Spoilers ahead for The Institute Season 2, Episode 1 ‘The Reckoning’
The Institute is finally back for Season 2, and Episode 1, ‘The Reckoning,’ wastes no time throwing us into action. After Luke, Kalisha, Nicky, and George worked together to destroy the Institute in Season 1, they were forced to go on the run. Thankfully, they are not alone; they now have Tim and Wendy on their side.
As someone who has read Stephen King’s book, I always thought the ending felt a bit abrupt once the kids got free. Naturally, I was looking forward to seeing what creator Benjamin Cavell would bring to the table with his adaptation. The first episode did not disappoint.
MORE: Read our spoiler-free review of The Institute Season 2
It’s been four months since Luke, Kalisha, Nicky, and George escaped the Institute with help from Tim and Wendy. Life has not gotten easier. They are living in an abandoned and very cold industrial building. Every single time they step outside, they are on high alert. Despite this, they have a nice little family dynamic. Tim and Wendy are like their parents, providing all the lectures you’d expect from mom and dad. The thing is, Tim and Wendy are not their parents. And these kids are ready to go home and get their lives back. Easier said than done.
Being back in the outside world, the kids have been able to research their parents. Except Luke, because his parents were killed the night he was taken. They’ve stumbled upon them on the website Parents of the Disappeared, or PODs, which is a support group for parents whose kids have gone missing. While it gives them comfort to know their parents are around and still searching, I feel for them not being able to leave and let them know they are okay. I also understand it’s risky to do this before exposing the Institute. Unfortunately, the only remaining piece of evidence is lost, or so they think.
When Luke got the USB from Maureen in Season 1, he knew once he shared it with the world, the Institute would shut down. Now that he no longer has it, getting the story out has become harder. Tim’s been doing his best by meeting with investigative journalists to get them to tell the story, but nobody will because it sounds so far-fetched.
Everyone in Dennison thinks the Institute was an infectious disease lab. The idea that a bunch of kids were held against their will and were being experimented on won’t be taken seriously without proof. They certainly wouldn’t believe the kids have special abilities and were being used as assassins either.
Luke’s frustration has only grown. Since his time at the Institute, Luke’s powers have gotten stronger. He’s been having a lot of nightmares, which he learned were visions. Those visions led him to realize that his power has grown from TP (telepathy) to PC (precognition). Stay with me. Being a PC means he can see the future. It happened once before in Season 1 when he saw Harry kill one of the twins. He tried to save her, but it failed. That’s why I think after one of his visions, he made a risky choice to save a mother and her baby.
Taking that risk ultimately led to exposure. We live in the age of social media, and Luke’s rescue went viral. Tim and the others had every right to be angry with Luke. They have been doing their part, staying under the radar, and now, because of Luke’s actions, their safety has been compromised. And Luke hasn’t been totally honest with everyone. He’s known for a while that he’s a PC. Because he is one, he now knows Sigsby is alive. And she has Maureen’s USB.
Instead of telling Tim and the others what he saw, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Which was a terrible idea because everyone is supposed to be a team. I don’t understand why Luke didn’t just tell Tim, Wendy, Kalisha, Nicky, and George that he saw Sigsby and the USB. If he had, I know Tim would have come up with a plan. But once again, Luke made an impulsive decision that will affect not only him but the group as well.
Quite frankly, I was team Nicky on this whole thing. Nicky was angry and rightly so that Luke just dipped without telling them anything. Luke made a rash decision, and that decision has deadly consequences.
Sigsby Wants Back In
After Julia lost the Institute in Season 1 and survived, she’s also been on the run. She knows where the bodies are buried. That makes her a liability. The people from the Institute want her dead. Maureen’s USB is her insurance and the only thing keeping her alive. That’s why I could not understand why she wanted to go back in. It may be too late for her, though.
The “man on the phone (Jeff Fahey)” who we now officially know is the Director of the Institute has already moved on and has found Sigsby’s replacement in the form of a billionaire tech bro named Nolan Reeves (Alfie Allen). This billionaire tech bro, of course, is bringing in what they all do: Artificial Intelligence.
Nolan’s AI is meant to mimic a PC. That’s important to The Director. Because PCs see events before they happen, they have been able to prevent some of the worst apocalyptic events. The Director is running low on PCs, and Nolan’s tech is just the solution. Because billionaires are always all about making the world a better place for everyone, right? The thing is that I don’t trust Nolan at all.
There is something off about him. He has a God complex, and he wants Dr. Hendricks to join his team. That told me everything I need to know. Then again, Dr. Hendricks is not to be trusted either. Honestly, nobody can be trusted, okay. Everyone has their own motives, and that leads to dangerous results. I think PCs will be most at risk.
At the Institute, PCs are treated like royalty. I’m talking they get fancy food, and they live in this big, giant facility that is nothing like the Institute where Luke came from. Still, I see it as a prison too. It just has fancier walls. The Institute doesn’t value them as people. They are merely tools. Lynne (Mary Walsh), who looks like Season 1 Annie (twin sis perhaps?), is one of their most valued PCs. She’s the Luke of the group, and Nolan has his sights set squarely on her. Just what he has planned for her, and the Institute, remains to be seen.
Overall, this first episode of The Institute was chock full of action and a whole lot of science/tech talk. I admit at times it was a lot to keep up with, and it may require a second watch if you want to be sure you didn’t miss all of the talk about PCs and their abilities. But it did a good job of setting the stage for what is to come over the season.
More thoughts about ‘The Reckoning’:
- Tim: “No stealing.”
- Two seconds later: George and Luke steal from an ATM because, yes, Wendy, taking from a bank is also stealing. You’re a cop; you should know that.
- Ben Barnes, the actor that you are. I truly believed he was in the worst pain of his life getting that bullet out of his shoulder. That scene was hard to watch.
- Was I supposed to feel sorry for Sigsby mourning her dad’s death? Because I didn’t. She can choke on that peanut butter fluff sandwich. She tortured kids and enjoyed it.
- Sigsby’s reason for wanting to get back into the Institute was because “Maybe I miss the smell of fear.” Again, see previous bullet point.
- Also, I’m not really understanding why we are watching her self-harm. That didn’t happen in the book, so what is Cavell’s justification for this? It’s honestly unnecessary.
- The way that Tim told Luke, “Come here,” before he turned the laptop around was giving angry dad vibes for real.
- Tim and Wendy’s chemistry was giving married couple.
- “You were a little hard on them last night.” See, Wendy even sounds like a mom talking to Tim about the kids.
- If the kids are supposed to be staying under the radar, how is George able to go to Best Buy and play Xbox? Do they think the Institute’s people couldn’t find them there?
- Nicky and Kalisha’s relationship is still going strong, I see.
- Luke, oh Luke, I know you meant well, but you’ve made things exponentially worse.
- Who is the bloody person Luke keeps seeing on the ground?
- “Be ready to run.” Oh joy.
- WENDY!!!!!!!
- “Up and at em, sleepyhead.”
The Institute releases new episodes every Sunday on MGM+.
