2.11: BLANK GENERATION - Available!

[CC Fan]

Recap Provided By Cellogal

Blank Generation
December 11, 1978
In a candlelit bedroom, a young man and woman canoodle in bed, listening to “Surrender” by Cheap Trick. The guy kisses the girl, who, may I say, has the most disturbing bangs I’ve ever seen, and tells her that it’s snowing outside. She says there is no outside, and there’s no yesterday. Before we can ponder the implications of this, a guy’s voice is heard yelling for Matthew Adams. The guy in bed sits up, clearly surprised, and says it’s his dad.

Outside, Matthew’s dad and a younger, cocky-looking man stand on the porch of what looks like a seriously nice mansion. Dad is yelling for Matthew, but the younger one says Matthew doesn’t know him. Matthew’s dad demands to see his son, but the younger one says Matthew was an orphan when he met him. The two guys argue, Dad accusing the younger one of manipulating a screwed-up kid, and the younger one blaming Dad for screwing him up in the first place. The younger one says Matthew has free will, and challenges Dad to call to him. This he does, saying that he and Beth want Matthew to come home.

Back inside, Matthew hastily steps into his pants and goes to the window, and he and his dad look at each other for a moment, but then Matthew steps back and closes the curtains. The younger guy outside smirks and says Matthew’s got a new father now. Man, somebody really needs to slam this guy’s face into a table. Oh, wait. Getting ahead of myself here. Anyway, clearly defeated, Dad turns around and leaves.

Daylight comes, and we see Matthew lying dead on the front porch of what looks to be a different house, a note on his chest that reads, “Father, I’m free. Goodbye. Matthew.” From the paperwork we see in the typewriter, the death has been ruled a suicide.

Present Day
Scotty and Lilly are in the squad room, talking to a blonde woman with an adorable pixie haircut. She’s telling them that she and Matthew used to be close, but that Matthew drifted after their mother killed herself. He joined the First Generation, which Lilly tactfully calls a “group,” but the blonde insists was a cult. She says Matthew cut off all ties, and since Jonestown had just happened, they were afraid the First Generation was planning something similar, so they hired a “deprogrammer” to try and get Matthew out of the cult. She says the deprogrammer, Bill Crawford, took Matthew to a hotel room, where they all tried to convince him to leave, but the blonde says ultimately they left Matthew alone with Crawford, and the next day Matthew turned up dead from cyanide poisoning on their front porch. The blonde says they all thought it was suicide, but then she pulls a newspaper clipping from her purse which suggests Crawford may have killed someone he was trying to rescue. The girl died of an asthma attack, she says, and Crawford dosed her with poison to cover it up, even forging a suicide note.

Scotty is distracted then by the arrival of Calamity Jane! No, wait..sorry…it’s Anna Mayes, his old colleague from West. She gives him a wave and a sad smile, then heads into Stillman’s office, where she tells him they found a floater in the Schuylkill that morning. I have no idea how they get “Skoo-kle” from “Schuylkill,” but there you have it. Stillman seems confused as to why Anna is coming to him, but she says their floater is someone they know: Elisa. Stillman looks out the window of his office at Scotty, clearly thinking what we all are at home. Oh, snap!

Credits.

Squad room. Lilly and Jeffries are examining the suicide note, which seems standard, but Lilly says it could have been written by the deprogrammer. Vera comes up, and after asking what the boss wanted with Valens, gives us the 49 on Matthew Adams: straight-arrow 20-year-old, pre-med at Penn, but then drops out, dyes his hair black, and starts hanging out at The Arsenal, which Jeffries informs us was a popular punk slam-dancing spot. Vera goes on to say that Matthew joined the cult in June of 1978. Jeffries says he remembers those First Generation nuts; their leader, Maurice Warfield, who’s now in jail, wanted to start a new generation with himself as their father. Vera says a raid of the mansion found cyanide, enough for each member. Lilly theorizes that they were planning their own Jonestown, but Matthew’s death seems to have stopped it. Lilly says the deprogrammer is their first stop.

A river, presumably the Schuylkill. Scotty and Stillman are walking along its banks. A confused Scotty half-jokingly asks Stillman if Anna’s getting his job, and Stillman brought him all the way out there to tell him. Stillman says it’s about Elisa. Scotty stops and asks Stillman if she’s in trouble. After a pause, Stillman says that they found her that morning in the Schuylkill River, that it looks like she jumped, but Anna is working the case. Scotty, clearly in shock, says that can’t be; Elisa wouldn’t have jumped, she’s scared of heights, and she was getting better, and he needs to go talk to Anna. All Stillman can say is that he’s sorry. Still trying to absorb the information, Scotty is silent for a minute, then walks off.

