‘The Purge’ recap: ‘Lovely Dark and Deep’

As episode seven opens viewers wonder if Rick will agree to let Lila in off the streets. When someone is banging on a door they are difficult to ignore. Lila is no different. Lila’s ascend into the house is far more intense than I could have imagined though.

Just when Jenna has Lila in her grasp a man drags her back up the walkway. Taking his eyes off their alarm system for a moment, Rick comes over to the door to help Jenna retrieve Lila. Thankfully Lila fights her aggressor off, but as the doors shut audiences notice another uninvited guest entering Rick and Jenna’s home along with Lila. At first I debated if Rick managed to get back in time to see the guest enter, but as revealed later if he did then he is a painfully good liar.

Ryker meanwhile ensures that Jane becomes a part of his art gallery by tying her arms to a bar in what I can only describe as a neon coffin. As she becomes an art piece, Jane’s memories of a time in her childhood where she realizes her brains are not good enough to get her into a college. Her mother insists she needed to rely on her physical assets to attain a scholarship on the pageant circuit to become the first member of the family college bound. She’s reminded of how much she felt like an object in those days and hates that she finds herself feeling like an object yet again.

Upon focusing on the present once more, Ryker insists that all the men in the basement that evening are merely appreciating the female form. To make matters worse Anya is the basement, but not chained to a wall and not attempting to free Jane. We learn that the reason Anya received the promotion over Jane is because she participated in the living art gallery last year. Jane insists before Anya leaves her that she takes the card for The Matron Saints in her back pocket and call them. However, if she so willing participated as she stated, why would she call them?

Thankfully, Penelope and Miguel manage to escape the carnival grounds. Soon thereafter they encounter a scene that makes them quickly turn in the opposite direction to make their way into the woods. Once deeper into the woods, Penelope and Miguel get into an argument. She insists that Travis had a message she believed in and that he should have respected her decision and wishes to join their parents. She complains that he always treats her like a child and as their argument is dwindling they witness a guy lit on fire and forced to zip line through the woods. Worst purge group ever.

As Miguel and Penelope realize they are not safe, we focus back on our couple and Lila. Once the realization Catalina was in on the planning of the revolution that ultimately killed both her parents Lila reveals how traumatized she is by the night’s events. She begins to debate how long Catalina spent plotting the revolution while admitting how she managed to escape through a hidden passageway in her room and down into the basement to leave. While Lila is essentially reliving her trauma, we witness the couple’s intruder officially break into their home.

As Lila finally relaxes, Jenna tucks Lila in after a shower. Still in shock, Lila rambles how she doesn’t know her parents final wishes. In this moment Lila also realizes that she has no other place to go. Without consulting Rick, Jenna immediately offers up their home to Lila. As Jenna makes the decision and Lila settles into bed for the evening, the couple goes into their bedroom to talk. Rick insists that something doesn’t add up about Lila’s story and that she’s hiding something. Instead of focusing on the inevitable argument over Lila again, the intruder barges into their bedroom and points a gun immediately at Rick.

Concurrently, we wish for some mercy for Jane as Ryker decides that he’s the one with first dibs on her body. He even goes as far to say, “It’s one thing to see a painting in a museum but it’s quite another to hold it in your hands.” Talk about a line that would make anyone feel gross and dirty. Jane rightly calls Ryker a rapist and he tells her she should not be so dramatic. She remembers her mother giving her grief for wearing a blazer to a job interviews instead of merely a dress.

The memory becomes amplified as Ryker begins to unbutton Jane’s blouse and he compares her to a deer. Upon killing a deer on a hunting trip he previously took, he recalls his favorite part of the incident was how the deer’s eyes filled with fear. He insists that not even Caravaggio could capture the fear within her eyes. Fear is alive. Just when we think Ryker will finally take advantage of his situation with Jane the lights go out and Joe storms in shooting various members of the so-called art gallery.

Simultaneously we learn the whereabouts of Penelope and Miguel. Though we still have to wonder exactly where they are considering how far deep into the woods they have managed to go. As they stop, Penelope finally admits that she’s glad that Miguel came back for her. In Miguel’s mind he had no other choice because their father told him to protect her before his murder. As they manage to come to an understanding of each other Penelope takes one step forward and into a trap was set deep into the woods. We can only assume the trap belongs to same group we saw earlier in the episode.

Thankfully, Jane finds herself in a superior position than earlier as Joe reveals that he is there to help her. My love for his character grew tremendously despite not knowing much about him before last week’s episode. While they do not have many time to spare, Jane begins to release the other women and demands Anya help release the other women. Before leaving, Jane notices a gun lying on the floor and walks directly over to Ryker. Despite wanting to save him previously, she makes Ryker the show’s first causality. I guess Ryker was wrong about the weakness he saw in Jane’s persona.

Suddenly we learn more about the intruder in Jenna and Rick’s home. Ross, their very disgruntled neighbor. Jenna insists that Ross isn’t acting like himself, but he insists the good thing about living in their country is that while one cannot make their neighbor move, they can purge. Jenna choose to protect Rick as her and Ross tumble out into the hallway. In an unprecedented move as Rick attempts to protect Jenna once more, Lila sneaks up and stabs Ross with a butcher knife, killing the couple’s neighbor, but saving Jenna in the process.

As they take in the scene before them, Jenna explains why they have to move through tears. She can no longer stay in a home where every time she goes into the nursery to feed their child all she would think about was the place where their she watched the murder of their now former neighbor. Her breakdown is further shown by the incessant scrubbing of the floor, as if she is Lady Macbeth trying to rid Duncan’s blood from her hands. Finally pulling her away from the situation the three head downstairs as Rick confirms that no one else is in the house with them.

We learn that Lila did not tell the whole truth about her escape. Her father was the one who could ensure she escaped their home that evening. He was screaming as they came to her door and instead of helping him, she let him die. She regrets not helping him. He was the villain in her life for so long and if it were not for him she would not have been alive to save Rick and Jenna that evening. She saved them though and while they insist it’s going to be alright is still painfully hard to believe.

As this week’s episode comes to a close, I must make some predictions for the remainder of the season. Before the night ends either Rick or Lila will die. One of them will get the idea to kill the other and I’m not sure who will succeed at this point. Although whomever is in the woods with Miguel and Penelope are close behind them I have a feeling he is attempting to get them back to Pete’s place.

I also believe Joe and Pete somehow know each other and maybe his safe haven where he is taking Jane is Pete’s as well. I like the idea that somehow all the characters from the season will end up in the same place. I also enjoy that Anya made the call to The Matron Saints who pull up to Ryker’s apartment as Jane and Joe leave to their sanctuary for the remainder of the purge.

With only three episodes are left with the characters we grown to love. Who will make it out of the purge alive? Tune in next Tuesday at 10pm on USA Network to see if we have another character causality. Also, let us know what you think of tonight’s episode in the comments below.