The Purge Season Two
A USA television event
(All images courtesy Alfonso Bresciani/USA Network)
The trailer and poster art for Season Two of USA’s The Purge series is here, along with some intriguing hints and clues for the next installment of the Blumhouse horror franchise created by James Demonaco. Before its’ October debut, let’s see what hints the art and trailer may provide.
First, check out the poster above. Most interesting to me? The return of the “God” mask worn by “Young Ghoul Face” (LaKeith Stanfield) in The Purge: Anarchy (2014). If this is the same mask as worn in that film, it’s looking a bit bloodier than what we saw in the film. Also, are we seeing the sun rise in the East, or set in the West?
LaKeith Stanfield as “Young Ghoul Face” in The Purge: Anarchy (Image courtesy Universal Pictures)
Now, check out the Season Two trailer –
A few interesting snippets of dialog in those two minutes
*An unidentified voice claims, “The Purge is making people more violent, not just on Purge, but every day of the year.
*A young woman first says to Ben (Joel Allen), “What happens on Purge Night says on Purge Night,” then “You haven’t been yourself,” to which he responds, “I know.” We see Ben drawing the same mask worn by the intruder who breaks into Marcus Moore’s house.
*Marcus Moore (Derek Luke) says “Someone tried to Purge me,”and “whoever is after me, they are not going to wait a year.”
*Is the second season moving forward chronologically from Purge Night, or featuring flash-forwards instead of Season One’s flashbacks, as I speculated here?
And the image below brings to my mind a potential connection between the two seasons. Does Ben share a school and/or fraternity connection with Season One’s Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell)? Last season, Checkov’s fraternity paddle played a major part in Rick’s storyline, even if the fraternity houses appear to be different. Did Rick attend (the apparently fictional) Cooke University in New Orleans, LA?
The Delta Tau Gamma house is all decked out for Purge Night!
*The trailer’s musical accompaniment? A twangy, post-apocalyptic sounding version of “Blood On the Risers,” a WWII-era paratrooper song.
He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright,
He checked all his equipment and made sure his pack was tight;
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar,
“You ain’t gonna jump no more!”
(CHORUS)
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die,
He ain’t gonna jump no more!
My Deep Dives into The Purge season one can be found here. Click the links for more of my deep dives into Bates Motel and The Exorcist. Channel Zero recaps and deep dives can be found here at F&S and SciFi4Me.com.
Until this fall citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”
Another year, another Purge Night – on TV, at least. USA just released a teaser trailer for the second season of The Purge. Take a look.
This fall, “what happens on Purge Night doesn’t stay on Purge Night“. Like last year’s highly rated “television event”, Season Two follows a select group of characters through the night. According to USA this season “dives deeper than ever before in to what the Purge world looks like the other 364 days of the year.”
It’ll be interesting if Season Two both follows and reinterprets last season’s format. Season One flashed back to the choices made by characters leading up to Purge Night. I’d love to see this season mix it up a bit, mixing Purge Night events with flashforwards, showing this season’s characters dealing with the consequences in the following days, months after the Purge.
We have no specific premiere date beyond “this fall”, but official images, information, and other goodies can be found at the official Purge USA site, as well as Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. Season Two’s cast includes Derek Luke (13 Reasons Why, Antoine Fisher), Max Martini (Saving Private Ryan, NCIS: Los Angeles), Paola Nuñez ( La Reina del Sur, The Son ), and Joel Allen (Never Goin’ Back).
My Deep Dives into The Purge season one can be found here. Click the links for more of my deep dives into Bates Motel and The Exorcist. Channel Zero recaps and deep dives can be found here at F&S and SciFi4Me.com.
Until this fall fellow citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”
Episode Ten “A Nation Reborn ”
Teleplay by Nick Snyder and Jeremy Robbins
Story by James DeMonaco
Directed by Ernest Dickerson
[All images courtesy Alfonso Bresciani/USA Network]
For a full recap of episodes of The Purge on USA (and all his other cool recaps), please visit & follow Father Son Holy Gore!
Now, on to the All American Carnage of The Purge, Episode Ten – “A Nation Reborn”!
*Miguel Guerrero (Gabriel Chavarra) and Pete the Cop (Dominic Fumusa) take out a couple of Rex’s goons before making their way to Thomas Paine High School. Inside the school, Penelope (Jessica Garza) manages to free herself and Paige (Kelly Murtaugh) while Joe the Sandwich Guy Who Turned Out to Be Quite a Jerk (Lee Tergesen) continues his seemingly endless show trial of (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell).
A year later, we meet up with the survivors.
Tonight on The Purge Presents “Show Trial Theater” …
Notes on “A Nation Reborn”
*Chekov’s Gun makes another appearance, in the form of an unsecured screw on the frame of the cage holding Joe’s captives. Penny later uses it to both free herself and Paige from the cage AND jab into Joe’s left eye socket.
*In ten episodes we’ve seen one character blinded in the right eye (Penny’s abusive hipster boyfriend Henry), and another blinded in their left eye (Joe the Sandwich Guy), each at the hands of one of the Guerro siblings.
*Thomas Paine High School must’ve just closed; the pool hasn’t been drained yet!
*According to Bobby Sheridan’s opening voiceover, The Purge is 12 hours or “43,000 seconds” of possibility.
