The Survivors 1.3 - Camping

The Survivors : Camping
Genre : Sci-Fi / Mystery / Drama
Showrunner: Tomas Alfredson
Writer : Mo Buck

Based on the French Canadian series

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Cara Buono, M. Emmet Walsh, Logan Lerman, Odeya Rush, Owen Vaccaro, Michael Mando, Clancy Brown, Krysten Ritter, Jodelle Ferland, Donal Logue, Yaya DaCosta and Keith L. Williams

Plot : Gina McRae (Krysten Ritter) is looking in her father’s stuff to try and find a picture of his former detective who disappeared years ago. She’s reminded how good a cop her father was and all the praise he received over the years thanks to the many newspaper article her late mother framed. She finds an old box with “Gerald” labeled on it. She opens it and it contains loads of information regarding the mysterious disappearance of a family after the patriarch, a detective, was suspected of being a serial arson. She takes a look at a picture of Gerald (Brendan Fraser) and is at a loss of words. She saw him earlier today. 

Gerald, Mary (Cara Buono), Charles (Logan Lerman), Sarah (Odeya Rush), Marco (Owen Vaccaro) and Horace (M. Emmet Walsh) are all stacked up in the car after Gerald and his oldest son were able to recover their old T-bills that could give them enough money to survive for a while. Gerald signals left and stops in front of a camping gate. Even thought the clerk gives them a weird look, she accepts Gerald’s request and they can settle down here. He asks to pay at checkout and he doesn’t know how long they’ll be there and she says it’s alright, all their members are permanently stationed anyway.

Gerald pins the trailer down and all the family exits the car. Horace finally notices that they aren’t in Maine and he’s pissed. He locks himself in the trailer’s bathroom in protest. Mary is hard at work to organize everything and makes sure to keep her children close. Gerald sets everything outside and he’s surprised to be visited by his camping neighbour, Jack (Donal Logue). Jack comments on Gerald’s car, saying it’s nice and that his father used to own one. Gerald, unsure how to react, thanks him for the compliment awkwardly. Jack says he likes Gerald’s hipster look and once again Gerald, confused, thanks him. He invites them over to his trailer so they can eat together to get to know each other and besides, it’s late and they made extra food, just in case. Gerald excuses himself and goes inside to talk about it with Mary. They agree that it would only seem weird if they don’t go and he goes outside to accept Jack’s invitation. Mary gathers her children and invites them over to Jack’s trailer, but Charles refuses to go. When everybody is gone, he opens the envelope addressed to mother he found in his uncle’s belongings and he reads it. He learns in that letter that Gerald isn’t his father and that Mary cheated on Gerald with his brother when Gerald was in the police academy. Charles looks at his “father” through the sole window of the trailer and his eyes tear up. He keeps the letter and he runs away, unnoticed.

Jack introduces Gerald’s family to his. He’s here with his girlfriend, Rita (Yaya DaCosta) and their son Judas (Keith L. Williams). Mary can’t help herself and she kisses her cross when she hears the name of the Biblical traitor. Jack takes Gerald aside and he says he doesn’t care about all that visiting and he just wants to chill with a man. He takes Gerald outside and gives him a beer as they sit around the campfire. Inside the trailer, Rita gives a little tour to Mary and Sarah as Marco is playing with Judas. Marco suggests they go outside to play cops and robbers (his favorite game), but Judas finds it stupid. He then asks Marco if he likes to play battle royale games and Marco is confused as to what it means. Judas can’t believe Marco doesn’t know what it means, and he introduces to the immersive world of video games. Marco is fascinated and flabbergasted. Mary and Sarah are in the kitchen with Rita. They are confused when they look in the microwave and she jokingly asks Rita what they’re hiding in this safe in the middle of the kitchen. Rita says it’s a microwave and Mary fakes knowing what it is so she doesn’t embarrass herself. Mary looks at the flat screen television and she asks what this black box is for and Rita laughs and says it’s just their television. Rita asks Sarah to follow her and she does, leaving Mary alone in the kitchen. She decides to find out what a “microwave” is. Rita entered her bedroom with Sarah and she tells her in confidence that she wants to show her how to dress accordingly when she’ll leave her parents’ house and stop being a Jehovah’s witness. Sarah is angry that Rita thinks they are Jehovah witnesses and Rita says she won’t have a boyfriend if she keeps dressing like that. Sarah leaves the room and they surprise Mary who leaves the microwave alone. Rita says it’s time to eat.

Chartwell (Clancy Brown) welcomes back Victor (Michael Mando) by opening his car door. They go in the trunk together and there’s a young woman (Jodelle Ferland)  in there. Chartwell asks if this is Judy and Victor says it is. They take her back inside the church-like building they are living in and they tie her up. He tells Victor that it’s now time for the second chapter as he marks Judy with the same logo he has on his vest. Victor leaves the building as Judy’s scream resonates. 

The diner is a bit awkward between the two families and Mary asks Jack why they didn’t do a prayer before eating. Jack says it’s because he doesn’t believe in God and Mary is shocked to find that out. Horace, who joined them, says that only fools and Satanists don’t believe in God. Mary inquires as to how they met, since Rita seems much younger than him and he says that he waited for her to turn 18 to put a baby in her. They were so in love. Jack says they are so uptight, he has a little something to make everyone relax. He takes out a bong and a stash of legal weed and starts to smoke. He offers some to Gerald, who after Jack’s insistence, takes a whiff. Mary says the teachings of God prohibits the use of drugs and she won’t tolerate that amongst her families. They take their plates and she escorts them back to their trailer and she locks the door, to the surprise of Jack, Rita and Judas.

Charles is walking in downtown Montreal after leaving the family’s trailer. He needed some fresh air after learning that Gerald isn’t his father. He’s approached by a mysterious looking man, Victor. He tells Charles that he knows he doesn’t belong in 2019 and he could help them go back to 1964 like nothing happened. He asks Charles to come with his father at the top of Mount Royal tomorrow night and he’ll help him. Victor tells him to go back with his family. You only have one and you can’t choose it, but it’s important for him to trust and love them. As Victor leaves, Charles runs away with the intent to tell his Gerald the good news.