Zoo – West Side Story

By: Patience Kapfer

After an emotional rollercoaster of an episode, we reunite with Abigail (Athena Karkanis) in the forest in Boulder enjoying a cup of coffee. It may seem peaceful, but Abigail is the only one who will be able to find peace as the hybrids continue to wake up and terrorize the world. At the IADG command center there are reports of many new hybrid attacks in cities across the globe. Nine out of the thirteen beacons have powered up and they have less than five hours until they are all operational. On the plane, Clementine (Gracie Dzienny) and Mitch (Billy Burke) discuss how Max (Robin Thomas) might not have always been the best dad, but he was still Mitch’s father, which he chooses to acknowledge with a snide comment about how cute children are when they are babies that are unable to have their own opinions. Mitch further comments that this baby remains unnamed, to which Clementine offers up the name “Cadmus.”

Abigail is alerted that their plane will be flying overhead and, of course, brings out a large gun that looks more than capable of shooting a plane out of the sky. As Jackson (James Wolk) preps for the landing sequence, Abigail aims her high-tech gun at the approaching plane. As we have learned to expect from “Zoo,” her missile makes a direct hit causing the plane’s landing program to malfunction. It appears that Abigail’s gun caused an EMP that is causing parts of the system to shut down and the landing gear hasn’t been enabled. So, yet again our heroes are plummeting towards the ground while Jamie (Kristen Connolly) works to deploy the landing gear. The plane comes to a screeching halt in the middle of Boulder – on the wrong side of the barrier…in the hybrid zone.

As the hybrids rush toward the plane, the team goes into high gear to figure out how they will manage to get the deadman’s switch to the IADG headquarters. Unfortunately, the blast took out all the electrical controls in the plane and the truck, as well as seemingly all abilities to contact anyone. Sam (Delon de Metz) offers up the idea of building a pheromone diffuser that will allow them to distract the hybrids and then lead them away from the plane. Mitch votes that they look for an alternative method of contacting the IADG while it is also necessary that the crew check the plane manually for any type of damage that would allow the hybrids entry. Jackson and Abe (Nonso Anozie) go in search of damage to the plane and Jackson makes it known that he is much less positive about this entire endeavor than he was at the beginning of this mission. He feels as though no matter what they do they always lose and there is no way to succeed, but Abe is always the optimist and reminds Jackson of just how close they really are in their attempts to solve sterility. All they need to do is get the child to the barrier and they can finally end this.

Mitch manages to get an old radio for them to make contact with the IADG. While he is struggling to uncover the radio from its home in a forgotten cabinet, Clementine asks Jamie if she wants to hold the baby, to which she responds with a firm no. Even when Clementine tells Jamie that she won’t hurt the baby and it’ll be okay Jamie maintains that she would rather not. Mitch is even curious why Jamie refuses to hold the baby, but she won’t budge her answer even for him. Sam is able to hook the radio up to a car battery and manages to get through to the IADG. Dariela (Alyssa Diaz) tells Clementine not to worry and that Tessa (Hilary Jardine) and herself will get a team together and get to them soon. Logan (Josh Salatin) directs the team from the command center and as the razorbacks attack he loses contact with the entire team. Logan makes the case that they need to round up another team to get to that plane and retrieve the deadman’s switch. However, his commander disagrees and instead says that they need to focus on an IADG contingency plan. This contingency plan is once again a much less optimal course of action that includes coordinating the military warships of the G5 countries. These warships will then fire tomahawk missiles at entire cities, which will lead to catastrophic loss of life all over the world. The alternative is to allow all of the beacons to activate and thus have the world become overrun by hybrids. They are given just over two hours to get the deadman’s switch before the warships are mobilized.

Luckily, Dariela and Tessa are the two lone survivors from the team and rush to radio back to Logan. While Dariela and Tessa hustle toward a vehicle to get them to the plane, Sam brings up the idea of a pheromone diffuser again. The group finally agrees and Sam gets set to build the device. Dariela and Tessa finally make it to the plane and are reunited with the team.

As it’s impossible to trust people, especially people who have a history of working with Abigail, Sam makes a call to Abigail from the radio to let her know that they are “heading her way.” Just when we thought he was having a change of heart in order to save his son, he shows his true allegiance. Sam and Jackson set off with the pheromone diffuser to lure the hybrids away from the rest of the group as they plan to take the deadman’s switch and baby back to IADG headquarters. The rest of the group arms up and sets off back toward headquarters. Abe starts to cough and have a difficult time breathing, Mitch needs to act fast to save him. In the process of helping Mitch, Clementine hands the crying baby over to Jamie who is able to settle the baby down – something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Clementine or Mitch.

In the process of diffusing the pheromones, Sam takes Jackson far away from the plane and right to Abigail. After tossing the pheromones down an embankment Jackson says that Clementine and the baby will finally be safe to which Sam replies that he knows and says, “I’m sorry Jackson.” Jackson makes a break for the ATV’s radio as Sam pulls out a knife and gets ready to attack. While the two partake in a bout of extreme fisticuffs, Abigail circles them while eerily smiling. Jackson is able to grab the gun from the ATV and wrestles Sam to the ground by causing some severe distress to Sam’s arm and shoulder. Jackson raises the gun to shoot Abigail, but Sam rushes to stand in front of her despite Jackson’s demands that he move out of the way. Sam tells Jackson that he will have to go through him first and Jackson responds with a bullet to the leg (I guess he doesn’t have a problem going through Sam first). Jackson then rushes Sam and shoves him down the embankment where the pheromones are located; just as a heard of hybrids finds the pheromone diffuser. Abigail and Jackson point their guns at each other as Abigail begins a dramatic monologue about how they are finally at the end, but Jackson wastes absolutely no time in firing his gun multiple times – no doubt at least injuring Abigail. Abigail explains to Jackson that there’s no point continuing to try to save the world as it’s too late. She says that Clem’s pregnancy, the deadman’s switch and the mass of hybrids at the barrier were not by chance. Just as she watched Jackson take her father from her, she plans to make Jackson watch his son be taken from him…again. The boy that Jackson just sent tumbling over the ledge wasn’t some boy named Sam, but Jackson’s son Connor.