*Sheridan also claims that the “risk (of participating in The Purge) gives way tounyielding reward”. This phraseology seems a bit off. Wouldn’t “unending reward” make more sense?
*After his extensive vocal presence this season, will Sheridan make an in-person appearance next season?
Everyone is remarkably proficient in firearms on this show.
*For all his extensive planning, Joe is undone by two things; a continued weakness for monologuing, and atrocious time management skills.
*Throughout the episode we’re reminded how much time remains until the end of The Purge. Besides being nice way to ratchet up the tension, we can keep track of how much time Joe is wasting.
*6:12 Joe orders Jenna and Rick “On stage, NOW!” then yammers on about The Purge providing everyone with “an equal opportunity, a level playing field.”
*6:25 Joe asks, “What does a signature mean, Rick?”, spends more time lecturing R&J on the elements of a contract, then lets Rick goad Joe into an extended riff on the theme of “Let me explain in excruciating detail my reasons for being pissed off.”
*6:42 Joe insists “I’m not going to waste a lot of time on this,” as he forces Jenna to aim a gun at her husband’s head. Joe now has 18 minutes to get through both the Betancourts and his other two hostages!
*6:45 Joe holds Penny at gunpoint, and for some reson gives her a chance to monologue about “Desperate people hurting each other every year because they’ve been manipulated into doing it.”
Joe dressed for success, but forgot to read the fine print.
Here’s some information on contracts, signatures, and fine print that Joe glossed over during his blah-blah-blah bloviating.
*Joe’s petulant question to Penny “Where the hell were you born?” Thanks to the 14th Amendment, she’s just as American as Joe.
*Like the classic Warner Brothers cartoon starring Ralph Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog, Joe expects everyone to shake hands, go on with their lives, and meet up again next year.
*Rick begs Jenna to take their daughter away and raise her “anywhere but here.” We see them living in France in the episode’s coda. But according to the news, the European Union will debate bringing The Purge to the EU. In the real world, far-right, nationalist parties are currently gaining strength across Europe.
*The mortality rates for gunshot wounds to the stomach/abdominal wounds like Rick’s are – not good.
*If ALL crime – including murder – is legal during The Purge, why does the NFFA need “Loyalty Squads” to prevent “Revolutionary Purge Night Terrorism”?
Why oh why weren’t these Purgers wearing ROLLER SKATES, Show?
*While Miguel Guerrero (Gabriel Chavarra) and Pete the Cop (Dominic Fumusa) spend the episode identifying, tracking, and driving in pursuit of Joe the Sandwich Guy Who Turned Out to Be Quite a Jerk (Lee Tergesen) and his van full of hostages.
*Said hostages Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza), Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell), Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren), Joe’s old boss Eileen (Allison King), Lifesaver Guy “Pete” (Garrett Kruithof) and another woman who may be named Paige (Kelly Murtaugh) find themselves imprisoned in a cage on the auditorium stage at Thomas Paine High School, soon to be put on trial.
Why? Turns out Joe’s been channeling a lifetime of resentment into an elaborate, and lethal, Airing of the Grievances. From petty slights to life-scarring bulling, Joe’s collected everyone responsible for everything wrong in his life on Purge Night for some state-sanctioned revenge. Joe himself is blameless, a perpetually innocent victim.
Purge-weary Pete finds a new mission – helping Miguel save Penny.
Will Miguel and Pete, like Spock in the Star Trek episode “Court Martial“, save these prisoners before Joe passes judgment on them all?
Notes on “I Will Participate”
*We find out why Joe said his motives on this Purge Night were “ personal.” We already knew he blamed Eileen for the closure of the Satacoy Supply Company operation. Everyone else in the van?
–LifeSaver Pete physically and publicly bullied Joe to make him do Pete’s homework and take home exams throughout their time at Thomas Paine High School.
–Paige denied coverage for treatment of John Owen’s cancer as a pre-existing condition. Joe’s excellent health insurance did his father no good.
–Jane had the nerve to “swipe left” in the middle of a dinner date with Joe – and pay the tab! His insufferable racism and sexism might’ve been the reason for her mid-date ghosting.
–Jenna and Rick (allegedly) failed to pay Joe for the security system he installed on one of their developments.
If you miss Sam and Dean driving around fighting evil, here’s Miguel and Pete!
–Penelope’s crime? During her Purge Death Cult days, she failed to say “Thank You” after Joe held the door open for her when she exited a restaurant.
*Revenge is a classic motivator in movies as a whole, especially in the horror genre. From Oldboy, to Freddie Krueger, to the Saw series, punishment for slights and/or crimes, whether real or imagined, is a storytelling well that will never run dry.
*And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie’s classic 1939 mystery novel, also put a seemingly unrelated group of people on trial for unpunished crimes buried in their past.
*Joe’s endless High School Misery Monologue makes him sound more like the insufferable tourist played by Monty Python’s Eric Idle than a revenging hero.
*Bobby Sheridanis the bloodthirsty self-help guru Joe’s been listening to all series.
*Joe lives at 12018 Broad St., belongs to the NFFA, and according to Pete’s inaccurate database, has no living relatives. His license plate Q4OCFP bears the NFFA motto “A Nation Reborn”.
*Starting a security company as his second career allowed Joe the means to easily disarm Eileen and the Betancourt’s Sandin Security systems.
