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Resurrection Season Finale – “Torn Apart” Review. Crescent Moon

Season 1, Episode 8

Air Date: Sunday, May 4, 2014, 9/8c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“How is this possible?” – Sheriff Langston

Agent Bellamy (Omar Epps), and Pastor Tom (Mark Hildreth)

Rachael (Kathleen Munroe) stands over her corpse at the morgue along with a bewildered Sheriff Langston (Matt Craven), Agent Bellamy (Omar Epps), and Pastor Tom (Mark Hildreth). It’s an erie scene that I wish had been played out more because we are not really told how much, if anything, Rachael remembers. The clues seem to add to the confusion. Rachael is wearing the dress she originally died in and not the dress she had on when she dies the second time. She also mentions her pregnancy, which is something she learned of only after her first return.

Still in shock over finding her mother Barbara (April Billingsley) alive, Maggie (Devin Kelley) confronts her mother about staying at Sam Catlin’s (Ned Bellamy) house. You can see the betrayal in Maggie’s eyes when she tells her mother she needs to tell her father she is back and plans to stay with Sam. I doubt I was the only one who thought this was a bad idea.

The church becomes a gathering place for the returned. There is a touching moment when Helen (Veronica Cartwright), who has been nothing but a pain in the ass about the returned, discovers one of her loved ones has returned. Resurrection’s wardrobe department must have had a blast creating costumes for the residents who come back. What ends up on screen is a timeline of history as told through the clothes of Arcadia.

The Langstons meet with Bellamy

Barbara does as Maggie says and tells her husband she is back but staying with Sam. I can’t imagine what Sheriff Langston is going through. Like many of us do when someone dies, Sheriff Langston clings only to his fond memories of Barbara while ignoring anything negative. This is what helped get him through her death. Barbara doesn’t have that luxury and remembers both the good and bad. To have her come back only to immediately lose her again proves to be more than the sheriff can take.

Things become tense when Colonel Stone (Mike Pniewski), accompanied by a bunch of military vehicles, shows up. But, instead of trucks filled with soldiers, they are full of food and supplies, much to the relief of Bellamy and Maggie. The writers do a wonderful job creating a moment of tension that the audience could see going either way.

Reeling by his wife’s decision to stay with Sam, Sheriff Langston asks Stone what he knows. Stone tells him there is some flooding and people in the town need help. Langston takes Stone to the morgue and shows him Rachael’s body while filling him in on the full story. Sheriff Langston seems to be of the mindset that if he can’t have his loved one back, no one should.

The mood quickly changes as Stone and his men use the school gym after the church becomes over crowded. Once inside, anyone who has returned is not allowed to leave, and the humanitarian effort quickly turns into a military operation. When some of Sheriff Langston’s own men express concern over the direction the military is taking, Langston enlists the aid of Gary (Kevin Sizemore), who is still in jail for killing Rachael.

Sheriff Langston: “Round them up.”

Gary: “What if they don’t want to come?”

Sheriff Langston: “You said it yourself, they’re not human.”

Bellamy tells Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille (Frances Fisher) what is going on at the gym and suggests they leave town immediately. Henry realizes Jacob’s (Landon Gimenez) best hope is if Bellamy takes Jacob since nobody would suspect him. It’s a heartbreaking scene as the Langstons are forced to say goodbye to Jacob not knowing when, or if, they’ll ever see him again. Bellamy and Jacob only make it to the end of town before the military catches up with them. What is the military’s real reason for being here?

Sheriff Langston (Matt Craven)

Is Bellamy one of the returned? Jenny’s (Nadej K Bailey) parents, Camelle (Jwaundace Candece) and Wallace Thompson (Shawn Shepard), tell the Langstons they knew Henry’s grandfather. One day, the river flooded their home and the family drowned. Upon their return, they could not find their son Robert. Camelle tells Henry Robert has a crescent birthmark on his neck—the very same one Bellamy has. If Bellamy is Robert, why doesn’t he seem to remember? Plus, everyone else comes back the age they were when they died. How long has Bellamy been back? It’s a fascinating twist I never saw coming, and it makes me want to go back through the episodes and look for clues left by the writers about his past.

It’s hard to judge Resurrection’s first season because it has set up so many questions without answering them. Whatever happened to Caleb (Sam Hazeldine)? How was he able to disappear? And why are people returning from the dead? As much as I enjoyed this season, I expect to get answers at some point. A second season might be tough for Resurrection because the cat is out of the bag. Much of the small town innocence that makes the show appealing is gone now that the military is involved, but that doesn’t mean it can’t return. I hope ABC announces a second season for Resurrection because not only do I want answers, I am curious to see where the writers take the show now that the town’s secret is out.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Torn Apart.”

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All photos © 2014 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.