Helix is one of those shows where you can’t watch an episode just once. You do and you’re almost certain to miss something important because every detail — no matter how small — fits into the overall big picture somehow. Last night’s episode is a perfect example of that. “Densho” was a very bizarre episode that while answering a few questions, ended up raising even more — which is why I rewatched it not only once but twice. Now let’s see what we learned with the piece of the puzzle served up to us this week.

PETER IS PLAYING BOTH SIDES BUT DOES HE KNOW WHAT HE’S PLAYING FOR?

We’ve known since the end of season 1 that Peter (Neil Napier) was working for the Ilaria Corporation. And even after having been infected with the Narvik virus, becoming one of those Vectors and nearly dying, we learned last night that he’s still making deals with the devil. Only difference now is he has a new boss. In season 1 it was the Scythe, and now it’s someone who was very familiar but also very unexpected — Balleseros (Mark Ghanime).

It’s no secret that Balleseros is a fan favorite, and so, I was fairly certain we’d see him again soon. What I didn’t expect is seeing him in a suit and a mahogany office at Illaria’s headquarters in France (man, I bet it burns Peter’s balls that he’s the one who’s kissed every ass in Illaria while Balleseros is the one who gets the recognition and prestige). Sergio, I loved you in your greens, but yeah, you do clean up pretty well.

So, does this mean our beloved Balleseros has gone to “the dark side” just like Peter? It’s really too early to tell, but as we saw in season 1, the guy changes loyalties about as often as the wind changes direction. So who knows.

But, what about Peter? After the big Balleseros reveal, we also learn that Peter has no idea why he has been sent to St. Germaine. But note that he WAS sent there by Ilaria. And, if that’s the case, what about that ship of 27 dead passengers? Was that intentional so as to give the CDC an excuse to go to the island? And, so the rabbit hole goes deeper…

HATAKE REVEALS HIS LEGACY

If you read my preview for the episode, you’ll know that I had predicted that Hatake (Hiroyuki Sanada) would be the one to not make it out of that cabin alive. And, it turns out I was right (or at least it appears that way).

Here comes the part about immortality that really sucks. Hatake had lost his son, Daniel (Meeghun Fairbrother). He had lost his wife. After the Arctic Biosystems disaster, he was left with virtually nothing, and for all we know, he has been on the island for the past 30 years trying to reconstruct his family even if it’s only in his imagination.

So, when Julia shows up, this is his chance to make his family complete. He can’t let her leave, even if that means killing her with this “therapy” he keeps rambling on about. Fortunately, Julia is able to escape but not entirely. Hatake eventually catches up to her, and one hell of a fight breaks out.

I want to take the time to give a big shout out to Kyra Zagorsky here. I don’t know if you were skilled in sword-fighting beforehand, but regardless, you hit it out of the park in this scene. Wow. Primarily because of Hatake being distracted, Julia is able to get the upper hand and ends up stabbing her father in the abdomen.

However, *both* of them are severely injured. Julia collapses due to being stabbed in the back. And, Hatake makes it back to his cabin to bleed out while holding the hands of his dead son and wife. But is Hatake really dead? The guy’s immortal, and so, unless something happens like his head is cut or blown off, I wouldn’t count on it.

IS BROTHER MICHAEL A NEW AGE “ADAM”?

In my opinion, Brother Michael (Steven Weber) and what we learned about him was the best part of the episode, and this is what I really want to talk about. It’s still unclear what his agenda is but we got some damn good clues last night.

I want to apologize on behalf of my children — Michael to Dr. Sommers

What does Michael mean by “my children?” Could he have meant it figuratively like he said, or could it mean that all of the children — in fact, **everyone** on the island — are his? Is this guy narcissistic enough to fancy himself a new age “Adam” and St. Germaine is some kind of “Garden of Eden?”

There were several other hints that pointed in this direction. He called Agnes, Anne, and Amy his “3 best girls,” and as he said this, he caressed all 3 women’s cheeks and shoulders. Did anyone else get the feeling that those touches were a little more intimate than that from someone who is simply their leader? That scene totally creeped me out.

Then, he talked about all of the women on his wall, and it is here that we learn that you get your picture on the wall when you die. But why were all those pictures on his wall in the first place? Some of those pictures had to be taken decades ago, and Michael is too young to have known most of them? Or is he?

Yes, folks, you probably see what I’m getting at. If Michael did know all of those women (and quite possibly had been intimate with them all), that means he’s not aging which means, of course, he could be immortal. That would certainly explain why Ilaria may be interested in both him and the island, but beyond that, I have no clue.

Yes, everyone, another crazy-ass episode of Helix and even after giving myself a big mother of a headache thinking about all of it, I still really have no idea where all of this is going. But, I do think one big question is critical to answering everything else: Why does a disease that we see on the island in present day not manifest itself and become a pandemic until 30 years later?

I think the time jumps make us forget that we are dealing with the same disease in both instances. It is clear that this disease is very lethal, and it wouldn’t take long — probably just a matter of months — for it to spread worldwide if it were to get off the island. What event caused it to spread to an epidemic level or to make it off the island 30 years later? I think if you can answer this question, everything else will become clear.

As if all of this happening in less than 1 hour wasn’t enough, here are some other questions that will be driving us all crazy until next week’s episode:

• Sarah getting stabbed in the abdomen actually didn’t surprise me because it was in one of the earlier previews. The only question is will her baby (and Sarah for that matter!) survive?
• Who is the “Mother” that Agnes was talking about that all of the sisters must protect?
• Kyle is able to track the disease to the honey of a hive of bumblebees in the orchard. Did the toxin just occur naturally, or was it maliciously created by someone on the island?

Anyways, everyone, I would love to hear your thoughts. So much happened last night, and there are so many possibilities. This show has a fantastic team of writers and it’s unlikely we’ll be able to sort all of this out — but it will be a hell a lot of fun trying!

Helix airs on Fridays at 10/9c on Syfy.

NEXT WEEK ON “Helix” — Episode 2.05 “Oubliette”

With Julia left on the ground bleeding, I was wondering whether Caleb (Jim Thorburn) would show up and save her. It looks like that may have been a good guess because Caleb is back next week. Check out the below picture preview.

Official Synopsis from Syfy: “Michael locks Peter and Alan in a pit. Alan escapes and discovers that Kyle has a secret of his own. Agnes reveals a shocking truth to Michael, who drastically turns on her for doubting him. In the future, Caleb uncovers Walker’s deception and takes matters into his own hands.”

PHOTOS

All photos courtesy of Philippe Bosse and Syfy