Mark moves quickly to clean up a mess, and Zeke gets roped in to help. Claire is hit with a major setback at the lab and Matthew proposes a solution. Naomi makes a devastating discovery that confirms her worst fears.
This narrative hasn't been playing out in a linear way. It's revealed that all the scenes with Claire, Peter and Matthew occurred several months before Mark and Eleanor returned to the city. The new drugs on the streets are actually the painkiller Claire developed. She wanted to ease her brother's pain and suffering so he could undergo a procedure. It all worked out for him. His recovery has been a success with only a few scars. Plus, the thematic connections between Mark and Claire provided the narrative with just enough to make it seem like the stories were building in the same way. Of course, it all lines up with Frank's declaration that a mysterious woman was the one leading the drug operation. Claire refused to behave just like her father. She couldn't separate the various parts of her life. She had to be aware of every single aspect. She couldn't be in the dark about anything. She questions why Matthew's crew would be so loyal to her. That trust is just inherently offered. It comes with no questions asked. It's built on the bonds Matthew made during his time in the service. They move as a unit. They look out for each other. Everything is disrupted though. Roland was sent to investigate. Mark and Zeke surprisingly outmaneuver him. At first, it comes across as a massive stalling technique. The narrative could only escalate the situation to a certain point. It still thrives on Mark largely being in the dark. He doesn't know if a cure is actually on the horizon for Eleanor. He wants to believe that's possible. And yet, the horrors in this city only get more profound. Zeke is now a killer as well. He was willing to help his friend move a body. Mark knows exactly what to do with Roland. He has a decade of practice. That has become his grim experience. Zeke doesn't know how to handle it. He snaps at Eleanor simply because she questions why she has to drink the blood provided to her now. She has been protected because she hasn't had to kill. That was Isaiah's first question upon learning she is a vampire. He needs to know if he has befriended a killer. Mark hasn't made her make that choice. She has a taste for blood. She will consume it whenever it's available. The way it's delivered has been out of her control. She has to comply with whatever her father demands of her. It may all be futile. Zeke fears that. Eleanor has to confront it too. They have no reason to believe Mark. He saw Claire's operation. He knew something was going on in the abandoned warehouse. When Eleanor investigates, she finds nothing. All Mark can do is repeat how it makes no sense. People still love him enough to support him despite this setback. They appreciate all that he has done for them. He's had to compromise his morals for years. Eleanor didn't even know he still prayed to God every day. And now, those conversations are happening in the open. They must.
Eleanor doesn't have an opportunity to tell Mark about sharing the truth with Isaiah. She confides in Zeke. He may be the more reassuring voice in that moment. At that point, Eleanor doesn't know how Isaiah is reacting. He could tell his mother. He struggles with the secret. He reaches out to his dad for guidance. Frank can't answer though. Eleanor doesn't even know the impact she's had on her friend's life. She wants to support him no matter what. However, Frank is dead. Mark killed him to feed his daughter. That secret will likely come out at some point. Naomi is only now investigating what happened to her ex-husband. She feared he once again abandoned his family after getting their son's hopes up. She wants answers in order to provide some clarity to Isaiah. He is desperately clinging onto the hope that this connection still exists. Naomi doesn't know what happened. She finds the building where Frank was killed. She has confirmation of his presence. She even finds a clue that will point directly back at Mark's guilt. She just doesn't know it yet. That part of the plot is also escalating. However, it's much more meaningful to be in the moment with Isaiah and Eleanor. When he finally responds to her, it's out of grief for losing his father. He doesn't know that Frank is dead. That's just assumed. It's correct. Eleanor comforts Isaiah. That's exactly what he needs. They grow closer. That's the power of friendship. It's more than simply liking each other. Eleanor has protected Isaiah. He is starting to realize that. She has used her strength to help him. He was in the dark previously. Unfortunately, that's still true with a lot of crucial details. Eleanor can only help ease his pain to a certain extent. She doesn't have any miraculous hope to give. She can only be there for him. She offers the same compassion to her father. He needs it just as desperately. He stages the crime scene of Roland's death as well as he can. Matthew believes the fake story. He's more worried about the drugs found on his friend's body. That would be even more damaging if they wound up in police custody. Naomi knows something new is on the streets. It's provoking an extreme reaction from the people addicted to the painkillers. Claire is ruining lives differently than her father. She isn't ignorant to that fact. She's doing it all for the same reason. The family has to save Peter no matter what it takes. The cure for vampirism may still be elusive. Right now, their actions have become financially motivated. That doesn't provide clarity to anyone. Mark has to believe in hope. He needs to believe God is listening to his prayers. He doesn't want his daughter to suffer any longer. Everyone simply must maintain the status quo for the time being. Nothing occurs to dramatically shake up their lives. Instead, they are left reeling as to what that realization means for the connections they hold onto for peace, understanding and comfort.
