Previously on Swamp Thing...
Do you think Alec's boat blowing up was an accident?
Hello?
I don't like the timing.
He was tracking the progress of the disease.
And he thought that he was onto something.
Dr. Jason Woodrue.
You told me your accelerant would make things grow faster.
The accelerant works.
But we've also got a hospital full up with people
with some kind of crazy green flu.
I'm gonna look into it.
No, you're gonna fix it.
Abby, you circled round.
Been through this area twice.
Come on, Landreaux, I wanna make this as quick and as painless...
You don't wanna run from me.
What in the fuck are you?
What happened to your shoes?
Hmm?
Oh.
That's weird.
Guess I, uh, lost them somewhere.
What's a pretty city boy like you doing out here anyway?
Right. Um, no, I was, um...
uh, doing research on the swamp and then, um...
There was a fire.
You don't even remember me, do you?
Kind of.
That's right.
I'm that son of a bitch you murdered.
I am so, so sorry.
You're fucking sorry?
You're dead!
- Stop! - Dead!
Don't! Stop!
I'm coming back for you, you hear me?
I don't get it, Abby.
You brought back the little girl, right?
Shouldn't you be doing a victory lap?
I found something else, Liz.
Someone else.
Okay?
I think Susie Coyle was drawn into the swamp by a man.
I know this sounds insane,
but there is a human being out there.
His entire body was covered in plants... and vines.
And this Susie went to see him because... why?
She said she was called into the swamp to help him.
That he was sick and he needed her.
And... And she told me that this person's name...
was Alec.
Fuck me.
Yeah.
So what did you do?
I didn't know what I was supposed to do.
It was a bloodbath out there,
Susie was going into shock.
I...
ran.
I fucking ran.
Have you told anyone else about this?
I don't know if I should.
I don't believe this.
What?
I have to go to the hospital. Can we talk later?
Yeah, sure.
Hey.
Dr. Troost and the new CDC team arrived this morning.
I take it you didn't know.
Where is he?
Oh, Abby.
What's going on, Eli?
We've been keeping an eye on things from Atlanta,
we felt it was time for a fresh approach.
Yeah, it's... It's an unusual case.
Nonetheless, we need to change tact.
So I'm starting a new drug regimen.
High dose IV Vancomycin and meropenem.
Are you serious?
No, I already have them maxed out on antibiotics...
Dr. Arcane, I'm not looking for a debate...
Excuse me.
Why send a supervisor all the way from Atlanta?
There's another hotshot in the house.
You've heard of Dr. Jason Woodrue?
Yes, the bio-geneticist?
He's... He's certainly not CDC.
Woodrue's in the morgue right now getting up to speed,
re-examining the body of Eddie Coyle.
Apparently, Avery Sunderland is footing his bill.
Avery...
Dr. Woodrue.
Take a close look.
What do you see?
Well, the...
renal medulla is severely constricted by a foreign matter.
Ureteric bud appears bloated, about to burst.
Go on.
Is this... a test?
I prefer to consult with people
who have some vague understanding of the subject matter.
I understand you are supplied to us by Avery Sunderland.
You two old friends?
Please.
The invading organism has adapted to its prey with great specificity.
It's incredible, it's...
part parasite, part carnivore.
Yet entirely plant-based material.
- Mmm. - Big picture.
What else do you see?
What do I see?
I see a man named Eddie Coyle,
a human being that lived,
was raising a little girl, then died,
and was tortured to death by an awful disease.
I'm sorry. Did I say something funny?
No, it's just your...
Your view is quite limiting.
- Miss? - Dr. Arcane.
Abby Arcane.
Nature is brutal.
Life devours life. It's a battle to the death.
To bring emotion to bear taints the scientific vision.
Well, I'm sorry if that makes me biased,
but I'm on the side of humans in this battle.
All life is a zero-sum game, Dr. Arcane.
And today the score is plants, one,
humans, zero.
Hello, Gordon. Love the suit. Brooks Brothers?
No, wait. Now that I see it up close, I'm thinking...
- Men's Wearhouse? - Told you.
- Got nothing to say. - It's a small town, Gordon.
You can block my calls, delete my emails,
unfriend me if it makes you feel better,
but sooner or later, you're gonna talk to me.
I don't know what you think you've got,
but it's complete and utter bullshit.
Then why do you act so damn scared every time I come around?
Look, I know you've been making off-the-books loans to Avery Sunderland.
It's him I want.
Talk to me. I'll keep your name out of the paper.
But you know, when you just ignore me like this,
it kind of hurts my feelings.
- Just give me a sec. - Sure. No problem.
Finally.
Trying to get you on the radio.
We recovered Vern Robitelle's body.