It’s just like The Warriors, except with bedazzeled neon.
*The aerosol tracking spray Joe used to stalk and capture his victims isn’t as implausible as I initially thought.
*If Lars Von Trier ever decided to direct a “black box” Dogville style production of Our Town, it would look like the setup at Thomas Pain H.S..
*I previously misread a character like Joe once before, in the person of Pierre ( Jean-François Sivadier) from the French cult series The Returned. If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil further for you.
*For all his meticulous planning and flawless execution, in the end Joe is just a small, sad man. Instead of looking inward for the answer to “why” he looks outward for someone to blame. Instead of being happy with the life he rebuilt, he lashes out at those who (in his eyes), destroyed the Way Things Used to Be. Who gained their position in society at his expense.
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) reach Pete the Cop’s hangout. Pete (Dominic Fumusa) gives Penny a quick history lesson cribbed from The Purge: Anarchy (2014). She learns that not only did Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif) get her funding from the NFFA, she specifically targeted members for her cult from those the government thought of as “disposable”.
Miguel saves Pete from a disgruntled criminal’s brother, while Penny summons the Blue Bus of Death to confront Tavis over her lies.
*Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) At Chez Betancourt, Rick and Lila attempts to make nice for Jenna’s sake don’t last past a meal of grilled cheese sandwiches. Lila reaffirms the offer her father made to invest in the Betancourt’s company. Rick demurs; it’s not just his decision to make and he’ll have to talk it over with Jenna.
Jenna overhears this discussion and asks to speak to Lila alone. She explains to Lila that whatever existed between them, professionally or personally, “we’re through”. Undone by Jenna’s decision, Lila attempts to murder Rick, only to be stabbed to death by Jenna.
Oh, and their dead neighbor’s wife (Amy Parrish) is murdered on their doorstep after Lila informs her that Ross is dead and totally deserved it.
What kind of Hallmark card to get for someone’s First Purge?
*At the end of this episode, we come to the Converging of the Plot Threads, courtesy Joe the Sandwich Guy Who Turns Out to Be Quite a Jerk (Lee Tergesen). Penny greets the Blue Bus of Death, confronting Tavis and begging the remaining cultists to leave. Just as the bus driver grabs Penny, Joe shoots him and Tavis. He grabs Penny and forces her into the back of his van. Miguel sees the van speed off.
Rick and Jenna are jarred from their shock over Lila’s death by their security system deactivating. We see them dragged out the front door in chains, moths gagged with duct tape. As they’re tossed into Joe’s van, we see – Surprise! Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren), Penny, Joe’s old boss Eileen (Allison King), Lifesaver Guy (Garrett Kruithof)and another woman. Like Rick and Jenna, they are chained, with duct tape across their mouths.
Notes on “The Giving Time Is Here”
*Joe the Sandwich Guy – it’s not that I’m mad, I’m just very disappointed … ok, I am really mad at your departure from “rescuing the helpless” to “imprisoning people in your van” this week.
*Joe remarks “It’s a little personal tonight.” How? Joe blames Eileen for the closure of the Saticoy Supply Co. factory. What’s his connection to the others held prisoner in his van? Where is he taking them?
“Have you seen any of The Purge movies? Okay, here’s the story …”
*Checkov’s Fraternity Paddle comes into play this week as the blunt instrument Lila bludgeons Rick with, after weeks of hanging on the wall. As Russian playwright Anton Chekhov noted,”If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.”
*But the fraternity on the paddle, Psi Theta Gamma, doesn’t actually exist (that I could find) as a recognized fraternity.
*The voice or voices Lila heard after her conversation with Jenna could’ve been more distinct; it was difficult for me to understand what they were saying to her. Seeing the spirit of Albert Stanton (Reed Diamond) counseling his daughter would’ve tied the moment more closely to Lila’s flashback.
A Very Purge twist on The Big Day for Daddy’s Little Girl.
*Lila offers Rick 5, then 10, and finally 20 million dollars to leave Jenna.
*Lila’s initiation ceremony takes place just before her 18th birthday
*She is offered a choice between a curved dagger and a gun (and what looks like a crystal salt shaker).
*Lila’s ceremony looks like it’s about to begin way before 7 pm. Since the actual ceremony is in a windowless room, it’s possible it didn’t actually start until after commencement of The Purge.
*LOVED how the beginning of Lila’s flashback called back to Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery; using the language and symbolism of a wedding (something borrowed, wearing a white dress, references to “cold feet” and a “big day”) to misdirect the viewer before the big reveal.
Pete’s Cantina has a Class A liquor license, but also serves coffee!
*Ross’s wife Carol might’ve survived if Rick and Jenna had NOT made the mistake of “trying to warn somebody to look behind them but you’re all screaming at each other so they don’t understand what you’re saying”.
*The furry bunny gang from Episode One shows up at Pete’s Cantina.
*There’s a bit of meta discussion between Penny and Pete regarding why people commit crime and if the crime rate is actually as low as claimed. As Pete knows (and Penny will soon learn), the actual reason of the Purge has nothing to do with controlling crime.
*Counsellors helped re-enforce the NFFA “party line” about The Purge after the deaths of Penny & Miguel’s parents.
The Patrick Bateman/American Psycho cosplayer behind Pete? Nice touch, Show!
