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‘The Purge’ Recap: ‘Grief Box’

Last week we embraced the characters paranoia. This week we in “Grief Box,” viewers learn about another holiday. Remembrance Day celebrates those who die on purge night with a commemorative box. The voice reminds viewers that they know the purge comes at a great cost to everyone. On this day that nation celebrates the families of those who have experienced such loss. A yellow flower represents the loss. The American thing to do is hug this person, buy them a cup of coffee, or shake their hand.  The American way keeps getting shifted each week to what is good for the NFFA.  Can America keep going in this direction?

Esme, Big Brother is Watching

THE PURGE -- "Grief Box" Episode 204
THE PURGE — “Grief Box” Episode 204 — Pictured: Paola Nunez as Esme Carmona — (Photo by: Alfonso Bresciani/USA Network)

Esme has a grief box.  Does this box represent her sister? Upon looking at the box, she jumps as she hears a knock at the door only to realize it’s Darren. He rushes inside because he doesn’t have long. He found files on what Professor Adams was studying. She was trying to keep these files hidden away and had them filed secretly on campus to do so. She was studying the effects of violence on the brain. In her studies, a discovery she made was that violent acts can light up the pleasure triggers in the brain like a drug.

If this is true then everything the NFFA has said is wrong. Purging could make others more violent to gain that pleasure boost. This data is saying that it is making people more violent year-round and making them want to kill more. This does not apply merely to purge night. This is the kind of data that people would kill to keep from coming out. In this case, it seems they already have with Professor Adams. Darren warns Esme that she needs to be careful because looking up these people with that software could be more dangerous than helpful.

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Esme & Darren – Paola Nunez & Denzel Whitaker – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

Not heeding Darren’s warnings, Esme decides to run the faces in the study through facial recognition at work. As she does so, each person comes up as deceased. The only assumption that can be made is that the NFFA has killed everyone involved in the study to keep this data quiet. There is not only a big cover-up but a huge conspiracy at this point occurring within a company that she has worked for many years now. There’s only one person on the entire list still alive.  Olivia Hughes.

Esme goes to the home of Olivia Hughes.  After looking around outside, the manager approaches her. After telling him that she works for the NFFA, he gladly lets her inside the building. We learn that she is not so much a survivor as Esme finds her dead in the bathtub. All of her leads are now gone. During the middle of attempting to discover what has occurred to her, the media footage goes offline. She immediately calls the detective that gave her a card on screen. He tells her that the case has been closed.

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Curtis – Connor Trinneer – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

Her boss is watching her at this point as the detective tells her that she knows about her sister. He knows this might be hard for her to accept because of that but she needs to understand that the death has been ruled a suicide.  To stay alive Esme needs to let this go, but her need for justice outweighs the cost.

Time To Change Your Plans, Ryan

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Ryan – Max Martini- The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

Ryan and his crew at in front of a shop where they are testing out some equipment for next year. They have all decided they are moving forward with the big score on next year’s purge night. Going to visit Ryan’s mother in the nursing home they begin to hash out their plan for next year more. The main problem they are running into at this point is getting the jammer on the airplane to have it malfunction long enough to keep it on the ground and for them to steal the money.

The goal now is to get the jammer in the vault somehow within the money. Ryan says he has connections inside of the bank when Sara asks if one of them has enough time to get a job in the bank. These heists go far deeper than I could have ever imagined. Though to pull off one last job, especially like this kind I can imagine that it takes time to go through every last detail. However, banks were always Tommy’s job. Without him, they are stuck in terms of how to get control of the aircraft long enough to attain the score.

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Ryan & Tommy – Max Martini & Jonathan Medina – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

Ryan arranges a meeting with Tommy. The cameras are turned off as they talk because he still has some connections from their days on the force. He assures him that Lisa and the baby are good, but not that she has moved. Tommy immediately asks what the job is and reassures Ryan he should not feel guilty for asking. They need a bank employee with vault access. Tommy gives him the name of someone and Ryan gives him a book that won’t get him trouble, but keep him entertained.

Meeting up with Tommy’s friend, the guy is motivated to get them into the vaults once Ryan says he will cut him in. However, he also admits to the guy that if he does anything to ruin the chances for his crew or get them harmed, he will kill him.

