Helix - S1E11 - Black Rain
Previously, on Helix: “Fushigi”
Who the fuck is writing this show? Even assuming Vector Jesus’ presence makes the vectors smarter, who thinks the best plan to capture uninfected people is by planting a rat in a microwave in the middle of a hallway? And what is the point of blowing up the rat after catching someone? SMH. So, anyway, that just happened.
Dr. Frank is awoken from a nap by a message to Seven of Nine’s magical works-even-in-the-bowels-of-an-arctic-laboratory-cellphone stating that her failure to check in has resulted in the initiation of a scaaary retrieval protocol. We now have 6 hours until Terrible Things happen. This prompts Dr. Frank to unlock a secret suitcase full of explosives, which he then proceeds to sneakily plant around the base.
Meanwhile, The Good Doctor and Dr. Ex-wife are watching Dr. Girlfriend sleep. They have extracted an amount of cerebro-spinal fluid from Dr. Ex-wife, and have administered their experimental treatment to Dr. Girlfriend, whose tumor is now shrinking. They are interrupted by Dr. Sodra (who apparently is still alive, having not been seen for several episodes), who frantically explains that people are going missing, then shows him the rat microwave. (Which no one bats an eye at! In fact, TGD immediately makes the link that the vectors are now operating as a collective, and setting traps! This fucking show…)
TGD goes to Dr. Frank with concerns that the vectors will eventually plan a large-scale assault on the rest of the population, and Dr. Frank informs him that they might want to worry more about the 100-man strike force that Ilaria is preparing to bring down on their heads. TGD still does not believe the whole “immortal” bit. Son of Frank enters, concerned about how to protect the base from Ilaria. Dr. Frank tells them the plan is to lure Ilaria in (probably with rats in microwaves), and then destroy the base with the explosives he has planted. When TGD expresses concern for his team and the uninfected scientists, Dr. Frank reveals that there is an earthquake-proof bunker (referring to the Montana Cabin) below the base. (Sounds great! Let’s all go to a room below everything else, and then blow everything else up over our heads!)
After gathering the remaining uninfected and putting them under armed guard to prevent the vectors from snatching more of them, TGD again tries to calm down the anxious Dr. Sodra. Apparently, during the fracas at the listening post, TGD is convinced that they got a signal for help out to someone other than Ilaria, and he passes this info secretly on to Dr. Sodra. Well, almost secretly, because we pan back into the ventilation ducts (that everyone seems to keep forgetting about) to see that Vector Jesus overheard the entire thing.
Back in the lab, Dr. Ex-wife retrieves her secret stash of the Narvik viruses, and begins sciencing with it in a very sciency way.
Dr. Frank pleads with Son of Frank to not hate him for the whole kidnapping-you-as-a-child-and-never-trusting-you-with-my-secrets bit, after Son of Frank blows up at the revelation of the secret tunnel our of the bunker. They argue for a bit as they load up on guns for the showdown. Later, Dr. Frank takes him to the Montana Cabin, and reveals to him that Dr. Ex-wife is his daughter. This riles Son of Frank right back up, and he goes off to check all the explosive charges, aiming to comply with the plan, but now very emotionally invested in ensuring the base is completely destroyed.
Cut to some weird, blurry, trippy footage of vectors being very industrious, obviously organizing a plan of their own.
Dr. Ex-wife’s experiment has revealed a way in which they can use the virus combined with her genes to force the virus to destroy itself. She argues to TGD that they could cure everyone with it. In the course of explaining herself she is forced to reveal that she did not incinerate all of the virus. TGD gets very mad, comparing her to Dr. Frank. She swears that after they cure everyone, she’ll destroy it all. TGD insists that he will be in charge of destroying the virus, as she can obviously not be trusted. The tension is broken up by the sudden waking up of Dr. Girlfriend.
Back in LSD land, the vectors, in blurry fashion, slice open the now-infected scientist they captured with the rat-microwave, and drain her black vomit-blood into a bucket. They carry the bucket to a maintenance level, where Vector Jesus proceeds to empty it into the sprinkler system, which he then empties out into the room where all the previously-uninfected scientists are being held. TGD later arrives to find the room bathed in black goo, and all the scientists gone.
