Extant: Nightmares Review

Someone needs to seriously hire Molly Woods for a team of clandestine operatives. The woman has serious skills! Not that her investigation is yielding many answers. She’s merely adding more evidence to the pile that something is out there in space, and she brought a bit of it back with her from the Seraphim. What remains for Extant is a mystery about what it wants, how it made a human baby, and what’s up with those darn circles?

“Nightmares” is an episode title that takes a few different directions, but the first is Ethan’s remarkable experience of having an actual dream – and not a pleasant one – that scares him enough to want Molly to sleep with him. So did the alien energy life form infect Ethan as well, causing him to become more human? Or is it affecting his cognitive abilities such that he can complete the matching game much more quickly and even apply it to the file encryption of the Aruna video? Whatever’s happening with Ethan, the creepy psycho android is quickly becoming an integral part of Team Woods.

And make no mistake, it is a team. John even accompanies Molly on her visit with Kryger after blowing off Julie once again. I swear, Julie is trying way too hard, and I’m convinced she’s going to be used against Molly and John in some way. Not to mention she may have brought an interloper into the mix in the form of fellow amputee, Odin. The muscle-bound gym acquaintance is way too interested in Ethan for my comfort, but it’s nice to have trust issues with something other than the ISEA or Ethan himself for once. Keep an eye on that guy.

Speaking of guys to keep an eye on, what’s up with Deputy Director Kern and his unexpected vice? Whatever future drug he’s on, it’s really affecting his effectiveness as head of security. Getting your fingerprints stolen and then falling for Molly’s misdirection (although that was mostly Sparks’ fault) is not a good set of circumstances for someone in Kern’s line of work.

But Kern does rightfully admonish Sparks about the dangers this alien being poses. Clearly the baby can influence those around it, even in a sterile, controlled environment. The bald doctor displayed those cryptic circles on his scalp and saw a dead loved one like the others, who told him to kill his colleague. And that’s not the first time this happened. Apparently, several astronauts, including Sparks’ daughter Katie, were killed when turned against each other by the alien energy. So now we know why Sparks is invested, but what does it all mean?

Sparks really ramped up the evil this week, too, especially with the continuing threats to Sam. At least Molly’s surveillance tech, courtesy of John, exonerated Sam somewhat in Molly’s eyes. But is Sparks doing all this at Yasumoto’s behest? What is to be gained by all the secrecy other than avoiding a panic? I’d think you’d want everyone on your team in a situation like this rather than persecuting those who experienced the alien encounter personally.

Surely there’s more involved, and I’m hoping the next episode will reveal even more. I feel like that it’s time to reveal at least some of the alien agenda; otherwise, even more viewers might get lost. Next week and the week after, CBS are burning off two episodes at a time, calling it a “two-hour event,” but it’s really a fall premiere week avoidance strategy. Perhaps revealing answers at turbo speed will satisfy the masses enough for a second season. Did this episode entertain you or leave you wanting? Leave your comments below.

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