Marcus, Many People Are Still Watching

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
THE PURGE — “Grief Box” Episode 204 — Pictured: (l-r) Rochelle Aytes as Michelle Moore, Derek Luke as Marcus Moore — (Photo by: Alfonso Bresciani/USA Network)

Michelle is trying to get Marcus to go somewhere with her. Instead, he is going to speak with Tonya (Devyn A. Tyler) because the person who recently tried to kill him lives on the street he did growing up. There is a flashback to fourteen years earlier before the annual purge as Marcus waits to get out of his car. They move all the kids to the center of the room away from the windows. However, Marcus already encountered people even walking to the house who was ready to purge as soon as they heard the sirens.

My assumption about Tonya being Darren’s mother is right. This makes sense why Michelle does not like her. This does not stop her from throwing her under the train as a reason Marcus has a target on his back. Tonya admits to having a rough purge as they lost someone that they grew up with. This cuts back to the flashback that we witnessed earlier and the power going out in the home as they use flashlights and lanterns to light up the home. All the barricades set in place to keep them safe are dissipating.

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Marcus – Derek Luke – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

They scramble to get the kids and everyone else to safety. Marcus picks up a rifle and shoots in the general direction of the door as a chainsaw destroys it. Someone manages to get in through the back window and take Tonya captive. This person turns out to be a disgruntled student. They manage to talk him off the edge but offering to help him. People in that room can help him more so than purging anyone could do. The craziest part is that Eli is now friends with Darren.

It sounds like Marcus wanted them to move to keep them safer. A better house, a better area. Tonya wanted to stay in the same area. Last summer there was a guy that came around asking about him way before the purge. Marcus asks her if there is any way she can describe him. Marcus immediately updates Michelle upon arriving home. Who did he make angry last summer?  As he attempts to answer the question, Michelle appears visibly nervous.  It is time to create another suspect board. Instead, he goes on Ivory Road to offer money to whoever can tell him about who attempted to purge him.

The Purge is Your Right, Ben

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Ben – Joel Allen – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

Ben has a boxing torso to take his aggression out on. Kellan notices that he is wailing away on this practice dummy to the point that he ignores her calls out to him. The news reveals the missing strawberry farmer has finally been found. His cause of death? Heatstroke. This has to be a clear cover-up by the NFFA because viewers know that Ben murdered him. As he tells her is leaving, she checks on him once more. She wants to know how he’s doing with all the purge stuff. He’s much better now.

Through Ben, we learn that there are purge stores. On Remembrance Day there’s a discount on all purge items to get everyone ready for the following year. He begins talking to a guy, Andy (Lawrence Kao), at the store who is pro purging. Instead of parting ways, Ben invites him to the party he is attending with Kellan later that evening. At the party, he reveals to him that if he were Ben and someone left him on purge night he would purge him the following year. He openly admits to purging those in his life that has done him wrong. Ben admits that he makes a good point as he imagines choking Turner out.

THE PURGE -- "Grief Box" Episode 204
THE PURGE — “Grief Box” Episode 204 — Pictured: Joel Allen as Ben — (Photo by: Alfonso Bresciani/USA Network)

The Remembrance Day party continues to rage on. It appears that Turner is bothering Kellan and needless to say Ben does not take that well. He immediately follows him upstairs with his knife. Upon opening the door he discovers Turner standing in the room crying. The important thing to note is that Turner is holding a remembrance box. His brother was purged, bringing back feelings of the entire night with Ben. He is crying and he admits that they shouldn’t have gone out that night and that he shouldn’t have left him like that.

As people leave the party Ben follows the girl who spoke rudely to him and his new friend from the purge store. They are on the wrong side of history according to her. Though we do not witness a murder he is approaching her a quickened pace with the mask on that he stole from his assailant.

'The Purge' Recap: 'Grief Box'
Ben & Turner – Joel Allen & Matt Shively – The Purge – Grief Box – 2×04 – USA Network

What did you think of this week’s purge? Will Ben kill the girl from the party that was anti-purging?  Did Marcus go to far attacking his friend at Tonya’s party? Will Tommy’s contact be able to help Ryan and his crew pull off the ultimate heist? Has Esme gotten in too deep? Let us know your thoughts are below about last night’s episode.

Join The Purge every Tuesday night on the USA Network at 9 pm EST.

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