I’m so thoroughly and consistently impressed by Wayward Pines that sometimes I wonder why I even bother to review it, because my praise of it is so predictable. But that’s hardly my fault – Wayward Pines is just really good. I started watching it out of morbid curiosity (and also, to be honest, so I could shit on M. Night Shyamalan) and it’s quickly, confidently become appointment television (Wayward‘s last episode, “The Truth,” might be my favorite episode of TV all year). This week’s “Choices” isn’t quite as jaw-dropping, but it moves the narrative forward, and also manages to squeeze in a tragic, surprisingly robust backstory. Once again, it’s damn good television.
After taking a backseat for a few episodes, it was nice to see Ethan front and center in “Choices.” The lantern-jawed Matt Dillon has a face that strictly forbids tolerance of anyone’s bullshit, so it was interesting to see how Dr. Pilcher’s exposition dump worked on him, as opposed to Ben’s orientation with Mrs. Fisher. Ben is young and more susceptible to the truth; Ethan is a Secret Service agent who deals with lies for a living.
This is really Toby Jones’ moment to shine. Jones is a fantastic actor, often underused (check out Frank Darabont’s The Mist, which he’s great in), and him being relegated to the background was one of Wayward‘s most notable missteps up until “The Truth,” when it was revealed that he was Dr. David Pilcher. I guess I should really learn to just give Wayward Pines the benefit of the doubt at this point. Jones gets to play two versions of Pilcher in “Choices,” and he excels at both. The past version, the one we see in flashbacks, is melancholy and resigned. He sees the change coming – some vague evolutionary change that will damn the world – and knows that he can’t do anything about it by himself. But he believes in what he’s saying, in his cause, and is able to recruit people who lift him up, people like Mrs. Fisher and Arnold Pope (a surprise cameo from Terrence Howard). And it’s through the success of his recruitment that Pilcher gradually becomes the version of himself who runs Wayward Pines. He’s not tyrannical, but he sees things in increasingly black-and-white terms. It’s played as tragedy, and it works, due in no small part to Jones’ expressive eyes and hangdog features. He can’t tell people the truth about Wayward Pines, but more importantly he won’t. The last time he tried, it led to rioting, attempted escapes, and a wave of suicides (“Choices” opens on a great, spooky shot of Pilcher standing in the flaming streets of Wayward, some nice potential foreshadowing).
It says a lot about this show that an episode like “Choices” could be its slowest hour; like every episode of Wayward Pines thus far, “Choices” did not let up. The narrative keeps chugging along, and good luck if you can’t keep up. Theresa is investigating some mysterious plot 33, which may or may not be an escape route (an exiting realtor tells her explicitly that it’s not an escape route, and that she shouldn’t look into it, which just reminds me of Chief Wiggum asking Bart and Ralph, “What is your fascination with my forbidden closet of mystery?”). Kate, Harold, and some heretofore unseen delivery guy are part of a faction that aims to escape, and they’ve retrieved a bomb from the late realtor Peter McCall in order to do so. Ethan swears to Pilcher that he’ll stop them. The lines are being drawn.
The town must be protected.
A Few Thoughts
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That waitress really blew up Kate’s spot, didn’t she? “I’ve seen you talking to Ethan.” Zero chill
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“It wasn’t a right. It was a burden”
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“Has anyone ever lived a life entirely defined by their own choices?”
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“Choices” was, among other things, extraordinarily well edited
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If there’s any real “villain” on Wayward Pines at this point, it’s Theresa’s sexist dickhead of a boss
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