Zoo: The Silence of the Cicadas Recap

Synopsis for 1×03: Animal attacks are intensifying and a Frenchman is wandering around the world, gathering up a team to fight against it. There’s a radioactive Japanese island, lies, and a few more deaths before the end of this week’s episode. Onward!

Rating: ★★★★☆

First things first, I don’t actually understand the title of the episode. I think I completely missed any mention of silence or cicadas. So if you’re into this show because you think there were going to be cicadas, prepare to be disappointed.

One thing I appreciate about Zoo is that the story is one flowing narrative. Since it is based on a novel, it is easy to step away from the procedural style of television that is common on network television. Even without self-contained episodes, the show never wastes a beat, and this week’s episode is no different. It began right where last week’s episode left off, with Chloe getting a crash course in just how bad the animal attack problem is. Our mysterious Frenchman convinced her to join the cause, and showed he exactly what animals all over the world are doing. The weirdest part? They’re attacking tourists. Guess they like them about as much as locals do.

If you’ll recall from last week, Jackson and Abraham were on their way to Tokyo. They arrived, and when they got to the address Jackson’s mom had given, they discovered a woman there. She recognized him, he didn’t recognize her, and it turned out that she was his stepmom. His dad had remarried without anyone knowing, at the height of his breakdown.

Back in LA, Jamie was still insistent that the corporate giant Raiden Global is behind the attacks. Mitch was, as always, skeptical of her claim. She wanted to investigate, he didn’t, but Jamie managed to convince him to travel to her home in New Orleans to talk with a senator. The senator had been going after Raiden Global for years, and Jamie told Mitch that the Telegraph (which she no longer worked for) would foot the bill for them to both go down to New Orleans. He was stupid and finally agreed.

Jackson’s stepmom, meanwhile, gave them the next clue in finding the rest of his father’s research. Apparently Jackson’s father had found an island somewhere off the coast of Japan that demonstrated the anomalies he claimed existed. The catch? It was close to Fukishima, the reactors leaking radiation after the huge tsunami hit Japan. It would be dangerous for them to go, but apparently danger means nothing to them as they got in a plane and headed that way. Unfortunately, while they were in the air, a swarm of bats slammed into the plane causing it to crash.

Another character was introduced this week in the weirdest way. Viewers were shown a man who is facing the death penalty. He’s getting a haircut, figuring out his last meal, and speaking with the Warden one last time in an attempt to be convinced that he should make amends with the wife of one of the men he killed. He initially refused, but then looked out the window and saw a wolf. It made him change his mind and he offered to talk to the woman.

Jamie and Mitch made it to New Orleans, but when her credit card bounced, he quickly became suspicious. She admitted that she had spent the last of her money getting them there, and begged him to stay and see the senator with her. When he continued to disagree, she insisted that he at least allow her to show him something. She led him to her mother’s grave and explained the damage Raiden Global had done to her home town and the people in it. He agreed to finally talk to the senator.

After the plane crash, both the pilot and Jackson’s stepmom were dead. In light of a rescue plane coming soon, the two decided to head into the heart of the island to try and find Jackson’s dad’s lab. Even though there were potentially dangerous levels of radiation, they pushed through anyway. First, they were greeted by eyeless horses. Then, as they explored, they revealed more of his father’s research. Jackson’s dad, who had been thought to be crazy, turned out not to be so crazy after all and had research to prove his theory that animals were evolving to fight against humans.

Back at the prison, things just got weirder and there was a slow build leading up to a wolf attack.The prisoner made his amends, insomuch that he didn’t actually apologize for anything. He explained that he had been walking in the woods and saw the woman’s husband and a hunting party out looking to kill. Something had come over him and he attacked them all. The hunters became the hunted, and he would do it again and again in order to protect the animals.

Once she left, everything came to a climax as the wolves he’d been seeing all around the prison came to his aid. The prison was overrun with wolves who killed without mercy as he stood by and seemed somehow to understand what was happening.

In New Orleans, Jamie talked to the senator to no avail. Thankfully, after the senator was done being an ass, Mitch stuck it to him. They ended up at a local bar where Jamie drank herself silly and then went to call her uncle. As Mitch stayed by the bar, keeping a watchful eye over her, our favorite Frenchman approached him and offered him a spot on a team. He knew a lot about what Mitch and Jamie were doing, and Mitch agreed to go with him on one condition: they take Jamie, too.

On the island, with radiation levels spiking, Jackson and Abraham grabbed what they could and ran out to meet the rescue chopper. However, it wasn’t an ordinary rescuer. It was Mr. Frenchman, coming to offer them a spot on the team as well. Without many options they agreed and were whisked away. In the end, all of them were stuck in a room together where the man behind the curtain was finally revealed. The best part? Chloe would be heading up the whole thing on his behalf as they worked to investigate the strange animal attacks.