The coroner said he had his throat ripped out.
Deputy Guidry fished a boat hook out of the water nearby.
It's probably the murder weapon.
That's two dead bodies. What the hell happened here?
Whatever it was, you shouldn't have acted on your own.
- There was a little girl missing... - It doesn't matter.
It was reckless.
You follow protocol, you wait for backup.
And I can't help thinking that if Abby Arcane
hadn't been involved, then you probably would have.
So where are we at in the Alec Holland front?
There's no reason to believe that it wasn't just stupid bad luck,
I mean, a spark gets into one of those old outboards,
boom, the whole thing goes up, right?
Mmm-hmm.
Then I'll talk to Avery later in case there's anything else he can add.
If nothing pops up by tomorrow,
then we close it out as accidental.
You know, Ma, we found Susie Coyle.
We found her and brought her back safe.
If Abby Arcane hadn't been involved,
this story might not have a happy ending.
Her vitals look good.
Blood pressure is down.
Has she been awake at all?
Not since I came in.
Harlan was looking after her overnight.
Hey.
Guess you heard about Eli's hostile takeover.
Guy's a dick.
Harlan, are you asleep on the job?
Sorry, Abby.
I know caregivers aren't supposed to get sick on your watch but...
You know how it is.
Harlan.
Harlan?
Harlan!
Code blue! Crash cart!
On your side, Harlan. Gotta clear your airway. On your side. On your side.
Five cc's epinephrine, two liters O2,
initiate Valium Dilantin protocol.
Dr. Arcane, your mask!
Okay, I need a gurney here now!
It's okay, Harlan. It's okay.
Clear his airway.
Go! On three. One, two, three!
- Okay, put him on his side. - Make sure you clear his airway.
The swelling can get into his throat and constrict his throat.
- Please make sure you... - Dr. Cane, I've got this.
Fuck!
Abby, what's wrong?
It's Harlan. He's come down with the disease.
Shit.
To hell with Avery's secrecy,
I need to get into Holland's lab and figure out what he was working on.
With any luck, it'll point me towards a cure.
Alec had to be on to something.
It's a Hail Mary, but it's all I've got.
Be careful.
Yeah.
You got eyes on her?
Traveling the north 40.
Do me a favor.
If you ever get to Skeeter Cove,
keep your eyes out for any debris from Holland's boat.
Humor me.
Don't I always?
So when the hell are you coming home?
Tonight? Tomorrow?
As soon as I get a kill.
Well, I ain't waitin' forever.
I gotta go.
What the hell?
I wish you could've seen it, Caroline.
The rate of mutation is just astounding.
It sounds almost as if the genes are being swapped
between cells outside of sexual reproduction.
Which makes genetic advances thousands of times more rapid
than we ever dreamt possible,
but it's not just because of the accelerant.
There's something...
There's something specific about the mutagenic properties of this place.
It's nice to see that fire in your eye.
That passion, thirst for knowledge.
I know an extended visit to Marais, Louisiana,
was not high on your bucket list but...
Jason.
Have you seen my pills?
My pills. I thought I set them on the counter.
That's 'cause you already took them.
See?
There you go.
They're all gone.
I'm sorry.
We knew there was gonna be episodes like this, right?
So, it's gonna be okay.
I'm slowly losing my mind.
And we both know it.
Listen to me, sweetheart.
I refuse to accept that your condition is incurable.
Because I refuse to accept my life without you.
Yeah.
Jason...
What if I forget you?
No.
Listen, I know it's been very stressful
with Abby being in here and all, dredging up these... Well, the memories.
At least you'll be going soon.
I just wanna see you back to your old self is all.
The thing is, Avery...
I am back to my old self.
I've just been faking it for the last 14 years,
and that's the problem.
I'm faking it as hard as I can,
because if I don't,
I just sink back to my old self.
- Mr. Sunderland? - Yeah?
Gordon Haas is here?
Gordon Haas?
What the hell is he doing here?
You tell him to call me in the morning.
Yes, I tried that, sir.
Gordon...
What the hell?
Gordon, I'm in the middle of dinner.
It couldn't wait.
The bank's been asking questions.
You know my situation. I got enough investors on the hook.
As soon as they see the results of my swamp study...
You're not hearing me. I'm done.
I'm out.
I don't know how you convinced me to do this in the first place.
Mmm-hmm.
Well, maybe it was 'cause of kickback after kickback,
you greedy little bastard.
If the bank finds out
I'm transferring funds for personal loans for you,
I could go to prison.
Well, that's your job.
So make sure that doesn't happen.
Hmm?
So you just man up.
Yeah. Fix it.
And don't you... Don't you come to my house uninvited again.
No. Avery. No more.
