Season 3, Ep. 7: These Fragile Lives
1 — In the clinic, Kristi asks Fatima how long these cravings for rotten vegetables have gone on. Fatima responds about a week. Kristi says if she was somewhere else, she would say Fatima has a psychosomatic pregnancy — a rare condition where someone’s body believes she is pregnant.
Marielle tells Fatima no one is calling her a hysterical pregnancy. Not long ago, Boyd had worms under his skin that no one else could see. They aren’t ruling anything out.
Kristi says she might have been pregnant in the beginning. Fatima gets angry and says she is still pregnant and she can feel it right now. Ellis gives her a glass of water, and Fatima reacts violently throwing the glass away — shattering on impact on the ground. Fatima apologizes for the outburst. Kristi says it’s been a long day and her body has been under a lot of stress. Kristi offers to keep Fatima in the clinic for the night and Ellis can stay, too.
Fatima stands up and says she wants to go back to the Colony House. Ellis says it’s raining, she should wait. Fatima gets more aggressive because he wants to protect her from fucking rain. She bolts out of the clinic. Boyd asks Ellis to go catch up to her. Marielle tells Kristi she will also stay at the Colony House to bring along an IV in case Fatima needs it during the evening.
Kristi scolds Boyd. He should have told her about the rotten vegetable cravings before she performed the Ultrasound. Boyd responds it wasn’t his place to reveal that secret. Kristi says she can’t help if she is in the dark. Boyd asks if she is done yelling or wants to chime in on how to move forward with Fatima’s condition.
Kristi says either something is growing inside Fatima that they can’t see or this place has finally gotten to her head and made her believe that she is pregnant. Boyd asks how can they figure out which one it is. Kristi doesn’t know. Boyd turns mean and asks Kristi to do her fucking job and figure it out.
2 — In the Colony House, Victor tells the puppet named Jasper that he is not afraid of him and that it needs to talk. Victor knows he can talk.
Henry knocks at the door and tells Victor he can’t keep doing this. He was awake all night, and now all morning trying to make the puppet talk. Henry could hear Victor yelling at the puppet from downstairs. He tells Victor this isn’t healthy. Victor says the puppet needs to talk and tell him what he said to Christopher 40 years ago.
Henry tries to reason but Victor takes the puppet and leaves to be in a silent place.
3 — Tillie asks Elgin what he is doing. He says he made a chime for Fatima. She has been down lately and thought these might cheer her up. Tillie says that’s adorable and she thinks Fatima will like it.
Tillie leaves Elgin. Suddenly, the Polaroid camera shutter clicks and whirs on its own. Elgin is startled and slowly approaches the camera and freezes when he sees the photo pop out from the camera. The screen doesn’t reveal what it is yet.
4 — In Fatima’s bedroom, Marielle sets up an IV needle and the saline bag while Fatima sits on her bed. Marielle says Fatima is lucky the ambulance provided more supplies to the town. Kristi used to have makeshift saline glass bottles. Fatima answers sarcastically: “Yeah, so lucky.”
Marielle says she understands Fatima. She still remembers those bugs crawling on her body and not just her. Randall and Julie also experienced the same. Fatima asks how she overcame that. Marielle says she reminds herself it was not real, that it is just fear. Fear can only break her if she lets it.
Fatima says what she experiences is different. Marielle says she can’t be sure that to be true. Fatima says she is. Marielle proposes to eat small bites of normal food at a time.
Fatima says she is not eating garbage because she is afraid or broken. It is happening because it is making her. Ellis enters the bedroom and asks if everything is okay. Marielle says she has just finished and tells Fatima she will return tomorrow.
Marielle leaves the bedroom and Ellis closes the door. Ellis says Marielle is just trying to help. Fatima responds this pregnancy and the cravings is happening inside of her. She is the one experiencing this. Why no one is listening to her, she asks. Why is her fucking point of view the only one that everybody assumes is wrong?
5 — Boyd and Donna talk along a path into the woods. Donna says she told Fatima her pregnancy was a miracle. Boyd says they all got a little excited about the baby. Donna asks if maybe Kristi missed anything. Boyd says there was nothing there in the Ultrasound. Kristi told him either there is something there like the worms that were under his skin, but the Ultrasound doesn’t see it, or this place finally got to her.
Donna says: “Like Abby.” Boyd agrees.
Donna says if Fatima is experiencing some worms-under-the-skin type of thing then they have to wait to cross the bridge to find out if an actual baby comes out of Fatima even when the Ultrasound picked up nothing was there, or if it turns out to be psychological they should figure out a way to bring her back before something happens like Abby.
