Swamp Thing kneels besides the body of Alec Holland, and Abby assures him that he's still Alec Holland. She insists that everything that made Alec Alec--his mind, his consciousness--is still alive in Swamp Thing. Abby points out that Swamp Thing saved her and Susie, and she assures him that she wants to make him human. Abby says that when she looks into Swamp Thing's eyes, she sees the presence of the man she once knew. Swamp Thing senses men in the swamp like the ones who came before, and they want revenge for what he did to the last hunters. Abby asks for a chance to fix things, and Swamp Thing says that this time he won't let them hurt him. He commands vines to drag Alec's body into the water and then slips away.
At home, Jason tapes Caroline to a tree and says that he should have known better to depend on corporate men. He tells his wife that they will not be disturbed there and turns her to the dinner table.
Later at Delroy's, Abby tells Liz that she found Swamp thing at Skeeter Cove and he found Alec's body in the water but it wasn't his. She worries that she's lost Swamp Thing like everyone, and Liz assures her that she did everything she could. Abby figures that it wasn't enough and insists that she has to protect Swamp Thing. Liz figures that someone is backing Avery, and Abby says that the men in Atlanta were involved. The reporter says that Maria is locked up at the Barclay Institute, and Abby figures that Avery is involved. She insists on going to see Maria and forcing her to tell her who the men are.
As Liz looks at a tablet copy of a Blue Devil comic book, Delroy comes over and she quickly excuses herself, saying that she has to see a friend.
Jason tells the paralyzed Caroline that she's lost muscle control because of the OD. He says that he let her down because he wasn't there when she needed him, and promises that he's going to fix things with the organs that he took from Swamp Thing. Jason figures that the regenerative properties of the organs will bring Caroline back to him. He takes out the heart and starts cutting.
Nathan meets with his team of hunters and tells the head hunter, Shaw, that Swamp Thing's trail lead deep into the swamp. Shaw asks what the rules of engagement are, and Nathan tells him to kill it and they'll harvest what they need from his corpse. Avery arrives and advises Nathan to take it easy because if they kill Swamp Thing, his project goes down the drain. Nathan grabs him and says that the last time they followed his instincts, his men took multiple casualties. He says that Avery went out on the water with Lucilia and came back in bad condition, and Avery tells Nathan that he's not cutting him out. Nathan tells Avery to get his house in order and then they'll talk.
Lucilia goes to the hospital and meets with Dr. Fortier, who is tending to Matt after his car accident. Fortier says that Matt will be all right and she wants to keep him overnight. Once he's brought down Radiology, Lucilia can see her son. Fortier tells Lucilia that Matt was drunk even though there's no legal proof.
Liz goes to Daniel's video store and calls to him. She finds a script for the Blue Devil movie on the counter and hears Daniel upstairs. Liz goes up and finds Daniel packing, and he says that he keeps hearing the Blue Devil's voice in his head. It's been showing him images and Daniel wonders if he's going crazy. Liz says that she and Abby wouldn't be alive without him, and Daniel tells Liz that there's a reason that Abby came back to Marais and he had to stay around. As he goes, Daniel tells Liz that it feels like he has a bigger destiny and he has to hit the road to find his path. He asks Liz to look out for the shop for him and goes.
Daniel drives down the road to the town border and speeds past it without bursting into flame like he did before.
At the Barclay Institute, Maria throws away her pills and insists that Avery should be the one there. She hears voices in her head and imagines blood-covered hands coming out of the wall and grabbing her. Xanadu appears and tells Maria to open her eyes, and Maria realizes that she imagined everything. The blind woman says that Maria tried to see Shawna, and that left her open to demons that corrupted her. Xanadu says that she can offer her peace, but it's a peace from which Maria may never return.
Nathan and his hunters head into the swamp. They land and move in, and find fresh footprints, and Shaw says that they'll have one hunter flush Swamp Thing out and then the others will surround and kill him. One Hunter, Romero, checks in and says that he'll drive Swamp Thing Shaw's way.
Romero hears noises in the brush and tries to find the source. He warns Shaw over the radio that their prey is close, and opens fire into the foliage. Romero stops to reload, and Swamp Thing rises up and attacks Romero, who screams.
Abby enters Maria's cell and finds Xanadu with the woman. Maria stares off into space and says that Shawna has come back to her, and Xanadu tells Abby that Avery is the one who can help her now. The two of them leave, and Maria imagines Shawna sitting next to her on the bed. "Shawna" promises that she'll stay with Maria forever and they hug.
That night, Avery goes to Delroy's and drinks, and Delroy glares at him. After he finishes drink, Avery loudly says that he'll land on his feet and that the local know he'll always be there for them. All he has to do is regroup. Delroy advises him to go home, and Avery reminds him that he owns the place. Avery jumps when a woman opens the door and comes in, and Delroy notices. Avery asks if Delroy has seen Lucilia, and Delroy tells him that she's at the hospital because Matt was in an accident. The other man thanks Delroy for the drink and leaves.
Jason cooks the organs together and talks to Caroline about their first date and how he made dinner for her then. He prepares to feed her, and takes a bite to test it. After a moment Jason gags and collapses to floor, convulsing.
Shaw and his men try to find Romero, and locate his discarded machete and scarf. Romero is crucified in a nest of vines, and Nathan figures that they should leave. He discovers that the path behind them has closed up, and figures Swamp Thing used Romero as bait to lure them in. Shaw realizes that Swamp Thing is hunting them, not the other way around. Vines grow up around them and the hunters hack at them.
Jason pulls himself up from the floor and says that he can feel the regenerative properties. He touches the wooden table and a crack spreads through it.
Abby arrives at the Woodrues' home and finds the door open, and goes inside calling to Avery.
