Helix Episode 2.10 Mother

Beside a funeral pyre for the dead Killigan's Islanders, Jules quizzes Amy about Mother, the foundation root stock for the sexless apples. She explains Ilaria's population-decimation plan and asks how much Amy wants for Mother so Jules can stop it. Amy doesn't want money; she wants Immortality. Jules agrees to make her a silver-eye in exchange for the root. They shake on it as Balleseros looks on suspiciously, but Jules pulls Amy close to tell her she'll kill her if she's lying. Kill her anyway! She's terrible! Jeez.

Kyle paces around and itches as Winger reports to Alan that they haven't found any red sap. Alan reminds her, and us, that Soren's the only one to recover from the mycosis; his immunity is key to generating an antidote. He's not optimistic about Kyle's prognosis -- "48 hours, if that" -- and Winger's promise of imminent supplies and evac doesn't seem to change his attitude. Soren appears and excitedly approaches Kyle, who cringes away from him, and Alan has to explain Kyle's off-limits 'til they find the red sap. "Why not just bring him to the Bleeding Tree?" Soren duhs.

Anne tearfully apologizes to a grotesquely puffy Landry for not protecting him. Amy sneers at her, though she should probably sneer at herself for letting Sarah escape (she's nowhere to be seen). Anne informs her icily that Mother is missing and she needs to make sure the root doesn't fall into "the wrong hands." Amy seems perturbed by that, though we'd just assumed she stole Mother because she's the worst.

Jules wonders what they've stumbled into, and Balleseros characterizes the sitch in part as "Family Feud, Sister Wives edition," which is hilarious. They agree that Amy's a dangerous combo of smart "and certifiable." Balleseros boggles at Jules having promised Amy Immortality, but Jules snorts that it's impossible. They split up -- speaking of crazy -- to see if there's not something they can use against Amy or to find Mother themselves.

In the botany lab, Peter whines about staying up all night looking for Mother, in vain, like beauty sleep is in the top hundred of his problems list. Shut up, Peter. Jules comes in and asks Anne to excuse them before eye-rolling that Peter's so-called plan to search the Abbey room by room stinks, and their deal is void. Jules has his word he'll find Mother, he says, and they have a "No, you are" fight about who's a bigger traitor, which Jules wins by pointing out Peter sold her out to Hatake. Now she's fighting the power from the inside, but she sighs that she bet on the wrong Farragut pony. Peter claims he loved her. He's a shell of a man, she responds. He stomps off. Anne chastises Jules, then lets her know Amy's full of it on the Mother tip; only she, Michael, and her son Landry had responsibility for the root.

... Amy and Landry are siblings. Gross. No grosser than Michael's "planting rituals," but still gross. Moving on! Amy's at Landry's bedside, asking him where Mother is. He's unresponsive, even when she cries and slaps his face. Sarah's muscled back into the room just then. Amy orders her to "fix" Landry, and Sarah has to explain yet again that that's not how medicine works. Fine, Amy says, then there's no reason to keep Sarah or the Immortaletus alive. Not sure how well that threat works against an Immortal, but Amy's overplayed her hand anyway, as Sarah notes that Amy needs them: they're her only link to Immortality. Amy sniffs that Jules is on the scene now, so a flabbergasted Sarah had better "fix him or else." Sarah begins tending to Landry, but as she's filling a syringe, he jumps her, gurgling, "Amy!"

Landry drags Sarah struggling down a hall as, in another hall, Anne tells Jules that Landry's always gone above and beyond; he'll protect Mother. The pairs run into each other; Landry drops Sarah and flees, Anne follows, and it's awkward between Jules and Sarah.

Amy has ransacky tantrums in the botany lab and Michael's office while Landry makes the Hunchback Of Notre Dame imagery literal by climbing to the top of the bell tower and caressing the box with Mother in it. Amy's attempt to sneak up on Balleseros only gets her choked; unfortunately, he releases her despite her lying and taunting him about liking Jules That Way, but he's going with her to look for Mother.

Anne finds Peter in the chapel and responds to his self-pitying comments about his team rejecting him by blowing sunshine up his bum -- he's a great man, blah blah. Shut up, Anne. Then she drops a koan about how what Mother is isn't as important as why, and the truth is dangerous.