*I’m surprised that more people don’t try to circumvent the metal detectors used on Purge Night with 3D printed guns.
*If you want a class A liquor license like Pete, here’s a primer (though it’s links aren’t current).
*Pete accuses the NFFA of playing “the long con”, using The Purge to consolidate power. The role of winning a person’s trust to lure them into committing a crime also reminded me of sting operations in movies like American Hustle.
*TPS reports, made famous in Office Space (1999) are a real thing. But why is Pete hanging on to reports from 2016 & 2017?
Too bad Lila got killed off just as she became an interesting, multidimensional character!
Next Week: Episode Nine “They Will Participate” Who is participating, and how unwillingly are they doing so?
The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.
More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.
*Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) Rick and Jenna bicker over raising the Sandin Security gate to save Lila (Lili Simmons). Neither of them sees a figure sneaking into the house before the gate shuts. The Rick-Jenna-Lila triangle continues inside Chez Betancourt, with Jenna expending all of her concern on Lila; from gently cleaning Lila’s wounds, to offering to let her stay as long as she needs, before giving Lila a goodnight kiss on the forehead.
Lila repays the hospitality later in the evening when she brutally stabs the gun wielding home invader. The now deceased intruder? None other than the Betancourt’s passive-aggressive neighbor Ross (Joe Chrest). Turns out he’d had enough of Jenna and Rick chopping down his maple tree, parking in front of his house, AND (horrors) not inviting Ross and his wife over for dinner.
Lots of Jenna/Lila/Rick angst this episode.
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) are the only characters who spend any time in the woods, which may be “dark and deep” but are not at all “lovely”. They spend their time fleeing from Bygones, stealthily running past some Fight Club wannabes, and bickering about the past before escaping from a Purge Night snare trap.
*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren), tied up as an unwilling exhibit in the Most Sexist Party Room Ever, endures verbal, emotional and sexual harassment from David Ryker (William Baldwin) in the present.
Her past, in the form of flashbacks of her childhood, provide no respite. Lorraine Barbour (Deneen Tyler) loves her daughter and works tirelessly to provide for their family of two. But where Jane sees brains and hard work as the pathways to success, Lorraine believes her daughter must “play the game” and use her looks. Attractiveness is an asset Jane must use to “play their game” and win. That’s why Jane asked a nurse (several episodes back) to relay the message “I forgive you” to her hospitalized mother. As part of that game, Jane’s mother corralled her daughter into a humiliating (if successful) run on the teenage beauty pageant circuit for the scholarship money.
Kudos to The Purge for NOT making Jane’s mother a one-dimensional “bad mom”.
Back in the present, David doesn’t get to enjoy his lecherous activities for too long. The Joe the Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) story joins Jane’s. He cuts the power, then bursts into the party room, shotgun blazing. He cuts the ropes binding Jane’s wrists and buys time for Jane to free the other imprisoned women. Surprisingly enough, Anya (Alyshia Ochse) follows Jane’s prompt to assist her. After they are all unbound, Jane shoots David in the head.
Earlier, Jane persuaded Anya to take her Matron Saints contact card. As Joe’s van drives away from the scene, the Matron Saints van pulls up to David Ryker’s house.
Notes on “Rise Up”
*Is Lila lying? She seems genuinely shell-shocked, but …
*I hope this is heading for a twist, because the Lila/Jenna/Rick triangle is the least compelling storyline on this show.
*All of Jenna’s concern and worry are directed towards Lila and her unborn baby. At this point I wouldn’t blame Rick if he separates from Jenna, works out a custody arrangement regarding their baby, and leaves Jenna and Lila to their own devices.
Jane’s vision of her life is very different from her mother’s plans.
*There is a whole area of legal practice devoted to “Neighbor Law”
*”If this is about scholarships, why am I wearing a bikini?” Ironic that America under the NFFA features pageants with the swimsuit competition that both the Miss Teen USA and Miss America pageants eliminated in real life.
Penny and Miguel pause for an argument in the woods.
*I loved the contrast between Jane’s academic accomplishments (Captain of the Math team, VP of Student Counsel, Excelling in science and calculus) read over the PA, and her refusal to smile on the runway.
*Did Lorraine Barbour have a part in Jane forgoing a science or math centered career path for a more lucrative job in finance?
*A plaque on the wall of Jane’s home reads “I can do things through Christ who strengthens me”. This quotes Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Chapter 4, verse 13.
*David Ryker was the Worst Boss Ever, but he knew his Renaissance artists (comparing the terror in Jane’s eyes to the work of Caravaggio).
Next Week: Episode Eight “Giving Time Is Here” (which makes me think of the Peanuts Christmas song “Christmas Time Is Here“).
The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.
More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.
Episode Six “The Forgotten”
Written by Jeremy Robbins
Directed by Nina Lopez Corrado
[All images courtesy Patti Perret/USA Network]
For a full recap of episodes of The Purge on USA (and all his other cool recaps), check out Father Son Holy Gore!
Now, on to the All American Carnage of The Purge, Episode Six – “The Forgotten”!
RIP, Boho Abusive Junkie Henry
Plot Threads –
*Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) Running for their lives from costumed, skateboard-riding Purgers, Rick and Jenna make it home alive. They proceed to bicker away the evening over – what else – Jenna’s fixation with Lila and (according to Jenna), Rick’s failure to reject the NFFA and everything they stand for.
