By DeAnn Welker
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Wait, is Terra Nova already going for the clichéd ratings booster of adding an adorable little moppet to the cast? Meet Leia Marcos. She's a matted-haired runaway orphan -- who really doesn't look all that much more undernourished or unhairbrushed than my daughter does when my wife is out of town -- from the Sixers camp who the Terra Novagonians pick up outside their camp. She's mistrustful until someone puts a plate of food in her face, but she still knows who Taylor is, and refers to him as “the bad man.” Naturally, the Shannons take her into their home, in the latest installment of Whatever Did Terra Nova Do Before the Shannons Arrived?
In supposed retaliation for what they claim is a kidnapping, the Sixers capture Lt. Washington and another Terra Nova soldier, and they attempt to bargain a trade. But Taylor says Leia isn't a prisoner and she can leave if she likes -- and she chooses to stay in Terra Nova. Well, just for a few hours, or until she's able to retrieve an odd-looking container from a hidey-hole in Mira's old house. She's caught before she can escape the camp, and convinces Jim she only did it because Mira is threatening to hurt her brother.
Jim goes out to "investigate," which really means he wanders around until he's captured by the Sixers. Mira's not giving up any information on who her informant is, but she does tell Jim that plenty of powerful people back in 2149 want Taylor gone, and if she can do that, she'll get to see her four-year-old daughter again. This revelation is not information that Jim shares with Taylor when he gets back to camp.
In other news, Mark and Maddy continue to have the boringest courtship in television history (and apparently the prudish courtship rules have been imposed by Taylor), and Maddy is already "apprenticing" with her mom in the infirmary but illness apparently makes her barf.
Daniel is a writer in Newfoundland with a wife and a daughter. He's just kidding. He brushes his daughter's hair too. Follow him on Twitter (@DanMacEachern) or email him at danieljdaniel@gmail.com.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The Shannons took a portal from 2149, with the privileged few who want to fight dinosaurs and each other. Apparently it's better just because there's more light. As usual, we open with a scene without our main characters. This time, it's a surveillance crew spotting a Sixer child running around in the forest. They call Lt. Washington and a small army in to pursue the young child. When they get the Raggedy Ann to the infirmary, though, she kicks Washington and runs and hides. The Shannons show up to save the day. Elisabeth -- apparently the only person with a maternal instinct in Terra Nova -- makes everyone leave, including Taylor. She sweet-talks the little girl, promising she won't give her a shot and she just wants to take a look at her.
The little girl, who's lost her bag, comes out of hiding, and Elisabeth checks her out with a shiny blue light. Finally, the girl warms up and confides her name is Leah Marcos. Her mom died of cancer, and slashers got her dad. But Mira told her that happens sometimes. When they bring Leah food, she wolfs it down and says that's why she ran away: She wants to find her grandma back in 2149 and eat some food. But she couldn't find the portal. When Leah meets Taylor, she greets him with, "You're the bad man." Taylor remembers her, too, and her brother, Sam. Elisabeth would like her to eat some more and get some fluids, but she's generally healthy. Leah tries to flee to the portal, but Jim stops her and tells her the portal doesn't go both ways. She thinks they're liars, and doesn't know what to do now. She can't go back to Mira, who will hurt her for running away. But she can't stay with the bad man, either. So she'll stay with the Shannons, of course! Since they're the only family to ever do anything of importance in Terra Nova. Taylor, who wants to get information about the Sixers from her, thinks this is a grand plan.
The Shannons bring Leah home, and introduce her to all their kids. They all greet her warmly (even though Josh isn't happy to be giving up his room for the couch), but she glares at them like a demon child out of a scary movie. She goes to bed, which simply entails covering herself from head to toe with a blanket while fully clothed.
day, I presume, Washington and some soldiers find Leah's bag in the woods. They find what looks to be a doll made of hair (gross!), when they're attacked by Sixers. Or perhaps zombies. With all the screaming yelling and jumping and grunting, they might as well be muttering, "Brains!" Washington makes it out almost unscathed until Mira, whose face is typically decked out, wants to know what they've done with "her." Instead of waiting for an answer, though, she bashes Washington in the face with the butt of her gun.