By Kellie Freeze
In last season’s summer surprise Wayward Pines, fans got engrossed in a twisty and suspense-filled journey that featured an all-star cast and one of TV’s most gripping plot questions: What in the heck is going on?
Over the course of 10 shocking episodes, the series revealed closely held secrets about the mysterious town, including Wayward Pines’ status as a bastion against the flesh-eating aberrations (a.k.a. abbies) that humanity has evolved into (after all, it’s the year 4028) and mankind’s last hope for survival. After Season 1 hero Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) sacrifices himself to stop the abbies, his son wakes three years later to find that most of the town’s adults have been put into hibernation by the town’s ruthless, young First Generation. That’s right — the kids have taken over, and they’re mega mean.
Now, in Season 2 (which begins on FOX Wednesday, May 25), the mystery deepens with some of last season’s cast — including Terrence Howard, Carla Gugino, Melissa Leo and Toby Jones — returning, but with their characters shifting to supporting roles. Season 1 actors Tom Stevens and Hope Davis will see their characters elevated to the plot’s center, along with new stars Jason Patric and Djimon Hounsou.
We spoke with Patric, and he explained that when his character, Dr. Theo Yedlin, wakes from suspended animation, he finds himself thrust into a raging civil war. Patric thinks it’s a pretty exciting way to introduce a character, saying, “All of a sudden, he wakes up in a room, and they tell him that he needs to follow them because he has to operate on someone. … His last memory was he was at a tropical hotel with his wife.”
Patric says that Theo struggles to understand and accept his strange surroundings; viewers who are new to the series will learn alongside Theo as he makes his own discoveries. “That element of surprise will still be in play,” he says and notes, “and if you’re already a fan of the show, it’ll be interesting to see, ‘Oh, boy, what happens when he gets it?’”
And though his character struggles to find a logical explanation for his strange situation, eventually there will be a moment of reckoning. “In the end,” says Patric, “people just have to acquiesce or surrender, whether they completely believe or not — you’re alive, and this is your life. These are where your feet are at this moment.” And because the series is based on bestsellers by Blake Crouch and executive produced by cinema’s master of suspense M. Night Shyamalan, you can bet that moment will be mind-blowing, as Patric promises that the story has myriad plot twists and turns yet to uncover. The actor also feels that this season is a fitting follow-up to the last, saying, “Once your mind is blown, if you’re invested in characters, you go, ‘Oh my God, what happens next?’ Well, this is what happens next.”
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide, the ultimate TV resource packed with celebrity news and commentary on what’s new and what’s good to watch. Get TV Guide at 88% off the cover price: call 800-866-1400 or visit tvguidemagazine.com. — ©TV Guide 2016