Seppuku marks the penultimate episode of Colony. Can you believe how fast this season has gone? There are so many questions we don't have answers to but at least we got some long awaited justice. I'm looking right at you Nolan.
Let's begin with our favourite resistance fighters, who as we know are desperate to get out of the colony now that they know that it's only a matter of time before the aliens clear it out. The one snag is that they cannot leave the Bloc without the alien tech and the Red Hand has a tight grasp on that. They decide that their best approach is to talk to Red Hand because they're all supposed to be on the same side in this fight. Kate and Will sit Bram down to find out how to make contact. At first Bram tries to deny knowing how to get into contact with Red Hand and Will bluntly calls him a liar. I found this exchange interesting because Bram certainly has not been exposed to this side of his father before. After a little more pressure from Kate, Bram comes clean; however, he's not allowed in on the action. Will and Broussard put the pressure on the bouncer Bram told them about and manage to arrange a meeting with Karen.
Broussard and Kate are out front when Karen approaches for the big face off. Not one to waste an opportunity, Karen has men approaching, unaware that Will has the high ground and is keeping an eye on everything. Broussard begins by discussing how much it cost him to acquire the gauntlet but that clearly does not leave an impression on Karen. Broussard follows up by saying that there's a resistance movement outside of the wall which will be able to use the technology to help the resistance move forward. Karen however goes into full blown petty mode and says no. It seems that she's not interested in working with any other resistance fighters because she sees them as collaborators who are far to willing to make compromises. I don't know how it is that Broussard kept his calm in this moment because I really just wanted to reach out and smack some sense into Karen. Karen doesn't even know what the gauntlet is or the potential break that it could lead to, she's saying no based on her moral beliefs in how the war should be fought. She's actually happy that she's an amateur and not a professional like Broussard. In that very moment I swear that Karen was channeling Trump.
Now that Karen has said no to handing over the gauntlet, the resistance fighters have no choice but to storm the Red Hand warehouse. Fortunately, they managed to plant a mini drone on Karen during the meet up, so they know exactly where this is. Our hardy little band of resistance fighters are under no illusions about how this might go down given the fact that they will be outnumbered and outgunned. Promising to get them out of the Colony is no longer enough for them to move forward. Noa finally reveals why the gauntlet is so damn important. It seems that her resistance group has its very own alien who has turned traitor because ze doesn't believe in what ze's group is doing. With the gauntlet, the traitor Rap will be able to intercept communications bringing the war to a brand new level.
Before heading out to raid the Red Hand warehouse, Katie stops to have a little chat with Bram, to warn him that what they are about to do is very dangerous and that they might not make it back. Katie asks Bram to take care of his siblings in case they don't return and suggests that he turn to Aunt Maddie for help. Katie, being completely unaware of how Bram used Maddie believes that Maddie will help her children because at the end of the day, they are all family.
Kate, Will, Broussard, Morgan and Noa begin their assault and as predicted, they are indeed outgunned and out numbered. Their only advantage at this point is the fact that Broussard and Will have tactical training and Karen's forces do not. In this case, superior training does win the day but the victory comes at the loss of Noa. This is a huge deal because Noa didn't share where her camp is, nor how they can escape the Colony. With Karen dead however, at least they won't have to worry about the Red Hand anymore. Will and Broussard get seperated from the women and Broussard volunteers to stay behind so that Will can escape. Will tries to offer to stay behind with Broussard but Broussard is quick to point out that Will has children to live for.
When the resistance fighters make it back to the bunker without Broussard, Will finally admits to the women that Broussard stayed behind to cover his exit and that he doesn't believe that Broussard survived. Fortunately, Will is wrong about that. When Broussard was blocked off by the Red Hand, he decided to use a piece from the gauntlet to call on the drones, even knowing that this would mean the end of his life as well. When the drones show up, they quickly kill what's left of the Red Hand. Broussard stands for his turn to die but instead of killing him, the drones pause and then fly away. Broussard's admission about why he is still alive, prompts Will to reveal what happened to him when he tried to scale the wall.
Though their only intention in taking out the Red Hand was to get the gauntlet back, it actually worked to help our favourite snake in the grass Snyder. I know I should hate this character but I cannot help but to root for him for some unknown reason. Snyder has proven himself to be conniving, brutal, and self interested, yet week after week, I want him to come out on top.
Helena has tasked Snyder with finally putting Proxy Alcala in his place. Alcala being just as smart as Snyder knows that he has to deal with his weaknesses which means Nolan. Nolan is only a weakness to Alcala because of his relationship with Maddie which he's still a little resistant to end. Nolan pleads that Maddie has a child but that buys no sympathy from Alcala, who is quick to point out that Maddie's child is not Nolan's son. Finally, Nolan realises that he has to choose between Maddie and Alcala and quite unsurprisingly, Nolan chooses Alcala. This btw is exactly what Kate warned Maddie about.
Nolan comes up with some story about putting Hudson into a camp with elite members of the government in order to keep him safe. Nolan argues that with all the deaths in the Green Zone that this is the safest place for Hudson to be. A tearful Maddie says her goodbyes to her son, promising to come and visit as soon as she can. That night, Maddie is clearly emotional at being seperated from her child but that doesn't stop Nolan from forcing Maddie into have sex. The next morning, Nolan says his goodbyes and walks out the door. Red Hand soldiers are there and when Nolan gives them the go ahead, they burst into the house and take Maddie captive.
