Season 2 of Wayward Pines has proven to be all about what lies beyond the walls of the town, and whether it’s a threat to humanity. As TV Guide recapped, last week the female abbie captured by the authorities escaped after ending the life of teacher, would-be abbie researcher, and one-time hypnotherapist, Megan Fisher. Now viewers should prepare themselves for what’s coming next.
According to a preview clip , next week’s episode, “Pass Judgment,” will feature an abbie-hunt complete with guns and a plea to citizens to stay inside while the woman is being pursued. The preview clip does not reveal whether there will be an additional storyline akin to last week’s exploration of CJ Mitchum’s backstory, which shed new light on his experience waking up every 20 years over the 2,000 years that the town’s population spent in suspended animation.
Viewers who found CJ’s flashbacks the more compelling plotline of last week’s episode may be interested to know the character’s story may still be unfolding. Before the season started, Entertainment Weekly described CJ Mitchum as someone at the heart of the Wayward Pines origin story, whose actions will prove important.
“[He’s] one of Wayward Pines’ original residents, who is a thoughtful historian with a vast knowledge of what’s really going on in the town, and must make a very pivotal decision.”
Last week, it was clear CJ had his doubts about the entire project. He also had a very different reaction to the abbies than did David Pilcher when they first encountered them upon awakening in 4014. This season, he’s mostly been seen inside the greenhouse or expressing concern about the town’s dwindling food supply.
In a different pre-season interview with Entertainment Weekly , executive producer M. Night Shyamalan called CJ Mitchum “really pivotal.” It’s unclear whether Shyamalan meant Mitchum was crucial to the town’s founding or pivotal in how the conflict with the abbies turns out. Season 2 is, like Season 1, set to last for 10 episodes, which means there are only three episodes left this summer.
So where is it going? Cheryl Eddy argued in Gizmodo on June 29 that this season is far less quirky than Season 1, and has gone to a much darker place. Many of the characters seem regretful about where they have ended up — and Eddy made that argument before last week’s episode that showed Djimon Hounsou, as CJ Mitchum, asking aloud if the project was a mistake. As a result, it’s not easy for the audience to root for humanity to overcome the abbie’s apparent threat.
“Wayward Pines is an absolutely horrible place to live. It doesn’t resemble life as we currently know it in any way, shape, or form.
“The show’s biggest problem right now is that it’s become difficult to care if humanity lives or dies. Frankly, I hope they all die—and that female abbie gets to ride on the merry-go-round on Main Street any damn time she pleases.”
Season 2 has already seen the death of most of the series’ returned characters from Season 1. In addition to Fisher, there was Pilcher’s sister Pam and Theresa Burke, who lost her husband last season and her son this year. Kate Hewson, one of the heroes of Season 1, committed suicide early in Season 2. Actress Carla Gugino told Entertainment Weekly that she had been asked to return for the entire season, but she was already committed elsewhere. Her character’s death seemed appropriate to the actress.
“As we talked about how she would be able to exit the story, what we kept coming up with was this notion that ultimately, all that she was fighting for just seems futile.”
Wayward Pines airs Wednesday nights on Fox.
[Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images]
