Even though we have seen plenty of Julia Walker this season on the near-deserted St. Germain 30 years in the future, she’s been fairly absent in  present day even as we watched Ilaria ramping up their plans of global domination through mass genocide. Well, that all changed in last week’s episode. The Dr. Walker that we got to know in season 1 — the strong, driven, focused woman who’d never give up despite the odds — was back in full force, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

And, boy, did she make an entrance on St. Germain. She needs Mother to stop Ilaria from wiping out most of the world’s population, and she’s not about to let a spoiled brat girl like Amy stand in her way. But, would she go so far as to offer up Sarah’s baby to get what she needs? I was fortunate enough to talk with Kyra Zagorsky earlier this week to get all the deets on this Amy baby and immortality dilemma, all of the drama surrounding her past relationships with men, and what we can expect going into this big showdown leading to the season 2 finale.

TV GEEK TALK: First, a fantastic job in Friday’s episode. Wow. It there were a big Julia episode thus far this season, I think that episode was it. Again, wow. So, let’s talk about that ending. From the looks of things, Julia is proposing using someone else’s baby in order to solve her own problem. Can you talk a little bit about what exactly Julia’s plan is? Do you think the fact that the baby is Alan’s has anything to do with the decision she made?

Kyra Zagorsky: “Julia has a plan and the baby issue will be dealt with in the next episode. I think she is actually one of the few characters on the show, Alan included, who’s objective and sole purpose is not about her own problems but about something bigger than her. What she is trying to gain is not self serving. In fact she has completely put her own wants and desires aside in order to complete this mission. She is going to do whatever it takes to get Amy to give her what she needs to stop Ilaria. But she is also a pretty savvy character when you consider what she must have gone through since Arctic Biosystems and becoming one of the main players at Ilaria. She may have a few tricks up her sleeve. Clearly she still cares about Alan but Julia has never handled the relationship between Sarah and Alan maliciously. She’s a grown-up and has a lot of pride so if she is jealous she will deal with it on her own and rise above it. She has better things to do. Her mission is not about her or anyone else’s personal needs. It’s about the big picture. This is also “present day” Julia and she is in a much more emotionally disconnected place as a result of what happened last season. She’s all business.”

TV GEEK TALK: This brings me to a question that is linked back to episode 8, the one where future Julia encounters Michael on the island. She told Michael that she came looking for him 30 years ago, that she was looking for an immortal baby because he could be the key in finding a cure for the disease that is killing immortals. Yet, present day Julia is on the island and clearly knows about Sarah’s baby. Is there something I’m missing? Is this the same baby, Sarah’s baby? Can you talk a little more about this?

Kyra Zagorsky: “That one you’ll have to wait and find out. [Laughs] It’s coming up in the next episode, episode 11.”

TV GEEK TALK: In Friday’s episode, we got to see Julia interact with a lot of the characters from season 1, in particular the men in her life, both past and present. She definitely doesn’t seem to be very fond of Peter, I think she said “I thought you were a good man until I realized there’s nothing inside. You’re hollow, Peter.” Ouch. How does Julia perceive Peter today, and why does she see him as so bad, compared to everyone else?

Kyra Zagorsky: “Well, all this stuff has happened, her mother has been killed, and her life has been turned completely upside down. She has this relationship with Peter, and there’s a lot of in-between storylines that we haven’t touched on. Then, when she sees Peter, she immediately thinks, ‘You completely betrayed me for the guy who killed my mother.’ I mean [Julia] almost died at Arctic Biosystems, and in her mind, he’s behind everything. She had a lot to overcome with her father, but she was able to understand what he was doing, and it was about protection unlike Peter.”

