Driving Lessons – As this episode of Night Sky begins, Irene (Sissy Spacek) complains to Jude (Chai Hansen) that he ran off and ended up in jail. He pleads with her to get him out of this place. She believes Gabriel can wait a little longer. When Jude asks what she wants from him, Irene says the truth. Jude thought he was free when he came here, but he is now back locked in a cage. He doesn’t think Irene would understand. Jude explains that they control everything, including what they eat, when they sleep, and how they think. They were completely isolated in some compound somewhere just to protect a secret. When she asks what secret, Jude claims it is the same secret she has under her shed. Jude confirms there are a lot more of those. Although he doesn’t know who built them, he knows they’re very old.

As for the planet, he believes it is a wasteland where people go to die. She suggests there is more to it than that before Jude tells her she is thinking too small. Those things don’t just go to the planet. They all connect to each other like a network of doorways. Jude believes he and Gabriel came here through those doorways and he’ll have a chance if he can find Gabriel. They’re going to send dangerous people after him. Irene asks about the blood. Jude says someone tried to stop him from escaping so he had no choice. If they find him, they’ll kill him. Later, the police officer tells Irene that it might be a good idea to go home. Irene suggests just letting it slide since he was young and had too much to drink. Officer Novatny (Kathryn Acosta) tells Irene that he ran from the police and didn’t have any identification. He refused to give a last name or date of birth.

Irene asks whether she is related to Eric. Once Irene learns it is her dad, she reveals she taught him at Farnsworth Senior High. She helped Eric write his essay when he applied to the academy. Irene knows her dad was a man of character like that man locked up back there. She argues that he doesn’t deserve this and she wouldn’t deprive an elderly couple of their caregiver. Irene offers to pay his ticket right now. She ends up leaving with Jude a few moments later. As they drive away, she asks Jude whether he has read Ralph Waldo Emerson because she used to teach his essay Compensation. It was about the balancing forces of the universe in the soul and how there is always a leveling circumstance. When Michael died, Irene suffered an exceptional pain. She believed the thing they found in the backyard was their leveling circumstance.

She guesses it wasn’t so unique after all, but Jude says hers is unique. Something brought his father to her backyard and led him to her. He believes it was meant to be. If that is the case, Irene pleads with him not to run away again. Jude says he wasn’t running away before they return home. As they arrive, he tells Irene that Chandra took it. They find Franklin sleeping on the couch with the television still on. Jude offers to help him upstairs, but Irene says let him sleep it off since he smells like a distillery. After she gives him something for a possible hangover, Jude insists he has to get it back. Irene promises that they’ll get it back tomorrow. He hugs her before telling her good night. In a flashback, Michael (Angus O’Brien) tells his parents about the assignment that is a big deal even though Leslie (Avery Holliday) will say otherwise.

They learn that she will be repping cancer medication right out of the gate. While Leslie downplays it, Michael continues telling her that she went through a lot of hardships to get here. Leslie tells them that a professor saw Michael’s picture behind the reference desk and invited him to audit a photography class. They break the news that they’re engaged. Michael confirms he is moving back to Chicago since it is time for them to start a new life. The following day at the Macer Lake Nature Trail And Park, Denise (Kiah McKirnan) arrives and gets out of her car. Nick (Stephen Louis Grush) tells Stella and Toni his theory about quantum entanglement which Einstein called spooky action at a distance.

He didn’t believe teleportation was possible though. Toni (Rocio Hernandez) doesn’t seem to understand what he is talking about. Stella (Julieta Zylberberg) calls it a theory. Nick warns her he has been taking a Spanish class online so there will be no talking behind his back. Toni asks how it works. Nick says it involves particles being invisibly linked over massive distances. Although they’re disconnected, they’re bonded somehow like they are. He tries to explain it using music. He admits the question is who or what made the progress, but those things are obviously not from around here. Stella says it works, it is God’s gift, and that should be enough. Once they reach the cell tower, Nick is surprised by how tall it is. He believes it’ll work and whatever it is will show up on the grid though.