The deprogrammer’s lair. Lilly and Jeffries are interviewing Crawford, whose beard is simply astounding. After some discussion of his recent “accident,” Lilly asks if Matthew was an accident, too. Crawford tells her she’s off by a mile, that Matthew crawled out the hotel’s bathroom window and he never saw him again. Jeffries presses him, saying Crawford’s clearly not above breaking the law doing business, and Crawford turns the tables, asking if it was their loved one, wouldn’t they want him to do everything he could? Lilly instructs him to tell them about Matthew, and Crawford says that, like every job, it started with a rescue. Jeffries calls it a kidnapping, but Crawford insists he was the good guy.

A younger Crawford, his astounding beard in its infancy, breaks down the door, gun drawn, and demands to see Matthew. The younger, cocky guy, who we now know is Maurice, says there’s no Matthew there, but Crawford cocks the gun, scaring the other cultlings, and apparently this works, because we see Matthew being dragged out of the mansion and thrown into a van, where his dad and sister are waiting. Matthew demands to know what’s going on, and his dad and sister immediately begin reminding him of his name, his address, his sports allegiances, but all Matthew will say is that it’s three days until Zero Hour.

Jeffries asks what Zero Hour was, and Crawford explains it was the appointed time for the mass suicide, then theorizes that Matthew may have killed himself early so nobody would stop him. Crawford brags about his 90% success rate, but says that that Warfield character messed Matthew’s head up good.

Jail. We meet the famous Maurice Warfield, who greets Lilly and Jeffries by saying that the serious faces of the law are just trying to hide the fact that they’re the same scared children they always were. Whoa. Has Maurice been talking to George Marks? This issue isn’t addressed, though, as Lilly asks Maurice about Matthew Adams. Maurice says that Matthew was an artist whose father tried to fill his head with science, and all Maurice was doing was trying to illustrate that Matthew had a choice, which he points out isn’t against the law. Jeffries rebuts that tax fraud and statutory rape sure are, but Maurice says he considers himself wrongly detained, that he doesn’t accept their laws. Well, accept them or not, you’re still in jail, pal. Jeffries asks him how he found Matthew, and Maurice says he found him in a lost place.

A punk bar with Mohawks and slam-dancing, and “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones, presumably The Arsenal. Maurice and another guy are standing there, watching a crowd of dancers, and they see Matthew get into a fight with a guy who has a truly outstanding Mohawk. Seriously, the hair in this episode is Un. Real. Maurice goes and breaks up the fight without a word, and Outstanding Mohawk Guy goes back to slam-dancing, but Matthew comes up to the bar, where Maurice has rejoined his friend and has his arm around Disturbing Bangs Girl. Matthew doesn’t believe he knows Maurice, but Maurice says he knows Matthew: a rebel boy in combat boots and Gucci socks. Heh. He goes on to guess that Matthew’s mad because Maurice broke up the fight before Matthew had a chance to get his a** kicked. Matthew asks, as any reasonable person might, why he’d want that, and Maurice says the world is full of pain, and that’s his chance to control it. Matthew brushes Maurice off, so Maurice turns to Plan B: Disturbing Bangs Girl. This, we see as they smile at each other, apparently works.

Maurice explains that Matthew needed a place to crash, so he came to stay with them. When asked about his death, Maurice blames “the commando,” who came in and took Matthew, and none of them ever saw him again. Lilly asks about the cyanide, and Maurice insists there was no mass suicide planned, not even a cult. Just an ideal, he says forlornly, and that the First Generation is a thing of the past.
Squad room. Vera and Lilly say that abrasions on Matthew’s back indicate he was dragged, pointing to homicide, but that Crawford is off the hook, having hopped a plane to Miami that night. Stillman and Jeffries walk in then, and Stillman tells them about Elisa. Lilly and Vera both look stunned, and Lil asks where Scotty is. Stillman replies that he’s at home, and Lilly says they should go to him, and starts to get up, but Jeffries says Scotty needs time, and Stillman agrees.