Boyd asks Donna to keep this between the two of them. Donna asks and then what? Boyd will talk to Kristi to see if–
Donna questions him because it is obvious Kristi won’t be able to figure out anything. Boyd goes defensive. He is just telling Donna because they promised not to keep secrets from each other again and Fatima lives under Donna’s roof.
Donna calls him out on that and says: “About that…. while we figure it out, I don’t think it’s a good idea that they stay at the Colony House. I’m going to be there for them, and for you every step of the way. But the truth is, there are two possibilities here, and each one poses a different kind of threat to the people of that house. I have to think about everyone here, Boyd, no matter how much I wanna help you guys.”
Boyd responds maybe he can make some space for Fatima and Ellis at the Sheriff’s station. Donna says it doesn’t have to be today, but just saying it is something they have to take under consideration.
6 — In the old settlement by the lake, Jim helps two residents to pack the remaining food to take back to the town. The female resident says whatever was banging the walls around the shack is likely something different than the monsters at night. Jim says he’ll be glad to have this place in the rearview.
Jim hears Ethan’s voice behind him.
Ethan asks Tabitha if this is the place of her dream.
Jim sees Jade, Tabitha, and Ethan approaching the effigies or wards. Ethan runs to hug Jim.
Jim asks for Julie and Tabitha says that Julie is okay. Jim asks what the hell is going on. Why are they in the old settlement? Jade says it was his idea to bring them here. Ethan says his Mom saw this old settlement in her dream when she was a little girl. Just like Victor’s Mom.
7 — Randall exits the clinic and sees Julie coming in with a backpack. Randall asks if she is moving in to the clinic. Julie says she asked Kristi if she could spend the night at the clinic.
Randall asked why. Julie responds that her whole family is at the old settlement. Randall asks so? Julie says so it is fucking creepy in that house all by herself. She asks what about Randall.
He is evasive and Julie responds what so we get stoned together the other night and now you are gonna be weird towards me? Randall says he is not being weird.
Julie asks where he is going. He says for a walk. Julie asks if he wants some company. Randall says no. Julie says Okay, let me put my bag inside.
<Is it me or Julie flirting with Randall? He rudely just told her point blank he doesn't want her walking next to him and she dismisses that and says she is coming anyway.>8 — The mysterious Polaroid photo the camera spit out on its own turned out to be a photo of the Root Cellar. Elgin stands in front of the Root Cellar door and looks at the photo.
Elgin explores the Root Cellar and finds the cabinet closet. He opens it and it’s empty. As Elgin turns around to leave, a loud and slow knock is heard from the cabinet closet.
Elgin pushes the cabinet closet to the side and discovers a red door behind it. There is a small room with a twin-size bed standing vertically.
9 — Officer Acosta stands before a tomb at the cemetery next to the church. Presumably regretting Nicky’s death — the one who she accidentally shot the night she arrived.
10 — Kenny stands at the empty Diner. He enters the kitchen and opens a jar with Cantonese words. He smells the content. (possibly remembering his Mom, Tian-Chen, by smelling the tea she used to boil).
Acosta enters the Diner. Kenny tells Acosta they no longer serve food here anymore if that’s why she is here for. Acosta asks why there is a Diner here and why there is a Sheriff’s office that looks like a Post Office. Or a Travel Agency sign. What kind of psycho built this place?
Acosta wants to know why nobody asks these questions. Kenny said they did. Acosta wants an answer on what they came up with. Kenny looks silly because there are none. Kenny offers Acosta a tea — possibly his silly smile meant he would answer Acosta like his Mom would. Offering tea to calm Acosta.
11 — In the old settlement, Ethan tells Jade this place is creepy. Jade agrees. Ethan asks how he thinks lived in this old settlement and why they left. Jade doesn’t know but maybe they found a way out of this place. Jade asks Ethan to watch his steps. Ethan is confused. Jade says: “Bear traps.”
Jim… umm…. mansplains to Tabitha that maybe there is a part of her that wants so badly for all of this to make sense.
Tabitha asks Jim if he thinks that she is making this up. Jim says of course not. She had a dream. A terrifying dream when she was a little girl.
Tabitha says it wasn’t just a random nightmare. This is a dream she had over and over again for months. Every night she would wake up screaming. When she says that the totems here in the old settlement are the same ones that she saw in her dream… she asks Jim if he wants her to stop trying or give up.
Jim tells Tabitha that when they arrived he thought he had this place all figured out, but he almost gets Donna killed.
<This is in reference to Jim partnering with Randall to investigate if the monsters were real or if some of the townsfolk were in on the government experiment that Jim theorized. This made Randall paranoid and almost kills Donna.
