This Way Gone – The episode opens with Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot) escorting Tian Chen Liu (Elizabeth Moy) and Bing-Qian Liu (Simon Sinn) through the medical facility. Bing-Qian has no interest in the sunny common area. Kenny (Ricky He) tries to ease the man’s transition with promises of chess matches in the common area. Bing-Qian is on board until he realizes Tian and Kenny will be living offsite. Expressing the importance of him being constantly monitored, Tian says if he improves, it may be possible for him to return home. He finally acquiesces with the promise of improving. Kenny leaves to collect his father’s belongings when he encounters Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau) who asks about last night’s unfortunate event. Kenny tells him that his father thought the creatures were his brothers and almost let them in. Boyd admits to learning the value of having someone reliable to depend on in the Army before asking him to be his deputy. Back in the present, Kenny rushes to inform Boyd of Sara’s reappearance.

Liu Residence – Julie Matthews (Hannah Cheramy) asks Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) if she would like some tea. Tabitha asks her to keep an eye on Ethan Matthews (Simon Webster) before leaving to speak with Jim Matthews (Eion Bailey). Jade (David Alpay) can’t conceal his displeasure over their intrusive arrival. He describes them as “three smelly hippies). She invites Ethan to join her on a trip to see Victor (Scott McCord).

Town Parish – Kenny escorts Boyd to the parish where Sara (Avery Konrad) is shackled. Boyd asks Kenny to give him and Sara some time alone before removing her restraints. She informs him of her encounter with the Boy in White (Vox Smith). She tells him that she believes Nathan’s theory of them upsetting the town. He questions what the others will think of her sudden reappearance. She accepted her fate a long time ago. He and Kenny discuss her connection to the town and its importance. Kenny isn’t happy that he is just now finding out, especially since Father Khatri (Shaun Majumder) already knew. Discovering she was with him in the woods is even more disturbing.

He can’t get past her atrocities, knowing the role she played in his father’s death. He suggests putting her in “the box” but Boyd isn’t keen on the idea. Boyd collapses after seeing the parasites squiggling in his arm. Kenny rushes over to check on him.

Colony House – Julie tries to cool Ethan’s excitement, Julie spots Elgin (Nathan D Simmons) on the porch. As he rushes inside, she reminds him of it being a short visit. She congratulates Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori) on her engagement. Fatima informs her of Ellis (Corteon Moore) wanting to push the date forward. She asks her to be her bridesmaid. Julie readily agrees. Fatima says Elgin is not adapting well. Julie offers to help him.

Victor’s Room – Victor is deep into a new portrait when he hears a knock at the door. Still upset over the earlier encroachment, he accepts Ethan’s visit. Ethan immediately apologizes. Victor stresses he didn’t do enough. As Victor turns his attention to his drawing, Ethan seeks to uncover more information concerning his adventure with his mother. After saying Tabitha is a nice lady, Victor tells him that it would be nice to have her as a mother. He reveals his new work before rushing Ethan away.

Colony Home Front Porch – Julie offers to be Elgin’s sounding board when Ethan says he wants to go home. She catches up with him before heading toward town.

Police Station – After a brief assessment, Kristi tells Boyd that she is tired of his constant denial. She reminds him of his vast medical training. He asks if it was a spider bite. A large laceration on his arm catches her attention. She stresses the importance of keeping it clean. He claims to have had a brush with a stray tree limb. She asks about his tremors which he doesn’t deny or confirm. He shows some concern over his degrading cognitive abilities. She says it is too early to worry about it before reminding him to stay as calm as possible.

Town Diner – Tian tries to convince Kenny to sit down and eat. She protests his working too long and hard. He reminds her that the food is for Boyd. She makes the same observation about the sheriff’s work proclivities. As he prepares to leave, she asks about Kristi. After admitting to knowing about the engagement, he says she should be happy. Upon leaving, he takes note of the progress the newcomers made on clearing out the bus.

Town Bar – Jade is surprised to see Bakta (Angela Moore). She isn’t too enthused with his arrival either. Realizing it won’t get any better between the two of them, he makes his way to an empty table. Huffing and blowing hot air and neck deep into a fifth of “Poor Man’s Potato Vodka.” After reminding him of his frightened protests, she blames herself for not listening and forcing the passengers to this horrible fate. He asks about the fallen tree. Anyone who sees the tree is doomed. He suggests their lives were headed in the wrong direction before they landed there. She admits to not being permitted to drive the bus but did so for extra cash to treat herself. Having worked his entire life to build and sell his software company for millions before getting stuck here, Jade can relate.