Lilly’s apartment. She comes in, still clearly heartbroken for Scotty, and picks up the phone, presumably to call him, but then she notices that a window is open, and someone has painted “Obey The F1rst Generation” on her wall. Oh, snap!
When next we see it, Lil’s place is hopping, with CSU, Stillman, and Jeffries all there. The CSU investigator says they were able to get a print from the window. Stillman, Jeffries, and Lil all state the obvious, that for a thing of the past, First Generation sure is organized. Jeffries concludes Maurice must be running the cult from prison, and they speculate as to who the outside man might be. Vera comes in then, saying Lilly has nice neighbors, but they didn’t see squat. Jeffries continues theorizing, saying Maurice mentioned two names, Nick and Allison, but Vera isn’t paying attention. He’s having a Close Encounter of the Feline Kind. He asks Lil what’s wrong with her cats, and she clearly doesn’t even see their flaws anymore, because she says nothing’s wrong with them. Vera gives her a yeah, okay, whatever look and turns to leave. Heh. Stillman asks Lilly if she’s okay, and she shakes her head and just says, “Scotty.” Aw. Stillman, by the way, has had a heck of a day. First he has to tell Scotty about Elisa, and now he has to deal with Lil’s apartment getting broken into. I’d like to buy that man a beer.

West. Scotty walks in, trying to avoid the stares of his former colleagues, and stops at Anna’s desk, where he tells her that he’s there to pick up Elisa’s stuff. Anna hands him a brown paper bag, and Scotty asks if she’s gotten the scene photos yet. She says she hasn’t, and he tells her he wants to see them. She says there’s no reason for that, but, in a wavery voice, he insists. He starts to leave, but she says there was a note addressed to him, and hands him an envelope. Y’all, we can see Scotty’s heart breaking as he asks Anna where she found it, and she responds that it was on Elisa’s bed. Scotty tucks the note into his coat pocket, and Anna starts to tell him that anytime he wants to talk, she’s there, but Scotty’s having none of that. The tears about to spill over, he says he’s gotta jet, and Anna calls after him, saying she wants to help him, but he tosses her a lopsided smile, says he’s good, and leaves. Well, if that’s “good,” I’d hate to see what “bad” looks like.

A church. Vera and Jeffries are interviewing Nick, the other guy from the bar. Nick insists he no longer has anything to do with the cult, that he washed his hands of Maurice Warfield twenty-five years ago. The detectives ask who might have had it out for Matthew, and Nick responds that Maurice would have, because false gods can be wrathful. Vera says they don’t speak cult. Hee. Nick translates, and then goes on to explain about the initiation rite, where Matthew spent three days in total darkness.

Cult Mansion, where The Cars serenade us with “Moving In Stereo.” Maurice fetches a shirtless Matthew from a dark room, where he babbles about being alone, and then Maurice tells him his past no longer exists, and invites him to stay with them, if he wants, so they can show him what a family really is. Matthew is flattered and says he’ll stay, and Maurice gestures to the other cultlings in the room and tells Matthew to choose someone, anyone to love. Matthew is thrilled. A home, a family, and nookie, all in one place? Sha-zam! His eyes immediately fall on Disturbing Bangs Girl, who we learn is Allison, and, after a pause where we see that Maurice is clearly not okay with this, he motions to her. Allison asks if this is okay, and Maurice replies that Matthew has chosen her. He joins their hands and tells them they’ll be together one month, no more, and asks Matthew if he understands. I think all that Matthew understands, or cares about, at this point is that he’s about to get it on with Allison, so he agrees readily.

This complicated cult case is starting to look like your standard love triangle, and Vera asks, just for clarification, if Maurice was angry because Matthew was “bangin’ her past the cult expiration date.” Man, Vera is getting some awesome lines in this episode! Nick clarifies that Maurice was angry because Matthew, in the words of Eric Cartman, didn’t respect Maurice’s authori-tah.

