ABC's Emergence - Episode 1.02 "Camera Wheelbarrow Tiger Pillow"
As Jo and Chris attempt to identify the sinister forces coming after Piper, a mysterious man hinders their search and brings danger too close to home. Abby works with Piper to trigger her lost memory. Jo makes a shrewd deal with Benny to secure Piper's future safety.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of ABC's Emergence.
"Camera Wheelbarrow Tiger Pillow" was written by Chris Dingess & Lindsey Allen and directed by J. Miller Tobin
What makes Piper so special is a mystery to all of the main characters at the moment. They all saw weird things happening when dangerous people were coming after her. They all have the opportunity here to slow down a little bit. However, Alex is the only one who really addresses the elephant in the room right away. He needs some kind of explanation for how a washing machine moved across a room in front of him. It doesn't make any sense. No one can provide an answer either. Sure, it's clear that Piper is keeping secrets from her new family. She has glimpses of her memory coming back to her. They are painful and terrifying though. As such, it's understandable why she wants to repress them and believe that she hasn't remembered anything. But again, she keeps falling into that trance in which it seems like something major could be happening with her. It's so easy for the dangerous people to keep tracking her down as well. The object she removed from her neck was essentially a tracking device. However, there is the sense that there is more to that as well. Everything that has to do with the mythology appears to revolve around magnetism. That is what is propelling all of the weird displays of seemingly impossible concepts. When Piper gets scared, things start to get weird around her. When she is terrified, people end up getting hurt. She doesn't want that to happen to anyone in this family. They have all been so loving and open with her. They have accepted her fully even though there is the fear that all of this may only be temporary. Piper overhears that conversation happening amongst the adults. She freaks out as a result of it too. However, she is still able to keep her composure long enough to present as a young girl everyone just needs to be patient with. And yet, danger keeps following her. She can sense when it is close by as well. She knows when there is a man in the yard even when Jo can't find any evidence of it in the middle of the night. She is also drawn to the mysterious card when it starts glowing the following night. No one can make sense of it either. Neither the police nor Benny the investigative reporter have any leads that can be fruitful. It's easy for them to track down what happened to the plane. The cover up was essentially managed by a local contractor. That allows Jo a certain freedom because she knows how people in her community operate. In fact, it's a quiet town where she can devote her entire attention to keeping Piper safe and trying to figure out who is hunting her down. There is nothing else really going on that demands her immediate concern. Instead, she can focus on the man who has broken into her house in the middle of the day to cover up every trace of evidence that can lead back to whatever is going on here. And yet, Jo and Chris see with their own eyes just how magnetized the car wreckage is in the impound lot. They know that's one piece of evidence that hasn't been destroyed yet. However, it closes the hour also sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Jo is trying to regain some control over this narrative. She doesn't know what's going on. That's scary. She presents as a calm and loving voice for Piper though. That trust is growing insanely fast but it is incredibly well earned as well. All of this may even force Jo and Alex back together. It's a little unclear why they are divorced in the first place. But again, that comfortability can be dangerous given everything that has been happening. Jo needs to be concerned and prepared for any threat that may happen. She does get a certain version of Piper's story out in the media. She wants it to be known that she has a fostered a young girl. That way it's suspicious if anything happens to change that narrative. And yet, that may not stop these mysterious individuals from coming. Nor may it bring Jo any closer to the truth. It's just an action that needs to be taken now in order to buy more time later. Jo is smart and perceptive in that way. That's good even though the show is still more full of teases than offering many solutions.
