Most of the gang arrives in Zambia, looking for the
mutated leopard that hasn’t been mother-celled yet. While the mutated leopards
are looking for them… and well, everyone. As we’ve seen in the media slowly as
the show develops, the animal pandemic is escalating. Zambia is in chaos.
The leopards quickly finish off Ray – because that’s one
excess character we didn’t need – and we continue with many tense scenes to
navigate leopards as huge numbers of civilians are displaced.
They do find a leopard cub – the best mutated animal to
carry around that won’t eat them. Though it is immensely cute. They also find
some militia which is a somewhat shallow view of Zambia (and, after Argentina
and the general lack of global presence of this show, is frown worthy) but they
also find an apparent state of the art hospital which excellently pulls back
from that. Especially since last episode they seemed to think finding medical
equipment in Africa would be difficult.
Even with leopards and crocodiles and bats, oh my, they
do manage to make it to the hospital and Mitch makes a cure from Adorable
Leopard Cub’s tooth. With Abe catching a dog to test it on (because testing the
cure on a wild animal is difficult: how do you know if a wild leopard trying to
eat you is a mutant or just a wild animal trying to eat you?)
Of course, not everything goes that smoothly. The
hospital is overwhelmed by leopards, Jackson is shot (but a doctor puts him
back together again) and everything is shaky. Abe continues to be awesome –
gently but firmly chiding Jackson for his endlessly reckless leadership and how
he has pretty much assumed leadership by not giving anyone else a chance to
lead or offer ideas (to be fair, there’s no indication that any of them have
had ideas to offer). He also leads Mitch through his initial set backs, also
awesomely
Abe is my favourite character on this show – but his
excellent insight and advice and support does tend to express itself through
the other characters. He is, perhaps, the heart of the group, the backbone, the
one who keeps all the brilliant but slightly uneven characters around him
steady. This is an excellent role and definitely not a useless or weak one: but
the role of advisor/supporter is one POC often occupy.
He also provides language and guidance for Zambia which
is a more active participation which is definitely worth mentioning.
They also have no way to escape – leopards surround them.
Back in America, Chloe has been captured by FBI agent
with a grudge who decides to do everything without back up is shot by Reiden minions.
Because he has no back up. Ever. Even when hunting dangerous armed fugitives.
He utterly fails at his job
This puts Chloe in the hands of evil Reiden people
including Alves, her former colleague. Reiden has corrupt folks everywhere.
They want to torture information out of her – and they do it by tormenting her
sister brutally and horrendously. In an aversion of how many times we’ve seen
this, Chloe doesn’t break – even as her sister is brutally tortured she doesn’t
tell them that the gang has gone to Zambia
Until she is rescued by Delavene. I thought this was a
trick to get information out of her as well – give her someone to trust and
confide in. But I soon realise this is wrong because Chloe thinks the same thing.
And Chloe has never ever been right about anything, ever. This is known.
He takes her to Washinton DC where there’s a big group
examining the animal attacks which have finally been recognised as a crisis.
Chloe stands up and speaks… complete unscientific bullshit
This isn’t her fault – it’s the canon of the show.
She is pretty much laughed off the stage, but she was
also heard by government officials who believe her (unlike those silly silly
scientists) since it matches some of what they’ve discovered. The powers that
be are now listening to her – which means they have the US government and a
whole lot of soldiers to help rescue the rest of the gang from the hospital
They can then fly back to the US with the cure, with the
Adorable Leopard Cub and everyone alive. Except they’re in a plane. Which is so
very vulnerable
Along the way we also have Mitch and Jamie head their way
to love interest zone. Of course they do. Abe is going to feel left out,
everyone else is hooking up. And what would every story in the world be without
cishet white folks hooking up?