Tattoo parlor. Stillman and Lilly are there to interview Allison, whose bangs are thankfully grown-out and much less disturbing. After imparting us with a seemingly unimportant bit of information, that all of Allison’s tattoos are her own design, Lil asks her about Matthew. Allison says that the love of your life vanishes at gunpoint, you never see him again, yeah, he crosses your mind from time to time. Stillman asks her about being Maurice’s girl, and she says Maurice had a lot of girls. The detectives ask if she was special, and she says no, that being a “father figure” was more important to Maurice than anything else, and that he allowed her and Matthew to stay together “past the cult expiration date” (tm Vera). Lilly asks if she has any idea who Maurice’s outside contact might be, but Allison just shakes her head, saying Maurice had a lot of sway over a lot of people, and when asked, says Maurice made her feel special right after the end of a bad marriage. Stillman asks how she got out of the cult, and Allison says it was when Matthew died, that it was the biggest loss of her life. Lilly asks if Allison thinks Matthew committed suicide, and Allison shrugs and says they were all pretty messed up back then. When asked what she’d say if they told her it was homicide, Allison immediately points to Matthew’s dad.

A medical lab, where we hear “Accidents Will Happen” by Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Matthew unlocks a cabinet full of pills, and finds what he’s looking for: cyanide. He and Allison are turning to leave when Matthew’s dad shows up, thinking he came to talk. Matthew says they ran out of things to talk about a long time ago. Dad then asks what Matthew’s doing there, but all Matthew says is that he’ll find out. Dad accuses him of being after narcotics, then turns his attention to Allison, asking if she’s “one of them.” Matthew protests that Allison loves him, and Dad says those zombies are controlling his mind. Matthew fires back that that’s his dad’s specialty. Dad retorts that Matthew is like his mother in all the worst ways, and Matthew responds that he will never forgive the secret. Then he and Allison walk out, hand in hand.

Lilly and Stillman are clearly curious about “the secret,” but Allison says she never knew what it was. She does enlighten them, though, about Zero Hour. It wasn’t a mass suicide, but a mass patricide: the ultimate act of loyalty to Maurice.

[TVFan]

Squad room. Lilly, Stillman, and Jeffries speculate that if Matthew’s dad found out about Zero Hour, he could have killed Matthew to save his own skin, or perhaps to protect “the secret.” Vera comes in, saying that they got the prints back from Lilly’s unwelcome visitor, but the doer isn’t in the system. The detectives look at the list of authorized visitors for Maurice, and when Lilly comments on its length, Jeffries explains that Maurice fathered a fair amount of kids. Vera says it’s pretty common for cult leaders to be bangin’ all the ladies, and Jeffries says it’s good to be king. Heh. Stillman instructs Vera and Jeffries to go talk to the dad, and Lil has a visitor: Matthew’s sister.

Stillman’s office. Lilly has just told Beth that Matthew was planning to kill their dad, and she says Matthew wouldn’t do that. Lilly explains that Matthew wasn’t himself at the end, then suggests that it might have something to do with “the secret.” Beth enlightens us that when their dad got his way, everything was peachy, but when Matthew dropped out of pre-med, Dad blamed Mom, and things got “ugly.”

The Adams’ dining room. Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind” plays. Dad is telling Matthew that when he works in the lab this summer, the leather and piercings have to go, and Matthew indicates he has other ideas. Mom pipes up, saying that her friend the artist (or pot head, according to her husband) needs help stretching canvas and mixing paint. Dad scoffs that this won’t impress medical schools, and Matthew informs them all that he’s dropped out of Penn and is applying to art school. Dad is as thrilled by this information as you’d expect him to be, and demands of Mom if she knew about this. She says it’s what Matthew wants, and they start to fight. Beth interjects that Matthew’s really talented, and Matthew, trying to diffuse the situation, says forget it, he’ll go to med school, but the parents clearly aren’t paying attention. Mom says if she’s so awful, why doesn’t she just kill herself, and I can tell by the looks on everyone’s faces that this is something she threatens rather a lot. Mom and Dad fight, she storms off, and Dad follows. Beth tells Matthew to forget them and go to art school, but Matthew says he has a new plan: to find a quiet place in the middle of nowhere. Beth asks plaintively if she can come, but before he can answer, we hear a gunshot. If you’re keeping score at home, this is the third “Oh, snap!” moment of the episode.

Beth explains that Dad told them to say they all saw Mom shoot herself, but in reality, Dad was the only witness. She goes on to say that she was the “good girl,” who went to med school and tried to forget, but she never did. Lilly asks if Beth thinks Dad killed Mom, and Beth says at first that she doesn’t think so, but then that she doesn’t know.

Hospital. Jeffries talks to Dad, who protests that his wife’s death was ruled a suicide. Without missing a beat, Jeffries replies that Matthew’s was, too. Dad is clearly still bitter that two of his three family members checked out on him, but his day gets worse when Jeffries asks Dad if he knew Matthew was planning to kill him. Dad says he doesn’t, then asks Jeffries if he’s ever looked in the eyes of someone he loved and known they were gone. Jeffries says he has.

