Truman reports to the president who is very very very
unhappy with him. The assassination
attempt in Texas going so badly wrong all because of Miles and Monroe (I
love how we’re actually pretending these 2 are an effective resistance). Truman
shows some spine and blames the president – he kept sending in people to take
over his job while tying Truman’s hands. Which is pretty true. The president
(after making a comment about him having “a pair like Hillary’s”) gives him one
chance. And it seems he still wants to provoke a war between Texas and
California.
Charlie finally finds the much battered Miles.
Truman returns to Willoughby and is told that an
informant has found Miles and Monroe’s camp – and he takes the opportunity to
send someone to fire Neville.
At said camp, Aaron is getting frustrated that
Nano-Priscilla isn’t actual Priscilla and Miles has decided he’s all better and
doesn’t have to stay in his hospital bed; both Rachel and Monroe do their own
form of fawning over him. An ominous flock of birds appears and Nano-Priscilla
tells Aaron to run since he’s slower than everyone else; he does warning
everyone else and Monroe throws in a random insult over his weight – before
they see a creeping yellow gas.
Those caught by it choke and die – it’s mustard gas.
Thankfully they’re in a chemical plant with lots of climbable things; but as
they climb men in gas masks emerge from the gas and shoot people
I personally would not trust a gas mask that has been
literally decades without proper maintenance.
Miles finds a sealed truck for all the important people
to hide in, though Aaron wants to find Priscilla and save her despite her actually
being god at the moment. They hide while outside the men massacre everyone.
Except Nano-Priscilla who walks calmly through the gas. Some of the masked men
fire bullets into the container – but inside they plug the holes.
The survivors gather up and Monroe wants to hit back –
steal mustard gas and release it wherever he can do the most damage. And he
shouts down any argument, he’s tired of moral quandary and argument – even if
they have to destroy Willoughby, their inaction is killing them. Miles agrees –
while Rachel stares at him. He waits for her to complain but she says that
she’s tired of competing with what’s between him and Monroe and they’re done.
As they walk off Miles asks what Monroe’s plans are for the Monroe Republic and Mornoe is vague but Miles realises he plans to take Georgia as well, the whole Eastern Seaboard. He promises it will be different and he wants Miles to join him.
Truman returns to where he’s staying with Marion before
leaving. She checks the drawer he used and finds a false bottom – in which is a
gas mask and some paperwork which horrifies her. She goes to see her dad’s gave
that night and Gene and Charlie kidnap her.
Scanlon and Connor have a brief rumble over who’s boss
(Connor) while acting as bait, allowing Monroe and Miles to ambush a squad of
gas carrying patriots. They take them home, Rachel giving Miles nasty glares,
but then Miles locks Connor and Monroe out of the hut. They use chemicals
Rachel has prepared to neutralise the gas. Monroe isn’t happy. But the plan is
to show Marion the mustard gas, which she adds to the papers she saw; which
said they were shipping in 100 tons of the stuff. Marion agrees to be their
spy.
Of course, Miles now has to deal with a very very pissed
off Monroe. Miles talks about his plan for a spy and an underground and makes
it clear they will win; but not by killing innocents. They’re the good guys.
Monroe blames Rachel for changing Miles but he denies it – this is about him
and Monroe; about Monroe making the same mistakes he made establishing the
first Republic, he’s going to keep driving people off. Miles says they can
leave or stay – but do it his way.
They appear to leave, leaving Miles and Rachel to have a
close heart to heart talk which includes what words “you’re a miserable person,
so am I” (I’m not arguing) and how wonderfully not cynical Rachel is despite
being so damn awful – and she convinces Miles to keep trying too. Let the
kissing begin.
Neville runs into the guy sent to fire him (by “fire” we
mean “murder” of course) and he steps into a very nasty trap Neville has
prepared. Oh you don’t surprise Neville. But Neville realises if they’re having
him murdered then his wife is either dead or about to be – because they only
kept her alive for leverage. After
losing Jason this seems to hit extra hard and he tears up. He realises that
Jason was right about the Patriots and he was a fool to trust them. Neville
decides all the Patriots are guilty – and they’re going to burn. He kills the
man
Connor and Monroe go uncover a stash of weapons Monroe
had – he’s pouting with Miles – and Connor gets grabbed by Neville and held at
knifepoint. This is Neville’s unique way of joining Monroe’s team
NanoPriscilla wanders off so Aaron follows her – to a
large house in which there are several gas-masked Patriots. All unmoving,
frozen mid motion. When he takes off a man’s mask, he’s frozen – but tears leak
from his unblinking eye. Then all the power flares on and Nanopriscilla is all
happy how people look like magazines – but wants to know why people would
invent something as vile as mustard gas. She’s reached a conclusion – people
are a problem: violent, irrational – destruction is part of their nature. So
she wants to change their nature.
That sounds… very very ominous
She explains she’s altered the men or altering them – and
she doesn’t let Aaron leave.
So now we have Team Evil! Fighting the Patriots presumably
by blowing stuff up at random – but with Neville guiding them they may actually
get something done or they may cause lots of destruction randomly and make sure
everyone labels them “terrorists”
We have Team Good! Not fighting the patriots by… I have
no idea, sitting down and beaming sweetness and light at them? Or declaring they’re
anti-patriot while humping in a shack? It’s not like Miles and Rachel have done
a great deal about them – if the patriots left them alone they’d probably
forget them entirely.
In theory it’s a blow to the “resistance” to lose 20 men –
but since they weren’t actually doing anything with those said 20 men…
And we have Nanopriscilla rendering all of that
completely irrelevant because she’s god and may nuke everyone for funsies.