Jason tells Caroline that he feels like he's a part of nature, and turns to see Abby in the doorway. She sees the empty pill bottles and Jason tells Abby that what happened is none of her business. Jason tells her that he's going to treat Caroline and he needs Abby to go, and grabs her. He shoves Abby in a chair and says that he won't let anyone stop him from helping Caroline.
At the hospital, Lucilia looks at the unconscious Matt. She apologizes to her son, and Avery comes in and tells her that Matt is a fighter. Lucilia draws her gun and confronts Avery, who says that he comes in peace. She tells him to get out and he leaves. Lucilia follows him and asks what angle he's working, and Avery says that it's a father's job to forgive. He says that there's a silver lining to what happened: the prognosis for Maria isn't good and soon they'll be divorced. Avery suggests that they can finally be together and the three of them can make a fresh start. Lucilia tells him that he turned Avery into a murderer, and Avery will rot in Hell for that and she'll be the one to send him away. She orders Avery to stay away from her and Matt.
Jason cooks more of Swamp Thing's organs, and Abby asks what he's doing. The biologist says that the plants that he's harvested only appear in the swamps of Marais, and Abby realizes that the plants are from Swamp Thing. She insists that Alec is still alive inside of Swamp Thing, and Jason tells her that there is no Alec anymore. Jason tells her that it's a miracle, not insanity, and prepares to feed the plants to Carolina. Abby runs over to stop him, and as Jason slams her into the wall, Deputy Tyler arrives and tasers Jason unconscious. He tells Abby that they traced her 911 call, Jason begs them not to take Caroline.
The hunters continue hacking at the vines, and Shaw calls to Swamp Thing to show himself now that he's trapped them. The vines withdraw and Shaw fires into the darkness. A vine shoots out and rips Shaw's jaw off, and Nathan and the hunters fire at where the vine came from. As they reload, Swamp Thing runs out and slams them through the air, letting the vines and branches impale them. Nathan backs away from Swamp Thing in horror as the surviving hunters run.
An ambulance takes Caroline away, and Liz arrives and asks Abby what happened. Abby says that Jason lost his mind, and the deputies bring Jason out. Jason asks where his wife is and begs Abby not to let them take him away, and he yells to Caroline that he'll find her as the police drive him to the station.
At the hospital, Matt wakes up and finds Lucilia sitting next to him. He says that he was dreaming of when he was a kid at the old house, and realizes that Avery survived. Matt admits that he'd rather have Avery alive than live with the guilt of killing another man, and Lucilia says that she kept the secret from Matt because she was ashamed. Lucilia assures Matt that her love for him isn't a lie and they'll see things through to the other side. Her son tells her that she should go home, and Lucilia hesitantly leaves. She tells the officer on guard, Janssen, to make sure that Matt doesn't have any visitors.
Lucilia leaves the hospital and goes to her car, and reaches for her gun as a woman gets into a nearby car. Satisfied that the woman means no harm, Lucilia gets into her car. Avery is in the back seat and stabs her through the seat. He tells her that one of them has to die and takes Lucilia's gun as she tries to draw it. Lucilia passes out, hitting the car horn, and Avert takes her hand.
Later, Avery takes Lucilia out to the swamp in the trunk of her car. Lucilia wakes up and realizes where she is as the car sinks into the water. The sheriff yells for help and Avery calmly watches from shore as the car sinks out of sight. He goes to his car and starts gagging, and spits out a bit of plant matter that moves in his hand.
Nathan runs through the swamp, and Swamp Thing easily catches up to him. The Conclave man says that he can help Swamp Thing and his regenerative abilities can help people, and Swamp Thing slams him into a tree and says that people ripped out his heart. Nathan calls Swamp Thing "Alec", and Swamp Thing says that he's not Alec. He wonders why he would help Nathan, and tells Nathan to tell the Conclave to leave him alone. Nathan runs off, screaming, and Swamp Thing howls in fury and anguish.
Alec appears to Swamp Thing and asks if he feels better. Swamp Thing says that Alec is dead, and Alec says that a part of him keeps going on. The creature says that maybe he should stay away from people in the Green, and Alec says that everyone sees Swamp Thing as a monster except Abby. If Swamp Thing leaves Abby then they lose the only human contact they have. He says that there are no guarantees if Swamp Thing stays, but there never were. Alec tells Swamp Thing that Alec is gone and the question is, who does Swamp Thing want to be.
Abby takes a boat out to Alec's former lab and looks around. Swamp Thing asks why she came back, and Abby says that she had to know that he was all right. He tells her that Alec is gone, and Abby says that she's not there to bring Alec back. She admits that she cares about Swamp Thing the way he is now. Swamp Thing warns that he now exists in worlds, and Abby says that she's seen the beauty and touched the Green. She wants to feel and see more, and Swamp Thing tells her that he was going to leave forever and lose himself in the swamp. The thought of never seeing Abby again stopped him, and he says that there's something out in the darkness fighting to come up. Abby assures Swamp Thing that she's not going anywhere and they'll face it together, and Swamp Thing admits that he would like that very much.
Matt goes to the station to get his things and discovers that no one is there. The furniture is overturned and there are plants on the ground and ceiling. The plants lead to the cells, and Matt discovers that they've ripped a cell door open. Tyler is dead, plant spikes driven through him, and Matt hears something moving in the darkness. He picks up Tyler's gun and asks if anyone is there. There's a growl, and in the beam of his flashlight, Matt sees a plant humanoid. The creature turns and faces Matt, and the transformed Jason wonders why Alec wanted to be human again when the alternative is infinitely more intriguing. Matt wonders who he is, and Jason says that he was Jason Woodrue and lunges at Matt. Screams and gunshots ring out in the darkness.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 3, 2019