Of course, their post-argument Moment of Bonding, discussing what their unborn daughter would like to eat (eggs over easy), is interrupted by the arrival of the bloody yet Indestructible Lila Stanton, banging on the door and begging for her life.
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) Tied up to witch burning stakes, Miguel and Penny endure a seemingly endless round of taunts and threats from Henry (Dylan Arnold). Mr. Abusive Boho Junkie gets so wrapped up in talking about how he’ll torture them to death that he fails to anticipate Miguel’s knockout headbutt.
Miguel chokes Henry to death, frees Penny, and the pair escape via a corpse laden cart carrying leaving the Carnival of Flesh.
David Ryker is a bit too calm about Jane ordering his murder.
*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren) Jane’s boss David Ryker (William Baldwin) reacts with remarkable nonchalance to the news that she targeted him for murder. He congratulates Jane on her out of the box thinking, offering her a drink and a guided tour of his home.
Said tour includes a lecture on the restored building’s history, a viewing of his expensive art collection – and the sight of a shot in the forehead Bracka (AzMarie Livingston) laying dead in Ryker’s oh-so-expensive bathtub.
Jane’s tour concludes in a Party Room. Filled with women tied up in lit alcoves, fondled by David’s all-male guest list. Ryker explains it’s all ok because the men “look and touch but nothing more. Everything happens over the clothes … if the women behave and keep quiet, they get to go home in the morning” before two of his hired goons drag Jane away.
*Joe the Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) Joe gets the flashbacks this week. In November 2018, Joe loses his job at Saticoy Supply Company due to the endless quest for corporate profits; Saticoy is making money, just not enough to avoid getting shutdown without warning or severance. In the present, Joe easily dispatches the three thugs beating a man to death. The man credits Joe as “a lifesaver” while the Purge radio voiceover urges citizens to “become the person tonight you want to be tomorrow.”
Penelope discovers a reason to live at death’s door.
Notes on “Rise Up”
*Is Jenna projecting on to Rick, or just unable to see her own faults? Rick may want to do business with the NFFA, but she’s the one committing adultery with the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the NFFA power structure.
*The gruff male voice telling Jenna “She’s dead” reminded me of the ending of the classic of the short story/radio drama/movie Sorry, Wrong Number. This 1943 radio play by Lucille Fletcher was adapted by her for 1948 movie starring Barbara Stanwyk and directed by Anatole Litvak. The story of a husband desperately trying to prevent the murder of his wife after he changes his mind about arranging her death also echoes in Jane’s storyline.
*Jenna does show some practicality in ditching her high heels to run for her life (I’m looking at you, Jurassic World), but she continues The Purge TV tradition of RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF A WELL-LIT STREET.
Jane realizes she’s caught in a trap set by her boss.
*Do Pixar movies exitst in The Purge Universe? Boho Junkie Henry fell into the trap of monologuing, made famous in The Incredibles (2004) villain Syndrome’s taunt to Mr. Incredible, “Oh-ho-ho-ho, you sly dog! You got me monologuing!”
*Henry also worked the classic Bond villain cliché “We’re not that different, you and me into his busy night of talking instead of getting down to business.
*MedlinePlus.gov didn’t have “almost being beaten to death” in their list of “Causes of Corneal Injury”.
*Penny, who longed for death, undergoes a rebirth of sorts escaping in a cart full of death bodies.
* “Please exit the Witch tent now.” Hands down, this is funniest line of the series so far.
*I couldn’t find any record of a artist named Le Mercier – the French painter of the Dali-esque work David Ryker paid $600,000 for.
*Sandin Security gets another mention as the security system installed by David Ryker.
*According to this episode’s security cam, it is 1:03 am on March 22nd.
*Jane reenacts the “flee from the obvious danger only to wind up in a worse situation” horror trope when she avoids getting in the elevator with David – only to find Bracka’s body in the bathtub.
The most interesting character on The Purge series, ladies and gentlemen!
*David’s disgust for women who “run to the Times” with allegations of sexual misconduct echo real life event in the MeToo era.
*To David, Jane’s humanity – calling off the hit on him – only reveals her weakness.
*Now, let us examine the lunch of the Forgotten Man himself –
*Saticoy Supply Co. derives it’s name from a community in California, and the language of the Chumash Native American tribe of that region.
*The Saticoy calendar is open to November 2018. Joe watches a People’s Court type program that refers to a 2015 dispute.
*Joe’s unseen narrator state that the Statue of Liberty “hands you a torch. Now come and take it.”
*Given the stark us vs them economic message of the episode, “The Forgotten” probably refers to FDR’s use of the phrase in 1932 “… the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid.”
*I watched the episode twice and had no idea that Joe and his co-worker John Owens were related as in father and son related. At least that gives us a last name for Joe.
???When Joe was searching for work, did he find a new calling rescuing people? Who provided the GPS and ID of people to save? This is the most interesting thread on the show right now.
Next Week: The Purge heads for “Lovely Dark and Deep” territory in Episode Seven.
The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.
More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.
Episode Five “Rise Up”
Written by Jamie Chan
Directed by Julius Ramsay
[All images courtesy Patti Perret/USA Network]
For a full recap of episodes of The Purge on USA (and all his other cool recaps), check out Father Son Holy Gore!
