CBS’ Zoo season two episode four titled ‘The Walls of Jericho’ and airing on July 12, 2016 begins in Costa Rica with a sloth. Yes, an adorable, so cute you just want to squeeze it and make it your new BFF sloth. He – or maybe it’s a she – is making its way at a slothy speed across a tree branch completely unaware a group of armed men watch its progress. Someone shoots the sloth with a tranquilizer and it becomes even more mellow than is normal for the peaceful tree-dwelling creature.
And now we’re off to New Brunswick, Canada for the continuing adventures of Jamie (Kristen Connolly) and Logan (Josh Salatin). Jamie’s still upset at Logan for all of his lies, which is totally understandable as they’re lost in the woods and have to depend on each other. Logan’s about to shoot a gun to scare off nearby animals when Jamie stops him just in time, claiming firing a loud weapon would be like ringing a dinner bell. Crisis averted. Still, they’re freezing to death and Jamie convinces Logan it’s time to burn his money to keep them warm for the night.
Moving on to the plane, Mitch (Billy Burke) tells Jackson (James Wolk) he’s got the same mutated markers in his genetic sequence as the man/creature Kovacs they captured and killed. Mitch tells Jackson he’s got brand new genes on a brand new strand of DNA, just like the animals. But, all hope’s not lost. Mitch might have a way to fix Jackson before he morphs into a hulked-up mutant similar to The Thing in Fantastic Four. He needs to keep the new strand of DNA from turning itself on, but Jackson tells him to just concentrate on curing the animals and forget about worrying about him for now. This comes after they compete in a mini-battle of metaphors. Mitch convinces Jackson he’s got it backwards; Jackson needs to be cured because humans are the most evolved and curing him would lead to a cure for the animals.
The money is providing a comfy fire for Jamie and Logan as Logan works on Jamie’s frozen toe (did it completely fall off?) while she explains why her friends will be able to figure out she’s heading to Caraquet. Just then they see a car in the distance and Logan quickly extinguishes the flames, telling Jamie he didn’t tell her everything. Seriously, Logan? You might want to rethink the whole Jamie’s on a need-to-know-basis thing you’ve got going on given your situation.
And it’s off to catching up with new couple Abraham (Nonso Anozie) and Dariela Marzan (Alyssa Diaz). The two seem quite cozy even though they only just met a short while ago under extremely violent and stressful circumstances. Dariela wants him to come to bed, but Abraham is working on tracking down Jamie by figuring out how far she can travel in a day. But Dariela turns out to be too irresistible and Abraham takes a break from going over maps to enjoy a little cuddle time. #easilysidetracked
Jackson tells Chloe (Nora Arnezeder) Mitch found a link between the lumpy mutant/Kovacs and the mutated animals, and Chloe’s quick to ask if that link is him. Of course it is – Jackson doesn’t have a poker face. Chloe’s upset Jackson told Mitch but gets over it enough to tell them the captured sloth was supposedly “capable of creating an earthquake in Costa Rica.” (It didn’t look overweight and it definitely didn’t have Hulk smash capabilities.) Mitch reads a report that reveals the sloth has developed a call at a frequency that can cause an earthquake. Mitch quickly deduces that he needs that sloth because it’s got a turned-on switch that may help him figure out Jackson’s DNA change and how to stop it from turning on. “Understanding the triple helix is the key to saving your life,” says Mitch. And off they go on a mission to retrieve that sloth.
The sloth is being held in a case that’s soundproof but apparently it’s not the only creature that can cause an earthquake. The multi-story facility where it’s temporarily housed comes crashing to the ground as the military and a few scientists rush the sloth out of the building. It’s safe, but the people on floors two through whatever aren’t as lucky. And who, you ask, is the culprit? It’s moles! If moles can target and bring down a huge building, then Mitch better speed up his research into switching off triple helixes.
