Swamp Thing – Long Walk Home

By starrymag | December 15, 2020

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

Avery (Will Patton) is wandering through the woods and a little delirious. At first he hallucinates Lucilia (Jennifer Beals). The vision of the woman scolds him for his destruction of the son and for telling Matt the truth about his paternity. Avery questions why she never gave him a chance to be a father to him. Lucilia says she didn’t want Avery to turn Matt into a monster like him. Then she fades away.

 

In Atlanta Abby (Crystal Reed) arrives back at the CDC headquarters and is eager to get to work testing the samples she got from the swamp. Harlan (Leonardo Nam) tries to get her to slow down and explain what she’s been working on but wants to keep the sample contained. Abby notices there are unfamiliar faces around and Harlan informs her a new assistant director started while she was away. Her name is Dr. Palomar (Adrienne Barbeau) and she’s not thrilled with Abby. Abby tries to explain she stayed in Marais to look after the patients and she might’ve found a new contaminant in the swamp. Dr. Palomar doesn’t seem to care much. She points out that all the infected patients were released and is angry that Abby didn’t follow through on the daily updates she promised.  She agrees to run the tests, but she still has some things to say about Abby’s performance.

 

Matt (Henderson Wade) is having a tough time adjusting. He’s still healing from the stab wound and the revelation. He gets a message from his mother saying she knows this has been hard on him but she needs him down at the station today.

 

Inside Harlan’s office Abby is upset that Harlan didn’t come to her defense during the dressing down with Dr. Palomer. Harlan points out that she has been pretty illusive about what she’s been doing and when she has spoken to him what she’s said hasn’t made sense. Harlan says she’s not acting like herself. He asks Abby what it is with her and Marais. As opposed to answering, Abby says the test will take hours and she needs to think and leaves.

 

Nathan Ellery (Michael Beach) pays a visit to Dr. Woodrue (Kevin Durand) to offer him a new lab space on the outskirts of town. He says he’s discussed it with Maria already and they agree that discretion would be best for such a sensitive project. He also promises Dr. Woodrue that he’ll be able to conduct the experiment however he sees fit. He prods a little about locating “the subject” [meaning Alec (Derek Mears)] and Woodrue says it should only be a matter of town until he’s found.

 

Back in the swamp the hallucinations continue for Avery but this time he sees his father and a younger version of himself (Eli Hannon). His father Burritt (Steve Wilcox) is trying to chop down a tree. The younger version of Avery is a little hesitant, but his father insists that a man takes what he wants and only looks out for himself. Avery points out that there are rumors the tree has special powers, but his father brushes him off. Unfortunately for him the tree doesn’t take kindly to the ax and it’s branches reach out, grab Burritt by the legs and drag his body through the nearby campfire. The younger Avery Sunderland can do nothing but watch as his father is burned alive while the older Avery weeps at the memory. Then he looks up to find Alec standing before him.

 

Harlan brings pizza and whisky to Abby’s apartment as a peace offering and she invites him in. In the kitchen when Harlan sees a cut open doll Abby tells a story about cutting it open as a little girl. He finds the story sweet but observes that Abby doesn’t talk about her childhood or her mother much. Abby admits she only remembers bits and pieces of her mother.  Regarding Harlan’s earlier question, she says she’s started wondering if she was sent back for a reason. Then, she confides in him about Alec’s current swamp creature state and all. Abby worries Harlan won’t believe her, but he says he knows things can get pretty strange in Marais.

 

Speaking of Alec, he’s taken Avery into the boathouse. He wakes up to see living moss crawling over his gunshot wound, but Alec says not to be alarmed as they’re helping. Avery doesn’t recognize him at first, but Alec makes it clear that it’s him. Avery is pretty shocked and, of course, feigns ignorance about his role in Alec’s accident. He tells Alec that he thinks the swamp wants him dead. Alec notices that Avery seems to hate the swamp. Avery says the swamp is a killer as it took both his father and daughter. Alec explains the swamp has been both damaged and abused. Avery doesn’t feel much compassion for the swamp’s plight. He says the swamp is supposed to be the town’s livelihood. It was once, Alec allows, but since the abuse the balance has shifted and a darkness has been released. He notes Alec is connected to the green and he thinks he’s been changed so that he can protect the swamp from people like Avery. People who’ve been taking and taking. He walks towards Avery. We cut away hearing Avery’s screams.

 

Matt finally makes it into the station, but his head isn’t all there. One of his fellow officers asks him if he’s filled out the paperwork for an accident and Matt snaps at him. Lucilia overhears this and calls Matt into her office. Once they’re alone Lucilia tells Matt she knows he’s in pain but he needs to keep it together. Matt asks her if she ever thinks about his father. Lucilia assumes he’s referring to Avery but he isn’t. He references his “real father” who raised him and says he left because Lucilia couldn’t quit Avery. She promises she never meant to hurt him or Matt, but Matt isn’t up to talking anymore.

 

Harlan and Abby talk more about Alec’s condition and her hopes that she can cure him. Harlan reassures Abby he believes in her. Additionally, he observes this is the most passionate he’s seen her about someone in ages, even if the someone in question isn’t entirely human anymore. Abby says Alec is worth the effort. With that said, the two say good night and prepare for the lab results in the morning. But as soon as Harlan’s outside his path is blocked by a van. The men tell him to get inside and Harlan tries to escape but is ultimately dragged off.

 

In a standoff with Alec, Avery pleads for his life.  Avery reminds him that he helped him resume his work and rehabilitate his reputation. He, of course, omits the part where he tried to have him killed. Alec says he lost everything including her. Avery realizes the “her” he’s referring to is Abby. He points out that Abby knows the truth and has been hard at work searching for a cure. He tells Alec that his father used to say that man takes what he wants (not that it worked out for him) and he offers to help Alec get what he wants: to be human and with Abby. Considering the offer, Alec tells Avery there’s a boat waiting for him. He got the swamp to bring it to him. Avery leaves and promises he’ll help him.

 

The next morning Abby goes to the hospital eager to get the lab results only to be stopped by Dr. Palomar. She tells Abby that the results are being contained and that Harlan has been reassigned to Bangladesh. Dr. Palomar takes her to a room where Nathan is waiting for her, which leaves Abby pretty confused. Nathan says he wants to discuss one of her patients: Alec Holland. Abby tries to deny having Alec as a patient, but Nathan says that Harlan told him everything. Considering Harlan was grabbed and thrown into a van by a group of men, it’s pretty safe to assume he didn’t give up Abby’s secrets voluntarily. Nathan says Alec’s case could open a lot of doors and if they need to use force to bring him in they will. However, they want Abby’s help to put Alec at ease and see it’s for the best. Abby refuses to be involved and tells them to stay away from Alec. As she walks out of the building she leaves a message for Harlan saying she needs to know if he’s okay.

 

Avery barges into the Woodrue residence. Dr. Woodrue is shocked at the state of him, but agrees to administer some first aid and explains what happened with the investors in his absence. Avery states that he now knows where Abby’s sample came from. Woodrue immediately wants to study and take more samples from him, but Avery says Alec saved his life and promised him a cure. Woodrue responds that they could use Alec to save a lot of lives in his creature form…and it could make Avery a billionaire. The decision has been made.

 

Avery takes a team to the swamp to extract Alec. The men attack and Alec fights them off. That is until Avery distracts and ultimately shoots Alec. This stuns him so much he falls to the ground. Then, the parts of the team still standing use a substance to freeze Alec.  We cut away and see Abby walking through the woods and calling for Alec.