Town Hospital – Tabitha finds Mari (Kaelen Ohm) looking in the medicine cabinet. Mari says she knows how it looks before explaining why she is raiding it. Tabitha is surprised to discover Jim left the hospital earlier.

Outside The Diner – Tian joins the newcomers as work offloading the bus. Tabitha catches up with Jim who rushes her off to the side for an important discussion before she can chide him further. Their recently collapsed home sets an ominous tone for the ensuing conversation. Looking at the home, he recalls the night he spent trapped in the rubble. He admits to spending a lot of time speculating about the electrical wiring and the arrival of Kristi’s fiancé from her past. Although he believes her account of what she saw, he isn’t positive she wasn’t manipulated. He suggests sharing his engineering experience with her. As a designer of rollercoasters, it was his job to make the impossible seem possible. The greater the improbability, the bigger impact!

This ultimately leads him to question whether or not this town could have been designed explicitly to test the inhabitant’s reaction. He further blows her mind when he reveals the voice on the radio. He doesn’t know how to take her reaction when she asks if anyone else heard the voice.

Town Police Station – Emerging from the restroom, Boyd is shocked to encounter a familiar face. He quickly chalks the experience up to some sort of hallucination which is confirmed when Father Khatri matches his mocking tone. He berets him by reminding him it is his move and his options aren’t great. They discuss Sara’s involvement in Mr. Liu’s death. Boyd points out that she didn’t kill him. Khatri blames her for leaving the door open for the creatures. Boyd assures him that Kenny will understand. Khatri says leaders are forced to make difficult decisions before asking if he is up to the vacant bartender position. It only gets worse when he points out how Kenny looks to Boyd like a father.

Colony House – Jim demands Donna (Elizabeth Saunders) confirm the voice they heard. She forces him into a concealed room before pointing out the obvious. He tries to convince her that the voice and its warnings confirm someone can see them. Not denying or agreeing with his theory, she warns it could be bad, especially since they haven’t helped them before now. She says the monsters are very manipulative. He questions if it is a good idea to not tell the others. A verbal dispute grabs her attention. Randall (AJ Simmons) is kicking the crap out of Colony House alumn. While the dispute is settled, tension grows between the two of them.

Town Church – While Sara eats, Kenny says she saved Boyd’s life before asking about the voices. He questions how something could urge her to kill her brother. He wants to believe what the girl says, even more so with Boyd’s blind faith in her. He says she is a good friend and his mother thinks of her as a daughter. He asks why she never returned to the box. She admits to doing some horrible things.

Colony House – Fatima assures Donna that Randall will come around but Donna isn’t having it. She suggests easing up on communal sharing. Holding an axe, Donna heads straight toward Randall who laying on the sofa like a king. She orders him to get out before swinging the axe into the wall. He grabs his things before they head to town. She asks Bakta why she moved the bus from the diner parking lot. Bakta says people inside the diner should have to look at it while they eat. Randall is surprised his new home was where the attack took place the night before. She shows him how to utilize the talisman before leaving.

In Town – Boyd is walking back to the church when the rain dancer identifies herself as Tillie (Deborah Grover). She asks about his past adventures. He tries to brush her off before she informs him of Kenny walking toward the medical building.

Town Hospital – Staring glumly at Mr. Liu’s murder site, it becomes pretty clear that Sara has revealed her hand in his death. Kenny explains how his mother has been impacted by their secret. He claims to have never seen her cry but waits until she is alone in her bedroom. He believes she blames herself for what happened to his father. He has made up his mind to wash his hands of Boyd and the deputy position. Despite Boyd’s protests, he is adamant about Sara going in the box.

 

From Review

Unfortunately, they can’t all be winners. For me, “This Way Gone” is nowhere as good as the first three episodes. However, saying the episode was bad seems a bit too harsh. There was plenty of suspense and the usual building of many mysteries. As far as setting the series up for more shocking revelations, the episode could haven’t been more perfect. It certainly set the stage for these incredible stories to spin in many directions.

It was awesome to learn more about the powerful connection between Boyd and his deputy while also seeing that relationship go up in flames. Not much more is revealed about Sara’s weird connection to the town, but it’s clear she truly believed her acts were justified. The suspense around the true circumstances of Mr. Liu’s death didn’t feel too over the top, although the truth isn’t revealed on camera, the consequences of that reveal could impact the main story in so many ways. A hard 5.5 is deserved for setting the stage for what could be a bumpy ride from here on out.

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