The Returned - Simon - Review

The Returned, “Simon,” was directed by Vincenzo Natali with the teleplay by Raelle Tucker. As with the first episode, this one focuses on Simon (Mat Vairo), but not exclusively. Unlike the first episode, we never fully get the story of Simon’s death.

The episode begins six years ago, when Rowan (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) was still a waitress at the Dog Star. Simon is the guitar player in a band and it’s the night before their wedding. We see Simon giving a young Lena (India Ennenga) some pointers on how to drum, and Rowan takes a picture. Lena will see the picture in the present on the wall at the Dog Star. We also see Jack (Mark Pellegrino) and Claire (Tandi Wright) playing pool, having a good time, giving us a window into their world before tragedy too. Even though it’s bad luck, according to Rowan, she and Simon spend the night together before the wedding. She tells him she’s pregnant. Simon tells her he’s happy, but the scene ends with him crying in her arms. I wasn’t completely convinced they were tears of joy. Regardless, Matt Vairo is excellent in this scene – and the whole episode.

The next scene is still in the past. Rowan is waiting at the church for her groom and Pastor Wright (Carl Lumbly) is trying to get her to realize that he’s not coming. At first, it looks as if she’s the only one still there, but we then see others waiting at the back of the church. The aisle is strewn with red rose petals which I thought a nice visual nod to blood. Naturally, it’s Tommy (Kevin Alejandro) who is the police officer who shows up to tell Rowan that Simon isn’t coming.

In a really nice parallel scene, we jump ahead six years to the same church. The Pastor is prepping Rowan and Tommy for their wedding. The Pastor is concerned that Rowan doesn’t really want to get married. She says Tommy deserves someone better, but the Pastor clearly sees that her reluctance is still over Simon: Once you accept that Simon would want you to be happy, you’ll find peace. In fact, he tells her, “We need to make peace with our ghosts.” Meanwhile, her daughter, Chloe (Dakota Guppy), goes to the washroom and black goo comes up out of the sink. This was one of the creepiest scenes yet, and it certainly points to something supernatural. It’s also tied to the super-creepy picture that Victor (Dylan Kingwell) draws at the end of the episode with the black whirlpool.

Tommy is called away from the meeting with the Pastor to investigate the attack on Lucy – which she has miraculously survived. We learn that seven years ago there were a series of murders of women, who were left with similar stab wounds – and at the very end of the episode we learn that Julie (Sandrine Holt) was the one woman who survived. Julie also ends up at the police station looking for information on Victor. For once, the police actually seem to be on the ball – she asks some pretty suspicious questions and then says she only saw the little boy from her car. Officer Mark Bao (Terry Chen) asks how she could have seen the color of the little boy’s eyes in that case and tells her she’ll need to answer a few questions.

It’s clear that Julie has some history with Officer Nikki Banks (Agnes Bruckner) as they have an awkward encounter at the police station. It seems likely that Julie is tied to the murders as we see she has the tell-tale scars on her stomach when we see her getting ready for her bath at the end of the episode. I have to admit that I was waiting for her bath water to turn black the way it did earlier in the episode.

Rowan’s reaction to Simon actually makes some sense, especially in light of what the Pastor said to her earlier about making peace with our ghosts. Clearly, she thinks that Simon is merely a ghost. What’s curious, however, is that Simon doesn’t insist that he isn’t a ghost. She tells him, “I want you to know that just because I’m marrying Tommy, I’ll never stop loving you. I had to find a way to go on living without you. But the truth is, I don’t want to. I don’t want to let you go. But I know you don’t really exist.” Her declaration that she still loves him, you would think, would prompt him to say something. Her words are also chilling in light of Mr Goddard’s suicide of last week.

Simon ends up at the Dog Star where he runs into Lena (Sophie Lowe). Simon, Victor and Camille are seen eating voraciously in this episode, which I’m assuming has something to do with them coming back from the dead. To avoid Lena, who is sure he looks familiar, he runs out without paying his bill. Maybe after she sees the picture on the wall, Lena will be the one to notice two people back from the dead. No doubt he’s also low on funds, again a factor of having been dead. This leads to him being picked up by Tommy and Nikki. She points out that according to their records, Simon died six years ago. Simon wants to know why Tommy keeps asking about Rowan, and later that night we see Tommy dig Simon’s picture out of the attic. Will he tell Rowan? Who does one contact about the dead coming back to life?

The cops also pull Tony (Aaron Douglas) the bartender in for questioning as it seems he was a suspect during the original murders. Tommy insists that Tony knows something.

Camille is having a really hard time dealing with coming back in this episode. Camille asks Lena if she died and Lena confirms it. She asks if Lena is afraid of her and Lena says no, but Camille confesses that she’s afraid of herself. This is a beautifully shot scene with Camille looking at herself in the mirror and then Lena over her shoulder doing the same. Mirrors and water seem to be important and recurring symbols.

Lena asks Jack and Claire if they are simply going to act like everything’s normal. She insists that they don’t even know if this is Camille. Meanwhile, Camille figures out what Lena has been up to by looking at the pictures in her room – and then trashes her room. She also sneaks out to the Dog Star and realizes that everyone has gone on with their lives – and it feels like they’ve simply forgotten her.

Claire gets Peter (Jeremy Sisto) to talk to Camille. Peter is clearly worried about his own place now in Claire’s life. He makes sure to tell Claire that profound loss changes you – you and Jack aren’t the same people anymore. Camille isn’t too interested in talking to him. She says, “I guess you know I’m a zombie.” Peter insists she’s not a zombie, she’s a miracle. But she doesn’t want to be a miracle. She wants to know why she’s been spared when all the other kids have died. She just wants her life back – but it’s literally too late for that. Camille sees Peter and Claire kissing from her window, increasing her frustration at how things have changed.

This was another good episode with some excellent performances. They definitely upped the creep factor in this episode. What did you think of the episode? What is the significance of the black water? Do you think Tommy will tell Rowan about Simon? Should he? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.