Now, on to the All American Carnage of The Purge, Episode Five – “Rise Up”!
Plot Threads – Two plot threads saw our characters arriving at their destinations (Jane and Miguel), while the third had them making a frantic escape (Jenna and Rick).
Meanwhile, at Stately Stanton Manor …
*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren) – The Matron Saints make a stop to rescue a woman from her abusive partner, then branding the offender on the forehead with PIG in large, sans-serif letters. Jane can’t participate in the branding. Grabbing a set of keys, she heads off to save the life of her boss David Ryker (William Baldwin).
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) – In the present, Miguel commandeers Rex’s (Christopher Berry) truck, chokes Rex into unconsciousness, and frees his prisoners. Said prisoners (Rex’s landlady & her son), slowly make their way DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET after the son tries and fails to steal Miguel’s stolen truck.
Miguel uses Rex’s passkey to enter Bygones, sells Rex as a sacrifice, and finds Penny. Unfortunately for Miguel, he finds his sister after Rex comes to and warns the guards, who promptly find and subdue him. Since they knock him down in front of Henry’s Torture Tent, Penny’s druggie ex-boyfriend buys Miguel to enjoy a night of revenge on the pair.
For a dissolute junkie, Henry sure has a lot of money to spend on Purge Night.
The siblings get the flashbacks for the episode. Innocent Penelope, perhaps tired of covering for her hot-headed brother, takes up with charming boho artist/drug dabbler Henry (Dylan Arnold). After Henry adds physical abuse to the mix, Miguel delivers a beat down that results in the scarring and discoloration we see in Henry’s right eye.
Oh, and Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif) moonlights as a Caring Social Worker at Penny’s rehab facility. It’s weird that being a Purge Death Cult Leader isn’t more of a full-time gig.
* Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) – Albert Stanton (Reed Diamond) leads Rick into a section of the house that’s been covered in plastic sheeting. Three sacrifices are led into the area as the guests receive hand crafted daggers. Rick pockets the dagger, but Albert inadvertently saves Rick’s life, asking the young man to find Jenna so she can enjoy the “festivities”. Catalina (Paulina Galvez) observes Rick leaving and nods to fellow member of the waitstaff.
Rick find his wife just as shots ring out downstairs. Jenna figures now is the time to heed Catalina’s warning to head for the cellar. Amid a full-scale home invasion by anti-NFFA revolutionaries, Catalina unlocks a cellar door for Rick and Jenna, tells them where to head for safety, then heads back upstairs.
Jenna and Rick decide to skip the Violent Revolution portion of the evening.
*Joe the Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) – Joe stops his van in sight of three men beating someone to death. He steps out of his vehicle and charges the trio holding a billy club.
Notes on “Rise Up”
*I wonder if Armed Home Invasion/Violent Overthrow of the Existing Order is ok on Purge Night? If the Anti-NFFA revolutionaries are only active one night of the year, they should be ok legally.
*Matron Saint Marge may be off a few months in her claim that the early-Spring Purge Night has “the second highest conception rate after New Year’s Eve”. January usually runs second to December as the leading months for conception of babies born the following August and September, the months with the highest average birthrates.
*The setting of The Purge series isn’t explicitly stated, but judging by the beautiful wrought iron balcony on the house next to David Ryker’s place, I’d bet on New Orleans.
*Madelyn (Sabrina Gennaro) echoes the words of Malcom X when proclaiming the Saints will use “any means necessary” to protect women on Purge Night.
Catalina repays Jenna’s kindness with mercy – and an escape route to safety.
*We hear a bit more of the New Founding Fathers of America’s profession of faith during distribution of the golden daggers –
*The “FUBAR” emblazoned on the Vietnam War Atrocity tent at Bygones is but one of many colorful, NSFW military acronyms.
*The post-9/11 mantra “If You See Something, Say Something” gets a NFFA retooling; Joe’s radio announcer advises his listeners, “If You See Something, Do Something“.
*Last week, I noted the golden daggers brought the horror hotel of “Hotel California” to mind. Their ceremonial use at the Stanton party also suggests The Night of the Long Knives – Hitler’s 1934 purge of the paramilitary SA “Brownshirts” that consolidated his power in the Nazi party. In The Purge universe, the NFFA uses The Purge to maintain their power, both through indoctrination of the elite 1% – and winnowing the 99% they see as “undesirable”.
*Thank you, Security Cam 1 at David Ryker’s house, for giving us a definite timestamp for the series – 3/22/202712:07 A.M.
*Rex’s (Christopher Berry) advice to Miguel, “That’s the game, kid,” recalls Jane’s mother admonishment to her daughter – “if only you’d played the game …” back in Episode One.
Henry makes the leap from Boho Junkie to Unrepentant Jerk.
*The damage – destruction really – of Henry’s eye is by my estimation the most overt graphic violence we’ve seen on The Purge series to date.
Next Week: Who are “The Forgotten” in Episode Six?
The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.
More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.
Episode Four “Release the Beast”
Written by Krytal Houghton Ziv
Directed by Clark Johnson
[All images courtesy Patti Perret/USA Network]
For a full recap of episodes of The Purge on USA (and all the other cool recaps he’s got there), check out Father Son Holy Gore!