Snyder moves his plan into action to leverage Nolan to put Alcala in his place. Nolan however is not going to make this easy for Snyder and is quick to say that Maddie is already in custody and is probably making a full confession as they speak. Snyder is curious why it is that Nolan is showing such loyalty towards Alcala and Nolan responds that at some point you just have to bet on a horse and ride it to the end. Snyder however is certain that Nolan made the wrong choice and points out that all of Nolan's women end up in the factory.
Having lost at his first stab at Nolan, Snyder's not about to give in. Snyder changes focus and heads to see Bennett to find out any dirt he can on Nolan and where Maddie is being kept. Snyder also learns about the files that were downloaded from Nolan's computer and the high attrition rate in the Colony. Snyder walks into the room where Maddie is being kept with the charm of a used vacuum cleaner salesman, demanding that Maddie's restraints be removed and claiming that this is no way to treat a lady.
Maddie, proving that she does indeed have a brain in that pretty little head, quickly surmises that despite all the goodwill Snyder is slinging that he's really there to benefit himself and no one else. Snyder suggests that they help each other and he adds that he always keeps his promises. We know that to be true because Snyder followed through on his deal with both Bram and Will. Maddie asks about Hudson and is told that he's indeed in a camp and will learn what he needs to to survive. At least Nolan did what he thought was one good thing. Maddie then asks about the Greatest Day and is told that it's all a sham. Really Maddie, you needed to be told that you were in a government cult?
Maddie agrees to point the finger at Nolan.
Snyder has a sit down with Helena to discuss what he's learned and where they plan to go next. Snyder brings up the losses in the Colony and adds that when he was proxy, he was told that this was only temporary and would level off. Helena gives him a look which makes it clear that he's not to ask anymore questions and to use his damn head.
Snyder's next visit is to see Nolan, who isn't pleased to find Snyder sitting in his living room drinking is booze. Nolan reveals that Maddie threw him under the damn bus. Nolan however suggests that because Maddie is linked to her Kate, that no one will take Maddie's accusations seriously. Snyder changed tactics again and then offers the one thing that Nolan cannot resist - the chance to be Proxy himself. Snyder claims that he doesn't want the job himself and would rather be the man behind the scenes. Even though becoming proxy means turning on Alcala, for Nolan, the chance to get the power he's always wanted proves to be more than he can resist.
When Snyder is done his meeting with Nolan, Helena meets with Alcala. Helena reveals the dirt she learned from Nolan and Alcala realises that he has been compromised and lost this battle. Alcala immediately starts back peddling to save his own hide and luckily for him, Helena is worried that changing Proxys again will look bad for the colony and so she agrees to keep Alcala around as a figurehead. Helena makes it clear that someone she trusts will be running the show.
Maddie is escorted into Nolan's home and given ten minutes to gather anything that she might want. Maddie asks the guard about her son and is only told that her time is running out. With no options left her, Maddie grabs what she can before being escorted to the gate of the green zone and released. It looks like once again Snyder kept his word.
Nolan, who sent his wife to the factory and attempted to send Maddie to the factory ends up on a journey there himself. As Snyder and Helena watch the flight take off, it's clear that they are absolutely delighted and see it as karma. They don't get to enjoy it for long because Helena gets a call from the ICA to inform her that the aliens have decided to go ahead with the rendition of the Bloc.
Okay, now it's no longer academic about what is going on in the bloc. At this point, our merry little band of resistance fighters need to get the fuck out of dodge. I think that it will be a great move for Colony and give us a new setting with a whole new set of characters to worry about. For Colony to continue to be successful, it needs to evolve.
My real question at this point is what Snyder is going to do. I think Helena forgot who she was dealing with when she decided to have Snyder sneak around and act on her behalf. Yes, Snyder is capable and conniving enough to get shit done but he's also smart and very very self interested. When Snyder asked Helena about the attrition rate, he was paying very close attention to her answer. He also clearly noticed how upset Helena was when she got off the phone with the ICA. Snyder's main motivation is survival and he's always been pretty good at knowing how and when to play his card. At this point, I'm pretty certain that he's always helped the Bowmans, in case he needs a backdoor out of the colony. I really do want to see Snyder and the Bowmans on the run together.
I found it hard to feel sorry for Maddie this week. When Karen was talking about collaborators and the danger they pose, she was describing Maddie. Maddie bought wholesale into the government cult and never bothered to question anything. Maddie just wanted to live safely in her little bubble with her handsome boyfriend and let the world go to pot all around her. How could Maddie put her faith in a man who would send his own wife to the factory? That being said, being seperated from Hudson was a low blow but perhaps now she'll think about how she treated Kate, when first Charlie and then Bram were seperated from the family. I'm not sure if we've seen the last of Maddie, or if she will hook up with her sister, either way, less of her character would be good for me.
Bram was forced to admit this week that he knew a little something about the Red Hand. I'm not sure if his hesitation was based in fear that his parents would figure out that he's a murderer or because he follows the Red Hand philosophy and sees his parents as collaborators. Bram as much as accused Will last week of collusion with the aliens. Bram rather than being a helper is going to end up being a drain on the family. I don't suspect we will see how much of a problem that Bram will become until next season though.
