Helix S2Ep2 Reunion Review

Helix S2Ep2 Reunion Review

Helix continues to find more solid ground during its second season. With this weeks episode Reunion the pace is set for the season. Compared to the beginning of season 1 Helix concentrates less on dangerous pathogens. Though there is one that will make your vomit solid. Instead, it frames the mystery against a backdrop of the a cult on an island, the Ilaria Corporation and what Alan did to find Julia. To some of those questions we are given answers. True to his style, Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica and Outlander) raises far more questions and at times plays cruel jokes on the audience. Gratuitous horror and never-ending mysteries are his new trademarks.

Reunion continues where the first episode of season 2 left off. We are still on St Germain, an unknown island some 400 miles from the nearest city. The cult that is ‘protecting’ Peter, Kyle and Sarah have (Jordan Hayes) finally allowed them to start investigating the pathogen on the island. Sarah quickly discovers that Alan (Billy Campbell) is among the cult members. Peter forbids Sarah from talking to him as he is a wanted fugitive. He stands accused of bombing a building in Paris. Peter and Sarah continue to argue about how to deal with the deadly pathogen. Peter is fearful she will have to explain to Kyle just why she never grows sick anymore.

Meanwhile the cult leader Brother Michael keeps his own agenda. In the previous episode we saw how members of the cult were forced-fed food infected with the pathogen. The presence of Alan within the cult seems to upset Brother Michael. Though he can’t deny Alan’s argument that as a fugitive he has few places left to hide. For Peter (Neil Napier), Sarah and Kyle the hunt to identify the pathogen takes a turn for the weird when an infected boy makes a sudden recovery. Another infected, Isaac, kills himself before the eyes of a fellow cultist. As Peter, Sarah and Kyle investigate the outbreak they also learn more about the cult. Its members manage to dispel most fears. For outwards appearances St. Germain is nothing but a commune.Yet key questions remain unanswered. Sarah finally manages to talk to Alan, who warns her to leave the island. Sarah refuses and tells him she has been pregnant by Alan ever since the Narvik outbreak at the Arctic research station. That was 15 months back. Sarah thinks her baby Abbie became immortal after she received a blood transfusion from Julia.

Besides the storyline that takes place in the present, there is also one set 30 years into the future. It also takes place on St. Germain. Dr. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky) whom we believed by the end of season had become a Ilaria executive arrives at the now abandoned island. She has become infected and intends to put right what she thinks went wrong 30 years before. She is briefly held captive by a man named Caleb (Jim Thorburn) who asks her ‘Do You know the way to San Jose’. She manages to build a rapport with him nonetheless. After she removes bones from what she belies was Alan grave she discovers it is merely a collection of bones from different people. On one she finds what looks to be a small map of the island. Caleb is fearful of her intention to visit a place on the map but he guides her part of the way.

Conclusion

There are many subtle innovations introduced with Helix’s second season. Pacing is improved, instead of burning through plot development in just a few episode it looks as though Helix can now keep up its suspense for the entire season. For some the new pacing may seem too slow, but compared to Lost it is still fast. Julia’s storyline still remains a mystery for the most part, there the creative staff will need to speed things up to make them feel relevant. Season 2 is also less focused on a deadly pathogen. While it has scares there is also distinctly less blood, for now. The only question that I am struggling with is what is it that is supposed to drive the story forwards?  Helix is what is known as a high-concept TV show. With clever plots, intrigue and mystery viewers are kept in suspense for years. I feel the mystery, but not the suspense unlike the beginning of season 1.

This was Helix S2Ep2 Reunion Review. I hope you enjoyed the review. Please do comment below what you think of the alterations made to Helix. Can it become a Syfy staple like Battlestar Galactica?

Score; 8 / 10. A solid episode of Helix that further deepens the mystery of what is happening on St. Germain, but I wonder what is supposed to drive the story forward?

Source; http://www.syfy.com/helix