by Donna Cohrs and Erin Conrad
This week’s episode was edge of your seat kind of exciting! Shows like this often take a couple of episodes to set up, and sometimes those explanatory episodes are a little dull – not this one! The good guys and the bad guys seem to be pretty well defined – until the very end of the episode. A harrowing (and hungry) sea voyage makes a man – and a dangerous one – out of a young Avram. But why are he and little Red on that junk barge?
At the start of the episode, we find that Detective Cohen (Ori Pfeiffer) seems very suspicious of Peter (Jason Isaacs). He suspects that Peter is somehow involved in the murder of our young American, Emma. It also doesn’t look so good that Peter has botched the transport of the suspect, Yussef Khalid. They have an interesting conversation about Peter having left the seminary two days before he was to take vows – religion plays an extremely important role in this show, so where would Peter’s faith, obviously not a Jewish faith, come into play? Peter’s FBI boss and lover Lynn (Anne Heche) shows up with questions of her own, and Peter confesses to her that he spent the night walking with Emma, and that he is the man in the surveillance photos. Peter suspects that Emma and Yussef are connected, but how? Lynn is astonished at this information and seems to be jealous. Is it because of her personal feelings for Peter, or for the trouble this could cause for the FBI ?
Meanwhile at the compound in New Mexico, Rev. Billingham (David Costabile) realizes that Debbie knows more than she should. Billingham shows her the body of Josh 1. He talks to her and promises to explain all of it at a later time. He asks her to reaffirm her belief in the cause. Will she do this, knowing that the death of Josh 1 and the safety of Josh 2 are tied together? And what is the cause?
The “new” Josh doesn’t seem to care when Billingham gives him the same news about not having parents as he told the original Josh. It is explained to him that it’s time for his Bar Mitzvah. While Josh 1 seemed to be a normal child, this one is more from the “Omen” school – there’s definitely something creepy and unnatural about this boy. Debbie plans to escape from the compound, but relents when Josh 2 asks for her support. At Josh’s strange Bar Mitzvah ceremony, a black and white calf is brought into the chapel. Billingham hands the boy a long knife and says, “The first one is the hardest. It gets easier.” Wait – what’s the next one?
We suspect that poor little Red, the calf being transported from Norway, may be next – but why? After Josh meets Debbie’s anxious gaze, he raises the knife and slays the calf. What kind of people are these? What has this to do with the secrets and mysteries that are unfolding? The New Mexico compound, and the people in it, are so far the creepiest part of the story. Why is a non-Jewish clergyman – obviously non-Jewish, since they refer to him as Reverend – performing a Bar Mitzvah? Why is it so important that the child be “clean”?
Trying to figure out what happened to Emma, Peter retraces their steps from the night before, and re-enters the cave. Did you want to shout “Don’t go in the cave!” along with me? Of course, Det. Cohen follows him, and of course, arrests him. There’s something serious and appealing about Golan Cohen – and I really like the authenticity of Hebrew spoken during the episodes. He’s deeply suspicious and mistrustful of Peter – Peter seems be a well-meaning person, but certainly hides a lot, both in his professional and personal lives. Everyone seems to know about something that happened with his red-haired daughter. Have you read the prologue diary on Wattpad? I confess that I haven’t yet finished it – let’s all make a pact to do that by next week’s episode. Make sure you comment here after you finish on how you think what you learned there impacts the show!
Peter convinces Cohen to uncuff him and to work together to find Yussef Khalid. The use of Israel’s extensive security camera system was very interesting here – because of the problems in the city, Jerusalem has one of the most widespread camera systems in the world (London is another city where you can expect to be on camera at all times – be sure your makeup is on…). Peter runs through the streets of the city, being guided by Cohen watching Khalid on security cameras. “Can’t you just say right or left?” he says after receiving frustrating directions. And he watches Khalid run right into – the American Embassy, where Ambassador Ruth Ridell (Regina Taylor) leaves a dinner party to meet with him. What is she doing with all the stones from the breastplate (although we know she doesn’t have the breastplate itself)? What part does she have in the conspiracy? Honestly, this show leaves the viewer with more questions than answers, and I confess that I’m thoroughly confused – but certainly enjoying this more than having everything laid out in a row!
Today’s lesson on the details of Dig: In Norway, Avram and his keeper are attacked by an Essene soldier. If you’re not familiar with the Essenes (and who is?): Essenes are members of a religious sect or brotherhood that flourished in Palestine from about the 2nd century BC to the end of the 1st century AD. Two thousand years ago, a brotherhood of holy men and women, living together in a community, carried within themselves all of the seeds of Christianity and of future western civilization. This brotherhood–more or less persecuted and ostracized–would bring forth people who would change the face of the world and the course of history. Indeed, almost all of the principal founders of what would later be called Christianity were Essenes–St. Ann, Joseph and Mary, John the Baptist, Jesus, John the Evangelist, etc. How this translates into soldiers who would “walk 60 miles naked in the snow,” I can’t tell you!
DIG airs on USA on Thursday, 10 pm Eastern/9 PM Central
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