Reverie Recap: Pas De Deux
Last episode we had the dark, terrorism stuff, and we learned that no one is really being completely honest with Mara. What are they going to throw at us this week? Let’s find out…
“You need to get outside.”
We meet Holly, a woman in a wheelchair. She enters Reverie, and we see that she used to be a ballet dancer. She’s mobile, dancing, graceful. Obviously, she misses dancing. She misses the stage–except, there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the audience?
Holly’s doctor is someone from Mara’s past–a psychologist named Chris. Sounds like she ghosted him after the death of her sister and niece. He’s a bit sensitive about it. Holly started Reverie after an accident that put her in the wheelchair, and now she’s been in the Reverie for 16 hours. It’s officially a health problem now.
Paul seems a little jealous after realizing Mara and Chris were once an item…interesting. Charlie also knew Chris too.
Mara’s first trip into Holly’s reverie is interesting. She picks up right away on the lack of audience. Holly has no idea she’s been in the program for 16 hours. She has no intention of leaving, however. She ditches Mara right away.
“Why no audience?”
Mara, Chris and Paul talk about what Holly’s motivation might be, and Mara brings in Holly’s sister, Vivian. The sister apparently used to dance too, and now runs a teaching studio. There’s definitely a story here. Mara finds out about Holly’s ex, Zeke. Vivian tells Mara that Zeke dumped Holly right after the accident.
Chris asks Mara to dinner. Is that heating back up? Chris later talks to Charlie a little, and it sounds like Charlie is a little leery of Chris’ motivation. He doesn’t want to see Mara’s progress halted.
At dinner, Mara and Chris talk a little about Holly, but also about each other. Mara returns a book of Chris’ that she’s had for the past 2 years. She never did read it. They look like they’re going to kiss…but don’t. Mara has an idea, and goes back into Holly’s reverie.
She decides to ask Holly for a dance lesson. It seems to draw her out a bit, and they connect. Then…Mara asks about Zeke. Holly boots her.
“I want to learn how to do that.”
Mara finds Zeke. She finds out that Holly actually dumped him. He had wanted to stick around, and Holly dumped him right after the accident.
Mara talks to Paul, and finds out that the doors in Holly’s reverie have to go somewhere.
Holly develops an embolism, and it becomes a life or death situation. Holly has to come out, or she will likely die, and soon.
Mara tries one of the stage doors…and finds a cottage on a meadow.
There’s a little girl in the cottage. She looks a bit like Zeke. She says she’s Holly’s daughter. Maybe an expression of what might have been? What Holly had wanted? Apparently, Holly had been pregnant when she had her accident. She lost her baby and her mobility at the same time. When Mara tells her that she’s dying, Holly basically says she has nothing to live for, and she doesn’t want to go back out there.
“I have to go. And you do too.”
Mara seems inclined to respect Holly’s decision, but Alexis wants to shut Holly’s BCI down and kick her out. She’s horrified that Holly wants to use it in a palliative manner.
Of course, Mara is determined to try again.
She’s also a bit pissy with Chris for not telling her about Holly’s lost child. Chris is still pissy about their past. His advice to Mara hits a nerve.
Mara visits Vivian again, and finds out that Vivian is ill. She has MS, and she never told Holly. Mara thinks maybe taking care of her sister might be something that will motivate Holly to rejoin her life.
“Viv is better off without me.”
Of course, Mara is right. It works, and Holly comes out. What Mara says to her about people needing her sounds like part of what convinced her to rejoin the world after the death of her sister. It sounds like she withdrew from everyone. It sounds like Mara is trying to remind herself of these things as much as she’s trying to convince Holly.
Before Holly leaves, though, Mara helps her put together one last recital with her reverie-daughter. It’s sad and lovely.
Holly rejoins the world, and immediately begins taking care of her sister, helping her with admin work at the dance school as well as running the students through their exercises. She seems happy.
Paul tries to be nice about Chris. It’s obvious he doesn’t really want to be. Mara talks to Chris, and they seem to reconcile a little. Mara apologizes for ghosting him, and admits she still has some healing to do. Mara visits her brother in law in the hospital. Apparently, even though he shot himself in the head, he didn’t die. He’s in a coma.
The look on Mara’s face is pretty dark.
Yikes. So, we found out a bit more about Mara’s past in this one, and that she’s still not entirely doing too great. Now that we know that Ray is still alive, where’s that going to go?
Previous Episode: Altum Somnum
Next Episode: The Black Mandala
JL Jamieson is a strange book nerd who writes technical documents by day, and book news, reviews, and other assorted opinions for you by night. She is working on her own fiction, and spends time making jewelry to sell at local conventions, as well as stalking the social media accounts of all your favorite writers.