He calls it a package. Stella tells her daughter it is a package they need to pick up for Grandpa Epi’s friend. Nick confesses he has done this plenty of times in his head so he gets a good luck from Stella. As Stella gets back in the van, Toni asks why she hates Nick. Stella claims she doesn’t hate Nick, but he is a screw-up. He doesn’t take things seriously and often makes a mess of things. Toni complains about not getting to see the United States. When she snaps a picture of Nick climbing the cell tower, her mother tells her not to do that. A work truck pulls up behind them as Nick begins working. Stella tells her daughter to stay put and listen to her music before she gets out to confront the person. The utility worker tells her that she can’t park here. He says he works for the phone company.

When Nick gets shocked, Stella uses a stun gun on the utility worker and ties him up in his truck. Nick rushes back to the van to tell the others that they’re going to Illinois. Franklin (JK Simmons) asks Irene for a minute. He tells her that she got what she wanted since she told him to go to the pool hall and have some beers. When Randy dropped his car off this morning, he told Irene he was hanging out with Byron last night. They meet with Dr. Mareese (Sandra Marquez) who is surprised to learn that Irene has gained three points. Her blood pressure is down and color is returning to her face. Irene believes it is time she stopped using the chair although Franklin was worried she was doing too much. While the doctor is encouraged, she warns them that they’re not out of the woods yet.

She instructs Irene to keep it up and visit her again in two weeks. In the car, Irene asks Frank whether he even heard what the doctor said. She couldn’t have done it without him, but Franklin believes her new zest for life has nothing to do with him. She asks if he is angry that Jude is actually helping her. Franklin explains that he is just concerned for her safety because he has her wrapped around his little finger. Denise returns to her grandparent’s home and gives Jude his jacket back. He admits he should be at the doctor’s with them, but he had a long night since he doesn’t’ drink. Denise looks at his book and the picture of his father. She finds it odd that her mother told her she bought the book herself. Jude suggests she was confused. When she asks whether his dad is in witness protection, Jude says they escaped from a cult.

Denise thinks that was a joke though. Irene returns in time to see Denise showing Jude the video of his performance from the night before. Irene interrupts saying she didn’t expect to see Denise. Franklin visits Byron (Adam Bartley) to ask if he wants to see something for real. He gives Byron a disposable camera and urges him to get the film developed. Although Byron doesn’t believe it, Franklin says he isn’t some joke. Byron asks why he didn’t have them developed before Franklin blames everyone on Irene. She made him promise to destroy the film, but he thought they might need it someday. He tells Byron to get it developed. Then, he returns to the workshop and runs into Denise who learns they buried the hatchet.

Since she doesn’t have to be in class today, Franklin believes there is something he could use her help with. When they leave, Irene takes Jude to see Chandra (Beth Lacke). Once Chandra won’t let them in, Irene asks Jude to wait in the car so they can speak privately. She claims she has some concerns about Juke. While Irene is keeping Chandra busy, Jude gets out of the car and tries to find a way to sneak into the house. Jude makes a loud noise when he finds a way inside, but Irene claims she didn’t hear anything. With Irene’s help, Jude sneaks upstairs without being noticed. While Chandra tells Irene about a handyman stealing thousands, Jude finds what he is looking for. He finds a necklace that grabs his attention.

He confronts Chandra in hopes of finding out where she got it and whether someone sent her. Jude insists it is a tracker so she must be one of them. Although Jude says she has a bunch of stolen stuff upstairs, Chandra claims they’re gifts from patients. Irene asks what happened to her. Chandra doesn’t think they even noticed. She argues that they owed her because she bathed them, fed them, and changed their diapers. Jude continues saying she is one of them, but Irene doesn’t think so. Irene apologizes for misleading Chandra and that life has brought her to this point. Chandra doesn’t need her pity. Irene admits she doesn’t like her much anymore. She promises to forget the entire thing if Chandra tells them where she got the necklace. Byron comes out of the pharmacy after getting the photos developed.

