Swamp Thing – The Price You Pay

By starrymag | November 23, 2020

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

We see Alec (Derek Meers) in the swamp thinking of his time with Abby (Crystal Reed) as a human. The reminiscing is interrupted by stepping into a bear trap and then by getting shot with tranquilizers by two hunters. They have orders from Avery (Will Patton) to take the creature alive. They chase Alec and then the tables turn when he slammed into a tree and sends splinters of wood towards them, hitting the man in the face. This sends them running away.

 

At the hospital Abby and Liz (Maria Sten) are sitting vigil at Daniel’s (Ian Ziering) bedside. Good news: he’s not dead. Bad news: he’s in a coma and he might never wake up. Also, Daniel doesn’t have any family or friends. Liz is blaming herself for Daniel’s condition. She explains to Abby that the men who attacked her were sent by Avery. Liz thinks it’ll be better for everyone if she drops the story. This angers Abby and she decides to confront him.

 

Flashback time! Daniel was a stunt double for a movie that was shooting on location in Marais. The film had a very difficult lead actor and Daniel unknowingly vented to the stranger about it. When they talk the stranger (Macon Blair) asks Daniel if he’ll do him a favor. At first Daniel is worried this will be sketchy, but the stranger insists it’s no big deal. Daniel will get to take the starring role in the movie, but in exchange he has to stay in town until a woman who’ll need assistance shows up. It shouldn’t take that long the stranger promises. Daniel accepts, the original actor is fired and the rest is history.

 

Back to the present we see Avery is imploring the doctor to medicate Maria (Virginia Madsen) when he’s confronted by Abby. She wants to know if he sent those men to attack Liz. Avery denies it and swears that he loves everyone in the town and has only ever done what he felt was best for them. Abby is not convinced and wonders what’ll happen to her if she becomes inconvenient. Avery says he loves Abby, but he might not be so forgiving if she makes any more accusations. At the not so subtle threat Abby seems a little hurt, but says she’s no longer seventeen.

 

Later Liz informs Abby about the hunters who were brought in screaming about a swamp monster. Liz says it sounds like Alec, but Abby doesn’t believe he would’ve attacked them unprovoked. While they’re distracted Dr. Woodrue (Kevin Durand) administers a mystery substance to Daniel.

 

Matt (Henderson Wade) goes to Lucilia (Jennifer Beals) at the police station and tells her he finished the incident report on Maria Sutherland. Lucilia; however, is a bit distracted. She explains that Remy’s, the guy she killed, brother had to come in and identify his body. The bullets left little to the imagination and she’s feeling guilty about how upset he was. Matt tries to reassure her that she only did what was necessary, but she surprises him by telling him that she only killed Remy to cover for him. She demands to know why Matt put explosives in Alec’s boat. At first he tries to deny it, but she keeps after him. Lucilia doesn’t understand why he’d do Avery’s bidding and says if he needed the money she would’ve given it to him. But it wasn’t about money. Well, not from his end anyway. Avery has a file of all of Lucilia’s misconduct, enough to put her away for the rest of her life. Matt only did what Avery asked to save his mother. Also, he knows about their affair. This unpleasant conversation is cut short by a phone call about the hunters. Lucilia tells Matt to go to the hospital as she wants him out of her sight.

 

At the hospital Daniel springs awake and tears out his breathing tube. Liz tries to calm him down, but he’s pretty worked up. He starts yelling about the deal he made. Also, part of his arm is glowing and blue. Dr. Woodrue barges in and pretends to just be a concerned party. Daniel flees the room and, ultimately, the hospital. Dr. Woodrue says they have to call the police as Daniel might be a danger to himself and others.

 

Abby goes to talk to Alec. She tells him she knows he wouldn’t have done what he did to the hunters without a reason and promises not to give up on him. But Alec feels like a monster. Abby points out that he’s suffering from an affliction. He says he feels more in common with “the green” than he does with people at the moment. Before he can explain the sound of a boat scares him away.

 

Dr. Woodrue goes to Avery and tells him that he injected Daniel with the sample from Alec that Abby shared. That feels really illegal. He credits the sample with Daniel’s miraculous recovery and says this could be a major breakthrough for medicine. The sample caused his brain to regenerate to the point of full consciousness. Dr. Woodrue wants to do more tests. Nevermind that he’s already used Daniel as a guinea pig, but Avery says he wants him to write up a report now so they can present it to the investors. There is one potential roadblock. Abby is been reluctant to share info up to this point. Avery tells Dr. Woodrue to tell him what he needs from her and he’ll get it.

 

Matt ventures to the swamp with Tyler (Justice Leak) to try and figure out what happened to the hunters.  He pokes around the trees and finds Abby. He is confused and tells her she shouldn’t be there only to be interrupted by Alec. He points his gun at Alec and Alec charges him and chokes Matt. Abby begs Alec not to hurt Matt and Alec reluctantly releases him. Abby explains to Matt that the creature is Alec. Matt doesn’t get how that’s possible. Alec says he remembers Matt. Clearly the other man is concerned that Alec might remember him for the role he played in his murder, but he says he remembers him helping Abby. With that being said, by radio Matt tells Tyler that he just ran into a deer and everything’s fine.

 

Caroline Woodrue (Selena Anduze) tries to get her husband to come to bed. More than that he wants to leave. She overheard him talking about giving Daniel that swamp substance and she doesn’t approve. The drug is untested and he didn’t have the patient’s permission. Human experimentation is career ruining transgression. But her husband insists that this is the discovery of a lifetime. He won’t leave, but Caroline is not convinced this is all worth it.

 

Liz finds Daniel but he is all out of sorts. He is hot to the touch and still slightly glowing. He says “it’s” tearing him up and he is on fire. He says he has to find Dr. Woodrue because he knows something. Liz calls the police to give them a heads up. Daniel gets to the Woodrues’ house and nearly breaks the door down. It seems the downside of the recovery in addition to the fever is becoming irrational. Daniel doesn’t understand what’s happened to him. His veins start glowing blue as well as his eyes. Caroline tells her husband to help Daniel, but Avery shoots him. Luckily Caroline gives him a tranquilizer before things escalate any further. Avery doesn’t like the side effects and Dr. Woodrue thinks they should postpone until they sort things out. Avery refuses because the investors were told they’ve found the holy grail and his report needs to reflect that.

 

Matt goes to Lucilia at the station and says they need to talk. Madame Xanadu (Jeryl Prescott) goes to Daniel’s bedside. She apologizes to him for his pain and says she cares about him. She says his fate was written eight years ago by forces he couldn’t have understood. Madame Xanadu regrets not telling him more. She can’t interfere with his destiny, but she can offer him relief. She takes her sunglasses off and puts her hand on his head seeming to pull the blue substance out of him as whispers can be heard in the air. She tells him to rest as this is their little secret.

 

Alec remembers his time with Abby and ends up meeting her at his old lab. She wants to help but doesn’t know what he’s missing. Alec tries to explain about the stranger. He believes he wants him to explore the green, but he fears it’ll take him away from Abby and his humanity. As Abby is promising to be there pollen starts spreading from a flower on Alec and the creature version of him is replaced with the human Alec Holland (Andy Bean).