Bubbling Tensions
We’re 136 days before the next annual Purge and things are really starting to heat up on The Purge. The bubbling tension for our quartet of storylines, along with some nice plot twists, certainly appear to be gearing up toward another predicted Purge outcome during the season finale. We begin in Brazil with two girls discussing an upcoming Purge trip to the States. As one of them heads out to the bathroom, the other plots to kill on Purge night. From here, we shift across to Ryan in Louisiana, lamenting the lack of Tommy’s involvement during his planned heist. Things start to go awry immediately when the residents refuse to let Karl examine the contents. Back at the safe house, they weigh up their options before deciding to go ahead with the heist anyway, despite things not going to plan. As the weekend approaches, they put their plan into action and go after the safe while the house is empty. After some time, they run into issues as the residents return home and shoot Karl in the face, leaving Ryan and the others trapped inside. With nowhere else to go, they call the police and turn themselves in. However they’re taken off the beaten track en-route as it’s revealed that Ryan made a deal with their former boss. Michelle suggests going for dinner with Marcus after the issues they’ve been through previously. However, he gets distracted when a message comes through from an unknown number regarding his forum post. Whoever they are, they have information regarding the person who tried to Purge him. As he meets his contact, he learns there’s a heavy price to pay for the name. That price comes from being forced to patch someone up at his house, just as Michelle arrives home and sees the carnage firsthand. It turns out Sam Tucker is the name of the person who tried purging him. Unfirtunately he’s also the person who had an affair with Michelle. Esme’s storyline begins 10 years prior, speaking Spanish and with her Father at home. She spends some time with her sister Sophia in her room, where she learns her Father has been abusing her. As we cut back and forth between the present and past, we see Esme locking her Father outside on Purge night and listening as he’s killed by armed thugs. Back in the present, it turns out Esme has been tracked by the authorities and together with her sister, finds a tracker in her bag. Ben sets up a double date but the girls don’t trust Andy, the guy from the weapon store last episode, given he keeps talking about The Purge in every conversation. Later on, Ben and Andy discuss this in his room, where Ben admits to killing the man by the farm, prompting Andy’s demeanour to change immediately. Sensing he may inform the authorities, Ben stabs him repeateadly and kills again. The dormitory is evacuated thanks to the fire alarm going off, leaving Ben stranded outside and Andy dead in his room. When he manages to slip back inside, Andy’s body is nowhere to be seen. However, as it happens he managed to slip into the elevator and as the doors open, the kids downstairs scream as his lifeloss, bloody body slumps against the wall. There’s some good development this week with the four different stories and although Esme’s isn’t quite as strong as the other three, there’s enough drama and tension here to make for a thoroughly enjoyable episode nonetheless. Given the doubts I had about the show surviving away from the chaos of Purge night, The Purge has absolutely proven me wrong so far and delivered an impressive first-half to this show. Quite what the second half holds in store remains to be seen but fot now, The Purge is certainly going the right way to exceed expectations and deliver a much more consistent season of entertainment compared to last year.
