It has been a long wait to find out what has been going in in Pretty Lake since the season finale of Between last year. The first episode of season two “Time Will Tell” sees the remaining 541 survivors struggling to survive. This return to the small doomed Canadian town with its dwindling number of under 21s began again on 30 June.
The rest of the episodes aired on 1 July so the entire second season could be binged in one sitting. While we have seen the entire show, Mike’s Film Talk has opted to cover one episode at a time.
There is one instance, however, where we are going to excitedly reveal a little secret about upcoming episodes of the show. Keep an eye out for Pascal Langdale in later episodes. If the name means little to you, perhaps the character he plays in the the Quantic Dream/Sony video game Heavy Rain will jog your memory. Langdale played Ethan Mars (and the actor’s likeness was used for the game as well.)
(When Pascal appears, despite his being in person versus a computer generated likeness of himself, you keep expecting him to start shouting, “Jason!”)
Episode one of Between begins with a mother and father trying to get into Pretty Lake to be with their son. Harrison and his pals are taunting the guards at the gate. As they refuse to leave the area, the couple searching for their child drive through the minefield trying get in.
They die in a massive explosion.
Food at Pretty Lake is running out and and Wiley is having mysterious and debilitating pains. Adam uses an electric razor to shave his head and trim his beard. He urges Wiley to leave the town and head to a nearby farm house. He wants to test whether they really are contagious.
Adam believes that the government will return to kill off the rest of the surviving population. He urges Wiley to consider the plan if only for Jason’s sake.
Mark catches a young lad stealing booze from his club. He confronts the boy who pulls a knife and stabs Mark. The boy tries to stab him again and misses, falling onto the knife when he slams into the side of a parked car.
The kid dies.
Mark disposes of the body and the kids’ belongings. Adam and Wiley take the tunnel out of the fenced in community. Stacey (Samantha Munro) comes in the bar to find Mark drinking and she asks about the boy. He reveals that the kid died. Stacey tells him that she wants her bar back.
Gord and Frannie drop off food at the orphanage and she takes the dead kid’s backpack. Samantha (Abigail Winter) tells Gord that the kids are hungry and need more food. Chuck finds Harrison fighting for money and he is puzzled about their motives.
Ronnie visits Pat’s (Jim Watson) grave and his dead brother speaks to him. A girl, Renee (Mercedes Morris) walks up and startles Ronnie. The two head to the house to warm up. Adam and Wiley head out of the tunnel after he shoots the lock off.
Harrison and his fight club pal show up at the gate with three thousand dollars and Chuck watches the young boys exchange the money for goods. Wiley and Adam leave Pretty Lake and head to a nearby farmhouse.
Tracey (Jordan Todosey) interrupts Ronnie and Renee and while he pleads with Tracey to depart so he can “get laid,” Renee leaves with the gun. Wiley has another pain and Gord learns that the food he stockpiled for the orphanage has been stolen.
Chuck makes a deal with Harrison. Giving the lad $10K cash he tells him that he wants in. Adam and Wiley reach the farmhouse as Gord accuses Mark of stealing his food.
Soldiers arrive at the farmhouse shortly after and ask the kindly Sandra, if she has seen Adam and Wiley. Lying to the armed men she then makes more food for the couple. Harrison makes the deal with the gate guard as Chuck watches.
Adam and Wiley’s host offers to get some formula for Jason only to learn that she may be infected. Samantha invites herself along to Chuck’s escape attempt with Harrison. Frannie makes dinner with the food she found and Gord tells her off. He also refuses to eat.
Wiley’s pains are getting worse. Gord heads to the barn to shoot Frannie’s cow. The last one on the farm. Frannie is upset and angry. Gord shoots the animal and Wiley finds Sandra has died. The young couple now know that they are contagious.
They return to Pretty Lake.
Harrison and his friend arrive at the gate to set the escape plan in motion. Chuck waits to shoot the soldier with a tranquilizer dart once the gate is opened.
Adam and Wiley return to the tunnel and bump into Liam Cullum (Steven Grayhm) who claims he has a cure for the virus. Chuck shoots the guard. Samantha arrives with the van and they all drive away from the gate.
As the couple confront Liam in the tunnel, there is an explosion and all three take cover.
The second season of Between has continued increasing the tension behind the fence. The survivors have not formed a community. The attempted murder of all the survivors earlier has thrown everything up in the air.
Adam seems to have coped with the stress of killing his father and Wiley worries about feeding Jason. Gord and Frannie are being pushed apart and Ronnie has a severe case of the guilts. The death of the boy who attacked Mark appears to be a portent of bad times ahead.
Chuck escaping with Samantha, Harrison and his friend seems far too good to be true. This venture seems destined to end in tears. Renee is an interesting new addition to the proceedings and at first glance looks to be a good match for Ronnie.
There is not an overabundance of action in this opening episode but the stakes for the survivors are high and it appears that the government are still determined to starve the kids out.
Between is streaming on Netflix. All six episodes are available to watch now. Tune in and check this Canadian offering out and catch up by watching last season’s six episodes.
CAST:
- Jennette McCurdy – Wiley
- Jesse Carere – Adam
- Justin Kelly – Chuck
- Ryan Allen – Gord
- Kyle Mac – Ronnie
- Percy Hynes White – Harrison
- Jack Murray – Mark
- Shailyn Pierre-Dixon – Frances (Frannie)
Mikes Film Talk 