Swamp Thing stares at the bridge and imagines that Abby is there. He goes into the swamp and a bear trap closes on his leg. Avery's hunters shoot him with tranq darts, and Swamp Thing rips apart the trap to free himself and runs off. The lead hunter reminds the others that Avery wants Swamp Thing alive, but they move in anyway. The Swamp Hunter picks up one of the darts that fell out of Swamp Thing. They see Swamp Thing and fire at him, and he shrugs off the bullets and charges at them. The hunters retreat to their boat and Swamp Thing controls the trees to shoot out splinters, hitting them. Only the Swamp Hunter and one of her underlings get to the boat, and they pull away as Swamp Thing arrives and glares at them.
At the hospital lab, Jason injects the serum he's prepared into a saline bag and places it on his table.
Abby and Liz visit the comatose Daniel, who is still in a coma after being hit in the head with a crowbar. There are no notes at Daniel's shop of any family or friends to call, and Abby warns Liz that Daniel's brain activity is minimal. Liz blames herself for going after Avery, and tells Abby that the men were a message from Avery not to mess with him. She doesn't have any evidence to go to Lucilia, and advises Abby to do nothing. Abby goes to find Avery and confront him.
Daniel dreams of being on the set of the Blue Devil movie filming in Marais, talking to the Stranger about whether they'll get a shot. The Stranger asks if Daniel feels satisfied with things, and Daniel says that he'd do anything to have the lead role rather than just be a stuntman. The Stranger offers to put in a good word if Daniel will do him a favor.
A doctor tells Avery that Marie is refusing any medication, and Avery tells her to do whatever it takes to make Marie's strange behavior stop. Abby walks up and tells Avery that he threatened Delroy and sent people after Liz. Avery points out that they're serious accusations, and that he'll pay Daniel's medical bills. He insists that he loves Marais, but Abby doesn't believe him. Avery assures her that he would never hurt her, but Abby doesn't believe him. She asks if he sent the men after Liz, and Avery tells her to go back to Atlanta. Abby asks again and Avery wonders if she wants to cross the line with him. There's a page for Abby, and she tells Avery to stay away from Liz. Avery says that he'll always care about Abby but he won't be so forgiving if she accuses him again.
Liz takes Abby to the room where the hunters are being treated. They rant about being attacked by a swamp monster, and Abby doesn't believe that Swamp Thing did it without a good reason.
At the police station, Matt gives Lucilia his report on Marie and asks if his mother is all right. Lucilia says that Remy's brother identified the body, and Matt assures her that whatever went down it was justified and she killed Remy in self-defense. His mother says that he did it to protect her, and Remy saw him on Avery's boat the night that Alec died. Lucilia figures that Avery found someone he could trust to eliminate Alec, and Matt asks what she's going to do about it. She says that there's no loose ends, and wonders why Avery picked Matt. Matt angrily tells her that Avery has a file on her going back thirty years showing all of the bribes and payoffs, and Lucilia says that she did it for Matt. He tells her not to put it on him, and explains that Avery made it clear what he would do if he didn't help. Matt says that whatever he's done is better than sleeping with Avery, and grabs Lucilia's hand when she slaps him. He insists that he protected her and figures that it's time to transfer out of Marais. Deputy Tyler comes in and says that the hunters got attacked. Once he leaves, Lucilia tells Matt to handle it so that he's out of her sight.
At the hospital, Liz dozes next to Daniel's bed. A nurse gives Daniel the saline bag Jason secretly tampered with and leaves.
The Stranger assures Danny that his favor is on the up-and-up, and he needs someone in Marais to make themselves available. He tells Daniel that it will be a starring role, and will involve a woman coming to Marais. The Stranger wishes Daniel luck and leaves, and the director comes over and says that they need to recast or stop filming. They've seen Daniel's rehearsal and like his style, so he's been selected as the new Blue Devil. Daniel turns to thank the Stranger and discovers that he's gone, and the director has no idea who the Stranger is.
The monitors on Daniel go off and Liz wakes up. Daniel jerks up, awake, and moans that he's burning up. His skin glows blue and becomes hot to the touch, and Jason comes in when he hears the noise. Jason sends Liz to get medical help, and Daniel shoves past Jason and leaves, smoking from the heat. Liz returns and Jason tells him that Daniel could be a danger to himself and others. The reporter says that she'll find Daniel and bring him back.
