There’s just something about a powerful woman wrecking shop, even when it may not be on the right side of the law. This week’s episode of ‘The Tomorrow People’ shows this off in spades when a very determined woman breaks into a bank, is surrounded by the cops and shows off some teleportation powers no one’s ever seen before. Teleporting cars and bullets out of guns without touching them? Yeah, she’s hard core. After KO’ing the helpless cops, she leaves a ‘Hi Dad’ message at the scene—a major sign that there’s some serious daddy issues going on in her life. About the same time she’s venting her anger at dear old dad, Stephen wakes up in a cold sweat, almost as if he’s dreaming of this Jeannie. He’s up the next morning, rushing out the door when Momma Jameson (Marla) asks him what’s going on with Astrid but he’s quite evasive before getting out and hitting ULTRA. He bursts into Jedikiah’s office, demanding his uncle rescind the kill order on Astrid. The conversation doesn’t end well with Stephen declaring, in no uncertain terms, that he and his uncle “are done.”

Still recovering from his gunshot wound, John’s trying to do some back washing when Cara comes in and gives him a hard time before giving him a hand. She admits to him being right about Astrid and remarks how close the two of them seem to be with a subtle hint of jealousy behind her words. He assures her that, bleeding out and close to death from the gunshot wound, it wasn’t Astrid he was thinking about; he wastes no more words on the situation and takes Cara’s face in his hands and kisses her. Though she returns the favor, when the break apart there’s a confused desperation on her face that promises complications will abound.

While the former couple is going kissy face, Astrid’s doing her best to get information out to her father but TIM’s not able to comply. John walks in and concurs, telling her it’s not safe, a sentiment Cara backs up as well. Stephen’s there and though he wants to go after Astrid, he relays his experience of seeing the new breakout through “her eyes”. “Her” ends up being Cassandra Smythe, daughter of the Founder, one who’s got an ax to grind—and very hard—with her father. He comes to Stephen on the down low and the two make a deal: if Stephen brings Cassie to him, the Founder will rescind the kill order on Astrid.  After chatting with the Founder, Stephen takes the info on Cassie to the crew where John says that she’s a Synergist—a very powerful breakout due to both her parents having powers. Cara agrees to the deal, despite the tall order being given to Stephen because it’s the only hope they have of returning Astrid to her normal life.

Stephen returns home, putting time in the third part of his life when his family dinner’s interrupted by Uncle Jed. He wants to mend fences with his nephew and, more importantly caution Stephen on making any type of deal with the Founder. Before Stephen closes the door on his face, Jedikiah reminds him that, no matter what’s happened, he’s never lied to Stephen. Though he shuts his uncle out, his mom’s waiting on the other side of the door and questions him on Astrid and what’s going on with his uncle. Stephen attempts to lie his way through it but Momma Jameson’s a bit too perceptive for that to fly and laments to Stephen that “working for your uncle has just turned you into your father.”

Stephen has no time to feel bad about his mother’s accusations and ends up back at the lair where, through his mysterious connection to Cassie, is able to pinpoint her location at the Gosford Hotel. The plan? Have Stephen go undercover and distract Cassie long enough to slap a D-cuff on her and Bob’s your uncle.

Aside: What are the odds that a Synergist with Cassie’s power 1) wouldn’t be able to pick up residual telepathic conversation going on right in front of her or 2) would be duped by a Stephen who’s less than experienced in clandestine affairs?

My thoughts exactly.

Putting the moves on Cassie

Despite holes in the plan the size of a small moon, Stephen goes through with it, literally running into the luscious Cassie who, in a word tells Stephen that she’s “looking for fun…and I think I’ve just found it.” After the inadvertent run-in, the two have some amiable conversation with Cassie in control, though Stephen tries his best (and not so subtlety) to steer the conversation in the direction of her dad. Figuring he won’t get much in the way of intel on the Founder, Stephen suggests they go “somewhere private” and cuffs her while they walk through the halls. Well, Cassie’s a bit faster on the uptake than our merry band of three-t’ers believe and was waiting for Stephen to slap the cuffs on her. After dispatching a few ULTRA agents that tailed them to the hotel and sharing a bit of her personal family life, Cassie admits to wanting the needle. Her public display of abilities, in her mind, will give the Founder no choice but to remove her powers.

