Mind Control & Super Powers
Out of all the shows I’m covering on TV right now, The Passage is the one that has me the most intrigued. Having not read the book I have no idea what direction this story takes but based on what we’ve seen across 5 episodes thus far, this drama has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting every step of the way. This week it’s all about Fanning and Jonas as we dive deep into their past while dramatic plot developments push the narrative forward. We begin with the arrival of a new player to the facility, Director Gilder. He takes control of the project and, much to the disdain of Nicole, informs the team he wants Project Noah to move in a new direction. Intent on weaponizing Amy, he gets to work on bringing this idealistic notion to reality. It’s at this point where we find ourselves catching up with Amy and Brad, the former beginning to exhibit the early signs of mind reading. The main crux of drama this week comes in the form of Fanning and Jonas’ tumultuous past. After being spattered in blood last week, Jonas puts himself in quarantine to be safe where he winds up being invaded by his old colleague. Most of their tension comes from a shared passion toward old flame Elizabeth, the original reason for the project being set up in the first place. It’s here where we learn of Fanning’s fling with her and the feelings that grew as a result of this. After Brad is thrown into isolation by Richards, Anthony invades his dream and informs him of a bigger threat on the way. Amy needs to be ready for this and she may just hold the key to everything bad being undone. Back in real time, Nicole has a change of heart over the new direction of the Project and works to break the pair free. A couple of unexpected plot developments later, including a tip off from Shauna, Amy and Brad run from the safe area they’re held out in and straight into the new threat this week. Nestled in the middle of these two main narratives this week is the extent of the Project’s naive experiments to control the vampires. A young scientist attempts to control a new test subject we haven’t seen yet, called Winston, and as the scientists let their guard down all hell breaks loose and carnage ensues. We end this week with a teasing glimpse of the extent of Amy’s power and a promise of plenty more plot twists along the way. The Passage is really coming into its own now. The use of colour here is really impressive too, with the fading orange dream-like states devolving back into cold blues to signify these ending. It works really well and coupled with an increased drama and tension with every passing episode, The Passage remains as unpredictable as it is enjoyable. It’ll be interesting to see where this one goes next but from what we’ve seen so far, this drama makes for a very compelling and enthralling watch.