Now, on to the All American Carnage of The Purge – Episode Four, “Release the Beast”!
Plot Threads
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) – Miguel spends most of this episode finding out where the Neon Nuns took his sister, begging Pete the Cop for a ride, then riding shotgun with the affable-with-an-undertone-of-sleazy “Cowboy” Rex (Christopher Berry) to an indoor Purge Night theme park called Bygones. Along with some homespun “live your dreams” advice, Rex is delivering supplying Purge Night victims to Bygones, because actually “living your dreams” does not come cheap.
Miguel does not arrive in time to prevent his sister’s purchase by Henry, the oft-mentioned by never before seen lowlife who checked Penelope out of rehab.
Jane, walking down the middle of the street on Purge Night? Really?
* Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) – Rick & Jenna get the backstory this episode. Which consist of Morning After flashbacks of their three-way with Lila, Lila and Jenna’s continuing relationship, and Rick’s discovery of said adulterous relationship. In the present, Lila continues to flatter/sympathize with Jenna and antagonize Rick. Jenna rebuffs Lila’s plea to make their own family with the baby, only to see Rick joining Albert Stanton (Reed Diamond) for “festivities” at the episode’s end.
Since the celebrations feature razor sharp golden daggers, some blood will be shed. Will Jenna heed Catalina (Paulina Galvez) and flee, or try to rescue her husband?
Dear Purge – Please stop telling me Lila is dangerous and unstable, and start showing it.
*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren) – Poor Mark (Adam Stephenson) lies dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood as Jane flips out, berating a shell-shocked Alison (Jessica Miesel). Alison, stunned by her own actions, realizes “I don’t feel better, I feelworse” and reminds Jane she’s not one to be so high and mighty; Alison saw Jane’s Purge Night plans on her laptop and knows who’s on Jane’s Purge List.
Jane can’t connect with Braka to cancel her “order”. Fleeing into the city streets, she’s set upon by a Purge Night celebrant (James Ricker II) who is a really big fan of the 1961 hit “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes”. He assaults and attempts to drug her, only to be foiled by a gang of well armed and determined women calling themselves the Matron Saints. They take Jane into their deluxe RV, providing her asafer ride to save her jerk boss from getting murdered than WALKING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET ON HER OWN.
*Joe the Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) – He has the least screen time this week, but is put through the wringer nonetheless. He arrives at a barricaded grocery store. But he’s too late to save a man and woman who lie dead of multiple gunshot wounds. He screams with rage, and we finally see his face as he weeps.
The Night DOES Have 1,000 Eyes – all on this guy’s face.
Notes on “Release the Beast”
* Dear Purge Writers – We keep hearing that Lila isn’t stable, but so far all we haven’t seen it. Being a willful, spoiled manipulator may be unpleasant, but doesn’t make me think Lila is dangerous. I hope the next few episodes actually show us some of the instability we’ve only heard about so far.
*I thought the series would spend a few episodes on the Purge Night, then move on to a post-Purge story. Instead, we’re seeing the pre-Purge night existences of our characters. What led them to this Purge Night, not what follows afterwards.
*Episode Four & we’re four hours into this “annual blood holiday”.
I don’t think Penelope is going to enjoy any Cheese Fries at Bygones tonight.
*I may have figured out the identity of the third female mask at the Stanton party (after Lizzie Borden and Susan Atkins). 16th Century One Percenter Elizabeth Bathory, the infamous “Blood Countess,” followed a beauty regimen of bathing in the blood of roughly 650 of her servants and serfs. Eventually her behavior became such a scandal, and she ended her days locked up by her fellow Hungarian nobility.
*The portrait commonly identified as Elizabeth, and used as a mask here, may actually be that of Italian Renaissance noblewoman Lucrezia Panciatichi.
*Those wickedly sharp golden daggers on parade for the “festivities” at the Stanton party reminded me of “Hotel California”, the 1977 signature hit from The Eagles. A look at the lyrics supports a view that Don Henley, that the song was about “the excesses of American culture.” Jane is warned by Catalina to leave the Stanton house; for her it may be a case of, “You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave.” Rick did tell her last week, “this is the world we’re living in.”
At least Jane’s wearing practical shoes to STROLL DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!
*Purge Product Placement(s) of the Week – Shasta brand soda in the vandalized grocery store and Verizon, former employer of Rex the Collector.
*Or you can just enjoy some Italian or Polish sausage, Cheese Fries, and Pretzels!
*Is there an “Official Handtruck Provider” for the New Founding Fathers of America? The Purge: Anarchy (2014) also used this warehouse staple to transport Purge Night sacrifices from Point A to Point B.
Gee, Lila looks pretty stable, why does the show keep warning me she’s not?
*Jane’s attacker may be a big fan of either the 1948 Film Noir or 1962 Bobby Vee pop hit, both entitled The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.
*Jane’s attacker used “a sedative” but not (apparently), the notorious rohypnol.
* While there are female patron saints, the Catholic Church doesn’t refer to them as “Matron Saints”.
*St. Mary Magelene is the patron saint of women, but not (officially at least) of female vigilantes.
