Episode Title: “Dreamcatcher”
Writers: Ben Edlund and Paul Grellong
Director: Roxann Dawson
Previously on “Revolution:”
Episode 2.14 “Fear and Loathing”
The nanotech are dying and they won’t take “no” for answer from Aaron (Zak Orth), the only person on Earth capable of keeping the “reject Skynet piece of crap” alive. In exchange for fixing the code, the nanotech, manifested as Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian), promises Aaron he can stay in the alternate universe dream world where the lights are on, there’s cold beer, hot food and internet porn.
It’s a tempting offer, but when “belly shirt girl” aka Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) shows up at his office with a crossbow and a reality check, Aaron realizes it’s all just a dream, constructed by the nanotech. Unfortunately, Charlie isn’t long for this world as she’s killed by Dr. Horn (Zeljko Ivanek) and his men, another manifestation of the nanotech.
Aaron manages to escape and takes a taxi to Chicago where he finds Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell), who he saw earlier on TV talking about using the power outages as a weapon, in a parking garage. She’s just a little freaked out by his ranting and raving and ends up using a stun gun on Aaron. But this is his dream and so just when he needs it, Aaron finds a gun in his hand, which he uses to force Rachel to take him to Miles.
Unfortunately, 2014 non-blackout Miles (Billy Burke) is more “shady” drunk than swashbuckling hero and on top of that, he also thinks “Beardy McGee” is off his rocker. Monroe (David Lyons) shows up moments later, but he also doesn’t remember Aaron or the army he led decked out in “on the nose Civil War uniforms” though the idea is appealing to him. But when Horn and his men arrive, Miles, Monroe and Rachel suddenly find themselves armed with a sword, a machete and a whiskey bottle as well as their memories of Aaron “Stay Puft” Pittman.
After defeating Horn’s men, the foursome decides the best thing Aaron can do to wake up from his dream is jump off his own office building. Just as he’s about to take the fall, nanotech Priscilla appears with one last minute plea to fix the code, have children together and enjoy microwavable food. Aaron wants nothing more than to have kids and eat Hot Pockets, but he knows it’s not the answer.
After the jump, Aaron wakes up in a chair in an office with Horn holding a scalpel near his face. He remembers what Rachel told him about concentrating on controlling the dream and is able to free himself from the restraints and disarm Horn. He wakes up yet again, this time next to Priscilla in Peter’s compound in Lubbock. The two walk to Willoughby where they’re reunited with Rachel and Miles who show them what the Patriots are up to. The power is flickering on and off and the Patriots are loading up on weapons and flat screens in hopes it will stay on.
Lightning starts crashing, hitting several Patriots and the foursome takes shelter in an electronics shop where Aaron explains that the lightning is the nanotech’s “death throes.” Just then Rachel is struck by a bolt and Miles tells Aaron to do something. He finds the nearest laptop and fixes the code to appease the nanotech and save Rachel’s life. Horn appears again and thanks him. With Rachel, Priscilla and Miles gone, Aaron realizes he’s been tricked into saving the nanotech. Aaron wakes up for the second time at the compound and finds Preacher Pete (Daniel Henney) happy about the miracle he performed.
“Dreamcatcher” teaches us a couple of important things about the nanotech. Like for example, it’s everywhere, even in Aaron’s mind. It’s also got a personality, takes offense to comparisons to Skynet and like its human counterparts, it has a very strong survival instinct.
That’s good to know but we still don’t know what the nanotech’s end game is and how Aaron and his friends fit into it – or don’t. After fixing the code, Horn tells Aaron he’ll leave him alone now. With the nanotech thriving once again, do they have further plans for the Revolutionaries? “Dreamcatcher” is one of the more creative episodes of the season. but will it have an impact on the big picture or is it just a clever distraction from a stagnant storyline?