Sarah's horrified at Ilaria's plan and that Jules thinks "worldwide sterilization" is any less messed up than the genocidal Plan A. Jules tells her Narvik can't be stopped this time; she'll lose everyone. Sarah only cares about the Immortaletus.

Soren is hesitantly leading the team to the bleeding tree (he's only gone a few times). Kyle hallucinates childhood bullying and has to be restrained.

Sarah shows Jules the Immortaletus -- Amy put it back in the same place?-- and bizarrely swears that, as his mother, she can find a way to get him to grow. She also reveals Alan's the father. Jules is taken aback, but only a little, and the bigger problem is that the "ancient" equipment housing Li'l Immie has sprung a leak. Jules thinks by teaming up to give Amy what she wants, they can save Immie and find Mother.

Daylight is fading. Kyle's still tripping that Soren, then a whole group of kids is taunting and throwing clods of dirt at him. Alan tries to soothe him; Kyle barfs, then kicks Alan in the stomach. Good meeting.

Anne takes Peter to the basement and opens a barrel of … teeth? He's disgusted. She non-explains that the vessel "must be prepared" and says he has to speak his truth before hearing hers. She blows out the lantern and vanishes.

Amy tricks Balleseros into letting himself get slashed. Again he releases her instead of killing her or at least tying her up, forcing us to watch her lick the blood from his palm. As they continue searching for Mother, the away team makes contact with the evacuation ship, only to find that it's "overrun" with disease and sending a distress signal of its own. Winger struggles to incorporate this unwelcome intel while Kyle sweet-talks Soren into freeing one of his hands so he can "drink his water" -- which turns out to mean "grab Soren and run off." The team gives chase.

Jules and Sarah theorize about why the Jules-Sarah transfer worked but the Sarah-Landry one didn't. We assumed it was the poison Sarah prepped, but it seems she really doesn't know what went wrong. Long story short, they need to reverse their stem cells' "specificity" to give Amy Immortality. Jules then tries to recruit Sarah to Ilaria; Sarah's not interested.

Anne drama-queens that she has one question for Peter, and he has to answer in the dark, "no distractions." In one word, what does he want? Respect, he says after some dithering. When did he feel the most respected, Anne asks. (So much for "one" question.) More dissembling before he whispers, "When I was sick." Anne opens a door and extends her hand. The hell?

Amy and Balleseros climb the belfry. Landry rushes them and Balleseros wrestles him to the bellrope hole as Amy grabs Mother's box. Landry falls to the ground; Balleseros manages to cling to the edge of the hole … until Amy stomps his hand and sends him plummeting too.

Sarah wonders what's taking Balleseros so long, though they have nothing to offer Amy anyway. Jules wants to talk to Amy alone but Sarah insists on going with. Olivia comes in to say Amy will receive them now. "That's the bitch who stabbed me," Sarah snots, as Olivia gives her just as snotty a look in return.

Kyle is dangling Soren over a cliff edge and Kyle-ucinating as Anne murmurs about fear and leading to Peter, then throws the light switch on a room full of pregnant women tied to hammocks. "Those who refused" Michael's call to breed an immortal companion ended up here, their teeth removed so as not to chew through their feeding tubes. Once these "pure vessels" gave birth, Michael would kill them. Yiiiikes.

Alan coaxes Kyle away from the cliff with some home truths about his own tendency to hold onto the past. Kyle releases Soren, who as he's stumbling towards a hug from Alan spots the Bleeding Tree!

Anne hands Peter a knife and asks if he'll choose to become a leader. Because Peter is a grudge-holding brat with poor self-esteem, he slits a nearby woman's wrists so Anne will make him President of the Michael Club or whatever. Anne hands him the woman's newborn. Ugh, these people.

Amy's not happy Jules and Sarah haven't held up their end of the bargain. She's even less happy about Sarah lipping off to her. Jules has to stop Amy from smashing Immie's jar, telling her Immie's the key to Amy's future Immortality. Sarah smells a rat as Jules explains that they'll reverse-engineer the stem cells by implanting Immie in Amy's uterus, and Sarah immediately loses it and starts wailing. Is she acting in order to scam Amy? Or is this a real DUN DUN DUNNNNN!?