The Mist - S1E2 - Withdrawal

Previously on The Mist, “Pilot”

As the mist continues to settle throughout Bridgeville, the residents find themselves hunkering down in three central locations with some finds more answers than others.

Kevin leads Brian, Mia, and Adrian to one of the police vehicles hoping to make it to the mall and his family. This plans goes to crap almost immediately when Mia, behind the wheel and going through drug withdrawals, flips the vehicle trying to get away from would-be carjackers. They’re forced to seek refuge on foot to the closest shelter: the church.

Connor has already made his way there after running into a moose, because everyone insists on driving like visibility isn’t poor. Once he arrives, Nathalie finally tells what happened to her husband. She spends most of the episode in shock until the very end, when she leads a poignant tribute to Benedict as everyone drinks the communion wine in his honor. Conflict between Connor and Kevin was at a minimum, but this is sure to change if they’re forced to spend more time locked in the church.

The episode had two huge revelations, both at the end. Earlier, Mia saw a woman who should be dead as they were running for the church. She later tells Brian the hallucination is a symptom of her withdrawal, but as they all prepare to call it a night, he admits he saw and heard the woman, too. This brings to mind the man who killed Nathalie’s husband. Before he shot, he asked if they were real. So, not only does this mist contain creatures that kill and burrow themselves in their victims, but it causes them to see dead people. Lovely.

The most interesting events in the episode took place at the mall as its manager, Gus Bradley (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), takes charge to keep calm and order until help can arrive. Their first order of business is to look all entry points, and he enlists the help of several patrons, including Eve. The glass doors covered in thick mist shouldn’t be as scary as they are, but they’re terrifying. As Eve slowly walks to lock the door where she witnessed a jawless woman get snatched into oblivion, your heart pounds because of what has already occurred, but mainly because of what might still happen.

The mall group discover a hallway filled with mist and a dead body. There’s a string of offices along the hallway, any of which may have an open window letting in the mist and whatever the hell else is out there. Thanks to Alex’s idea, Jay navigates a drone with a video camera through the hall so they can safely assess the situation and they find the open office window and yet another dead body. The mystery dead guy wrote ‘ARR” in blood on the floor before dying.

They draw names and Eve is chosen to make her way down that same hallway to access the security office and radio for help. A young man, Clint (Mishka Thébaud), volunteers to go with her. Once they reach the office, he quickly gets on the radio and calls “Arrowhead,” which you’ll recall is the name of the military base. He refers to himself as Shadow 4-1. When Eve questions him, she notices he has a gun. She tries to run, they fight, and she’s forced to shoot him dead with his own gun. Back with the group she lies and says the radio was busted and she and the guy were separated. That night, while the others sleep, Jay finds two bodies dead in the bathroom; two suicides.

Considering the military’s involvement and secrets, one has to wonder what memories Brian is suppressing and how that will affect the group he’s with.