Last week I mentioned how criminally underused Russell has been thus far in ‘The Tomorrow People’. It seems only fitting to have the fast talking, fun loving man front and center in this week’s episode.

Russell is front and center this time around

It started with the most unexpected of things; Russell as a teenaged pianist seven years ago. Even as he plays, his powers sporadically pop in and out as he performs.  His dad isn’t the loviest of doviest dads, being very critical of Russell’s performance. Flash to the present and Mr. Russell is playing a bit of pool with Stephen as his wingman. They run into Piper, who whips out an extremely expensive stick and, after a few minutes, showcases her own powers. When the guys try talking to her about it, she smacks up on them a bit before teleporting out. They get back to the lair and tell the game but TIM interrupts the convo to give Russell the news of his father’s death. It blindsides him and the usually jovial Russell is shocked into speechlessness. As they watch him, Stephen and Cara talk about Irene (who’s out of ICU but still sedated) and how off everyone has been since the near massacre. Cara and John try to continue their talk from last week about him keeping things from her (something he’s still doing) when Russell informs the group that he’s going back to Portland to pay his respects to his father. John gives him the okay and, even better, accompanies Russell, using his knowledge of already mapped long range jumps to make the trip out west.

At ULTRA’s HQ, Darcy accosts Stephen on Astrid’s presence at the raid and reminds her young partner that he can’t mix his old and new life. They’re interrupted by word on a possible breakout girl in Hell’s Kitchen, none other than Piper. Stephen returns to the lair and asks for Cara’s help in finding the girl. Understanding her reticence, Stephen tells Cara “You’re a leader here too. Why don’t you do what you think is right.” His words give her the strength to follow her heart and they return to the pool hall, catching Piper in another game. Cara cuts her off before Piper blips out but ULTRA’s also on the prowl. The young girl teleports away but Stephen and Cara inexplicably stay put as the agents zero in on their position. Not sure of what to do, Stephen pulls Cara into the often used ‘if we kiss, the bad guys will ignore us’ action that works staggeringly well, despite the proficiency of said agents.

While John and Russell bond over the latter’s past of cheating some very bad guys in poker and having a bar fight where John punches a cop, Cara and John traverse the city the entire night. They share the more intimate details of the love lives and the change in the relationship is starting to show for the both of them.

Some very natural flirting between co-workers. What would John think?

Before they can trade more than a steamy look on the streets, Cara picks up Piper’s signature. They aren’t alone as ULTRA’s on young girl’s trail; Cara guides her to safety, jumping her out of the situation before Darcy and her team can move in.

They take Piper back to the lair and she tells them a bit about her history and how she was drawn to New York. It’s not long before TIM drops the bomb that Piper is Darcy’s younger sister. Stephen wants to reunite the siblings, believing that Darcy is not just an ULTRA agent; she’s lost family, too. Piper sneaks in and sees a picture of Darcy and wants to see her sister, even when they lay out the risks to her.

Cuffed to a chair and nursing bruises, John tries talking to the cops, asking them to let him and Russell go so they can make the funeral. John calls out his friend, accusing him of stalling because he’s afraid to go home. On cue, another flashback shows Russell letting out his resentment to his father. Pops is surprised, so blinded by the drive to have Russell succeed. They don’t get much time to talk before the poker goons burst in searching for Russell. When his father won’t give him up, the baddies use a hammer on Russell’s dad with his fingers being the keys.

At ULTRA, Stephen tells Darcy about her sister’s desire to see her. He agrees but only if Jedikiah hears nothing about it—though he’s on his own tomorrow person hunt. Darcy capitulates and they meet up at a restaurant but the agent in Darcy’s strong. Even before the meet, she had ULTRA poised to crash the party and have Piper injected with the serum to remove her powers thinking it’s the only way for her to stay safe. Stephen is stupefied, reminding Darcy how taking someone’s abilities hollow them out. She eventually agrees and they escape out the back but ULTRA is again right there. Darcy tries pulling a sleight of hand to no avail and she ends up being cut down while Stephen and Piper watch from behind a car. By the time they are finished riddling Darcy with bullets, Stephen and Piper have jump. And no, we’re not going to go over why they didn’t jump five minutes beforehand…

After checking out John and Russell’s story (they had no ID on them), the cop lets them go. Russell admits to being afraid because he left in shame. He wonders aloud at how he will look his mom in the eye. John’s advice is to show her the man that he’s become. When they arrive in Portland, Russell and his mother have a heartfelt reunion and when he asks if there’s anything he can do, she tells him he can. He plays the piano as those in attendance watch and we see Russell’s final memory of his father, proud of his as he watched his son play. Russell gives him a sad wave before teleporting away.

Somewhere out there Jedikiah confronts the woman—Morgan—about using her powers contrary to their agreement. She’s quite cavalier about Jed and his threats and it’s not long before we understand why as they show there’s a lot more than a business relationship between them.

Piper is back at the lair with nowhere else to go but Cara offers her sanctuary. Irene also shows up, thanking Stephen for saving her life. Something in the exchange sparks Cara in a way she most likely wasn’t expecting. Stephen’s feeling the effects of watching Darcy killed. She admires him and tells him “You’re the best person I’ve ever met.” He thinks his sentimentality is a weakness but Cara ensures him that it’s a gift. He uses that to steer the conversation back to their make out session the previous night. “I think about you, Cara,” he says and she tells him the same thing. It’s all that he needed, kissing her once again but apologizes when she seems to pull away. But there’s nothing to apologize for when she suggests they go somewhere more private…

Tomorrow’s Outlook

  • Russell has always been an interesting character and, like his cohorts (Cara and John) we get to see such a different side of him. I can only hope they incorporate him more into overall story.
  • Uncle Jed has a nice little secret of his own. It’s almost providence that a guy who is all about keeping the Tomorrow People down is sharing his bed with one. This Morgan also seems to be a handful and I’m sure she’s going to make her presence felt later down the road.
  • Admittedly, I was never in the Cara/Stephen camp, tired of the main guy and girl getting it on. There was something refreshing about the closeness they shared though it didn’t seem to be headed further, especially with John in the picture. And then this episode happened. On the surface it may seem a bit fast but, looking back on the subtleties of their relationship, even John being in the picture wasn’t enough to keep this ship in port.

Next week, John will notice that something’s happened since he was gone…