F&S Deep Dive – THE PURGE S1 Finale Reveals “A Nation Reborn”

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”!

WARNING! Converging Plot Threads (and Spoilers) Ahead!

*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.

The Purge - Season 1 — 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 to unyielding 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?

*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.”

Here’s some information on contracts, signatures, and fine print that Joe glossed over during his blah-blah-blah bloviating.

*A signature on a contact is, well, pretty binding.

*If you read a contract but don’t understand all fancy language in a contract’s fine print, having an attorney review it for you is recommended. Or at least print out a checklist for yourself.

*Joe sure enjoys sadistically coercing confessions out of people. Too bad it’s pretty terrible way to NOT get the truth out of people subjected to it.

*”I didn’t understand what I was signing” isn’t a great thing to bring up after the fact.

*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.

*After all, “without rules, we’re animals.”

*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”?

The Purge has been renewed for a second season. More official images, information, and other goodies 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 next season citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”

F&S Deep Dive Into the Penultimate Episode of THE PURGE – “I Will Participate”

Episode Eight “I Will Participate ”
Written by Nick Snyder
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 Nine – “I Will Participate”!

WARNING! Converging Plot Threads (and Spoilers) Ahead!

*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.

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.

–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 Sheridan is 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.

*The aerosol tracking spray Joe used to stalk and capture his victims isn’t as implausible as I initially thought.

*His Stalker String Theory Wall of Crazy is a conspiracy theorist classic.

*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.

*Pete the Cop embodies that American cinema classic, the weary yet noble antihero.

Next Week: Episode Ten “A Nation Reborn” brings The Purge on USA to a close.

The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.

More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.

For more of my deep dives into Bates Motel, The Exorcist . My Channel Zero recaps and deep dives can be found here at F&S and SciFi4Me.com.

Until next week citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”

F&S Deep Dive “The Giving Time Is Here” on THE PURGE & It Isn’t Pretty

Episode Eight “The Giving Time Is Here ”
Written by Thomas Kelly
Directed by Michael Nankin

[All images courtesy Patti Perret/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 Eight – “The Giving Time Is Here”!

WARNING! Converging Plot Threads (and Spoilers) Ahead!

*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.

*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?

*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.

*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.

*Lila’s ceremony shares two classic tropes with The Lottery – Regularly Scheduled Evil and a Tomato Surprise.

*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.

*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?

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.

For more of my deep dives into Bates Motel, The Exorcist, and Channel Zero, check here at F&S and at SciFi4Me.com.

Until next week citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”

F&S Deep Dive – THE PURGE Ep. 4 “Release the Beast”

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.

* 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?

*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 feel worse” 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.

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 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.”

*Purge Product Placement(s) of the Week – Shasta brand soda in the vandalized grocery store and Verizon, former employer of Rex the Collector.

*Bygones, the Carnival of Flesh, ties in to the themes of celebration occurring before the beginning of the Christian observance of the Lenten season.

*Some of the historical reenactments at Bygones include –

*Execution by Firing Squad

*Decapitation a la Guillotine, made infamous by the French Revolution

*Tormenting an innocent victim in a Witch Trial of the Salem, Massachusetts variety

*Celebrating the Fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War (no My Lai Massacre?)

*Medieval history buffs can torture their victim on a Catherine Wheel from the Spanish Inquisition.

*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.

*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.

*Madelyn’s list of crime statistics are based in real world numbers regarding violence towards women, and in the value (or lack thereof) placed on female lives around the world.

Next week, we’ll find out who will”Rise Up” in Episode Five.

The Purge airs Tuesdays on USA at 10/9c.

More official images, information, and other goodies can be found here.

For more of my deep dives into Bates Motel, The Exorcist, and Channel Zero, check here at F&S and at SciFi4Me.com.

Until then citizens, “Just remember all the good The Purge does.”

F & S Deep Dive – “The (Urge to) Purge” Takes a Bloody Turn

Episode Three “The Urge to Purge”
Written by Nick Betancourt
Directed by David Von Ancken [All images courtesy Patti Perret/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”!

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.”

Notes on “The Urge to Purge”

*Pete the Cop gives us some specs on that sweet ’71 Chevelle SS – 502 cubic inch engine and 461 HP!

*We see some graffiti on a wall – “NFFA Must Be Stopped”.

*There are active revolutionary groups opposing the NFFA and The Purge.

*The British journalist who interviews Miguel mentions some real life predecessor of The Purge from the 19th Century “Scramble for Africa”. The exploitation of Congo under the direction of King Leopold, and the infamous Atlantic Slave Trade.

*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

*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.

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.

F & S Deep Dive – THE PURGE Urges Citizens to “Take What’s Yours”

Episode Two “Take What’s Yours”
Written by Thomas Kelly
Directed by Anthony Hemingway
[All images courtesy Patti Perret/USA Network. The Purge: Anarchy image courtesy The Purge Facebook page ]

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 of The Purge series on USA Network. The first chapter of this ten episode “TV event series” premieres September 4 on USA, with the first and last episodes simulcast on Syfy.

Now, on to the All American Carnage of Episode Two, “Take What’s Yours”.