Episode Three “The Urge to Purge”
Written by Nick Betancourt
Directed by David Von Ancken [All images courtesy Patti Perret/USA Network]
After taking deep dives into Bates Motel, The Exorcist, and most recently Channel Zero (here at F&S and at SciFi4Me.com), I’m plunging into a weekly look at the symbolism, clues, and connective tissues in each episode of The Purge series on USA Network.
For a full recap of Purge episodes, check out Father Son Holy Gore! I agree with his assessment that this episode is a step up; the intensity, storytelling, and worldbuilding all develop in fascinating ways.
Now, on to the All American Carnage of The Purge – Episode Three, “The Urge to Purge”!
Miguel and Pete search for the Blue Bus of Death.
Plot Threads
*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) -Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif) manages to regain her hold on her flock, and Penelope is delivered to the next sacrifice stop. A group of garish, neon-coweled nuns put a sack over Penny, and toss her in their souped up Lance Camper.
Miguel earns the trust of Pete the Flop Cop (Dominic Fumusa); in exchange for his newly won car, Miguel gets the location (and a ride) of the Blue Bus of Death. Just one problem, though. Good Leader Tavis informs Miguel that Penelope was just delivered to “the nuns” who pointed him towards the BBoD!
* Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) – Jenna breaks off the make out session with her Lila (Lili Simmons) to deliver some important news. She and Rick are expecting a baby.
Later, Jenna is summoned by Albert Stanton (Reed Diamond) to join Rick and himself in the study. After securing funding from Stanton, his assistants dragg a bloody, bedraggled man into the room. The man begs for his life through a gag as Stanton accuses the him of stealing and reselling copper wiring from a Stanton construction sites. Always a gracious host, Albert hands Rick a pistol to kill the dishonest ex-employee. A stunned Rick declines (at Jenna’s insistence), Albert shoots the man. Afterwards, Jenna insists they pull out of the deal and Rick reluctantly agrees. He conveniently goes to find something for them to drink while Lila approaches Jenna.
*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren) – Amid celebratory champagne, David Ryker (Billy Baldwin) interrupts the celebration at Ryker- Moore Equity with a scolding phone call with a tiny little congratulations at the end for her, Jane goes looking for Alison (Jessica Misel), Mark (Adam Stephenson) – and a good Wfi connection. Away from the safety of the 38th floor, Jane doesn’t find a good Wi-Fi connection – but hears noises that are not a couple enjoying themselves – but Alison braced over a prone Mark stabbing him repeatedly with a pair of scissors. “So, do you notify HR about my promotion or is that up to me?”
*Joe the Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) -To me, this was the most intriguing plot thread of the episode. Joe the Sandwich Guy stops the two Purgers he witnessed breaking into a home last episode, and shoots them dead before the terrified homeowner. Instead of harming the woman they wanted to rob, he says “Your house has been compromised. You’re not safe – Come with me.”
Good Leader Tavis bids farewell to another Purge Night sacrifice.
*Braka said Jane’s assignment was third on her list, and wouldn’t exchange payment until 7 pm on the dot. When did Braka get payment for jobs 1 &2? Did they pay with an online currency transaction that went through until 7 pm?
*At least we know Alison is a self-starter who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. Unlike Jane, she doesn’t “arrange for someone to do your dirty work”.
*Like the Army of the 12 Monkeys, Purgers have let all the animals out of the zoo.
*Spied a mask at the Stanton party that could maybe be a Renaissance woman, but did not look like Lucrecia Borgia – which is too bad, since the popular legend of Lucretia would fit the Stanton family dynamics perfectly.
*Lila Stanton knows Jenna is pregnant (I guessed right about that). Albert Stanton would give up all his material wealth “for a grandchild.” Is Lila concerned at the end of the episode for Jenna, or plotting something involving the unborn child?
*Albert Stanton is a self-professed feminist – who doesn’t pay taxes.
*I keep coming back to Lila’s Lizzie Borden mask. Which brings me back to the infamous rhyme commemorating Ms. Borden’s alleged murder of her parents.
*Whatever the Neon Nuns have in store for Penny, it promises to be beyond awful. They’re carrying a deluxe crossbow, a large knife with a serrated edge, a length of chain
At least the Paper Towel dispenser behind Pig Assassin Guy looks happy.
*We learn what the blissed-out cultists meant by “OMF Penny” in Episode One. Miguel and Penelope are an Original Martyr Family – survivors of the first Purge on Staten Island. Their flashback story ties the series to the fourth movie in the Purge series The First Purge (2018).
*The Purge Cult follows a “peace sign” route every year. Either they really believe their dogma, or have a great sense of irony.
*The “Devil Dog” term used by Miguel dates from the First World War.
*Both Miguel and Penelope are told “their parents would be proud” of their actions on Purge Night
* Pete, Rick, and Joe the Sandwich Guy offer three different ways of dealing with The Purge. Rick wants to succeed in without being a part of it – “this is the world we’re living in,” Pete’s bar offers a way station, “giving people a safe spot to think it over”
Joe the Sandwich Guy apparently has taken a different message from the talk radio host he’s listening to. “Fear is the great thief … not everyone has the courage to rise up … to achieve their dreams.” He deals with the Purge by living his dream – not of killing, but for being the hero.
Joe the Sandwich Guy may be the most interesting character on The Purge.
Next week, how will our characcters “Release the Beast” in Episode Four?
Until then citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”
The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.
More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.
The Purge Season Two
Channel Zero Archive 