This happened at the end of Season 2, Ep. 8: Forest For The Trees and continued in Season 2, Episode 9: Ball of Magic Fire.>Jim says Sara heard voices and she tried to murder their child Ethan. Tabitha says those things were different. Jim asks why. Tabitha said those things happened when Randall and Sara were in this place, but her dreams about this old settlement happened when Tabitha was a little girl. She knows Jim is scared. She is scared too. But these things are happening to her and she can’t pretend they are not. One way or another — Tabitha tells Jim — she needs to know. Jim steps away thoughtful. Then turns around to face Tabitha. Jim responds supportively to Tabitha: “Okay.”
12 — Randall and Julie walk through the forest. Julie says her Mom sees these creepy children that need her help and his Dad is freaked out because the last time he went down a rabbit hole about this place, he almost got everyone killed… (Julie notices Randall is distracted not listening to anything she said and adds with a devilish smile to test if he is listening) including this one complete idiot who tied Donna to a tree in the middle of the woods.
Julie asks if he is listening. Randall says Yeah, of course. Your mom and the children, rabbit stuff…
Julie asks Randall what he is looking for in the woods. He says he is looking for Chaga. Mushrooms. Grows in cold weather.
Julie asked where he was heading on the bus before he arrived at the place. Randall was heading to Detroit like everyone else on the bus. She asks what for. He jokingly says to buy a car so he doesn’t have to step on another bus ever again. Julie asks if that’s the truth. Randall says he was just joking. Julie says she never managed to learn how to drive. In Colorado, everyone age 15 can get a license permit, but after baby Thomas died, all those plans stopped.
Julie’s dad was supposed to take Julie to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), but they never got back from their trip. Randall stops to think. He decides to do something and asks Julie to follow him.
13 — Kenny serves Acosta some tea at the Diner. Kenny explains people who arrive at this place for the first time try to figure out this place. All the people who already lived here for a long time, newcomers think they might have given up or accepted this place. So the newcomer comes with the mindset that he is the one who gets to find a way home.
Acosta says she was not built to accept things the way they are and just sit there because she failed.
Kenny says he has met many people who do the same thing and he was on the other side she stands on. The thing you come to realize is that every question you are asking has been asked before. Every theory that you have, someone else has had before you, and at some point, you either adapt or you lose your mind.
Kenny explains he lost both his parents to this place. They have the talismans to protect their homes at night but that wasn’t always the case. Acosta asks what people did before without a talisman. Kenny said they used to hide as best they could. Kenny wasn’t in this place back then. Not many people alive now that lived here back then.
Acosta asks Kenny where the talismans came from. Boyd found the talismans out in the forest one night. Acosta asks if that is why he acts like the king of the world. Kenny says he is not like that. Acosta questions his assessement. Boyd is kind of a dick, she replied.
Kenny says she didn’t meet him under the best circumstances. Acosta says he took her gun. Kenny says can you blame him? Acosta says she is gonna have to carry the weight of that accidental shot that killed Nicky for the rest of her life.
Kenny tells Acosta that the Colony House has a lot of clothes she can use to be more comfortable. She is still wearing the police uniform she arrived on.
Acosta loses her mind and tells Kenny she doesn’t want the fucking clothes, his fucking tea, or his adapt-or-die philosophy. She doesn’t plan to get comfortable here.
The jukebox starts to play “O-o-h Child” by Five Starships.
Kenny says the monsters sometimes do that. Acosta asks if the monsters causing the jukebox to play all by itself is another thing they adapt to. Acosta leaves the Diner.
Bakta enters the Diner almost colliding with the speeding Acosta. “She’s taking it well!” Bakta tells Kenny. Bakta asks Kenny if it is okay to open the Diner again to serve food to the townsfolk.
14 — In the Root Cellar, Elgin lowers the twin-size bed from the wall. He explores the small room with his flashlight and removes a tarp from the ground. Elgin discovers a skeleton underneath the tarp. He covers his nose signaling a bad smell.
Elgin turns around and sees the mummified woman in a kimono suit. Elgin asks her if this is the place where it happens.
15 — Victor with the puppet Jasper in his left hand walks toward Sara’s house and knocks on the door. He asks Sara if he can go to her basement. He needs the puppet to tell him a secret.
16 — At the Colony House, Julie asks Randall if the Volkswagen Van isn’t only for emergencies. Randall says this is an emergency. Both enter the van.
Randall instructs Julie on how to drive. She must turn the van on and press the clutch. Shift the lever to “D” and slowly ease off the clutch.
