A woolly rhino’s grazing is rudely interrupted by the opening of a portal and a man stepping through as NBC’s La Brea season two episode 10 gets underway. But before we learn who just arrived in 10,000 BC, we learn Eve’s feeling better following her encounter with a bear.
Eve’s not well enough to walk around so Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) and Josh (Jack Martin) check on her in the bus. They have an argument about James, with Eve (Natalie Zea) and Izzy taking the “we don’t trust him” side while Josh thinks if James can help them get home, they should let Gavin work with his dad.
Lucas (Josh McKenzie) remains convinced Virgil had something to do with Wyatt’s murder. Veronica (Lily Santiago) trusts his gut, although she might be the only one. He asks if she wants to move into his car with him – aww, how romantic! – but she doesn’t think the timing’s right. Something’s bothering her and she excuses herself while poor Lucas looks confused.
Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney) is on lookout duty when Virgil tries to relieve him. It’s not time – plus, Jude’s supposed to be up next. Virgil thinks Scott needs a break and besides that he wants to prove to the clearing people that he can be trusted. Apparently, Lucas isn’t the only one who’s giving him sideways glances.
Scott, who has a track record of making bad decisions, reluctantly lets Virgil take over and immediately Virgil confirms he can’t be trusted. He ties a red bandana to a stick and places it where it can be seen from a distance.
Taamet (Martin Sensmeier) and the Exiles spot the flag, and Taamet announces it’s time to attack.
Meanwhile, Gavin (Eoin Macken) is out walking around when he hears footsteps. He pulls his knife as a man walks by and is completely shocked it’s a slightly older-looking Levi! They hug and Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez) reveals 10 years have passed since he saw him in 1988. (It’s only been a week in 10,000 BC time.) He came through a sinkhole in 1998, confirming new sinkholes continue to open.
Levi explains he’s been working with the DoD trying to destroy the sinkholes and bring everyone home. Levi’s surprised when Gavin says he’s been working with James, however, he agrees to join Gavin who’s heading to the tower to visit his dad.
Over at the tower, Ty (Chike Okonkwo) has undergone one round of cancer treatment and he’s already feeling better. James’s righthand woman, Kira (Simone McAullay), asks if it’s ethical that he plays therapist to James, and Ty explains his position. (Short answer: yes.) She hands him a pad and as she says there are eyes everywhere, she writes: “Don’t trust James. Find out about Project Blue Moon!”
Ty and James have their therapy session and James confesses he has insomnia. Ty deduces it’s from stress and they go over the days leading up to his first bout of insomnia a month ago. Before they can dive into James’s problems, James ends the meeting just minutes after it begins.
A short while later Ty speaks to James again before returning to his camp. Ty suggests James hasn’t been entirely forthcoming, and James admits a nightmare about the day Isaiah was taken caused his insomnia. That nightmare made him feel like he’d lost Isaiah all over again.
James admits he doesn’t have his son back because Gavin will never trust him. Ty suggests they can work on that, and that James can have a relationship with Gavin and still hold space for the memory of Isaiah.
The bio bay was Isaiah’s favorite place and he used to color there every day. James shows Ty photos of Isaiah’s drawings and one of them is a blue moon.
Ty and Kira are outside away from any listening devices when she reveals Project Blue Moon is the first Lazarus operation James has locked her out of. Ty describes Isaiah’s drawing and Kira thinks James might have decided to start over with the experiment once the machine is fixed.
Ty believes James will go back in time and force Isaiah to remain by his side. That means he’d never go to 1988, meet Eve, and have kids. Kira says it’s bigger than that. If James starts over, everything from that point forward will change. There won’t be a La Brea sinkhole and Ty will die from cancer.
Elsewhere, Sam (Jon Seda), Riley (Veronica St. Clair), and three others are on patrol, making sure that the area’s secure and keeping an eye out for any sign of Taamet. As they’re looking around, Riley tells her dad they found some of Dr. Moore’s research and Caroline made her promise she wouldn’t tell anyone – including Josh. The research might help fix the machine.
One of the men points out smoke nearby and they get their pointy sticks ready as they head toward it. They discover a firepit and a spear with the Exiles’ symbol on it, but no one is in the camp.
Back in the clearing, Izzy and Josh continue their argument over James. Josh walks away, angry, just as the Exiles attack! Izzy grabs him and they make a run for it but there’s nowhere to go. Their camp’s surrounded and the Exiles shove everyone into cars to keep them under control.
Lucas spots Virgil running from the lookout tower and grabs him, demanding to know why he didn’t warn them and why his bandana is now hanging on the tower. As Lucas chokes Virgil, Virgil insists he didn’t have a choice.
He killed Wyatt after Wyatt saw him searching Caroline’s bag. Taamet and the Exiles are looking for a book with a brown moleskin cover and a green binding. That’s what they’re searching the camp for right now, but Virgil doesn’t know why. He also doesn’t know what they’ll do if they can’t find it.
Lucas suggests they need to help them.
Sam and Riley head back toward camp and discover a woman tied up. They cut her loose and she explains she and her husband fell down a sinkhole in Los Angeles. They were captured and forced to work in a mine. Virgil is her husband and Sam and Riley realize there’s a traitor back at the clearing.