Plot Threads

*Miguel (Gabriel Chavarra) & Penelope Guerrero (Jessica Garza) – Miguel interrupts his search for his sister Penelope and the Blue Bus of Death to help a history teacher and insurance adjuster treat a gunshot victim at a minivan triage station. In return for his battlefield wound-finding expertise, the pair direct him to “Pete the Flop Cop”. If anyone knows about the Blue Bus of Death, it’s him. Enroute to Pete’s, Miguel is trapped into competing in “Otis’s Autorama Annual Gauntlet” (bad thing), but survives the Worst Escape Room Ever and wins a sweet muscle car (good thing). He hits the road again in search of Penny, finding Pete the Flop Cop (Dominic Fumusa), but no answers about the Blue Bus of Death.

On said BBoD, Penny tries and fails to calm her fellow cultist Melissa (Emmanuelle Nadeau) before Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif) selects Melissa as the next “volunteer”. This sends the poor girl into total meltdown mode. Penny asks to take Sister Melissa’s place, but can only watch in horror as two masked mend drag her friend, begging for her life, into the darkness.

* Jenna (Hannah Anderson) & Rick Betancourt (Colin Woodell) – Both try and fail to avoid awkward small talk with Lila (Lili Simmons). In separate encounters, Lila presents a comforting (“My dad will take care of you.”) and seductive face to Jenna (initiating a make out session by the pool), and a veiled blackmail threat to Rick (“My dad doesn’t know anything about you.”). Plot threads begin to intertwine – Miguel’s winning Gauntlet run is broadcast on TV screens in the Stanton’s ballroom.

*Jane Barbour (Amanda Warren) – On the 38th floor of Ryker Moore Equity, Alison snoops in Jane’s office and sees something on Jane’s laptop that freaks her out. Later, she not so-subtly asks Jane who’s on her “Purge List”. Jane snoops in her boss’s office in-between flashbacks of David Ryker’s (Billy Baldwin) hiring her, harassing her, then passing Jane over for promotion in favor of Anya (Alyshia Ochse). She also recalls hiring Braka (AzMarie Livingston) for a Purge Night hit on somebody who is probably named David Ryker.

*Sandwich Guy (Lee Tergesen) – He may be credited as “Joe” (I think), but to me this masked man is now and always Sandwich Guy. Is he on a Purge Night to hurt or help? After preparing an all American white bread & bologna with French’s mustard sandwich, this masked man hits the streets. But en route to an address, he sees two men breaking into a house and stops. Is he going to prevent a crime, or participate in it? Is he going to kill someone, or save them?

Notes on “Take What’s Yours”

*Lila’s Lizzie Borden mask may be a clue to her plans for Purge Night. Non-participation waiver or not, it would be interesting if she plans to deal with Mom and Dad as Lizzie allegedly handled hers.

*Lila, slithering around the Purge Party in her green sequined dress, reminds me of a snake sliding through the grass. Green is the color of envy – does she covet control over the Stanton fortune?

*As the episode begins, the clock display is counting down from 11:54; looks like The Purge commenced five minutes earlier.

*Miguel’s commentary while he’s driving through the streets – and the audience watching the simulcast of his run through the Most Lethal Escape Room Ever – feel very “first person shooter-video gamey”, at least to me.

*At first I wondered if the mobile recue unit referring to Ray as a “Flop Cop” meant that he was, well, an actual cop. But this is a poker reference, not anything law enforcement related.

*The female member of the triage unit Miguel encounters says that they are protected on Purge Night because of “unwritten Purge law” and claims that human nature tends towards order. In the words of Henry Adams, “Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man.”

*This week in Purge Product Placement – Alison uses an HP laptop.

*David Ryker reference to the “promise of America – opportunity for all” could be a tell that he buys into the idea of America as the “Land of Opportunity”. This concept is one of the founding ideals of America – although there’s debate as to it’s validity.

*This week at the Stanton party, Jenna tries a delectable NFFA-themed Parfait.

*Could Jenna be dealing with alcohol dependency issues (or possible expecting?) – she is sticking to seltzer water, and again mentions her upset stomach.

*Miguel’s prize for surviving the Gauntlet? Looks like a classic American Muscle car – a mint condition Chevy Chevelle.

*Miguel’s winning run through Otis’s Autorama “Otis’s Annual Purge Night Gauntlet” (7th annual) clocked in at about five minutes – 5:06:02.

*Does Janes flashback occur before the NFFA comes to power? I can’t see how the America of the New Founding Fathers would consider saying “Merry Christmas” as a taboo. No more “War on Christmas” under their rule, I’m sure.

*I would be pleasantly surprised if Jane’s target wasn’t her boss David. The show could surprise us an make Janes target her rival Anya. But I’m probably wrong.

*Pete the Flop Cop must be a Marvel comics fan – the password to his lair is “Excelsior“.

*LOVED Braka telling Jane to “save it for your shrink” in response to Jane’s self-pitying justifications for her decision. I was getting irritated with Jane’s “woe is me” justification story just before Braka said that.

*Melissa’s attackers wear the faces of our 37th and 42nd Presidents – Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton. They aren’t the first icons of American history featured in The Purge series (see below).

The Purge Anarchy FB — Presidents Lincoln and Washington – along with Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty – appeared in The Purge: Anarchy (2014).

*Otis (Lance E. Nichols) has his Purge Night racket – what about Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif) ? Does she pay for those periwinkle blue robes & lovely flowers with “donations” that pay for delivery of Purge Night victims?

Next week, Episode Three addresses the “The Urge to Purge”.

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.