The fearsome fivesome don’t know if the sloth was in the building, but there are reports a military truck sped off right when the building came down. Mitch does his best whack-a-mole impression, popping up from a sewer grate to inform the team of the mole situation. They walk around underground while Mitch gives them a lesson as to how moles operate. Jackson wants Mitch to put his mole fetish aside, and Mitch says moles have definitely mutated because normally they’re solitary creatures who only come together to procreate. A snide comment is thrown in that that’s something we should all strive for. Is now really the time to joke when dozens/hundreds of people may be lying crushed to death just feet away? No one seems to care about the possible loss of life, but there’s a lot of thought given to the whereabouts of the sloth. Mitch suggests they follow the moles through their very huge, people-sized tunnels to track the sloth.
Last we saw of Jamie and Logan it was pitch black and they were trying not to be spotted by the car. It’s daylight when we meet up with them again, but it appears Jamie didn’t ask about the car during all that walking as she’s just now bringing the subject up. She also says she won’t go on until he explains what’s going on, and Logan comes clean that they paid him $10 grand and he was supposed to give the rest of the money to his contact to pay for the leopard. Unfortunately, just then the people who hired Logan show up to get their money back.
The tunnels are large enough that they can all travel through the mole holes, and Dariela tells Mitch he is a mole. (Show of hands of those who added “Your mama’s a mole” to Dariela’s statement.) Oh, Chloe skipped out on playing the mole game and is back on the plane attempting to find the location of the sloth. Where is this plane that they can go in and out of without it taking any time to get to the airport? Abraham also opted out of the mole tunnel-crawling expedition and is back on the plane.
Logan and Jamie swear they don’t have the money anymore and that they threw it out. Unfortunately, one of the guys finds the bag next to the burned out campfire where they roasted the money. So, I guess this means all night when Logan and Jamie were on the run from Logan’s employers they actually only made it a few yards away from the campfire. Or, it means it should still be dark in these scenes but shooting in the daylight looked better. Logan still swears he can get the money and as Logan’s about to be shot, wolves attack and take down Logan’s employers allowing Jamie time to escape.
Mitch and Dariela comes across a thousand dead moles and Mitch reports they’ve hit a dead end, literally. That Mitch, what a crack up. Mitch and Dariela have to turn around, but not until they pick up a dead mole for research. The military figure out Chloe’s hacked their system, but she wants Mitch, Jackson and Dariela to stay in the tunnels and continue on, even though Mitch just said they hit a dead end. Out of nowhere a huge alligator attacks. Wait, wasn’t the tunnel blocked with all the dead moles? Chloe says there’s an exit a few yards behind them but they have to dig their way out. How do you put an alligator attack on pause? Jackson can’t find the exit but Dariela thinks she can shoot the alligator. Mitch is in the line of fire so he doesn’t think that’s such a great idea. Fortunately, Jackson breaks through a brick wall using just his bare hands and he and Dariela make it through to the exit while Mitch is stuck with the alligator in the collapsing tunnel. Mitch is not alligator bait after all as Jackson’s able to drag him through the hole. Chloe, safe in the plane, tells them there’s an exit 10 meters behind them. She’s been using them as bait to draw out the military and now determines the military took the sloth to Radon Global (the bad guys from season one).
Back with Jamie, it’s now nighttime – again, for no reason – and she’s still running away from the site of the wolf attack. Apparently Logan’s boss, although badly injured, was not only able to keep up with her, he was also able to do so without making any noise. He takes her by surprise and holds her at knife point, demanding his money. She knees him in the jewels, disarms him, and is able to stab him in the stomach. He dies.
Back on the plane, Mitch says someone turned the mole tunnels into a gas chamber and that’s why they found hundreds of the creatures dead. Now, please step back a moment and think about this. The building collapsed, a mole was spotted, Mitch and the gang followed it through the tunnels and came upon all the dead little mole bodies. When did anyone from the military have time to figure out what happened, get gas, pump it into the right tunnels, and exterminate the moles? Moving on… The gas used was something Mitch had never encountered before, explaining it has no effect on humans. Jackson uses this mole killing hypothesis time to tell Mitch that he’s going to let Abraham in on the triple helix secret. Mitch tells him that’s a “five week from now problem” – they have bigger issues to deal with.
