Spoiler Warning: Ye be warned that there are spoilers ahead for episode 1×05 of Revival
What an episode! For a moment, I genuinely thought Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano) might have bitten the bullet—literally. The heart-pounding final moments of episode 1×04, where Dana took a bullet, had me so stressed that I dove straight into the source material, Revival’s graphic novel, desperate to uncover her fate.
Thankfully, my nerves were somewhat soothed.From the opening scene, tonight’s episode hurled viewers back into the adrenaline-charged chaos of last week.
The central mystery—who shot Dana, Em, and Aaron in the woods, and why?—took center stage. A gripping flashback offered a tantalizing glimpse of the suspect, keeping us on edge. Amid the tension, we were treated to a heartwarming moment between Ibrahim (Andy McQueen) and Em (Romy Weltman) in Dana’s hospital room. Is it just me, or does Dr. Ibrahim Ramin have a serious crush on Sheriff’s Deputy Dana Cypress?
Speaking of which, our detective-in-training, Em Cypress, is hot on the trail, sniffing out clues like a seasoned bloodhound. She turns to her dad, Sheriff Wayne Cypress (David James Elliott), for some hard-earned investigative tips, all while guarding a jaw-dropping secret: the magic bullet from the shooting is still embedded in her back! Talk about luck—or sheer, stubborn grit.
What follows is easily one of my favorite moments of the episode, serving up some much-needed comic relief. Em ropes her squeamish roommate, Kay (Maia Jae Bastidas), into performing makeshift surgery to extract the bullet. If you’ve ever known someone who goes pale at the sight of blood, you’ll be cackling at Kay’s hilarious, stomach-churning struggle.
But the adventure doesn’t stop there. Em and Kay sneak into the morgue to give the bullet an authentic touch, smearing it with Aaron Weimer’s (Gianpaolo Venuta) blood—you know, just some casual science stuff. Then, they head back to the crime scene to plant the bullet, a brilliant move to clear Dana’s name and prove she didn’t fire the fatal shot.
Em, girl, you owe Kay big time—maybe a stiff drink or, better yet, a bowl of the good green stuff as a thank-you. The banter between these two roommates in tonight’s episode? Absolute gold. I was in stitches from start to finish.
Meanwhile, the episode shifts to the moral and religious dilemma surrounding the Revivers. Some view them as abominations, and enter stage right: cult leader and preacher Blaine Abel (played brilliantly by Steven Ogg).
At a Reviver support meeting, tensions boil over, adding fuel to Blaine’s righteous fire. His rhetoric is gaining traction, drawing more people to his cause. This perfectly captures a chilling psychological truth: uncertainty breeds fear, making people vulnerable to manipulation.
Speaking of moral dilemmas, the episode dives into the unsettling science experiments on the Revivers. Dr. Ibrahim Ramin firmly believes that Revivers are still human and deserve to be treated with dignity, a stance that puts him at odds with Sheriff Cypress and others.
This conviction sparks a heated clash with his fellow scientist, Dr. Carla Morel (Paige Evans), especially when Ibrahim catches her treating Reviver Myles Miller (Josh Cruddas) with outright cruelty. The tension boils over, highlighting the ethical line that Ibrahim refuses to cross. I’m with the good doctor on this one—there’s a moral boundary you simply can’t ignore, no matter the justification.
Mad scientist vibes, anyone?
As the mystery deepens and lines blur, we’re hit with the news we’ve all been waiting for! That’s right, you can’t keep a good Cypress down—Dana is awake! The collective sigh of relief when this scene unfolded was palpable. Beyond the fantastical elements, the family bonding stole the show. From Sheriff Dad’s heartfelt confession at comatose Dana’s bedside to Em and Dana’s long-overdue heart-to-heart, these moments hit all the feels.
And also caused a spike in Kleenex sales…just saying.
As is often the case, the warm and fuzzy feelings vanish fast when self-proclaimed fitness guru Lester (Peter Millard) finally—secures an audience with the Sheriff. During his wild tangent, Lester drops a bombshell: he heard two extra shots and saw the shooter, identifiable by a police-issued flashlight.
Like a shot heard ’round the world, the investigation kicks into high gear. By the episode’s end, the truth lands with a thud: the culprit is one of their own. McCray (Nathan Dales) didn’t just pull the trigger—he’s got a trunk stuffed with… body parts? Deputy Brent (Mark Little) gets the line of the night, staring into the trunk and deadpanning, “Is that a foot?”Yup, a severed foot, chilling in a sketchy Styrofoam container.
Totally normal, right?
And scene! That’s a wrap on another gripping, mind-bending episode of Revival. Just when we thought we were closing in on the town’s biggest mystery—(who killed Em?)—a literal trunk full of new questions pops up – full of even more questions.
The good news is that Dana is out of the woods and on the mend…right?
Right?
I mean if that trailer for next week’s episode – “Bloodlines”- is anything to go off of…well, let’s just say that the halfway point of this season is one that you might want to have cough drops, Kleenex, maybe a stress ball – handy for.
Catch an all new episode of Revival – Thursday night at 10:00 PM/ 9:00 PM CST only on Syfy.