The DSR 1x07 'Instinct'

by Brian L. Lamkin

After a near disastrous mission in Poland, Jai begins to fear the strangeness of the world he's inhabiting is overcoming him, so he takes some time off and visits a friend in Key West, where he becomes involved with experiments by a doctor attempting to record the instinct of murder.

The steadily-improving DSR is back, with another Brian Lamkin episode to hopefully follow on the good form that recent episodes have shown. Let's just hope that old bugbear of the Act Four Nick Of Time Resolution doesn't crop up again in 'Instinct,' because a hastily contrived and often groan-inducingly convenient series of final scenes have scuppered recent episodes.

We open in a dingy cell, where a disorientated young woman named Jenna finds herself on a set from Saw, with an unconscious man on the ground before her. She tries to wake him up without any luck, but as she turns away - wham! He grabs her arm. Oo, classic horror moment. Gotta love it. The man comes to, introducing himself as Kurt, and with some quick cross-examination the duo realise the last twenty-four hours are a blank for both of them. Jenna starts looking for a way out, but the more pragmatic Kurt takes his time coming round, trying to reason with Jenna as her panic sets in. The duo start bickering before a voice addresses them over some hidden speaker system (aptly described as 'slimy'), telling them they're the latest pair of subjects for test #47. Narf. He says one of them has been injected with a mystery substance, and will soon start exhibiting the effects. Jenna starts to freak out again, and as she wilts to the floor in terror, that's where we leave them for now...

Back at PBH, Not Sawyer grabs Mia on his way to a mission briefing for a trip to Poland. Seems Jewish guys have been showing up murdered (and Ethan throws in another of his 'nobody gets me' quips - which is becoming quite an endearing character trait), and while everyone is quick to jump to a paranormal answer, Jai states the obvious - serial killer! He's shot down for his opinion, of course, as Sara and Carson go on to suggest the killings could be the work of a golem - and that puts Glissman back at the top of the suspects lists. Jai, Mia and Anton are to head out to Warsaw to check it out, and Kendall takes a moment to ask how Maggie's doing, the strain of his wife's illness clearly weighing heavy on Anton's mind. Mia confronts Jai in the armoury, asking him where his head's been at lately, and also if he's really able to handle the full scope of the world he's stepped into here. Mia's obviously forgetting the circumstances that brought Jai into this - he hasn't had much choice to say 'no' and walk away, has he? Anyway. The trio arrive in Poland to meet Agent Gustaw, who puts on his Exposition Hat to tell how the golem wiped out his squad. Jai and Gustaw Redshirt head out to snoop around, hanging out in a Jewish neighbourhood in case the golem decides to make a fresh appearance. And appear it does, knocking Gustaw through a wall as Jai opens fire. Nice work on the description of the beastie, too - Lamkin's got a good eye for detail on these things. The golem gets its hands on Jai, but Anton saves the day and manages to resist yelling 'Headshot! w00t!' as the golem drops.

Jai debriefs with Kendall, asking for some time off to help get his head round the weird and wacky world he's all wrapped up in at the moment. Kendall recognises the need for time to adjust and grants our fella some leave, being the cuddly father figure that he is. Mia obviously doesn't want him to go, mainly because she's worried he won't come back, but she knows she can't stand in his way. Jai arrives at a condo in Key West to meet Hibbs, an old friend from his merc days it seems, and who doesn't know that Cassie is no more. *sniff* The two buds go out for a beer, and Hibbs fills Jai in on what he's been up to - locals have been going missing, and Hibbs has been lending a hand to try and find them. He asks Jai to join in, and despite officially being on vacation Jai agrees to help out. The duo meet Dr. Kingston, the man leading the search, who tells them of a likely-looking abandoned building nearby. Hmm. My Spider-Sense is already tingling about this guy, so let's see how this develops. Jai shares the sentiment, wary of Hibbs as the group approach the building, a former prison according to Kingston. The guys enter the building and split up, but it isn't long before Jai is attacked, finding himself in the small cell with Kurt and Jenna before Kingston shows up, sinking a syringe full of ominous yellow fluid into Jai's neck! See? Spider-Sense. Never wrong.

Back at PBH, Mia voices her concerns about Jai to Kendall, before going to Reno to see his brother Connor, still laid up in his coma. Someone's left a note on his bed, however, and Mia seems surprised by its content as she reads it. It leads her to call Hibbs, who tells her that Jai's in big heapum trouble. Mia is next seen calling an emergency team meeting at PBH, telling the others what Hibbs told her - Jai's gone missing himself while helping out on the missing persons situation. Mia, Anton and Ethan arrive in Key West to meet Hibbs, but Hibbs' awe of Kingston should have clued you all in by now to the fact that he's obviously in on it. Let's hope one of our lot cotton on before too long, eh? Anton and Ethan head off with Kingston as Mia goes to see the recovering Kurt and Jenna, who don't remember much except that they were being experimented on. They vaguely remember a man showing up, but that's it. Anton finds a link to the prison where we, the audience at home, know Jai is being held, so as the trio head off to check it out we catch back up with Jai, who gets another shot of the yellow serum and seems to be on the verge of Hulking out! Mia and the team are racing out to the prison in their Jeep, but as it suddenly loses a tire and crashes, who should show up but Hibbs, now proudly wearing his Bad Guy Badge as he prepares to have his wicked way with the stunned Mia. She fights back but he knocks her cold, and when she wakes up she's become part of the next eperiment - she's in the room with Jai! Kingston watches via video monitors with unfettered Mad Scientist glee as we black out...

With Carson's help, Ethan and Anton start to work out what Kingston could be up to, and as we rejoin Jai and Mia we're about to get a practical demonstration! Jai's about to go all Cannibal Holocaust on her, but as Kingston watches Hibbs starts to twig that he's not going to get what matters most to him - his money. Mia starts getting through to Jai's drug-addled brain, but Kingston has the microphone, ordering Jai to kill her as Hibbs grows more horrified with what's going on. Jai's approaching fever pitch, but that's when the DSR team storm in, and in the confusion Hibbs takes down Kingston and tells Ethan how to get Mia out of there. She scampers out of the cell as Jai gets free at last, missing Mia by a fraction. Flash forward a week, and Jai goes to see Kingston in maximum security, asking why he was chosen. Kingston tells him he's been trying to understand the nature of evil, unleashing it in various test subjects through the serum and monitoring the effects, picking people with more potential for inner darkness - people like Jai. Jai throws a defiant soliloquy back at him, but there's the sense he doesn't quite believe his own words as he leaves Kingston to rot in solitary. Mia is waiting outside, and we end the show as the duo head off into the sunset.

A solidly written episode from start to finish then, finally getting a good Act IV moment that didn't feel forced or contrived at all. Lamkin sprinkles in a few snappy lines here and there, but this is a more serious episode despite the B-movie monster moment in Act I, which throws you nicely off track before the main story kicks in. So, not spectacular, but the kind of standard that the DSR should have no trouble hitting from now on. Jai continues to move away from his origins as a Sawyer clone, and Mia continues to impress as well. Ethan's fading into the background a little, so hopefully he'll get more to do now after his early showcase episodes, but that's less of a complaint and more of an observation. Good work all round.

ZPM RATING: