‘The Purge’ Recap: ‘Happy Holidays’

Last week’s episode “House of Mirrors” revealed there are 134 days until the next annual purge.  In “Happy Holidays” we immediately learn there are now 117 days until the next annual purge. We finally see The Bobby Sheridan Show we have heard so much about the past two seasons. The show consists of Bobby Sheridan (Dermot Mulroney), Sidney Rivera (Hannah Alline), and Lena Dash (Amye Gousset). The show is set to evoke hatred whether or not one is pro-purge or anti-purge.

For instance, Bobby insists that the truth is you are nobody in America unless somebody wants to purge you. The show goes over the fact that three deaths have occurred and there’s a cover-up going on. Lena and Bobby think there needs to be a bi-annual purge. The more purging the better.  However, Sidney does not approve. This is when Lena makes a threat toward Sidney’s life on air, which she does not take lightly.

Viewers then learn there is an urge to purge meter which lets others know the number of people who want to purge you.  In other words, a way to let you know how much security and protection one needs to purchase for oneself.

Run Esme, Run

Esme is still attempting to discover what happened to Olivia Hughes. She is also disgusing herself as she scopes out the areas near Olivia’s home. After all, there are cameras everywhere. She calls Darren thinking that she has a lead because some dashcams could have seen her or what happened. After she calls Darren he insists that they shouldn’t talk about this over the phone and that they need to meet in person. Immediately hanging up with him, she leaves the scene.

Upon meeting up with Darren, he seems deeply disturbed. He reveals that there is a microphone in his jacket. They have set her up and included Darren in on their plans. He apologizes to her as he gives her money and explains that she is going to get out of town. Her boss follows her and another agent is on it. He explains that this is hard for him, but she has been making moves against the NFFA for some time. She is in more danger now than ever.

The NFFA now has access to cell phone cameras in an attempt to catch her. However, Esme has a map of cameras around the city. She knows all of the blind spots and has made sure to keep maps of those spots at all time. Vivian attempts to keep Esme safe. I’m unsure why she is helping her, but hopefully, a reason will prevail sooner than later. Unfortunately, she cannot keep her safe enough as the potential cell phone match pops up on the screen. The NFFA dispatches members to find her, but she manages to stay hidden a little while longer as her story is now beginning to blur with Ryan’s as she makes her way to his hideout.

Ryan Creates A New Game Plan

Basic plans equal safe. Their former captain mentions she has ideas to improve Ryan’s plan. Her idea is that they are the private security surrounding the plane that evening. Instead of splitting it four ways they will now have to split it eight ways. The biggest problem is Ryan and his crew does no trust her. She doesn’t blame them, but she also was not the one who was caught in a home invasion. If they do not agree to do things her way she will turn them in and they will go to jail. Needless to say, they choose her way. They do not have many other options.

While back at his hideout, Esme knocks on Ryan’s door. She insists that it’s a routine sweep as the agents show up on Ryan’s door. Knowing that she is lying she admits that she needs his help. Insisting that she will lie to them and that he was in on it the whole time, Ryan is a bit confused about how she is a good person again. Although he doesn’t have to, he hides Esme and gives them a fake ID as they search his place. Letting her out, he handcuffs her and insists that she needs to tell him the truth.

Esme admits to him that she is going after the NFFA. She didn’t know what else to do when she threatened him. It was not her plan A. She thinks that Ryan is a good person and that he cares about people and wants to do right by people. He has a lot of habits. In exchange for protecting her, he asks for assistance as well. While there the NFFA issued an alert that they should be on the lookout for Esme making her public enemy number one. Ryan brings Sara and Doug to his hang out to introduce them to Esme. The newest member of their team.

Marcus Gains & Loses Control

In many ways, I feel that Marcus and Michelle’s marriage is over. He cannot get past the fact that she cheated on him. That trust is broken and currently cannot be repaired. To make matters worse, Marcus used Michelle’s phone to text Sam to invite him over. Michelle is shocked that he has gone to such lengths to talk to him. As she goes to get the door, Marcus gets the gun out of their safe. Sam and his wife come over and I now cannot help but think that Michelle was the third player in Sam’s game with his wife April.

Upon sitting down in the living room with the couple, we learn that April knows everything that went on with Sam and Michelle. Marcus asks Sam if he is sure he has told his wife everything. He shows her the bounty on his head as Sam swears he is not the one who placed the ad out. Marcus brings out the gun and tells them that they aren’t going anywhere until he finds out the truth. Michelle goes to get the duct tape. He tells her that she doesn’t have to stay for this because he doesn’t want her to get in trouble. Michelle takes responsibility for everything though being her fault.

She knows they back off interrogating Sam that Marcus is dead next purge. Taking off the duct tape on Sam’s mouth, Marcus is determined to get to the bottom of this. Sam reveals that Michelle is the one who wanted to purge Marcus not him. Michelle made an off-colored comment that instead of complaining about Marcus being her husband that Sam should do something about it. She laughed off the idea of him purging Marcus because it seemed so ludicrous. However, Sam insists that Tonya is lying too so I cannot help but wonder if Michelle and Tonya are in on the purge together.

Marcus asks Sam to take down the bounty. He does explain that if he does not or he tells anyone about that night he is coming after his whole family. After all, it’s Marcus’s right to purge too. Sam only takes down $10,00 of the listing, but cannot take down the whole listing because he was not the only one who put in money to it. Many others compile the listing. Marcus thinks that all of the neighbors went in on it together at that point.

Kellan Learns Ben’s Secret

Two detectives are attempting to get Ben to confess to Andy’s murder. While his story has not changed, they know that he is hiding something. The sooner he gets it off his chest the better for him, the better for them. He sales them a story where he smoked some weed and it is a level Y offense and could be expelled for it. The one detective agrees to let slide this time as Ben leaves. He insists to them that they hope that catch the guy who committed the murders.

As he leaves, there is news about The Campus Killer. Two murders on the same campus and not on purge night. Turner tells him that if he needs anything to let him know. They talk about everything going on for a moment or two before Ben tells him that he has to go with Kellan upstate somewhere. However, to get everything off campus that identifies him as the killer, he cuts a hole in his suitcase to hide all the evidence. Kellan is happy that she is with Ben because he will keep her safe.

Ben goes back home for the holidays with Kellan when we are introduced to Ben’s brother, Logan (Joshua Mikel). During dinner, Logan shifts the conversation to the campus killer. He also starts bad-mouthing the campus killer. Poor Logan might not make it through his stay this holiday season. Then again that would link Ben to everything else which would not be even remotely wise. Logan also brings up all these truly embarrassing memories of him as he admits he’d love to see what the campus killer would do his brother.

He loses what little composure that he has left. As Kellan is sleeping that night, Ben gets out of bed and goes to his suitcase. Gathering the evidence, he sneaks out of the room. Heading outside, he digs a hole so he can burn everything on his mother’s property. Holding onto the mask for a moment, he does not seem like he can let it go. His mother is up as it begins to storm outside. As he comes back inside his mother is in the kitchen making tea. He apologies to her for losing his temper at the table. She essentially warns him not to let things bottle up inside because it leads to purging, but not in those exact words.

Kellan wakes up as she realizes that Ben has gone into the bathroom, but not before putting something into his suitcase. Instead of burning everything, Ben kept the mask. Terrified of the secret she has learned, she puts the mask back in the suitcase and jumps back in bed, pretending to have been asleep this entire time.

What did you think of this week’s purge? Will Esme be able to put into motion steps to start taking down the NFFA? Can Ryan and his crew remain one step ahead of their old captain? Is there some truth to Sam’s confession that Michelle might have a part in the bounty on Marcus? Which other neighbors are involved? What will Kellan do now that she knows the truth about Ben?  Will Ben inevitably kill her? Let us know your thoughts are below about tonight’s episode.

Besides…

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