He finds a picture of the planet among a bunch of mundane pictures. There are a couple of more similar photos. In the car, Jude tells Irene he is sure that the necklace was his father’s. He had one too because they wanted to make sure they didn’t escape. Irene doesn’t think a necklace would make a good tracker since you could just take it off. As for the other item, he describes it as a type of key. Irene jokes by asking whether it’ll bring her coffee table back before saying she forgot how much she liked driving. Jude asks if she’ll teach him how to drive. Franklin and Denise visit Michael’s grave to leave another wood owl. Franklin says she reminds him of Michael because of her dimples when she smiles, they have the same sweet tooth, and both are as stubborn as an ox. He also calls them kind. Denise confesses she doesn’t think she is happy.

Franklin instructs her to start by telling him about one thing. She has a pit in her stomach because of work, school, and Chicago. She doesn’t want any of it. When she wakes up, she feels trapped. She thinks she wants to drop out of school. Franklin explains it is a big decision, but she needs to learn to trust herself. She wonders if she leaves and still has that feeling because she is like Michael. Franklin promises she is not destined to repeat anything and will make her own path in life. Meanwhile, Nick talks about Nirvana and the Melvins. Stella tells him to take that exit even though it is an hour out of their way. Stella notices an 86 road sign before instructing Nick to pull over. Toni asks whether she has another guy to tie up. In a flashback, Epi (Jeff Torres) tells Stella it is going to be okay. They seem to be tracking someone.

In the present, Stella begins walking into the woods and crying. She remembers Epi fighting with some woman who doesn’t want to come back. She watches as the woman stabs Epi who ends up shooting her. She remembers pushing a car into the water with Epi. He says they had to do it because she was an Apostate. Toni asks Nick why he has all of those guns. He says you can’t be too careful nowadays. Nick lets her look at one of the guns. Toni admits she has never shot a gun before. Nick realizes there are many things she hasn’t done and reveals her dad was a crack shot.

Toni says her mother never talks about her father because she said they didn’t really know each other. He gives her advice for aiming using her dominant eye before Toni asks what her father was like. She points the gun at him and asks to know something about her father. Nick takes the gun and tells her not to play around like that. Once Stella returns, she tells them they need to go to make up time. At home, Byron tries to find out more about the space door. He finds a website talking about an impossible door. He also discovers a picture of a door that looks like the one in Franklin’s shed. Franklin tells Denise he has her back no matter what she decides. Once she leaves, he notices that his shed door is open and decides to investigate. He finds Byron who says he couldn’t wait.

Byron shows him the picture of the door that was found in a journal from a missionary in Argentina. It was from 1723. Franklin doesn’t think it just stopped working for no reason. Franklin notices bloody fingerprints near the door. He pulls it out and notices that the shiny object is missing. Franklin wonders what Jude has done. Once they leave the shed, Byron knew Jude was weird when he saw him in the woods. Franklin tells Byron to go on when Irene and Jude return. Later, Byron takes Lucy for a walk in hopes of finding whatever Jude buried in the woods. He finds leaves floating from the ground just above the hole. Byron digs it up just before the episode ends.

 

Night Sky Review

Night Sky has improved since the first few episodes as the action slowly ramps up and secrets are revealed. Franklin is developing a relationship with Byron to prove he isn’t a liar while Irene and Jude are on a mission of their own. We’re also learning more about Stella, her past, and her objectives with Nick. Viewers can likely see where this is heading in future episodes as there seems to be full transparency.

Although it has been straightforward so far, I would expect more twists from that storyline in future episodes. I am eager to see what Byron is going to do now that he has the shiny object that powers the “spaceship”. A lot can happen from this point forward. If the show can maintain this level of quality, viewers will be rewarded for sticking with Night Sky until the end. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Recaps of Night Sky can be found on Reel Mockery here. Want to support Reel Mockery? Follow this link to learn how.