By Katherine Everett

Wayward Pines is a television series about Ethan Burke, a special agent who finds himself trapped in the small Idaho town called Wayward Pines, and discovers that there are far more disturbing things going on behind the peaceful, quiet windows and doors than he could ever have imagined. In our continuing coverage, we look at what’s great and what’s odd in each episode.

After this episode, I feel like the townspeople of Wayward Pines are going to be playing a very unpleasant game of “Who Shot the Sheriff?” It is pretty daring to kill off so many main characters this early in the season, but it definitely makes for great television. Sheriff Pope shared Beverly’s fate when he was killed by Ethan Burke at the end of this episode. There was also the added drama of Ethan’s wife and son joining him in Wayward Pines, which will definitely shake things up a bit. While I have some complaints about the legitimacy of their actions when they arrive in town, I will say that they made everything a lot more interesting for episode 3, “Our Town, Our Law.”

Hay-Makers:

“Our Town, Our Law.” More like the Sheriff’s town and the Sheriff’s law. This episode did a great job of amping up the tension even more on top of Beverly’s untimely death at the end of the last episode. Ethan Burke makes another daring escape attempt, his wife and son show up out of the blue, and Sheriff Pope finally loses his cool and is ready to kill. In fact, I’m surprised but thrilled by how quickly the plot seems to be advancing. I didn’t expect Ethan’s wife and son to make it to Wayward Pines until at least halfway through the season, and certainly didn’t expect to see the death of Sheriff Pope this early. Wayward Pines is wasting no time getting to the action and drama, which is fine with me. And just when you thought they weren’t going to throw anything more at you, they reveal there is some terrifying creature on the other side of the enormous fence running around the town. Let’s just say I’m beginning to understand why there are such strict rules governing the townspeople. It might be to keep them safe from whatever is out there. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Head-Scratchers:

To start with the bad, I regret to say there are still some issues with characters behaving unrealistically in this episode. Theresa, Ethan Burke’s wife, seriously bugged me from the beginning. When she gets into town after having a car accident and finally reunites with her husband, she doesn’t question why he has a freaking house in town, why he’s been missing for days, if he’s having an affair, and why she and her son have to stay in the house. I mean, really? Nothing? It’s clear there’s something fishy going on, especially when the sheriff shows up unannounced to steal her ice cream and threaten her family. I thought that even after hearing that her husband might be having an affair, that she would at least stick around long enough to give him a piece of her mind! And as for Ethan, why wouldn’t he explain things immediately to her and her son? It just doesn’t make any sense. I’m worried that the show is so focused on the fast-paced plot that they’ve forgotten how normal people react in certain situations. Fingers crossed this doesn’t become a constant issue in an otherwise amazing TV show.

As for the wackiness in this episode, there’s definitely a lot to discuss. I really want to know how Sheriff Pope hasn’t overdosed on ice cream yet. Just kidding. Although he does seem to have an unhealthy obsession with it. The really interesting thing about him is that, while he clearly follows orders from whoever is on the phone, he’s not happy about it. This episode showed that the sheriff has some real issues with the way things are being run and would much rather have everyone believe that he is in charge of the town. So, what kind of relationship does he really have with the higher-ups? Is he really in league with them or is he just as imprisoned as the rest of the townspeople? I guess it’ll be hard to find out, seeing as he’s dead and all. Something else to ponder is why whoever is in charge is keeping Ethan alive at this point. He’s clearly important, but why? You’d think he would have caused enough trouble to merit being killed at this point, so there has to be a reason why they’re keeping him around. Also, it looks like Kate didn’t betray him at the end of the last episode after all, and Sheriff Pope just said that she did. Is she lying or telling the truth? Finally, the biggest question of all: What was that creature that took Pope’s body at the end of the episode? Is it a monster? Some government scientist’s creation gone horribly wrong? An alien, perhaps? We’ll just have to wait to find out.