TV Review: Every Soul Shall Taste Death In ‘Revival’ Episode 9

A gentle humming lullaby echoes in a concrete room — a prison cell, isolated from others in a bleakly lit Riverside. The same one, specially made in earlier Revival episodes for one particular captive. On the floor, Em Cypress (Romy Weltman) sits in a dazed fugue state. Slack. Trapped. Dirty. But not alone.

Patty Cypress (Laura Jean Chorostecki) sits opposite her daughter, humming. Blood stains her shirt in several places, slicks her hair, and drips down the side of her face. This is not the Patty that held the Cypress family together. This is Em’s Patty, a spectral manifestation of her guilt and psychosis. Apparently, the Mother of Babylon has mom issues to work out.

Across town, bubbles roil to the surface. A golden glow radiates from the riverbed, casting warm light on dark trees. Those waiting at the shore stare excitedly over the occurrence and scramble to their positions. A rasping wail echoes between the oaks and birches and maples, carried on the night air. The Angel has come, born anew from the sacred waters of Moore Creek. Just as Blaine Abel (Steven Ogg) predicted. Only, the witnesses are not alone. Another sound punctuates the still forest between the ghostly wails — gunshots and screaming.

Revival’s frantic lead-up to the season finale is as much about mothers as it is about setting the stage for the impending confrontations between big bads General Cale (Konima Parkinson Jones) and Blaine Abel with the Cypress sisters and their allies. If Em is the Mother of Babylon, as Blaine boldly declares, Moore Creek is her gateway. The problem is that’s about as far as the metaphor goes.

Caught by General Cale with Rhodey’s (Kaleb Horn) help, Em’s grip on reality begins to slip. Something Cale cannot afford as she plans to move the Revivers to another secret facility known as Ember Point. That seems to hinge on Em’s lucidity, which at the moment is tenuous at best. Cale suggests that further testing will center on Em, who heals faster, fights harder, and has a higher propensity toward violence than any other Reviver.

Desperate to find Em and bring her and Rose’s murderer to justice, Dana (Melanie Scrofano) arrests Blaine Abel. During questioning, Wayne (David James Elliot) reveals more of why Abel is so desperate to redeem his name. His preacher father swindled people of their life savings by sticking nails in his hands to simulate the stigmata. Abel lost everything. His mother left, and his father died soon thereafter. Though he still steadfastly believes he is God’s chosen.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ken Dillisch (Conrad Coates) learns General Cale’s plan to move Revivers from his wife Diane (Precious Chong). He informs Dana and Wayne that Em has been captured and that they need to make a plan. Dana, Wayne, Ken, Ibrahim, and May Tao (Katharine King So) band together to rescue the Revivers before Cale disappears them for good.

There’s still the matter of Blaine Abel. The gang learns how missing Reviver Wanda Peterson (Marcia Bennett) died. They also learn Blaine’s militia plans to break into Riverside to kill Revivers using his angel. But, with his day-glow angel gone, all he needs to do is wait for a new one to appear. Cue the Passenger’s birth at Moore Creek and the mysterious gunman.

Revival is a well-oiled machine. The writers and creators are great at succinctly wrapping up plot threads, creating compelling characters with great stories. Unfortunately, Episode 9’s mother metaphor is lost in frenetic pacing as we cut between so many characters.

With so many things happening, some decisions lose impact, and others make no sense. As a result, the Reviver escape sequence, which is supposed to be an action-packed victory, loses steam. I would’ve loved to see more development of the central theme.

Some of those extra items include May Tao’s appearance at the station. Lester Mayjack’s (Peter Millard) monologue about thugs in fatigues and ageism is a great speech, but an unnecessary vehicle to introduce Nella’s (Lanette Ware) Reviver Underground Railroad beneath her bar.

Dr. Ibrahim Ramin’s (Andy McQueen) soul-searching and guilt in the episode just don’t hit. Ibrahim does make critical discoveries regarding Moore Creek water and Em, which creates the conditions for the showdown between Abel and the Cypresses. But, he also makes a completely out-of-character decision to bring a gun into an interrogation room and leaves it unattended before Blaine while he puzzles out the connection.

There are simply too many stories stuffed into the episode to have any meaningful impact. Things happen, pieces are arranged. I can only hope these decisions come together for a thrilling season finale.