While Stephen’s talking it up with Cassie, John confronts Cara about the kiss. She’s a deer in headlights but uses the old “I can’t put my feelings before the group” excuse as to why they can’t go further. Stephen interrupts before John can reply and tells them about Cassie’s plan. Something about it doesn’t sit right with Cara and she puts the kibosh on turning over Cassie until they figure the hidden angle in the whole mess. When TIM can’t find anything else about Cassie, Cara takes it upon herself to interview the Synergist. Strangely enough, she discovers that Cassie has trouble recalling what should be some of the most important memories of her schooling. She taps into Cassie’s brain and views the woman’s torture at the hands of a scientist as the Founder watches on. She relays the images back to John and Stephen with the latter still pissed at Astrid being “held hostage”. They need to figure out more of what ULTRA was up to with her and Stephen promises to infiltrate ULTRA to find out more about Cassie’s time there.

While Stephen preps for his incursion into ULTRA, Jed gets a visit from Marla, his former in-law who demands to know why Stephen quit. He dodges her jabs like a boxer but she finishes things off with a very real threat that she’ll rain down fire and brimstone on him if friends or family are hurt. She and the Founder cross paths briefly and he mocks Jedikiah, noting that family has always been Jed’s weakness. “We’ve all got our soft spots,” Jedikiah replies coolly and the two men trade a poignant look of understanding.

From here, things escalate. Stephen’s captured by the Founder who prepares to outfit him with a port to directly access his memories. Knowing that Stephen’s time is limited, John goes against Cara’s orders and pulls Cassie out to make the exchange. He tells her that Dr. Lerherman, the man she thought to be her thesis consultant at Brown was actually an ULTRA scientist who experimented on her and is going to do the same to Stephen if she doesn’t walk in there and take back her life. She does just that, arriving seconds before the good doctor starts cutting into Stephen.

Trouble in paradise…

He goes back to the lair and tells Astrid the good news. Elated to be homeward bound, she says her goodbyes, saving the final one for John, and there’s a visible connection between the two. But when she leaves along with Stephen the real fireworks begin. Cara’s not having someone counter her decisions and John lets her know that, despite her threats to kick him out, he’s “going to do what I think is best for our people, no matter who’s leader down here.” When he suggest they avoid the threats and kick him out, she follows through with it and stalks away, a stunned group of people left in her wake.

Now that Astrid’s home, things are getting back to normal on the home front. Momma Jameson asks if she wants to know the truth about Astrid’s return and though he tells her no, he admits that he’s gotten himself into something “bigger and more dangerous” than he thought. She reminds him that the three of them—her, Stephen, and Luca—are the iron triangle; unbreakable. He promises to meet her at the restaurant to celebrate Astrid’s return after he talks to Luca. So it’s the talk we’ve been waiting for; Stephen gives Luca every chance to admit to his powers but the only secret he’s been keeping is a bong for a bit of the ‘puff-puff give’ variety.

Now that the Founder has Cassie, he’s ready to continue with whatever experiments he’d been working on with her but not before he orders activation of the cleaning units. Horrified at her father’s command, a heavily sedated Cassie’s able to shout out a telepathic warning to Stephen of the danger. He teleports to the restaurant moments after the kill team has sprayed about a hundred rounds into the window. He runs in, dreading what he’ll see but is taken aback at the picture of his mother holding the bullets at bay, Neo-style.

“Sorry,” she tells him after letting the bullets fall to the ground, “I should’ve told you sooner.”

Ya think?!

Tomorrow’s News

  • So Momma Jameson’s a Tomorrow person? In some ways it’s a bit of a surprise though, in others, it makes perfect sense. It gives even more strength to her vehemence in protecting Stephen from the painful memories of Roger leaving and her outright distrust of Jedikiah. This revelation opens up a completely new road for ‘The Tomorrow People’ and finding Roger.
  • Speaking of Roger, there’s some serious discord in the group. Cara’s trying her best to be an effective and strong leader but too often she’s dangerously teetering between the line of leader and dictator. The latest decision to boot John from the group will have severe repercussions for her and those she leads.  Not only has she removed arguably her greatest ally but the best and most experienced of the bunch. By the time she realizes this, my thoughts are it’ll be too late. She’s used up too much of her good will and may eventually turn everyone against her.