Hotel room. Crawford, Dad, and Beth are there with Matthew. Beth is pleading with Matthew, reminding him of his past, and tells him that his new dad is just as controlling as his old one. Matthew just stares at her blankly, and Crawford points out they’ve been at this for forty hours, and they should let him take over. Beth reminds Matthew of the quiet place, and it looks like she might be starting to get through a little bit, but Dad says they’ve had enough, and they start to leave. Beth tells Matthew she knows he remembers, and then they go outside. Beth glares at Dad and storms off, and Dad is lighting a cigarette when he sees Matthew, who’s just apparently crawled out the bathroom window. Matthew says he’s going home to his father, then asks Dad why he wasn’t ever good enough. He blames Dad for Mom’s death, then when Dad asks him what he wants, Matthew says he just wants to forget Dad, that he doesn’t want to feel bad anymore. After all Matthew’s been through recently, I can’t say I think that’s an unreasonable request. Apparently, Dad agrees with me, because he admits defeat, tells Matthew it’s his life, and offers him a ride anywhere he wants to go.

Dad says that he’s a surgeon, and he knows when he’s lost a patient. He explains to Jeffries that he took Matthew back to the cult mansion, and Matthew never looked back. The last person he saw Matthew with was Maurice, and Dad never told Beth because he didn’t want to lose her, too.

Hallway at PPD. Surprise, y’all! It’s Scotty! He’s doing the whole hunched-over, avoiding everyone’s eyes thing, and he winds up face-to-face with Lilly, who is as surprised to see him as we are. Scotty tells her he got her message, and apologizes for not being able to get back. Lilly says she’s been worried about him, but he brushes her off, telling her he’s been with Elisa’s family. Lilly asks what she can do to help, and Scotty, smiling weakly, says she can tell him where they are on this job. Lilly doesn’t think this is such a good idea, and suggests that maybe he “shouldn’t be here right now.” Scotty gives her this dark look that simultaneously radiates pain and anger, and softly demands that she tell him where he should be. She gives him this beautiful wide-eyed compassionate look and says nothing. This is such a wonderfully understated scene between the two of them.

Jail. They’re interviewing Maurice, Lilly demanding to know who broke into her apartment, and also telling him they know about the mass patricide. Maurice scoffs at this, reminding her that last time she accused him of planning a mass suicide. We get a brief glimpse of Scotty, and the word “suicide” has clearly hit him where it hurts. He quickly recovers, and he and Lilly tell Maurice they know Matthew came back to the cult that night. Maurice says this doesn’t mean that he killed Matthew, and Scotty adds to the mix that his deputy, Nick, fingered him. Maurice seems surprised at this, and then admits that Nick is the keeper of his congregation. Lilly is satisfied by this information, sitting down across from Maurice and reminding him that he told her the cult was dead. Maurice theorizes that Nick is trying to take over the cult, and what better way to do that than have Maurice locked up for murder? He goes on to explain that when Matthew came back, everyone was thrilled except Nick. He drops the bomb that Nick and Allison were married, and that Nick didn’t like sharing her.

Scotty asks if he’s accusing Nick of murder, and Maurice says that he never thought Matthew killed himself, because suicide is for cowards, and Matthew was brave. Lilly gets an “oh, snap!” look in her eyes as Scotty steps forward and asks Maurice to talk more about that. Maurice is only too happy to oblige, explaining that suicide is a “screw you” to the world, it says the person never really loved anyone. Lilly, like the rest of us, quickly sees that this is going downhill fast, and she starts to stand up, pleading with Scotty to forget it, but he ignores her, gently pushing her back down into her seat, and leans over the table toward Maurice, asking him what else suicide proves. Maurice says it proves defective thinking and narcissism, and Scotty, who looks like a coiled rattlesnake about to strike, presses him to keep going. All Lilly can do is sit there helplessly and wait for Scotty’s rage to boil over, and when Maurice says that suicide means the person’s loved ones have failed, it does. Scotty springs forward, grabs Maurice, and slams his face into the table, roaring at him to keep talking. Lilly can only stare as the guards rush in, pull Scotty off Maurice, and wrestle him into a corner, where they manage to subdue him. As Maurice moans in agony, Scotty paces in the corner, and the look on his face suggests that perhaps he’s beginning to reconsider Lilly’s “maybe you shouldn’t be here right now” theory.