Abby goes out in the swamp and calls to Swamp Thing, saying that he had a reason for attacking the hunters. She finds him and says that he was defending himself, and promises not to give up on him. Swamp Thing tells her that he has more in common with the Green than anything else in his life, and they hear someone approaching. He tells Abby that they're coming for him and walks off.
Avery goes to Jason's house in response to the scientist's summons. Jason says that he has the results of his experiment to show, and his serum revived Daniel from his coma. He insists that his discovery could change the world, and Avery tells him to immediately write a report. As Avery goes, Jason suggests that he needs all of the information Abby has. Avery says that he'll get it from her.
Matt and Tyler go out to where the hunters were attacked and look for evidence to back their claims. He finds footprints in the mud leading away, gets a shotgun, and follows them. Matt finds the splintered trees and continues, and sees Swamp Thing moving through the shadows. Abby comes out behind Swamp Thing and Matt asks why she's there, Swamp Thing charges out, yells at Abby to run, and knocks the shotgun out of Matt's hands, and then slams him against a tree. Abby calls to him to stop, yelling "Alec", and Swamp Thing releases Matt.
Abby explains that Swamp Thing is Alec and he's alive, and he's defending himself. Matt asks if Swamp Thing remembers anything from the night he died, and Swamp Thing remembers Matt... from the bridge. Tyler calls on the radio, and Abby tells Matt that no one else can know about Swamp Thing until she cures him. Matt radios back that there's nothing there and he's heading back to their boat.
Jason is working at home when Caroline comes in. She says that she wants to go home, and Jason says that they'll leave once he gets full funding for the project. Caroline insists on going immediately, and Jason says that he's close and can't leave. He asks what the matter is, and his wife says that she overheard Jason talking to Avery earlier. Caroline says that he's using human experimentation, and tells Jason not to throw his reputation away for Avery. Jason insists that he can't leave and Caroline tells him that she doesn't want to lose the man he used to be before walking off.
Liz goes to the video store and calls to Daniel. He staggers in, complaining that he's burning up, and looks for his keys so he can drive to Jason's house. He runs out before Liz can stop him, and Liz calls 911.
Caroline is sleeping in her bed, and wakes up when she hears Daniel calling to Jason. He slams into the window, and Jason opens the door and tells Caroline to stay inside and lock the door. Jason then goes out and Daniel begs him to make the burning stop. The scientist offers to take him to the hospital, saying that extreme measures were necessary to heal him.
As Caroline comes out, Daniel starts glowing blue. Caroline calls to Jason to help Daniel, and Jason tells her to go back inside. Avery fires a warning shot into the air and Caroline goes inside. When Avery tells Daniel to settle down, Daniel begs Jason to do something. Caroline runs out and injects a sedative into Daniel, knocking him out. Jason tells Avery to postpone the investors while he finds a solution to the side effects of the process. Avery refuses, saying that they've found the holy grail of medicine and he wants Jason's report to reflect that. Police cars approach and Avery tells Jason to let him handle the authorities while Jason gets Daniel to the hospital.
Abby tells Matt that Swamp Thing says there's a darkness unlike anything they've ever seen. She apologizes for not telling Matt the truth, and he says that he'll file his report away somewhere. Matt figures Swamp Thing is why Abby stayed in Marais and kept visiting the swamps, and tells her she can still come bac k with him. Abby refuses, insisting that she has to help Swamp Thing, and leaves as Tyler arrives in the boat.
When Matt returns to the station, he goes into Lucilia's office and tells his mother that they need to talk.
Xanadu visits the unconscious Daniel at the hospital and tells him that the Stranger must have seen something in Daniel and she's seen it as well. She warns Daniel that his future and his mission remains unclear and she can't change it. Xanadu admits that she likes him and touches his brow while telling him to rest easy. Daniel's vitals steady and Xanadu leaves.
Swamp Thing goes to his old lab and remembers bringing Abby there when he was still Alec. Abby arrives and promises to find Swamp Thing answers, and Swamp Thing warns there may be no answers. He explains what the Stranger said about looking into the Green, and worries that it may take him away from who he was before... and from Abby. A flower grows in Swamp Thing's palm and emits pollen. Abby sees Swamp Thing as Alec.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 6, 2019