They’ve hacked into Radon Global’s security and are attempting to figure out where someone would keep a sloth in the building. There’s a huge party going on in the building, during the middle of this killer animal crisis. Everyone who will be voting on killing all the animals is in the building, just socializing and drinking wine. Chloe needs Dariela and Abraham to crash the party, but the doors inside open via a heartbeat recognition program. Everyone better hope this earthquake-causing, slow but deadly sloth is worth all this trouble!
Mitch, Chloe, Jackson, Abraham, and Dariela not only can travel through time, they also came on this mission packing black-tie gala apparel. That’s right, in the blink of an eye they’ve all somehow managed to shower, do their hair, get dressed up, and get into the party which was already going on. Where did these suits come from? Even Dariela who wasn’t part of the team and was on a mission in a forest when they ran into her is now elegantly dressed in full makeup and perfect hair. This doesn’t make a lick of sense. Granted, it’s wonderful to see the actors all looking their best, but this extreme shift in wardrobe and makeup defies all logic.
While waiting to make their entrance, Chloe and Jackson make out. Maybe the change in wardrobe prompted a rise in hormones? How did they get into the party? Doesn’t anyone check for invitations? They corner some guy and slip a Mickey prepared by Mitch into his drink to give him an upset tummy. Mitch and Abraham have a discussion about slipping people Mickeys, and then the general takes the stage to welcome everyone. He doesn’t notice the five people he’s chasing are in the audience gathered around the stage. He shows off TX-14, a fast-acting chemical agent that only targets the mutation. Humans will be safe; all animals with the mutation will be destroyed. Chloe whispers to Jackson that he’ll be killed by the gas, and Jackson points out he won’t be the only one. There are 2.2 million people with the triple helix. (Did we know that?)
The guy who received the Mickey has a mild heart attack so their plan didn’t work. Dariela puts into place Plan B, approaching the general and flirting. The general’s smarter than most of the people in the show and knows she’s Lt. Marzan. He wants to know where her friends are, dragging her away from the rest of the guests. Out of sight, Marzan gets the drop on the general and brings him at gunpoint to help them get through the security door that requires a heartbeat to open. One slap from Jackson and the four-star general gives up the location of the sloth. Chloe and Dariela decide he gave up the location too easily and head off the other direction. While searching, Chloe gets a text showing Jamie is in Caraquet. They find the poison and as they’re about to do something to get rid of it, the general gets away from Abraham long enough to push an alarm button.
Jamie wakes up from a sound sleep in the woods, soaking wet from the pouring rain. It’s Chloe who is waking her up and telling her she’s not going to die today. Chloe convinces her to get up and keep moving but of course Chloe isn’t there. It’s actually a hallucination. Nonetheless, Jamie gets up, looks around, and finds the keys to the car belonging to the man she killed. In her defense it was kill or be killed. Just then Logan yells from a short distance away. He also escaped being dinner for a pack of hungry wolves which leads to the question: are mutated wolves horrible at attacking people? They looked ready to rip the group to shreds but we know at least three of the five people involved have not only lived but suffered relatively minor injuries.
Back at the black tie gala, Jackson and Mitch find the sloth while the alarm continues to go off. Abraham arrives to help them move the sloth cage.
Jamie and Logan were apparently within short walking distance of the car which also makes no sense. They drive down a nice road and see a street sign that reads “Caraquet, 15 KM.”
Dariela and Chloe take fire from security, and Dariela flips off her high heels, and takes all three of the armed men out. The container of poison was hit during the fire fight and Chloe kicks it but it starts leaking. Dariela makes it into a safe room but Chloe doesn’t, passing out while muttering, “Jamie is in Caraquet.” Dariela can’t get the door open to save Chloe from a gas that wasn’t supposed to have any effect on humans but obviously does. Is Chloe dead? We’ll have to wait until episode five to find out.
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