Jamie Chung
Believe, Season 1, Episode 8: “Together”
Teleplay by Seamus Kevin Fahey and Sneha Koorse, Story by Seamus Kevin Fahey
Directed by Bart Freundlich
Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on NBC
The past few weeks have revealed how, despite the presence of other gifted individuals, Skouras has been intent on finding Bo. This has led to the development of machines at Orchestra that have been able to track Bo’s paranormal activities, bringing Skouras’ mercenaries closer to her every time. This week’s episode sees Channing and Winter figure out the machine and try to shield Bo’s powers from it, in a compelling episode that delves further into the bond between Bo and Tate.
The capture of Channing by Skouras is a promising development. While Skouras and Winter had a personal relationship that allows the two of them to sit in a cafe and discuss Bo, Channing and Skouras have less of a history. In addition, Channing wasn’t part of the initial escape team, but joined Winter and Bo later on, as last week’s episode showed. Both these factors are likely to cloud how Skouras treats Channing in captivity, and it will be intriguing to see how it shakes out. On one hand, if Skouras is truly intent on getting Bo back by any means necessary, this would not bode well for Channing. However, it would definitively establish Skouras as the bad guy to Tate, Agent Ferrell, and even Channing herself. This in turn would bring the groups completely on to Winter’s side. On the other hand, if Skouras feels more confident getting Bo with Channing’s cooperation, how he treats Channing is likely to affect Channing’s perception of him. As a key member of Winter’s team, Winter cannot afford to have Channing sympathise with Skouras, as that could jeopardise Bo’s safety more than any other member. It will be interesting to see how Skouras treats Channing in captivity, and what Winter and co. do to get her out, as well as how her time in Orchestra affects her place within the team.
Kyle Maclachlan, Kerry Condon
Watching Tate and Bo’s relationship change after the revelation to both of their biological connection to each other is also a fascinating aspect of this week’s episode. While Tate has been aware of his parentage for a while, this is the first episode in which he deals with a fully healthy Bo for an extended period of time since learning she’s his daughter. Likewise, it’s the first time Bo has dealt with Tate in the context of being a father, and it has a noticeable impact on how the two relate to each other. It will be worth watching how their relationship develops as Tate understands the importance of Bo’s abilities. While it’s clear he wants Bo to have an uneventful childhood, Channing’s capture does serve to show him that the possibility of a life like other children is out of reach for Bo, unless they follow Winter’s ideas. At the same time, it’s clear that Tate’s concern for Bo’s well-being is driving his actions, without the added fear of Skouras and Orchestra that drives Winter. How Tate reconciles these two aspects will be worth keeping an eye on as the threat of Orchestra makes itself more plain to Tate. With Tate already having seen the effects of Bo excessively using her powers, the only thing left for him to see is what happens when Bo doesn’t use her powers, or isn’t strong enough to use them effectively.
Overall, while somewhat of a step down from last week’s episode, this is nonetheless an exciting outing. It’s good to see the writers acknowledge that Tate’s escape from the boat before the explosion wasn’t noticed by many, leading to his relaxed attitude over the past few episodes. When Tate discovers he’s a wanted man once again, it will be interesting to see how he reconciles his desire to run and get safe with his desire to keep Bo out of harm’s way, which is best done by sticking with Winter. Zoe continues to be a compelling wild card to the proceedings. With her now helping Winter and co. on multiple occasions, Zoe is likely to be more careful around Skouras, and may even prove to be a valuable ally on the inside for Winter. At the same time, Zoe’s intentions to leak the details of Orchestra to the public are set to put her at odds with both Skouras and Winter, and it’s possible that she will want to lay low so that there’s fewer eyes on her when she gets another chance to do so. This would mean Zoe wouldn’t be helpful to Winter any more, and whether she thinks exposing Orchestra or helping Bo is more important, and how she arrives at that decision, will be worth keeping an eye on as the season continues.
– Deepayan Sengupta