97 Years In The Making
Given the season finale we receive here, I really hope The Passage is renewed for a second season. There’s been enough consistency to warrant it and the pacing across the 10 episodes has been consistent, boasting a story rife with drama and a decent amount of tension. The finale itself is no exception and despite several time jumps and a whole host of exposition, The Passage delivers one heck of a final episode, with a tantalizing look at what could be in the future. We begin by jumping forward in time, 3 weeks to be precise, since Fanning and the other virals escaped last episode. Jonas is ready to give up and kill himself until he’s convinced otherwise by an unexpected guest whilst Brad and Amy try to put the imminent threat of the virals out of their minds. Four main cities have fallen to Fanning and as his numbers continue to swell, Brad contemplates his next move, given the fact he still holds the antivirus. It turns out Las Vegas is one of the safe zones which is ironic given the history of Shauna Babcock. It’s here where we run into Richards whose job seems to be maintaining order in the face of overwhelming panic and hysteria. He’s visibly rattled though and it turns out he’s aligned himself with Babcock, feeding her victims from the boot of his car. A later conversation between the two reveals a lot more about the relationship of this dysfunctional couple before Richards makes his decision regarding how he feels about her. As Jonas races to engineer a cure to the virus and distribute it among the masses, Fanning returns and invades Jonas’ mind, taunting him over what’s transpired thus far. The various countries across the world are growing restless and as Jonas tries to liaise with the various superpowers across the globe, he learns the shocking news that the CDC has been destroyed. This makes it nearly impossible to manufacture a cure on a large enough scale to combat the vampires nationwide. Meanwhile, Brad and Amy seem happy and safe as the former Agent teaches Amy crucial skills to survive in this hostile world. After a brief archery lesson, she tells him about her vision last episode and the moment of clarity Fanning and her shared in the woods. It’s at this point where the man himself appears as a vision, sneering at Amy and reminding her they’re forever linked. There’s a hunger growing in Amy and it’s certainly not for fish. As he laughs off her initial threat, he makes his move in the real world which results in Brad appearing to have been bitten by a familiar viral. This drives Amy over the edge. After a moment of chaos ensues, Amy decides to leave, writing one final note to the Agent before heading off into the wilderness alone. It’s at this point where things really get interesting and as nuclear warheads erupt across America, the country is left a desolate wasteland. We cut to 97 years in the future to the heart of a desert as a mysterious figure walks toward a pack of ravenous vampires. This figure happens to be Amy; braided hair and a bow and arrow for good measure. As she strikes the vampire in the heart with deadly precision, we leave the episode, and series, with massive question marks hanging over the show. The finale itself does a really good job building tension and drama but it’s always a little touch and go ending a show like this with so many questions hanging over it. Given the uncertain future of Fox’s latest drama, it’s unknown at this point whether we’ll get definitive answers and an explanation as to what happened during these 97 years and, more importantly, what this holds for the future with Fanning and the vampire kind. I really do hope this one is renewed for a second season and given its positive reception from both fans and critics alike, it does seem like a hopeful possibility. There’s certainly a lot to chew over here but I’ve really enjoyed covering this one over the weeks. A very good finale then and one that raises more questions than it does answer them. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we get an announcement over the future of the show as many fans are left wondering whether this one will return for a second season.