“The difference between [Peter] and Alan is although she knows things like what we’ve heard about Alan being a terrorist and so forth, he’s probably the one man in her life who’s never lied to her. [Laughs] At least she can understand what he’s doing. And, she’s going to run into Alan pretty soon, and that’s when the sparks will begin to fly because he’s another character on the show whose agenda is above his own wants, desires and needs. Clearly, she still has feelings for [Alan] because she yelled out his name, but it’s a secret except for Balleseros. [Laughs] But, anyways, the difference between Peter and Alan is pretty strong in her mind, and I don’t know if she’s going to agree with Alan’s actions and choices, but Peter, that’s the biggest kind of betrayal. She thought he really cared about her, and to find out it was all just this big power play. It’s pretty despicable I think in her mind.”

TV GEEK TALK: What do you believe Julia would think if she were able to see Peter and what he was doing with Anne at the end of the last episode? Would she be shocked, or would she think, ‘Yeah, this is just Peter’?

Kyra Zagorsky: “Oh God, I think it would totally shock her. I think whatever they’re getting into, it’s disgusting, and quite frankly, I’m thankful I didn’t have to deal with any of those scenes because some of the storyline that’s starting to come out is very disturbing. I think it would be horrifying if she were to find out what he may becoming a part of and what Michael was doing. I mean, it’s really disgusting.”

TV GEEK TALK: And what about Sergio, who I guess is the man currently in Julia’s life? What do you think she sees in him and why she thinks he’s so special? I don’t know how much Julia knows about Sergio, but we saw him do some really bad things himself last season. I mean, come on, he killed Doreen!

Kyra Zagorsky: “I don’t think she necessarily thinks he’s the greatest guy, but they do come to an agreement in episode 6. They have a scene together, and she gives him the single dose of the cure. So, she’s basically gone rogue from Ilaria, but she wants to find a way to work with these people because she’s immortal. I mean, you don’t want to be around forever with people you can’t get along with, and so, she’s really trying to figure out how to connect with these people, to work with them, and exist with them. But, with Sergio she has found has a level of humanity, and they are able to connect on that level. They are able to separate themselves from Ilaria a bit and play both sides, but I think because of what happened to her at Arctic Biosystems, I think she’s cut herself off from emotion. You see it peek through from time to time, but if you go through that kind of trauma, I think she’s cut off emotionally from everyone. So, he’s sort of a companion, and they work together. It’s really about the business. I think their relationship in her mind has to be kept very business in order to just keep her own sanity, her own ability to survive emotionally.”

 

TV GEEK TALK: What about Sergio’s feelings? How do you think he feels? I think in the last episode Amy told him that she could tell that he cared about Julia.

Kyra Zagorsky: “I don’t know, I think you may have to ask Mark. [Laughs] What I like about him coming in this season is he did all these crazy things but he has a heart. I think my interpretation of what Mark was doing was he has a bit of a connection to her. I mean, she’s all business and has all of this to worry about and trying to save people from this virus, and really that’s all she’s caring about now. Relationships aren’t even on her brain, and he’s like the one who says, ‘Be careful.’ I do think he has a genuine concern for her. Not that she doesn’t have any concern for him, of course, but I really think she is emotionally disconnected from people, considering she’s had a pretty bad track record with men. [Laughs] ”

“She just has that one single purpose, and it has nothing to do with her own needs once again.”

TV GEEK TALK: And, speaking of Sergio, well fans are kind of wigging out, worried that he may be dead after that big fall in the bell tower. Some think Sergio is immortal, but Amy noticed Julia’s contacts the moment she saw her. If Sergio were immortal, then I would think Amy would have picked him out just as fast, but so far, Amy has said nothing about Sergio being immortal. Of course, it could be that Landry, with his being so big and puffy, could have broken his fall. What can you tell us about how that will go? Anything you can say that could put the fans at ease?

Kyra Zagorsky: “[Laughs] Yes, I know! We seldom kill characters, and so, when it happens, well. No, this is one that you will get the answer to in Friday’s episode, episode 11.”

TV GEEK TALK: Great, so fans won’t have to wait that long, right?

Kyra Zagorsky: “Yeah, we’ll learn what’s going down with [Sergio], and we’ll also know what’s going to happen with this baby. It’s pretty intense, and the dark twist is getting darker as the show goes on.”

