a few others gathering supplies when he is shocked to see Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), Ethan (Simon Webster) and Jade (David Alplay) walk up. She tells Jim she has previously seen this place as a kid in her dreams and needed to see it for herself. Ethan walks around with Jade as he draws the symbols built around them. Tabitha tries to convince Jim that she really saw this place in a dream as a child. Ethan stumbles upon them arguing. He puts his pride aside and walks with her to investigate the area further. She is taken back vividly to the dream she used to have when she was a kid. She would wake up always before the reveal of what she was running from. Jade points out that she was always destined to be here.

Julie (Hannah Cheramy) has slowly grown closer with Randall (AJ Simmons). She joins him on a walk and confides a lot of information to him. She never got to learn to drive on the outside, so he tries to teach her in one of the emergency vehicles. While driving, Randall sees the bugs he has previously seen in the face of danger. Julie doesn’t see them and is concerned as Randall runs out of the car swinging at the air. He takes off and tells her to go home. She and Randall discover an old structure in the middle of the woods. Julie feels called to it and Randall tries to get her to leave.

Kenny (Ricky He) reminisces on his mother as he walks through the diner she once ran. He is interrupted by the sheriff who came in on the ambulance. Since being an immediate cast out in this town for accidentally killing someone, she never got the proper town rundown. She walks in with many questions. He offers her some tea knowing they have a long conversation ahead of them. As he makes her tea, he explains the thought process everyone goes through in the town when they first arrive. “At some point you either adapt or you lose your mind.” She learns Kenny lost both of his parents in the town. He asks her about her life back home and she is not willing to share. He learns from Kenny that Boyd was the one to discover the talisman symbols that keep everyone safe. As they talk, the radio turns on. She is fearful and doesn’t want to get comfortable in the town. The bus driver approaches him with the idea of reopening the diner.

Boyd returns to his station to see it has been ransacked. The sheriff is determined to get her gun back. Boyd took it from her after the incident. She flashes her badge to Boyd, and he laughs in her face. He asks how new of a cop she is and gives her the same energy she is giving him. She grows angrier and refuses to leave. Boyd gives her the gun but takes the bullets. It is clear she will be a problem going forward.

Ellis confides in Tillie (Deborah Grover) about his fears surrounding Fatima. As this is happening, she wakes up from a nap upstairs and can feel something moving inside her stomach. Her body then begins to suck into itself, and her ribcage is exposed. When Ellis comes in to check on her, it quickly disappears. She cries in his arms. Ellis goes to the medical center to try and get something to help Fatima’s pain. Boyd walks into him arguing with Kristi. Ellis wants to give her antipsychotics, but Kristi advises against it. Boyd won’t let him leave with the pills and he storms off. Ellis vents to his dad about his frustrations and how this reminds him of what happened to his mom.

Fatima goes to her rotten vegetable stash and feels sickened with herself and attempts to leave. Her body bends in pain and Tillie overhears and comes to comfort her. Distraught, Fatima tells her to leave and, in a rage, stabs her with gardening shears. Tillie, knowing it wasn’t intentional, knows it will look worse for Fatima and tells her to run before she dies. At this moment, Ellis walks in stunned.