*Spoilers ahead for The Institute Season 2, Episode 2 ‘The Sanctuary’*
The Institute Season 2 Episode 2 ‘The Sanctuary’ was an hour that had me questioning Luke after he made a unilateral decision to go after Sigsby alone. That decision changed my opinion of Luke, as he keeps making the worst choices. We also saw the Institute take a major loss.
I understand that Luke is just a kid and they don’t often think about the consequences of their actions. However, Luke isn’t like most kids. He’s very intelligent, so he should know better. I hate blaming him for Wendy’s death in The Institute Season 2 Episode 1, but it is his fault. When he saved that woman and her baby, he sacrificed everyone’s safety back at the compound. He left everyone exposed, and it cost them dearly. I was team Luke in The Institute Season 1, but right now he’s making it difficult to be on his side.
MORE: Need a refresher? Read our review of The Institute Season 2 Episode 1.
Because it’s so early in Season 2 of The Institute, I wasn’t expecting to question Luke like I am. Like Kalisha, George, and Nicky, I assumed he would look out for everyone. I suppose in his own way he believes he is. But confronting Sigsby alone was a terrible idea. He thought he had the upper hand because of his vision, but in my opinion, he went in too quickly.
Season 1 of The Institute was all about Luke learning he had powers and how to harness those abilities. Realistically, when you think about it he is still just learning about his powers. And now that he knows he has the power of precognition, he should have been figuring out how to harness it. Just because he has the power does not mean he knows exactly how to use it. I think if he had waited to go after Sigsby, he would have had more time to see his vision through to know it would fail.
This Season is making me angry, and we’re only in episode 2
I was angry that Luke went to Sigsby. I was even angrier when she subdued him. And honestly, I was a bit frustrated watching this episode. The moments felt rushed. Right at the top of the episode, there was a big mass shooting at the Institute, which was very disturbing to watch, and I had a visceral reaction to it. It was a bit gratuitous. Once I knew it was basically a plot device because eight out of nine precogs were murdered, I was like, okay, well this is going to be where Luke comes in. But still, I think a show has a responsibility to cut things off at a certain point.
Lynne, who we met in The Institute Season 2 Episode 1, survived because apparently, she knew it was coming. She got out of there immediately. Which makes me ask why she didn’t warn the others? She’s supposed to be this powerful PC, but she let other PCs be massacred. It felt gross. PCs are supposed to prevent tragic events, yet she couldn’t prevent this one? I am confused.
But Back to Luke
Because of Luke’s impulsive decision to go after Sigsby, he was forced to make a deal with the devil. The devil being Sigsby. She wants back in at the Institute, and Luke wants to bring the Institute down. His being a PC is her ticket because the Director needs another PC to complete their mission, whatever that mission is. Luke sees Sigsby as his Trojan horse to gain access and destroy the Institute from inside.
The plan is a mess, and as I said, Luke’s choices have made it hard for me to be on his side. Especially when he brought Sigsby back to Kalisha, George, and Nicky. Sigsby is an abuser, and Luke brought the abuser with him. Kalisha, Nicky, and George’s reactions to seeing her were those of someone who has suffered intense abuse. I don’t know what Luke was thinking.
Sigsby told him all about PCs and being treated like royalty, so naturally that gave him a sense of security. He knows that Sigsby won’t hurt him. But Kalisha, Nicky, and George are not PCs. Even though they have powers, they are not necessarily as valuable as Luke. Because they are Luke’s friends, they won’t be harmed. But after what Luke did to them, I’m not so sure I believe that.
It was bad enough that he brought Sigsby into the mix, but how he got Tim to go along with the plan was surprising. Maybe it was because Sigsby helped bust him out of jail, or maybe it was because he sees Luke as his redemption for the boy he killed at the Westfield Mall. Whatever the reason, I love Tim, but I think he should have said no. Especially because Luke’s grand plan involved allowing the Institute to take Kalisha and Nicky.
That was probably one of the most jaw-dropping moments aside from the mass shooting. That was betrayal on a massive scale. Luke was inside the Institute. He lived it. Witnessed it. And he saw what Kalisha and Nicky went through. I couldn’t understand how he could do this to people who are supposed to be his friends! I also wondered how he chose to have them taken but not George. And if Luke was had a vision that Kalisha died, why would he think sending her back to the Institute was the safe option? Did it even cross his mind that him having her taken back to the Institute could be how she dies? Truly, was this the only option, Luke?
What made it even worse was the fact that Kalisha put so much faith and trust in him. Nicky was skeptical that Luke would know what to do. He was right to be. But Kalisha has always felt like Luke is someone she can rely on. What he did to her shattered that trust and I don’t know how they can come back from that.
I wanted to rip my hair out because Luke was working my nerves. When you think of all the choices he made in The Institute Season 2 Episode 1, it puts everything on the table. His poor planning led to even worse outcomes in Episode 2. I don’t know how he thinks his plan will work. I’m hoping it will make sense at some point because so far, he’s lost me.
More Thoughts About “The Sanctuary”
- Not sure why they called this episode “The Sanctuary” because nothing about this episode made me feel like anyone was in a place of safety.
- I must give Ben Barnes props in the scene with the kids after Wendy’s murder. Barnes is an actor whose eyes say so much. Tim tried to hold himself together in front of the kids, but you could see in his eyes how it affected him to find Wendy dead.
- Who killed the precogs? And why?
- Hendricks ain’t sh—
- Tim can’t catch a break. That cop slamming his head on the table in the interrogation room was a lot.
- Kalisha is stronger than she realizes
- The billionaire tech bro being more concerned about his football club in Madrid during a time of crisis tracks.
- Nolan Reeves. Ugh… the way I cannot stand this guy.
- Watching everyone embrace Luke because they were so happy he was back and then watching what he did later. Ouch.
- Kalisha said what happened to Wendy wasn’t Lukes’s fault. Nicky disagrees. I agree with Nicky.
- Luke says they “Need real evidence” and “Proof they can show the world.” Bruh, you could have had the USB from Sigsby, but you went rogue and did a solo mission instead of, I don’t know, telling the adults so they could come up with a plan.
- “The Institute is getting closer to catching us. We need to tear it down from the inside.” Again, Luke, they are getting closer to catching you because of you. Dude, this is all your fault. I love you, but yeah… You did this.
The Institute releases new episodes every Sunday on MGM+.
