When last we left off, low man on the totem pole Jim was showing his mettle in hand-to-hand combat with two Others lurking around the abandoned industrial zone the Colonists had decided to scavenge. At the start of episode 2.4, “To Have and Have Not,” Jim’s actions still haven’t earned him much respect and, as Sally comments, now “the guys with cattle prods are a threat.”
Oops.
Becka’s right that the survivors are just that—in “survival mode”—prepared to protect absolutely everything they have from outsiders. But surviving the viral apocalypse is a two-way street. While Jim’s jousting skills helped Sally and Becka get away with two entire shopping carts of scavenged parts, they left behind two (or probably more) really pissed off guys with a serious grudge. Or as Reno so poetically calls them (with a sly grin): “Those three monsters Jim got his ass kicked by.”
Tagline of this season’s Colony? “Thanks a lot, Jim.” Maybe it’s symbolic that his bridge collapses on Day 15… and that he happily eats the maggoty fish the others throw away.
Meanwhile, back on the bayou, George looks pretty badass in his metalworker’s apron and Becka’s making everyone forget that she, in a past life, was a model. Not only was Becka Sally’s chosen accomplice on the recent warehouse raid she’s also apprenticing for Reno on gate security detail. But maybe that’s for another reason. Hey, she was a model.
On the diplomatic front, too, Becka heads up the embassy to the still-semi-isolated Michael and Amber, after Sally canvasses the original seven on whether or not to bring the two newcomers into their house and hearts. Hearts might be pushing it, but for the sake of security and under threat of electrocution by cattle prod, they vote the anatomy teacher and the logger in. Current security consists of a wooden plank with the word LOCK sharpied on, and Amber, let’s admit it, has some pretty impressive forearms.
It’s interesting to note, though, that (privately) Michael and Amber reveal their real reason for moving in with the Colonists to be about society, not safety: “Moving into the main house, it brings us right into to where everything happens,” Michael admits to the camera, “We’re the New Colonists, they’re the Old Colonists… now we’re being The Colonists.”
So while Michael and Amber work out their social climbing schemes, Reno—characteristically—just gets down to work. Sian the teacher, who stays out of these blog posts mainly because she stays out of the drama (while staying in the house), is worried about dwindling food supplies. But Reno’s worried about fuel. Escaping from his entourage for the rare moment alone, he considers the his responsibilities.
“I feel like I need to come up with a plan,” he says darkly.
Hair and bandana blowing in the wind, inspiration strikes.
When Reno announces the Colony’s newest engineering project (and a series first), Becka’s eyes widen incredulously—but she’s part of the A-team now, and better not balk now if she wants to keep up with George and Sally, both of whom get singled out as project leaders for their respective metalworking and automotive skills. But Becka gets the seal of approval too, in the form of a coveted high-five from our beloved leader.
Oh, right, I forgot—the project’s a windmill.
But plans get put way on hold when the Colonists wake up at dark o’clock in the morning on Day 15 to, in Jim’s immortal words, “a big-ass fire” set by (guess who?) the Cattle Prod Kids.
“It’s revenge motive,” Deville correctly suggests, just before Sian spots the arson running across the yard outside. Her description may just be the understatement of the season—“It was definitely an unfriendly-looking person.”
Windmill supplies, including the welding mask, get nabbed and Becka solidifies her spot on the A-Team. When (who’da thunk it) Jim wants to go out and fight in a blaze of glory (pardon the pun), she replies with the Colony’s weary motto: “Shut-up, Jim.”
They send Reno instead, alone.
By now the sun’s come up on an even more desolated site than usual, and Sally sits down the crew to discuss the chaos of the night before. It’s Amber, Michael, and Jim in the hot seats for getting too “amped up.” Amber feels “deflated” that she hasn’t been able to prove herself to the group, but Jim doesn’t have much to say, except to the camera: “Reno’s got everyone buffaloed.”
But he’s too busy to care.
“After the fire, I do what I have to do,” Reno says with a shrug. “It’s just back to work, you know?”
Everyone knows soon enough, when Mother Nature sends a big-ass rainstorm to follow their big-ass fire. After the initial excitement of running around in their underwear in the rain, the leaks and waterlogged house get old, fast.
“I’m so happy that the world is ending it’s pouring rain inside my fucking house,” Reno tells his crew. “Grinning ear to ear, baby.”
They may be wet, exhausted, and literally starving, but they have a leader with a sense of humor. That’s got to be worth something, right?
Oh, and we have a downed aircraft, a parachute in the canopy, and mysterious Others kidnapping the pretty girl in the last thirty seconds of the episode. Now who said Lost was off the air…
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Isabela Morales is a History and American Studies student who rabidly reviews indie science fiction at http://thescattering.wordpress.com/
I’m mad that they showed Rebecca getting kidnapped 37 times.
the real funny thing is that they have so much trouble finding food , i used to live in that part of La and there is food everywhere.i used to live like two or three blocks from the area there filming in , but anyway the first thing they need is food and security and i will say it , better weapons , they can make bows , spears , for god sake did no one one that show watch mad max?
I’m actually concerned with the idea of weapons on this show. I know this is a very immersive environment, but with personalities like Jim around asking for knives to cut people into millions of pieces, how safe is it to have machetes, spears and other weaponry around? I would hate to have an actor/volunteer told to act the role of an attacker get their arm sliced off by a panicked Colonist. Also, do they get paid for being on this show? I know that it is not a contest and that there is no prize like in other reality shows such as “Survivor”, but I would hope they get some form of compensation.