I need it all back. Repaid in full, or...
this town's gonna be awfully surprised when they find out
the mighty Avery Sunderland is actually in debt up to his eyeballs.
You have 24 hours.
So you don't know of anyone
who would want to hurt Alec Holland?
Not a soul.
Well, maybe he had trouble with some locals,
being an outsider and all?
I hardly knew the man.
I need a scientist for my project.
And he was available.
- Something funny? - No.
I've just never seen your professional side up close before.
Lucilia Cable, crime fighter.
Hmm.
I know it is a terrible thing what happened to him,
but if you need to know,
Alec Holland hadn't been at the forefront of my worries lately.
No?
Maria's taken to sleeping in Shawna's room again.
Well,
she's always been complicated.
But you knew that when you married her.
Abby Arcane's return has brought it all back to her.
You know,
it seems like in the past few months,
this entire town's been slipping down
some deep, dark hole.
I just know that more people have died in the last five days
than in the previous five years.
Folks are scared.
I don't blame 'em.
You look good,
Lucilia.
Avery...
I always look good when Maria's cutting you off.
I know you.
- You think so? - I know so.
I know you. I remember you.
And I miss you.
- Wait. Is she home? - No, no, no.
She never comes downstairs after dinner.
- No. - Wait a minute.
No. No.
I...
Well, have I satisfied you on the Alec Holland question?
I'll let you know.
Hi, Mommy.
Shawna, my love.
Do you really think Daddy stayed faithful to you all these years?
Why would you say something like that?
Does he seem like the kind of man
who could stay faithful to anyone, really?
Don't say things like that about your father.
Does he even still love you?
Shawna, what you're saying is cruel.
Or maybe, he keeps you around for some other reason.
Stop it!
May I offer you a drink?
I sure as hell could use one.
That's two things we have in common.
I...
have a confession.
Where is he?
Get the fuck away from me!
Leave her.
I'm that son of a bitch you murdered.
Release him.
You are safe now.
Susie Coyle said you were...
Alec Holland.
Abby...
I saw you that night in the swamp.
After the explosion.
Do you remember what happened?
I was burning.
What am I?
A good man.
A scientist. Someone who could help me
find a way to bring the man I knew back.
I don't understand this disease and why it's fighting us.
Not fighting.
Fighting back.
What's going on?
It's a shit show. All of them are tanking.
- Convulsions, spasms. Two have gone into comas. - Shit.
Harlan.
I mean, we're slamming this thing as hard as we can.
Strongest antibiotics known to man.
But it just keeps fighting.
It's not fighting.
It's fighting back.
I need two syringes.
Five cc's azathioprine,
second syringe, five cc's leflunomide glycol.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
- Right away, Doctor. - Thank you.
Harlan, stay with me.
Thank you.
What the hell is going on here?
You're administering immunosuppressants?
The antibiotics are just making things worse.
Their immune systems are the only thing keeping them alive.
They're never going to outgun this.
It is mutating at lightning speed.
The more we fight it, the harder it attacks back.
- Get security. - Harlan, stay with me, stay with me.
I lose you, who's going to keep me honest?
Get her outta here!
- Look. Look! - Doctor, the BP is dropping.
190, 185...
- Temp is down to 101. - Harlan, Harlan, Harlan.
Hey, hey, hey, Harlan.
Hey.
Hey. Do you know where you are?
Do you know who I am?
Nicki Minaj.
I'm your biggest fan.
Five cc's azathioprine, five cc's leflunomide glycol for every patient.
Do it.
- Hey, you. - Hey.
How you feeling?
- Better. - Good.
We're trying a new medicine, and I think it's working.
You saw Alec again, didn't you?
Mmm.
I want to help him, but I'm...
I'm not sure how.
He doesn't understand what's happening to him.
He's so scared and he's all alone.
Guess we're both alone now.
Hey.
We're gonna figure this out, okay, sweetie?
- Okay. - All of it.
I promise.
But you need to get some sleep.
You need a good night's rest.
Okay.
We'll talk about this in the morning, okay?
- Dr. Arcane? - Hmm?
Thank you so much for helping us.
You're welcome.
Avery.
What are you doing in here?
Well, if you won't come to my bed,
I guess I gotta come to you.
- You want something. - Yes. To apologize.
I've been insensitive. I should've understood that
Abby coming back here would
trigger all these awful memories for you.
- It's been difficult. - I know, honey.
I don't wanna lose you, Maria.
And I don't want us to ever lose sight
of what we've been working for,
all these years.
Together.
"Together?"
Oh, Maria. We are so close.
Dr. Woodrue, he just needs one more tranche of funding,
to pinpoint the exact makeup of these accelerated processes.
