Episode Title: “274”
Writer: Misha Green
Director: Steven A. Adelson
Previously on “Helix”
With a series like Syfy’s “Helix,” longevity never seems to be a strong point. Previously examples of the isolated virus have never last longer than a film or one Television episode. With that in mind, “Helix’s” virus has to be memorable, and transcend what a virus really is. To that point, the show hasn’t captured that aesthetic. In a sense, it’s a virus that doesn’t follow any rules, and it exists solely as a plot monster. A monster that does nothing but defecate on screen. It’s described as living by Dr. Doreen Boyle (Catherine Lemieux), but why does that even matter? And, a living virus? That’s never been done before!
“274” reduces the show’s plot to a snail’s pace, revealing the true tests of the season ahead. The CDC team goes about setting up an isolation room; something that should have been done before they even got there. A test is also developed to check for infected people, which, by the end of the show proves nothing except that “Helix” just wasted a bunch of time. Mixed within is the typical conspiracy threads that expose the viewer to too much information. The slow burn plot tends to end where the conspiracies begin.
The other part of “Helix’s” makeup is the scientific portion. If you survey the general populace of science-involved shows, you’re largely talking about the forensic and medical sciences. While the show is medical based, it brings nothing new to the table. Medical dramas have been so overdone at this point, that it’s not hard to point out mistakes the medical professionals make. In a scene early on, Dr. Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell) and a small team surveying areas for an isolation ward stumble across Dr. Sulemani (Tamara Brown) alone and infected. After one of the team members shoots her, Alan takes it upon himself to stabilize her without any protective equipment aside from a pair of latex gloves. As the episode rolls on, individual members of the team violate the same rules, whether it’s a character wiping their forehead with an infected glove on, or taking off a face mask at inappropriate times. Amateur hour is in full swing. Seriously, shouldn’t every other scene on this show be a cast member washing their hands?
The core failure of the characters, though, comes down to acting. Billy Campbell in the role of Alan lacks the integrity of a great leader. Instead, it’s like Campbell associates leadership with stoicism and overly dramatic dialog. He’s the most reckless of his team – it’s like he operates by his own rules, choosing when and when not to wear Personal and Protective Equipment (PPE) in the field. He’s also an ace hypocrite, particularly involving Dr. Sulemani’s death.
The rest of the cast ranges from average to God awful. Catherine Lemieux as Dr. Boyle comes across as an un-fun, very over dramatic version of Melissa McCarthy. She brings an awkward intensity to certain scenes that don’t need to be there. When she’s paired with Mark Ghanime as Sergio Balleseros, the awkwardness is dialed up even more. Their scenes are uncomfortable to watch, particularly when Balleseros tries to act like he doesn’t know more than he’s letting on, but presents himself with the same consistency that cheesy 90’s comedy actors tried to when they wanted to hide a secret. He’s an uncool version of Urkel, not that Urkel would be considered cool by anyone’s standards.
Not all who wander on this show are lost though. The chemistry between Dr. Sarah Jordan (Jordan Hayes) and Dr. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky) is palpable. The old and the new duking it out for mild supremacy in a supporting role. They’re the only two people that feel organic on screen, and they provide the only breathable moments grounding the show to a remotely relatable level. Together they had the most intriguing subplot; working together to find a definitive test. The tension between the years of experience they have is heavy in atmosphere. Drama between the two concerning each others’ “infected” status was sold well. In fact, it was the only convincing portion of the show.
The biggest reveal of the night solved the question of why this base exists to begin with. Dr. Hiroshi Hataki (Hiroyuki Sanada) and company has been developing an anti-viral vaccination that will eliminate all viruses. That’s right, I sad ALL viruses! I’m comforted in knowing that these people are at least ham-handed overachievers. The anti-viral, known as Sodra (if it’s the color of Mt. Dew I quit), has one giant problem. It caries with it a mortality rate of 75%. Of course it does! From there, the episode ends with a bang, quite literally. The satellite connecting them to the rest of the world is destroyed, which somehow knocks out the bases internal phone lines… On the other end of the dead line is Dr. Walker trying to tell Alan the test is not 100%; her cries dying in isolation.
“274” is the kind of episode that forsakes the groundwork established by the previous episodes, and dictates a pace and plot development that simply cannot work. From the structure of the virus, to its study, and the goofy cast that sends its plot in circles, “Helix” is a show that seeks to sabotage itself from the inside. I can’t help but think of it as a Ronald Moore statement to the individual who wrote the terrible script for that God awful remake of The Thing. In essence, that statement is: two can suck at this game!
What’s a show to do that fails across the board? Well, if we’re talking about Syfy, the answer is to persist. It’s in moments like these that I’m reminded of what this network did well. It’s so few, but Syfy has made some of the best, and my favorite miniseries of all time. Whether it’s the brilliant “The Lost Room;” the thought provoking “OZ” remake “Tin Man,” or the only Syfy program to win an Emmy, “Taken.” Somewhere along the way, Syfy lost sight of what it was good at, and sold out as the network that airs a reality show that sold itself out on its own principles (“Ghost Hunters”) and the repeated special effects raping of their movie franchise (any Syfy original movie).
I guess what I’m saying is, wake me up when Syfy ends.