The remaining doctors gather in Dr. Frank’s office to marvel at the vectors’ ingenuity and the evolution of the virus, and to argue over what to do next. Dr. Frank and Son of Frank are for immediate retreat into the bunker. Doctors Good, Ex-wife, and Girlfriend want to attempt to cure the infected now that they have broken the code. The Doctors hatch a plan to infuse their cure with the cryo-solution they previously used to stabilize BIB, but they need a way to administer the cure. Luckily, Son of Frank has developed a high-pressure liquid cure dispensing backpack in his spare time. (Yep, you read that right… the security guard.)
So father and daughter immortals, armed with freeze spray and a super cure, head out to save the vectors. They encounter Vector Jesus first, freezing then injecting him, reducing him to a black goo-vomiting heap on the floor in entirely too easy a fashion. They then move on to eliminate the other vectors one-by-one in an inoculation montage, however, several vectors escape into the vents.
Everyone then begins to gather the cured vectors and prepare them for moving into the bunker. Dr. Girlfriend has a headache, obviously immediately worried her tumor is coming back, but The Good Doctor reassures her in a strangely off the cuff manner, that this is certainly not the case. Badly Infected Brother wakes to be not so badly infected, and certainly no longer Vector Jesus. Dr. Ex-wife informs TGD that BIB is better and resting, but he brushes that aside to tell her about Dr. Girlfriend’s recurring symptoms. Just then, an alarm signals the arrival of the Ilaria team. Doctors Ex-wife and Girlfriend rush to move the cured vectors down to the bunker.
TGD, Dr. Frank, Son of Frank, and his remaining security detail head outside to bait Ilaria in for the kill. They arrive just in time to see a horde of snowmobiles heading towards the base. However, just as they prepare to fire, all the approaching vehicles stop and turn their lights off. Assuming that Ilaria is attempting to sneak around them, the group decides to flank the Ilaria team. Upon reaching the stopped vehicles, they quickly realize that the snowmobiles are all remotely piloted drones. Son of Frank gets a little too close to one, and it explodes! Dr. Frank reacts just in time, diving to knock Son of Frank out of the blast, but catching some of it himself. TGD immediately realizes that they have been suckered, and this is immediately verified by the sight of troopers parachuting in from above.
Everyone heads immediately to the bunker. Upon arrival, they are informed that the remaining few people are being ferried down (though unless this room is much bigger, it seems like there are way fewer survivors than there appeared to be a few minutes ago). Dr. Frank, injured from the blast, keeps insisting that they blow the charges immediately. He informs them that there is now not an army, just one man, who he refers to as The Scythe.
Cut to see three shocktroopers who look like nothing so much as Daft Punk’s goth cousins, stomping down a hallway. They come upon the elevator just as Dr. Sodra and the last of the cured scientists are heading down to the bunker. Dr. Sodra assumes they are with the army, and happily invites them in. The middle Daft Punk just nods, and as we pan down his back, we see him holding two kama (scythe) blades. The elevator descends, and when the doors open, only the three Daft Punks are standing. The kama blades are now bloody and in clear view, and the elevator is spattered everywhere with blood. As they walk away, as if we weren’t certain, the camera pans down to show us a pile of dead scientists.
Back in the bunker, the remaining group is still waiting for the rest of the cured vectors to arrive. Dr. Girlfriend’s headache is revealed to be, not due to a reoccurrence of her tumor, but due to the light sensitivity that comes with getting silver eyes. Son of Frank gets fed up with waiting, and grabs the detonator. Everyone resigns themselves to the decision, but when he pulls the trigger, nothing happens.
The Daft Punks enter the virus vault, disappointed to find no remaining viruses, and remove their masks, revealing that The Scythe is just a boy, and his two sidekicks are female, and all have the silver eyes of immortals. He instructs the two to find Dr. Frank, and exterminate everyone else.
