On this episode of Wayward Pines, “Time Will Tell,” Yedlin tries to communicate with Margaret, believing she could be the town’s only hope for survival. While the Abbies’ numbers swell outside the fence, Jason readies for war and CJ looks back on the past 2,000 years.
At the rate things are going for the residents of Wayward Pines, there won’t be anyone left for a third season. No food, no meds and they are surrounded by angry Abbies. They also have a huge teen pregnancy problem. Oh, wait, that’s a good thing. With all the preggos running around, the future of mankind is safe since nobody wants to see young mothers get ripped to shreds.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret
After his chat with Hassler, Dr. Theo Yedlin heads back to the lab and confronts Megan about the symbol on Margaret’s hand. She brushes it off as something “tribal” which is exactly Yedlin’s concern. Mags is part of a tribe, a group smart enough to come up with a design and use a tool. There’s also the issue of how Margaret got inside, something nobody has been able to explain. She’s not there by accident, and Yedlin has clued in to the fact that the humans better start figuring out what’s going on in Margaret’s head, or bye-bye mankind.
While Yedlin is using flash cards, food pellets and visual cues to try and communicate with Margaret (Megan’s sole purpose appears to be only to arch her eyebrow and have a quizzical brow), we get a little backstory on C.J.
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C.J. Encounters an Early Abbie
C.J. gets a wake up call in 2034. With everyone else snug in their pods, he makes sure the world is starting to fall apart as Pilcher predicted it is. C.J. also has janitorial duty and wipes down the cryo-chambers of Pilcher’s A-squad. Still questioning if he should have imbibed in the Kool-Aid, C.J. tucks himself back in for a snooze.
He wakes up again in 2514, and we learn that C.J. has been up every few decades. He has the same routine: he opens the windows to air the joint out, gets some exercise, tosses a coin in a glass jar and makes a move in a chess game he’s playing against himself. By now, he’s starting to go a tad stir crazy, and the bulk of the human race is hanging on by a very thin thread.
C.J. ventures out for a walk in the woods and comes across Griffin who appears to be an early example of how man devolved or mutated into the future Abbies. The two fish and hang out, but Griffin’s a bit off and since C.J. can’t bring back any strays, he tries to sneak off in the middle of the night. Griffin awakens and has a hard time taking a hint. C.J. does the humane thing and snaps the poor guy’s neck, saving Griffin from any further suffering.
The Abbies Have the Ball
Yedlin and Megan make some progress with Margaret. When Megan tries to give her food, Margaret indicates that she would prefer her fellow imprisoned Abbies get it instead. Yedlin views this as Margaret having empathy toward her “lessers” (the mark on her palm being a sign of power). Megan remains unconvinced that there’s anything especially useful about Margaret, but Yedlin insists she’s an intelligent being who just might be able to help them. The Abbies have the numbers, and without a Hail Mary by the home team, the Aberrations will win the game.
It’s the End of the World As He Knows It
In 3214, when C.J. awakens, the dystopian future Pilcher predicted appears to be in full swing. C.J. also has visions of his dead wife, Eileen. He thinks she’s come for him, and part of C.J., if not all, is eager to go. He feels he’s cheating death. C.J. has seen some pretty horrible things, and he describes them to Eileen. Basically, the guy had a front-row seat for doomsday. That’s gotta leave a mark.
Too Little, Too Late
Hassler busts into the lab and demands that Megan and Yedlin let Margaret out. She has the mark, and all those Abbies are gathering for her. It’s time to turn her over because they want their leader.
Megan decides to run and tattle to Jason and Kerry, but Yedlin pleads with Hassler to help him. He knows they’ve underestimated the Abbies, and he’s trying to rectify the situation. Hassler believes it’s too late.
That’s What the Snooze Button is For
At long last, in 4014, C.J. gets to wake up the rest of the sleepyheads. Pilcher is eager to check out the new world. They head into the lush forest, and Pilcher spots his first Abbie. C.J. warns Pilcher not to move and recounts his encounter with Griffin. Pilcher, who looks like a member of the Lollipop Guild next to C.J.’s imposing frame, is shocked that the mutation hasn’t run its course. C.J. suggests that maybe they should go back to sleep, but Pilcher figures if you can’t beat them, drive them back and build a giant electrified fence to keep them out.
From the beginning, C.J. was empathetic towards the Abbies, not wanting to drive the creatures from their settlement and steal the Abbies’ land for their own use. (You don’t have to be hit over to head to see the similarities between Pilcher’s disciples and the early colonists). But Pilcher was convinced they didn’t possess any intelligence or sense of community. He arrogantly believed that man would win.
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No Take Backs
Jason and Kerry arrive in time to make a bad situation worse. The Abbies’ numbers continue to swell. Hassler thinks they’ve gotten themselves into a turf war. Margaret’s age would indicate she was there when Pilcher pillaged the settlement. Jason remains as Alpha male and clueless as ever. He’s up for a fight, but Yedlin warns Jason he’d better be prepared to lose.
In 4016, as the ill-fated Group A are ready to be introduced to the new world, C.J.’s waxing philosophical about his life choices. Megan doesn’t understand where his dour attitude is coming from. He wonders what the time lost would do to their souls. He warns Megan that Group A might not be so grateful to learn they were stolen from the world they knew. We all know how that turned out.
Better Off Dead
Yedlin does a little trust exercise with Margaret which involves him sticking his hand into one of the other Abbie’s cage. He suffers a nasty bite, but one piercing shriek from Margaret stops the attack from going any further. Yes, she’s definitely the HBIC.
Jason decides to go another way and proceeds to shoot and kill all the captive Abbies. He turns the gun on Margaret but Yedlin disarms him. Kerry suggests that eliminating Margaret isn’t the best idea Jason has ever had.
Hassler is disgusted by what’s left of mankind and maintains that the Abbies will replace them. Megan and Yedlin are left alone with Margaret, and in spite of what she’s witnessed, Megan just isn’t on board with Yedlin’s plan. He decides to head to the hospital for a breather, inexplicably leaving Megan alone with one pissed off Abbie.
Margaret saw the key code Yedlin punched in reflected in nearby glass. She quietly slips out of her cage and slices a vein in Megan’s ankle. She doesn’t feel it until she’s lost too much blood and then, it’s too late.
Kerry and Jason turn to C.J. for answers. After all, he’s been there since the beginning. Technically, since the end and the beginning. Jason wonders if they woke up too soon. C.J. says they’ve stolen centuries, but they can’t take it back so why discuss it now? In other words, “I told you so.”
Will man survive? Only time and ratings will tell.
Wayward Pines airs Wednesdays at 9pm on FOX.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
