'The Mist' Recap: 'The Law of Nature'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

​One of the biggest storytelling elements that makes The Mist franchise as a whole so compelling to watch, is the fact that it goes to the darkest of places when it comes to the human condition. It in many ways unleashes the worst parts of mankind, letting fear serve as the catalyst. However, while this is prevalent in the novella and film versions of this story, the television show has merely toyed with the notion, giving us just a taste of how far people are willing to go to survive…that is until last night. Because ‘The Law of Nature’ unleashed the ugliest parts of our souls upon our television screens and the end of result of finally staying true to the core of this story, completely changed the landscape of the series heading into the home stretch of season one because wow, it also delivered a powerful surprise along the way.
 
We’ll save the surprise for last because first, I’d really like to focus on the other two key areas where we saw fear and darkness take control in stunning fashion, starting with the people at the church. Because with Father Romanov out of the way, at long last Mrs. Raven is completely in control of the faith and future of everyone around her and it doesn’t take long for everyone to realize…she’s not the leader or savior that they hoped she would be. Because Mrs. Raven suddenly focuses on a mantra of redemption through violence, since she firmly believes that death and destruction of the wicked is the key to getting The Mist to leave Bridgeville and it’s a stance that forces quite a few of her flock to back away. But those that remain loyal, decide to leave for the mall in order to deal with Jay to free the town and before they go…they leave the church in ruin and bodies in their wake…
 
Yet that dark storyline was merely the beginning for this episode, because the situation at the mall went from tense…to outright terrifying, all thanks to two key people, Gus and Shelley, the mother of the late Lila. Still filled to the brim with guilt, Shelley continues her assault on Alex and her ability to survive The Mist, claiming that the two are somehow connected to this whole mess and unfortunately, people are starting to truly listen to her. It’s an issue that prompts one of the remaining soldiers from Arrowhead to inform Gus that someone needs to do something about the matter, and that someone is Gus and when he goes to confront Shelley…everything falls to pieces. Sure, she flat out admits that she knows Alex is innocent and that this is related to grief, but she makes a power play on Gus, threatening to tell everyone that he’s sitting on a mountain of food while people are starving and rather than let that truth come out, Gus kills Shelley and blames the act on Alex.
 
But the stunner of the night, was everything that happened in Kevin’s group. Low on gas and near Adrian’s home, the group makes a pit stop to resupply, giving Adrian a chance to check in on his parents and what he finds…is nothing compared to what comes out of his mouth. Because the death of his mother drives a powerful confrontation between Adrian and his father where dear old dad reveals concerns about his son’s mental health and those concerns are warranted since Adrian admits to being the person responsible for assaulting Alex, shortly before murdering his father in cold blood. To make matters worse, Kevin uncovers this horrible truth as well, leading to a confrontation that leaves Kevin knocked out cold and surrounded by The Mist and that allows for Adrian to tell yet another lie…and secure his safety with the group as they head for the mall…
 
So really, I think this is the episode that every single fan of the series has been waiting for. It was supremely dark, and equally as disturbing and truthfully, I loved every single second of it. I love the fact that Mrs. Raven has turned out to be a false prophet of sorts, to the point where she may likely pay the piper for her actions at some point and the whole Adrian thing…wow. He’s really been a bit of a throwaway character until now and what’s he done is shocking and disgusting to say the least, and when you take his storyline last night, and Mrs. Raven’s and the whole mess at the mall, it’s clear now that the show is building to an explosive finale where the evils that have been done are about to come together and who knows who will survive when all is said and done and it pleases me to no end that the show has finally found its stride and its core in that…the real horror that The Mist harbors is man itself and it will take a miracle to save these people from themselves. Until next time.  

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