17 — Donna washes the dishes in the kitchen and leans on the sink to rest. A facial expression as if she is holding a heavy weight on her shoulders. She hears a noise behind her and finds Henry opening some drawers. Donna asks what he is doing. Need something?
Henry says he could use a drink. Donna replies: “You know what? So could I. Let’s go.”
Henry follows Donna out of the Colony House.
18 — Boyd enters the Sheriff’s office and notices his drawer is open. He hears a noise to his right and asks who is there. No one replied. Boyd unsheathes his gun and points it in front of him to investigate who is hiding in daylight.
Boyd asks: “What the fuck are you doing?”
Officer Acosta steps out of Boyd’s bedroom.
Acosta says he took her gun and she wants it back. Boyd ignores her and asks her to get out. She responds she won’t leave until he returns the gun. She starts opening drawers to search for it by herself. He says he’s got no time for this. She doesn’t give a shit what he has time for.
Boyd says Acosta shot someone and someone is dead because she panicked.
Acosta says she panicked because she was chased by things that only should exist in a nightmare.
Boyd says they exist in this place and until she can prove that she can handle that, there is not a chance in hell that she is getting anywhere close to a loaded gun.
Acosta measures dick sizes with Boyd. She doesn’t need to prove shit to him because (she removes her ID from her pocket and shows it to him) See this ID? I’m a cop. A real one. Not just walking around in some hand-me-down blazer, playing make-believe.
Boyd responds by asking when she came out of the academy. 2-3 days? She says that’s none of his business.
Boyd says that’s where she is wrong. She is and this place is his business, because he is the one that makes sure that everyone is safe and the one that keeps them alive.
Acosta says that from what she has heard, Boyd has been doing a pretty shit job of that lately. Boyd asks her to get out.
She approaches and stands inches from Boyd’s face. Then slowly repeats: “Give me… my gun.”
Boyd looks her in the eye and smiles. “You want your gun.”
Boyd lifts the U.S.A. map board to reveal a small hole in the wall. He inserts his hand in the hold to retrieve Acosta’s gun.
Boyd unloads the bullet in its cylinder and removes the clip. Then begins to eject each bullet from the clip one by one.
Boyd secures the clip back in the gun and hands it to Acosta.
Boyd says she will get back her bullets when he thinks she deserves them.
Acosta scoffs and starts to leave toward the exit.
Boyd shouts to get her attention: “Hey, the next time you come in here without my permission, you and me are going to have a problem.
Acosta replies sarcastically: “Whatever you say, “Sheriff.”
19 — In the Bar, Donna tells Henry that normally she would ask what type of drink he wanted her to serve, but in this place their menu is kinda limited.
Donna asks if everything is going fine with Victor. Henry is at a loss for words but eventually says no.
This morning when he talked to Victor in his bedroom for a second he had a thought that he wished Tabitha hadn’t appeared at his house or that he had arrived at this place. Things were easier when he thought his son was dead. What kind of father thinks that about his child?
Donna serves Henry another drink when he lifts the empty cup.
20 — Near the old settlement, Ethan asks Tabitha if these 3 red rocks in a circle are the ones from her dream. Tabitha describes it is not just how the 3 red rocks look, she can feel the place with familiarity standing there. She came from that direction and walked to the 3 rocks. She remembers running scared and hiding behind a rock. Jim asks which rock — as if trying to test Tabitha — but she picks the largest rock.
Jade asks what happened next in her dream. Tabitha says that whatever made everyone scream was on the other side of this rock. She would look up and she would wake up every single time.
Jim asks if she dreamed of this place, and supposing that it is true, Tabitha interjects: “Like Miranda did.” Jim resumes: “How does that help us right now?”
Jade says maybe Aristotle got it all wrong. That free will and determinism — Jade changes course and says Miranda said she was chosen. If seeing this place, visions, dreams… if that’s the proof… and you saw this place as a child? You never really had a chance, did you?
Jim asks what Jade means.
Jade says if fate exists, if you were destined to come to this place since you were a child… then one way or another, you were always gonna come to that tree in the road.
21 — In the Colony House’s kitchen, Ellis is leaning facing the sink. Thoughtful. Tillies approaches him and asks about how Fatima is doing. Ellis gives some random comment that she’s doing okay and they are taking it slow.
Tillies tells him that he doesn’t need to pretend with her. Tillie knows about Fatima’s rotten food cravings. Tillie is there for Ellis if he needs to talk. Ellis remains silent for a few seconds, and Tillis begins to leave the kitchen.
Ellis takes a deep breath and says they had an ultrasound last night. There was a portable machine in the ambulance.
