The line between waking and dreaming has further blurred, to the point where the two are almost indistinguishable. Is that the effect of the boy?
Tess shows her sister what she can do in dreams, and Taka’s mother uses it as an opportunity to lock Sabine into the dream, as she had done to herself. Or at least, the cult leader claims it was Kumiko’s idea.
Burton and the boy keep walking between worlds, and when the boy takes him to see the mysterious woman (I’m assuming this part was reality) she’s disheveled and crazy. She says he ‘can’t leave her’, and stabs him in the stomach. The boy takes him to Marcello’s (the real world analogue for the restaurant in the dream. Or is it real?) and leaves a clue for Tess to find them.
Further blurring the line, we see Tess take Burton to the hospital and end up cornered by Bill, and the boy disappears only to have Tess wake up in her car to the sound of his voice. As the cult leader told Taka that the boy can alter space and time, did he just reset reality? Or was that one a warning dream? Tess goes back to Marcello’s, the situation reset to new. This time, she leaves Burton where he is and takes the boy. Taka simply looks confused throughout. He calls an ambulance for Burton.
Taka’s mother is preetty nuts, and obviously, if the cult has to resort to hostage tactics they’re not exactly the good guys either. We’re reminded that the only person with uncomplicated, pure motive is Tess. She just wants her kid.
At least finally, Taka stands up to his mother. When she tries to strong arm and threaten Tess, he shows her his mastery of the dream, and breaks her little peephole room. He’s not putting up with her crap. Maybe he’s starting to regret restoring her?
Tess loses her son again, this time to the cult, and the loop resets. Damn, kid. This time around, Burton seems aware of the loop. Taka too. He tells Tess about Sabine, and Burton says he can call in someone who might be able to help.
He calls in H. Robert, who takes them back into Topeka and tells them that to keep them safe, they’ll need to stay hidden in safe houses under their control. So, while the company had been brokering deals for the boy, it looks like they weren’t really on anyone’s side? What do they want? It’s obvious they have some agenda here, even if it’s only to keep the boy off the board for anyone to use.
Woody tells Tess to take the deal they’re offering. Bill has been following them through every time loop, insisting that he ‘just wants to explain’. He’s getting pretty scary. The loop resets again.
This time, Bill uses his gadget to lock them into one of his rooms before the whole thing can start again. He’s as crazy as Taka’s mother. He insists he ‘saved’ the boy so he could be the good guy and give him back to Tess. Tess tells Taka to press the button the cult gave him to call them when he found the boy…and a crowd of them show up at Marcello’s after the device Bill brought is broken. Tess tells the boy to keep resetting things until they get it right.
It seems like time resets again, but this time when Tess wakes in her car, the boy is strapped into the back seat, along with one of Bill’s devices. They drive off, and Taka, Sabine, and Burton all wake. Taka is fine, but there’s something wrong with Sabine. She’s…odd. The cult may have done something to her. Burton wakes restrained to a hospital bed, and the mysterious woman walks into the room. She intends to put green sneakers on his feet.
Has the cult gained some major footholds here?
Maybe not completely, as we see Marcello’s filled with cult members (they all look dead or comatose), and “My name is James” written on the ceiling. Kid might be able to protect himself.
Well, at least we know his name, now.
Previous Episode: No Task for the Timid
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.