Squad room. Vera asks what’s going to happen to Scotty, and Lilly explains that Stillman’s keeping it in-house. From what we now know of IAD, I think this is definitely a wise choice. Jeffries shows up with a list of members of Nick’s church, and it’s an exact match to the list of Maurice’s authorized visitors, thus proving that Nick’s running the cult from the outside. Maurice’s theory is starting to look pretty good, and Vera wonders whatever happened to good old-fashioned cult loyalty. Lilly heads off to talk to Allison and see how possessive Nick was, and Vera and Jeffries head back to talk to the preacher.

Scotty’s apartment. He’s got on this old gray hoodie and a pair of jeans, looks a little disheveled, and is throwing stuff into boxes. There’s a knock on the door, and Stillman is there. Scotty apologizes for snapping out at work, and Stillman says that most people wouldn’t try to come back two days after something like this. His trademark cocky grin a mere shadow of its former self, Scotty replies that he ain’t most people, and says it won’t happen again, but Stillman asks Scotty for his gun, just for a little while. Scotty asks bitterly if the boss wants his badge, too, but Stillman says he can keep the badge. Scotty unloads the gun and lays it on the coffee table.

Stillman tells him that Elisa was in a lot of pain, but Scotty insists it wasn’t suicide. Stillman asks about the note, but Scotty says the note was about the good stuff. Delicately, Stillman tells Scotty that this is sometimes how people say goodbye, but Scotty is adamant. He gets the note from his bureau, and tells Stillman that Elisa was talking about her friend’s fourteenth birthday party, and how the two of them were sneaking looks, talking about how the river smells, and she was waiting for the light to fade so Scotty could hold her hand. Barely able to choke back the sobs at this point, Scotty holds out the note to Stillman, and challenges his boss to tell him that note is the end. He tearfully says that it’s not the end, it’s the beginning. Wow…poor Scotty. This denial he’s in is so heartbreaking. Stillman apparently feels the same, because all he can do is stare. After a minute, Scotty realizes that Stillman doesn’t believe him, and he pulls himself together and says he should get back, then opens the door and starts throwing stuff into boxes again. Stillman agrees, picks up Scotty’s gun, and lets himself out. Man, Danny Pino is just knocking it out of the park in this episode.

Church. Vera and Jeffries are talking to Nick, who’s now confirmed that he’s in charge until Maurice gets released from jail. He and Vera have a difference of opinion, Nick claiming to be pastor to a hundred people, Vera arguing that he’s a stand-in for a psychopath. The detectives try to goad Nick, talking about how they know he and Allison were married, and how they’d understand if he was angry with Matthew for stealing his wife. Nick admits to being angry, but insists he didn’t kill Matthew. That, he said, was taken care of by the real psychopath.

Outside the Cult Mansion. Music by The Buzzcocks, “Why Can’t I Touch It.” Dad has brought Matthew back to drop him off. Maurice asks dropped him off; Matthew says it was no one. Maurice and Allison welcome Matthew home. However, Nick suspects that since Matthew was “outside,” his family might have gotten to him. Allison insists that Matthew’s return shows that he’s pure, and Matthew agrees, saying he’s ready for tomorrow. Nick is still unconvinced, and after sending Matthew inside to wait for Allison, Maurice agrees, saying that if Matthew is tainted, it could ruin the plan. Allison says that since she’s in charge of Zero Hour, it should be up to her to decide if Matthew’s pure. Maurice asks what she’ll do if he isn’t, and she pulls a vial of cyanide from her pocket, saying it will be the biggest loss of her life. Maurice nods and sends her inside.

Nick confirms that Allison was in charge of Zero Hour, that Maurice gives her all the important assignments. The ever-attentive Vera catches his use of the present tense, and Nick confirms it. Allison, like Maurice, is die-hard. So what could that mean about a mysterious late-night visitor to Casa de Lilly, hmm?