Tillis asks if the baby is okay. Ellis says there is no baby. When Kristie looked in the ultrasound monitor, there was nothing there. No baby. Ellis thinks that either there is something there that isn’t human that a machine can’t see, or this place has just broken her mind. Ellis just can’t lose her.
Tillie says he hasn’t lost Fatima. She is still here. A good friend once told her: “Enjoy every moment, and don’t grieve the living before they’re gone.” That’s what Tillie told her family when she got her diagnosis.
Ellis asks why she cares if she doesn’t know them. Tillie says she is old, she has cancer, and she likes a love story. Is that reason enough? Ellis accepts the answer.
23 — Upstairs, Fatima wakes up and the IV needle supplying saline solution into her vein is surrounded by what looks like an allergic reaction. If all she holds is rotten food, and normal food causes her to vomit, then the saline solution should be rejected by the baby, too. Fatima feels a lot of abdominal pain and whimpers. Suddenly, her belly contracted beyond humanly possible. Her rib cage is marked on her skin as the abdomen contracts deep against her backbone. She screams for help. Ellis enters the room to check on her. Tillie follows behind and stays at the door. They don’t see anything abnormal.
22 — On the road, far from town, Randall drives the Volkswagen van enjoying it with Julie. She asks when will be her turn to drive. Suddenly, Randall hears a cicada and realizes what might happen next while he is driving. More cicadas start to land on the windshield. Julie can’t see any of this.
Randall turns on the wipers to crush the cicadas on the windshield and says Fuck you!
Julie asks what he is doing. Randall asks if she can see them. She asks See what? Randall says the fucking bugs. The cicadas are now inside the van and he is swatting them. Randall stops the van and panics with the swarming of cicadas. He opens the door and falls to the ground swatting off the bugs and stands up and continues to desperately try to swat off the bugs from his face and body.
Julie leaves the van and says what the fuck, what just happened? Randall snaps out of it and asks Julie to go home and leaves her on the road. Julie runs after Randall into the forest.
23 — In the clinic, Kristi yells at Ellis. Boyd enters the clinic to witness the conflict. Kristi wants Ellis to put the medicine bottles back in the cabinet. Ellis says she is in pain and he has to do something. He says that the ambulance brought a lot of medicine. Kristi says what he took is not fucking aspirin. Ellis says he came for medicine that can make her stay calm.
Kristi says that the medicine bottles he picked are powerful anti-psychotics. Ellis has no idea what kind of damage that could cause Fatima and the baby.
Ellis says he is not going to sit and do nothing. He is the one sitting there watching Fatima go to pieces.
Kristi says she is a doctor and it is her job to use her brain and not her emotions when deciding the type of medicine to administer to her patients. The pills in Ellis’s hands can make things a lot worse for Fatima. Kristi asks Ellis to give her back the bottles. Boyd seconds her and asks Ellis to return them.
Ellis bolts out of the clinic angry. Boyd follows after him. He knows that Ellis is scared. Ellis asks his father what he is supposed to do. Ellis knows what happened to Boyd with the worms that no one could see, and he knows what happened to his Mom when– (Ellis pauses recoiling from the memory of his mother Abby going insane, killing many people with her gun). Ellis asks which nightmare he is supposed to be afraid of. Fatima is falling apart and he doesn’t know what to do to help her.
24 — In the forest, Julie lost track of Randall. She calls out his name. Suddenly, Julie finds the Tower Ruins — same one Boyd escaped from. This is the first time Julie sees the Tower Ruins. Randall shouts at Julie when he sees her. Julie asks what the ruins are.
Julie asks Randall if he can feel that. Randall tells her they should go now. Julie wants to check out the Tower Ruins. Randall asks her to stop. Julie is convinced now that Randall does feel it too. He denies it. Randall says nightfall is coming soon and they should get that van back to the Colony House.
25 — Fatima enters the greenhouse and pulls the bucket full of rotten vegetables set aside for compost. She tries to grab some of the rotten food but moves away from the bucket in disgust. Her pain comes back and she groans. Tillie enters the greenhouse and holds Fatima. Tillie says she is not alone and she is gonna help her.
Fatima asks Tillie to get off her. Tillie says everything is going to be okay. Fatima tells her to just go. Tillie insists it is going to be okay. Fatima yells: “I said go!”
Fatima’s outburst causes her to grab a shears and stab Tillie in the heart.
Tillie collapses to the ground. Fatima apologizes and says she didn’t mean it.
Tillie grabs her hand and asks her to run. Ellis enters the greenhouse and sees Tillie die.
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