TV GEEK TALK: In my opinion, you had the most difficult character to portray this season because of the 2 different time periods. How challenging was it to play Julia in 2 different timelines and what changes/evolution did she perceive in them?

Kyra Zagorsky: “Well, I really had to be on top of the story and be very clear about what was going on. We wanted to have these shifts but keep the heart of Julia. I mean, I go from sounding in the present day like Julia has this power and drive that we remembered from season 1 because I wanted the shift in her character to be drastic. I wanted her in her Ilaria position to have this purpose and be on task, and she’s not going to let things distract her. But, then, her heart comes out once in a while, and you see the good ‘ol Julia again. ”

“I think once we get 30 years into the future it was a little bit of freedom to be honest because I felt a sense of ‘Well, whatever happened 30 years ago isn’t necessarily what’s driving me now.’ I changed, and that was the discussion with the writers to keep the essence of her from the first season, and then as they write things and give me new storylines, I kind of add or take away certain things from the character. But, really, it was kind of a clean slate and a completely different world.”

“Now, there are some pretty extreme events that happened on the island and because she’s revisiting in a different time period, it starts to affect her when we see her in the future again. It’s kind of like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m here again. I remember when this thing went down.’ So, that will definitely come up. I believe that’s episode 13, maybe 12. Anyways, there were times when it was tricky because I wanted to be sure it was a subtle enough change that you feel it is Julia but a Julia in a different place in her being.”

TV GEEK TALK: A great deal of the mysteries and questions we had at the beginning of the season have finally started to unfold, but one big question mark that is still out there is Caleb. What can you tell us about him? When will we see him again, and will his connection to St. Germain and all of this be revealed soon?

Kyra Zagorsky: “We are going to find out what his connection is to all of this, and we will see him again. It’s a really beautiful storyline, and he kind of helps us tie up a lot of things. But, yeah, that is going to happen, and we’re really going to discover Caleb’s true colors. It’s such a funny relationship, and Julia’s very confused by him. I mean, he’s clubbing me over the head, he’s feeding me all the time.”

TV GEEK TALK: And, he saved you!

Kyra Zagorsky: “Yes, he did! I mean he keeps doing all these things, and it’s like ‘What do you want?’ He’s an interesting character, and we’ll discover who he is very soon.”

TV GEEK TALK: What about Hitake? We haven’t seen him since the big showdown with Julia in the episode “Densho.” Should we expect to see him again, either in the present or the future, before the season’s end?

Kyra Zagorsky: “I think if we were to get another season, I think it would be very possible he’d come back because presumably he died 30 years in the future. At least as far as Julia knows, although with immortals I thought you actually had to cut off their head. But, anyways, because of 30 years in the future, there’s so much story to fill in in the middle, and it really depends where the writers would want to go with it and which timeline they would want to visit.”

“That’s the beauty of the immortal storyline because he could easily pop up again.”

TV GEEK TALK: There’s only 3 episodes left in the season, wow time just flies! What can you say about what to expect in these final 3 episodes? Any teasers or hints, things the fans should be excited about?

Kyra Zagorsky: “I’m excited for the fans to see how far some of these characters are willing to go, whether it’s in a positive or negative direction. I think the fans will be quite shocked at some of that. And, I’m really excited for when Julia and Alan come together again because they have such strong agendas but they also have so much love for each other in a beautifully complicated relationship. It is pretty powerful, it was really fun to shoot, and I thought it was a really interesting story. So, I’m excited for that.”

Well, we are all definitely excited as well. As Kyra said, this week’s episode is pretty big as we discover Julia’s grand plan regarding Sarah’s baby and Amy’s quest for immortality, as well as Sergio’s fate. Fortunately, we have to wait only one more day, but in the meantime, check out the below video and picture preview.

Episode 2.11 of Helix  is titled “Plan B” and airs Friday at 10/9c on Syfy.

EXCLUSIVE CLIP:

SNEAK PEEK:

PHOTOS:

All photos courtesy of Philippe Bosse and Syfy

 

 

 

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