The Exiles search the camp as Izzy comes up with a plan. Scott causes a diversion, asking the Exiles if he can get his anxiety meds. Scott then literally runs into Taamet and makes the mistake of going for his little knife. Taamet tosses him on the ground and then orders his men to grab him.
Gavin figures out Levi isn’t telling him everything. Levi insists he’s not back for Eve – it’s been a decade and that’s ancient history. He fell in love with Marisa, one of the people on his team, and they got married. She died and he realized he could honor her memory by jumping into 10,000 BC to finish what she started.
They hear a noise and are reunited with Sam and Riley, who quickly fill them in on the Virgil / Exiles connection.
Lucas tells Taamet and his men he can take them to the brown moleskin book, which he can’t. He also can’t describe what’s inside, so Taamet knows he’s lying. However, Veronica does know all about the book, describing it perfectly. (It belonged to Aaron.) Veronica doesn’t know why Taamet wants it but reveals she buried the book with Aaron.
Taamet orders Veronica and Ella (Michelle Vergara Moore) to go fetch the book with five of his men (he’s very specific about that number) and if they’re not back by nightfall, Scott dies.
Izzy uses a rearview mirror to flash Morse code toward the building in hopes Gavin sees it. As she’s flashing it, she and Josh notice a small group (of five Exiles) leaving camp. She changes the message to tell her dad to target that group first. Apparently, she learned this in Girl Scouts and Josh is impressed.
Gavin and his group see the flashing mirror and Gavin writes down the letters. It reads: “Attack Exiles east.” Sam realizes that means a group is moving east and they should take them out first. Of course, Gavin refuses to follow directions and wants to go to the clearing first because Eve’s there.
Sam reminds Gavin that Izzy can actually see what’s going on and they should listen to her. Fortunately, Levi’s able to convince Gavin to think it through. Izzy’s smart and knows what’s best, and Gavin should trust his daughter. (Why does ANYONE listen to Gavin at this point anyway?!)
Lucas, Veronica, and Ella dig up Aaron as Veronica recalls that the book was so important to Aaron that he never let them near it. She removes it from the grave and hands it to the Exiles. Just then Gavin and his group make themselves known and Levi fires a few shots into the air. The Exiles surrender rather than die.
Gavin’s group grabs their weapons and ties them up.
Back in the clearing, Scott’s kneeling while surrounded by Taamet and his men (minus the five). Taamet says time’s up even though it still appears to be broad daylight, and Scott delivers a monologue about the Exiles, calling them an “epic fail.”
Just as Taamet’s about to stab Scott, a spear takes out one of the Exiles. Gavin’s group overpowers the Exiles and Levi takes out his gun as Sam orders everyone to their knees. Taamet disobeys and takes off running, with Scott grabbing a knife and chasing after him. Lucas follows Scott, but now they’ve both lost sight of Taamet.
Taamet rushes up behind them and tackles Lucas. He’s about to stab Lucas when Scott jumps on his back. Taamet turns his attention to Scott and lashes out, but Scott manages to stab Taamet in the gut. (A closeup of the bloody knife shows it has a huge blade.)
Sam, Gavin, and Levi arrive as Taamet is dying. Sam looks at the wound while Lucas shows Gavin the brown notebook. Gavin quickly figures out the page of Dr. Moore’s research that James gave him fits into the book. The book is Moore’s journal and their way home!
With his dying breath, Taamet reveals Kira sent him to get the book.
Back at the clearing, Virgil’s reunited with his wife.
Veronica’s having a tough time wrapping her head around the fact the man who took her had a book that might be the key to getting everybody home. She explains Aaron took them to La Brea that day and told them to stay put in the car, like he knew the sinkhole was coming.
She can’t make sense of any of this. Neither can Lucas but he’s willing to help her figure it out. They kiss and Veronica gathers her stuff. She’s going to move into his car, and Lucas has a genuine smile on his face as he helps her.
Eve was unconscious pretty much from the time that the Exiles attacked until later that night. Gavin’s by her side when she wakes up and he shows her the notebook with Dr. Moore’s research that can be used to fix the machine. He explains the Exiles were sent by Kira to retrieve the notebook, and he doesn’t know if she’s working for or against James. He wants Eve to figure this out with him. (One of Gavin’s few smart decisions.)
Gavin tells Eve about Levi and she’s well enough to walk out of the bus and give him a hug. She’s impressed by his salty grey hair and Levi confesses he lied to Gavin. He doesn’t have a plan to bring everyone home. Instead, he’s there to do the one thing that will set everything right, but he needs her help.
Levi is going to kill James.
- Season 2 Episode 1 “The Next Day” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 2 “The Cave” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 3 “The Great Escape” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 4 “The Fog” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 5 “The Heist” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 6 “Lazarus” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 8 “Stampede” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 9 “Murder in the Clearing” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 11 “The Wedding” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 12 “The Swarm” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 13 “The Journey Part 1” Recap
- Season 2 Episode 14 “The Journey Part 2” Recap