You need money.
No. Specifically, you need more of my family's money.
Well, you know, like we discussed,
once people discover what we've found,
we're gonna have...
The offers are gonna be rolling in.
We're gonna be set for, well, forever, Maria.
No.
I don't think so.
I understand you're not accustomed to hearing it.
But the answer is no.
What're you talking about, Maria?
I just brought Dr. Woodrue down here.
Now, we are close to a major breakthrough.
It's my money.
And I've been funding this nonsense of yours long enough.
And I've had enough of you throwing
our life savings into that swamp,
and chasing your delusions of grandeur.
What's going on with you? What are you doing?
What are you doing, Maria?
Maria.
Maria!
You're not cutting me off!
- Hey, Abby. - Hey.
Good to see you. Whiskey neat?
- And a beer back, please. - You got it.
Thanks, Delroy.
- Why don't you make that two, Del. - Comin' up.
- Thanks, Del. - Thank you.
Anyway, I heard about the big breakthrough
at the hospital.
Hmm!
Word travels fast.
You kiddin'?
The entire town's talking. You're a hero.
It's promising, but I'm not gonna crack the champagne
till I see how the patients are tomorrow.
Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, well, it's still damn impressive, Abs.
Like pretty much everything else about you.
- Stop. - I'm being serious, all right?
Let's go over what you've done with your life, hmm?
You put yourself through college, medical school,
traveled all around the world.
These aren't small things.
You saw the opportunity to leave Marais.
And you jumped.
It was more like I was pushed.
♪ La la la la la la la ♪
♪ La la la la la ♪
Remember this song?
♪ La la la la la la la ♪
- Prom night. - Mmm-hmm. Yup.
You have to get some new tunes on that juke, Delroy.
- Nope. Do not blame Delroy. - No.
It was all me.
Huh?
Yeah, I finally worked up the courage.
Mmm-hmm. Come on.
- Oh, no. I can't dance. I don't... - I know you don't dance,
but you're gonna make an exception tonight.
Because I've waited this long,
and I'm not leaving without a dance.
So...
Listen to Delroy, let's go.
Go ahead.
Okay.
♪ ...my admiration ♪
♪ For everything you've done ♪
♪ You know I'm bound ♪
♪ I'm bound to thank you For it ♪
♪ La la la la la la la ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ You've been so kind And generous ♪
♪ I don't know how You keep on giving ♪
Is everything all right?
Everything's fine.
It's good to have you back, Abby.
Jesus Christ.
Hello, Daniel.
You weren't here to read your newest audio book,
so I decided to take the liberty.
Mi casa es su casa.
Long time.
And you've been drinking.
Everyone has their survival mode, right?
Mine's that little town store that's now finally carrying Red Stripe.
Daniel, this sounds less like survival
and more like torturing yourself.
Well, that's me.
The guy who can't go home.
What's it been? Two, three months at least?
Come on, Xanadu. Break out those cards.
Give me one more reading.
Fine.
One last time.
Eight years since you've come to Marais,
and in all that time, your cards never change.
Come on.
As I shuffle, I want you to focus on the answers you crave.
When your mission will be complete and your waiting will end.
Can you do that, Daniel?
I've been stuck in a town the size of a shoe box.
Trust me. All I can think about is getting out of Marais.
The fool. Present.
The hanged man.
Future.
And number three?
Wheel of fortune.
That same damn card over and over again.
I swear, it's like a bad tooth.
- I can't stop pokin'! - Daniel.
Look again.
Well, they're the same cards, but this time...
This time they're reversed.
Seriously?
- Mmm-hmm. - Well, what does that mean?
Is... Is that good?
Something's beginning for you, Daniel.
I don't know what.
Did someone new come into your life?
Yeah.
Hey, do you think she's the one I'm supposed to be waiting for?
Who?
A doctor. Abby Arcane.
Abby A...
Hey. Lizzy, it's me.
I think I found some debris from the explosion.
This is from Holland's boat.
Looks like someone shot him.
Who's there?
That was quite a thing you did.
Coming into my house,
disrespecting me,
trying to humiliate me in front of my wife.
You can't just come into my house, man...
Who do you think you are?
I'm on the verge of great things here, Gordon!
And I offered you a seat at the table.
You should be thanking me for the privilege,
you mealy little motherfucker!
Get out!
You know what you gotta do, Gordon.
You gotta cover for that missing money.
And then, you're gonna keep your goddamn mouth shut.
Or I could just talk to the press and
tell them what I know about you and the Conclave.
You dumb son of a bitch!
What's happening?
Easier to clean up the mess.
I know you're home, Gordon.
The maroon Prius is a dead giveaway.
You're just making it worse, you know.
Fuck.