The truck bombing that injured Ben and Amy has left citizens and our key players of Wayward Pines in a wave of frenzy and paranoia, with each character reacting differently to what’s happened. One thing has been made perfectly clear: the end is nearing and the fallout is not likely to be a pretty one. A war has been raged and with the presence of the aberrations beyond the walls of Wayward Pines, something’s got to give; and with the way this episode, titled “The Friendliest Place On Earth,” ends, next week’s episode is bound to be a doozy and one of this season’s best episodes. Here are all the notable events that took place in “The Friendliest Place On Earth.”

First off, Ben and Amy survived to the surprise of no one but logic because seriously…these two shouldn’t have survived that blast with all their limbs intact. Ben may have survived the bomb, but he may not survive Mrs. Fisher’s manipulations. Mrs. Fisher seems keen on turning Ben against his parents and plants the seed of doubt in Ben’s mind by telling him his father allowed the bombing to take place because he released Harold from his custody. Ben is further displeased when he learns Harold is Kate’s husband thus making Ben think Ethan released Harold for Kate’s sake. Oh Ben, your mind is so easy to control. If Mrs. Fisher is to meet her end, I hope it’s at the hands of either Ben or Theresa; she’s seriously fraying on my last nerves. Ben lets out his anger and frustration to Ethan and Theresa. Ethan lets Ben vent and assures him the incident has nothing to do with Kate. While Ethan tries to reassure Ben, Theresa shifts her focus on Mrs. Fisher and warns the creepy teacher to stay far away from her son. Fisher is not likely to listen and will continue her mind games until someone puts an end to her. That pretty much concluded Ben and Theresa’s portion for the duration of this episode.

Now let’s shift over to the three pivotal characters of Wayward Pines: Pilcher, Kate and Ethan. Everyone wants something different for Wayward Pines. Pilcher wants to maintain peace in Wayward Pines via ignorance, but that method is no longer being held together making me pity the man who’s trying so desperately to keep the town’s citizens from learning the world’s horrible truth. Pilcher wants to write the blast off as a minor gas leak and then demands to have a celebration as a way for citizens of Wayward Pines to count their blessings and show their appreciation for the town. While Pilcher tries to maintain some semblance of piece, he finds himself eying everyone with suspicion as he tries to figure out who’s leading the resistance. Seriously, it’s not that hard to figure out. One look Kate’s way would prove she’s been behind it all.

Pilcher is convinced his facility is harboring the mole for the resistance and insists that Pam conduct thorough interviews of the workers. It would be a twist to see Pam turn against her own brother; there’s something about her I just don’t trust. Pam finds nothing suspicious about the workers, but that doesn’t seem to be enough for Pilcher who needs a scapegoat thus Pilcher goes through with reckoning Reggie, an innocent and kind surveillance worker at Pilcher’s facility. Pilcher is clearly losing his cool and seems to continue his spiral downward once he learns Kate is in-charge of the anti-Wayward Pines resistance group.

We’re served to flashbacks of Kate’s early life in Wayward Pines where she started off asylum-bound after having discovered a microchip in her leg and the wall blocking her from the outside world. These flashbacks serve as a vital sympathy tool as the audience learns what exactly Kate went through and what her current state of mind is. During her stint at the asylum, Kate often vented to Pilcher (known to her as Dr. Jenkins) about her sanity and if the chip and wall actually existed. Kate is released from the asylum after she feigns recovery and convinces Pilcher she’s ready to start her life anew in the lovely town of Wayward Pines; bet that’s a decision Pilcher is heavily regretting. Pilcher and Ethan both separately pay Kate a visit and she hasn’t wavered on her stance: she still dreams of freedom and she requires a whole lot of firepower and ammunition to make her dream come true.

Last but not least is Ethan’s character arc in  this episode, which made him the sanest individual of the bunch. Ethan recalls the bombing event that led to the affair between him and Kate, directly paralleling the bombing that just occurred and the overwhelming guilt he feels for allowing it to happen. Ethan comes clean to Theresa about everything and, instead of shattering their bond, it further strengthened it and led to an emotional and touching scene between the two; now there are no secrets between Ethan and Theresa. Ethan focuses a majority of his energy this episode trying to apprehend Harold, which he does end up doing after Harold and one other resistance member attempt to flee. Ethan handcuffs Harold to a tree and leaves as Harold insists Ethan is too late to stop anything.

Harold may be right about that, as a resistance member crashes through the very gates that have cut off Wayward Pines from the rest of the world. Breaking the gates will only bring devastation and destruction as a slew of aberrations descend through the gate, which is now wide open, and Harold is still trapped in the forest.

Is Harold as good as dead? What will become of Wayward Pines now that the deadly aberrations have been let inside? Who will survive and who will perish? So many questions that can only be answered in episode 9 and 10 titled “A Reckoning” and “Cycle.”

What are your thoughts on “The Friendliest Place On Earth” and your predictions for the remaining two episodes of season 1? Let us know in the comments down below!