Tattoo parlor. Lilly sits at a table, and Allison is fetching a cup of tea and talking about her aforementioned bad marriage, how she was eighteen, it lasted less than a year, and she was happy to forget her past. She sets the tea in front of Lilly. Aw, it’s like they’re old friends! Lilly asks Allison if Nick was the jealous type, and she’s curious why Lil’s asking. Lilly tells her Matthew went back to the cult that night, and Allison acts all shocked, claiming that wasn’t possible, that she’d have seen him. Lilly presses further, saying it takes a lot of rage to dump a kid’s body on his father’s doorstep, and Allison agrees with a sad shake of her head. Lilly is about to take a sip of her tea when she glances up and notices that many of Allison’s original designs hanging on the walls have the same “F1rst” in them that the graffiti in her apartment did, and she puts two and two together and lowers the teacup from her lips. Allison politely asks if it’s too hot, and Lil, thinking quickly, says that it’s fine, but she could use some honey. Allison gets up, and once she turns her back, Lil instantly becomes the bad-a** we all know and love, going for her gun and pulling it on Allison, ordering her to put her hands behind her head. Allison protests this is a mistake, but Lilly orders her on her knees, and talks about the tattoos being all her own designs. Voila! Seemingly unimportant factoids suddenly make sense!

Vera and Jeffries come in then, guns drawn, asking Lilly if she’s got it. Lilly says she figured out who broke into her apartment, and Vera says that, more than that, Allison killed Matthew. Allison says they can’t prove that, but Vera and Jeffries pull out the double whammies that she had the cyanide and promised to kill Matthew if the outside had tainted him. Apparently, this is proof enough for Allison, because she starts to confess, saying that Matthew’s sister ruined him. Lilly correctly surmises that Beth got through to him, and Allison says she had no choice.

Love nest at the Cult Mansion, where a kettle of water is on a hot plate. Allison welcomes Matthew back, saying she thought she’d lost him, and asks him if he’s ready for Zero Hour. Matthew explains that this is why he came back; that they have to get out of there. Allison is shocked, but Matthew points out that what Maurice wants them to do is crazy. Allison sadly realizes that Matthew’s family got to him, and Matthew continues, protesting that Maurice wants them to kill people. Allison calls this wiping out the past. Potato, potahto. Allison realizes what she has to do and crosses the room to fix Matthew a cup of tea and slips the cyanide in, while he goes on about how they can go to a quiet place in the middle of nowhere, just the two of them and Beth, and how they can go to the police and tell them about Zero Hour. Allison asks if Matthew’s family knows, and he says he didn’t speak a word to his dad as they were coming back. Allison gives Matthew the tea, and he takes a sip, telling her they have to hurry. (As an aside, if I’m in a hurry to escape from a psychopathic cult leader who wants me to kill people, am I really going to take the time for a spot of tea? Oh, well. I digress).

Allison pretends to agree, but says they can’t leave without saying goodbye, and hands him a piece of paper, telling him to write “Father, I’m free. Goodbye.” Matthew goes along with it, thinking it’s for Maurice, and Allison insists that he sign it, which he does. That tea must taste pretty good, because he’s gulping it down, and tells Allison that he doesn’t need a father anymore. All he needs is her. Allison doesn’t react to this, just asks if he feels it yet, and takes the tea from him. He’s confused for a second, but then it hits him, and he starts to double over in pain as Allison says that it won’t be long now. As Matthew begins to die, Allison says she’ll leave him on his dad’s doorstep. The look of shock and betrayal on Matthew’s face is heartbreaking, and even more so is his declaration that he came back to save her. Allison’s reply as he dies on the floor is that she’s saving him.

Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” plays as Lilly lowers her gun and Vera slaps handcuffs on Allison’s wrists. Lilly takes a good long look at her untouched tea, and I get some serious chills. Good call not drinking the tea, Lil! They escort Allison from her tattoo parlor.

Maurice, flanked by two prison guards, is being moved to a different cell. And apparently being a cult leader comes with the perks of unbelievably fast healing, because Maurice looks remarkably good for having his face slammed into the table the day before.

Beth sits in the hospital lobby, waiting for her father. He comes out, and they embrace.

Lilly takes Matthew’s evidence box to the warehouse, shelves it, and sees Matthew smiling at her in the next aisle.
Stillman removes Scotty’s gun from his coat pocket, looks at it for a moment, and then puts it in a drawer.

Scotty is packing up a box of Elisa’s clothes, but stops when he sees a frilly red nightie. He fingers it lovingly for a moment, then sadly hangs it in his closet. He finishes packing up the box, places it on a shelf, takes one last look at the nightie, then closes the door, leaving it, and us, in the dark