At the beginning of the episode, we see Martha Enderby (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) scouring through the woods. At home, Nathan (Colin Morgan) attempts to use an Ouija board to make contact with Clarity Winlove. Martha is trapped by Jack Langree (Joel Gillman), while Nathan is stopped by Charlotte (Charlotte Spencer). Once Nathan leave the room, a candle is blown out revealing “daddy” written on a mirror. After the intro, Nathan gets a visit from Matthew Denning (Nicholas Woodeson), who ridicules him for playing with the Ouija board. Afterwards, Charlotte and Nathan join Gideon (Malcolm Storry) and the other workers outside. They discover that the wagons have been sabotaged. Seconds later, the school teacher, Martha, emerges from the woods in a stupor. Nathan consoles her, before taking her inside for a drink.
Martha insists she cannot remember what has happened, but admits to being in Elmwood Forest. She eventually remember that Jack attacked her, but she insists he was possessed by something. Nathan immediately blames the wagon sabotage on Jack and Martha concurs, while referring to him as a danger. With no police officer nearby, Nathan takes it upon himself to deal with the troublemaker. He grabs a pistol and heads into the woods with Martha. While they hunt through the woods, Charlotte remains at home, eats and becomes ill. She hears a child crying, before throwing up and being confronted by Gwen (Kerrie Hayes). While treading through the woods, Martha tells Nathan about Alice Wharton (Gina Bramhill), who was in somewhat of a relationship with Jack.
Martha also confesses that the townsfolk believe Nathan is raising the dead. Back at home, Gwen speaks with Charlotte and learns that she has kept her pregnancy a secret. Gwen also insists nobody could’ve brought a baby into the house. Eventually, Nathan and Martha find a cave. Nathan ventures inside and finds Alice’s ring. Once he emerges from the cave, Alice is spotted in the distance. Nathan attempts to go after her, but is stopped by Martha. Nathan sends Martha back to his house and continues his pursuit of Alice. Meanwhile, Charlotte pays a visit to the couple’s new neighbor, William Payne (David Oakes). She speaks with the wealthy fellow and bums three wagons from him, so she can transport and sell the farm’s crops. Nathan follows Alice and discovers her dead on the ground. He also finds blood on a rock nearby.
Charlotte returns back home and seems to have grown scared of the house. She speaks with Martha and learns about Nathan and Alice. She blames herself for Alice falling for Jack. Meanwhile, Nathan decides to transport Alice’s body back to his farm. Jack stalks him from a distance all the way back. William Payne arrives outside with the wagons, before Nathan arrives with Alice’s body. Nathan instructs William to get his men together and go after Jack. He agrees to do so in the morning. Martha comes outside and inspects the body. She seems suspicious, as if she blames Nathan for Alice’s death. Once she departs, Nathan confirms he blames to inspect the body thoroughly. That night, he carries out the examination.
During this time, Martha begins hallucinating upstairs. She sees Alice in the window and causes a stir. Charlotte and Nathan check on her moments later. Nathan reveals his findings and insists Alice has been dead for at least 12 hours. He also attempts to force Martha to admit to seeing Alice out in the woods, but she refuses. Their conversation turns into an argument between Charlotte and Nathan. Nathan admits he sees the dead and has no idea how to stop it. He reveals that he has seen Clarity within the house and tells Charlotte about his encounter. Nathan returns back to his office and hears someone calling his name. He sees an iPad-like device on his desk and attempts to approach it, but it simply disappears. Before it does, the device says something about Jack being an innocent man.
Nathan awakes early in the morning and heads to the woods. During this time, someone attempts to open Martha’s door. She opens it and finds Alice standing in the hallway. Alice approaches her quickly and gives her a good fright. Meanwhile, the townsfolk bring edibles to the church. William and his men manage to track down Jack, who tries to make a run for it. Nathan stops William from shooting him dead and gives chase. Back at home, Gwen loads a rifle and prepares to defend herself and Charlotte, if need be. Nathan chases Jack to a ledge and the pair speaks about Alice. Jack asks if Nathan can bring her back and he admits he cannot, as he is only a man. Jack leaps over the edge and kills himself. Meanwhile, Charlotte attempts to speaks with Martha. She tries to learn the truth about Jack. During this time, Nathan finds a book inside of Jack’s pocket.
Nathan learns that Martha was in love with Alice, by reading through the book. Charlotte learns it directly from Martha. Martha freaks out and happens to see Alice instead of Charlotte. She begins choking her against the wall, while Nathan rushes home. Nathan makes it home and hears a gunshot. Gwen has taken care of Martha, while saving Charlotte’s life. Gideon and the other workers are given the task of dealing with Jack’s body. They question who will be next. At the church, all of the edible items have become rotten. Martha is arrested and escorted away. Nathan apologizes to Charlotte and learns about her pregnancy. She insists she needs to leave, so she can take care of the child. At the end of the episode, we see a car pull up outside of the house and a woman grab a baby and exit.
The Living and the Dead Review
The 4th episode was a little slower than the previous, but intriguing nonetheless. The love triangle between Martha, Jack, and Alice was interesting and consumed the majority of the episode. Of course, the real story is the iPad and the lady in the vehicle at the end. Is there a connection between the modern day and the past? Only time will tell. A decent episode, which deserves a 7 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of The Living and the Dead right now!
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
