The Lodge
The seventh episode of Black Summer Season 2 begins with our trio of survivors making it to the ski lodge. There’s some serious Shining vibes going on here, but Rose, Anna and Boone are certainly thankful for the amenities. There are hot showers, propane-powered lights and plenty of food. But are they alone? ..
Rose allows herself to get into the vibe and enjoy the small wins. Anna, on the other hand, is wound up tighter than a spring and has been through quite an ordeal. She’s not ready to enjoy life just yet and continues to exhibit concerns over their new lodge. ..
As the day turns into night, Anna begins to worry about what’s going to happen next. She’s heard banging noises coming from a door, and she’s not sure if it’s just a prelude for something more sinister.
Rose rushes to Spears’ side, finding that he has been hurt. She tries to help him up, but finds that he is too weak. She looks around the lobby for Anna, but she is nowhere to be found. Rose begins to worry about her friend.
As the group sit and reconvene over dinner, Boone is adamant that there’s no one else inside this lodge. Anna however, is not so sure. Spears doesn’t care though, and he’s just happy to have a roof over his head. He’s also decided against going for the airstrip too.
Anna and Rose are arguing about whether or not they should continue on their journey. Anna insists that they should go somewhere else, but Rose is adamant that they should stay put. Where else is there to go? ..
Spears is almost out of time, and his infected wound isn’t getting any better. With Anna unwilling to listen, she heads away from the dinner table and toward one of the rooms where zombies can be heard growling from the other side. ..
There are some unresolved tensions between the group. Especially given Rose abandoned Spears and took off in the past. With Spears dumped in a ditch, he recalls the moments where he was “nearly dead” and how he’s carrying on now.
In a cold-blooded act, Anna kills Spears off-screen, telling Rose that they’re leaving as the trio head out to the airstrip. As we cut back and see, it was actually Spears who asked her to kill him as an act of mercy.
The Episode Review
The novel opens with a tense and moody scene, one that leans into the eeriness of this abandoned ski lodge nicely. It also reminds us that no one is safe in this world, and that constant threat that anyone could die at any moment is partly why Black Summer works as well as it does.
The show still has its contrivances and a few annoying characters acting illogically, but to be honest, humanity is pretty stupid in general. There’s a reason Hed Kandi CDs have warning labels advising not to eat them.
Anna is the focus of this slower chapter, as the mental ordeal she’s been forced to deal with all this time comes to a head. Now it seems like everyone is heading for the airstrip, where our final episode looks set to explode into action. ..
