'The Mist' Recap: 'The Waking Dream'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

​Often times when a story decides to go to some incredibly dark places, there’s usually an eye in the middle of the storm wherein the audience can take a deep breath and collect their thoughts and emotions before the storm returns to slam us with ugly winds once again. But apparently, The Mist has decided that such a break for the audience…just isn’t going to happen. Because last night’s episode, ‘The Waking Dream’, which should have served as that proverbial breather, continued the onslaught that began last week and once more, we were privy to dark and disturbing moments as mankind’s more primal instincts took control.
 
Case in point, everything that happened in the sewer. What should have been a simple and brisk jaunt from the now ruined church to the Mall turned out to be a cold and terrifying experience. Because once again, Mrs. Raven’s strange and twisted beliefs continued to alienate some of her followers to the point where she was happy to abandon an injured member of her flock without a second thought. However, what made this sequence of events so incredibly chilling is the fact that all of Sheriff Heisel’s wild talk about getting everyone to the mall to deal with his son didn’t come out of survival instinct or panic…he’s fully prepared to follow through and shed blood since he wounded the other survivor in their group and he left her behind as well without even breaking a sweat…
 
However, the ugliness in the sewers was merely the beginning. Because after weeks of teasing us…everything in the mall finally fell to pieces. Convinced now that Alex was indeed the real perpetrator of Shelley’s death, the ‘good people’ of the mall set out to hunt for her and the only thing that preserved her life for longer than Gus or his gang would prefer was the sheer fact that she was searching desperately for Jay. But seeing people who were everyday folks in the series premiere, angrily searching the halls of this shopper’s paradise, with axes, knives and bludgeons in hand; ready to punish Alex for a death she wasn’t responsible for, was truly the stuff of nightmares and quite frankly, I don’t recognize who these people are anymore and unfortunately…they found Alex at the end of the episode.
 
Yet, there was more to the story than a mere collection of bleak moments. Lost in the mix of uncomfortable darkness, there was plenty of tension and answers to some mysteries to be found as well. After all, Kevin’s journey to the mall was a harrowing one as he and Vic dodged The Mist from house to house and once again, this cloud of doom seemed to imply that it preys on human beings with darkness in their hearts since Kevin was able to fight off the strange apparitions it sent his way, including one that looked just like him and Kevin even made mention of the fact that it seemed like The Mist sent him a warning and oddly enough, we also learned last night that Jonah, is apparently a high ranking official at the Arrowhead Project since one of the remaining military lackeys trapped in the mall found Jonah while he was searching for supplies and after an angry greeting…Jonah was saluted without question…
 
If anything, I’m loving the direction the show has suddenly shifted to and for the first time since the series premiere, genuine danger is hanging in the air and the stage is now set for a thrilling season one finale. Because now that everyone has arrived at the mall, things are going to get ugly and I’m anxious to see what will happen when it comes to the disturbing sacrifice of Jay that Mrs. Raven and his father have planned when Adrian’s secret is revealed to all. Either way, I get the feeling we are going to be in for heck of a season finale next week and Thursday cannot get here quickly enough. Until next time. 

---