Summary
Episode 3 continues a good run of episodes; we learn more about Jessica Hyde, Michael Stearns and Kevin Christie as relationships become clearer.
This recap of Amazon original series Utopia season 1, episode 3 contains significant spoilers.
We recapped every episode — check out the archive.
The opening
It’s a rather strange start as Jessica urinates on the toilet while pointing her gun at the group — there’s clearly not trust yet! She tells them they have a funeral to go to. Ian wonders why they are giving their respects to Olivia — Jessica reminds them she was the last person to have Utopia. She cuffs Ian and Wilson in the car so she can head to the funeral with Becky. Jessica tells both men she will kill Becky if they leave the car. By now, we’ve established that Jessica is a trigger happy person and will do anything to achieve her objectives.
The funeral
While Jessica and Becky investigate at the funeral, they learn the comic was created at a mental asylum. Meanwhile, two ginger-haired twin men approach the car Wilson and Ian are in and attack them. Jessica arrives and kills them both and then they drive off. More blood and gore opens up episode 3 and again, it’s at the hands of Jessica — what a character so far.
Olivia’s grandfather’s house
Jessica Hyde explains that Olivia’s grandfather may have known something so they head to his house. Becky and Wilson tell Ian that they need Jessica as he’s still being cynical — surely by now he must believe that the comic is more than just a comic. Becky reveals to Ian that she is dying from a disease and she feels the Utopia may have a cure. She tells Ian that he has no reason to stay — of course, she’s testing him.
They find some images of Utopia and then in a photograph they see a man holding the comic. Jessica explains it is her father — he is dead; he got torched. Jessica is distraught and she hides under the kitchen sink in the house and cries loudly. Episode 3 shows a rather strange way to grieve but each to their own.
The FBI raid the lab
Kevin Christie’s lab has been raided by the FBI after the flu epidemic and suspicions that they are linked to his lab-grown meat. Kevin asks the FBI to test his meat to prove there’s nothing wrong with it. The FBI ignores him and shut down his operation.
It’s my flu
Utopia season 1 episode 3 sees Michael embark on the opportunity of a lifetime — we learn much more about his eagerness and passion in the third chapter.
Michael Stearns gets his blood sample from one of the dead children as requested. He analyses it and gets excited. He heads home and tells his wife that the flu is his. The wife believes he may have the vaccine. Michael meets Kevin Christie; Kevin is so excited that they have a vaccine and cannot wait to announce it. Michael highlights the risk of his original vaccine and states that they need to be cautious — basically, he’s hinting that they need to do more testing. Kevin does not want to be cautious as he is desperate. Michael says he cannot sign this off. Kevin shakes his hand and wishes him the best and Michael is escorted out.
Michael returns home and tells his wife that Kevin disregarded protocol. He starts packing his bags and says he is going to be a part of this regardless of today’s events. His wife feels he is acting crazy but Michael wants to head to the epidemic hot zone and sort this out himself. We can expect Michael’s adventures to get more bizarre as the story progresses.
Remembering Sam
Wilson and the group have a message from Grant — they believe he has the comic. Jessica gets out from the sink and she believes her father isn’t dead so that’ a massive emotional U-turn. Jessica heads out with Ian while Wilson and Becky stay at the house. Wilson and Becky cover Sam’s body and they say some words to remember her.
Becky and Wilson try to decipher Grant’s message and the meaning behind “Rabbit’s hideout”. They figure out Grant means Harold Washington Library in Chicago. The pair head out in a car. Meanwhile, Ian gets frustrated with Jessica because she killed his friend and as he tries to urinate outside, he accidentally goes near a homeless person that punches him.
Bad traffic
Becky and Wilson get stuck in traffic. Becky leaves the car and asks Wilson to take the wheel while she heads out to find Grant. Meanwhile, Grant is approached by the police as he looks suspicious. Becky shows up and pretends to be Grant’s mother and they quickly walk off.
Meeting Artemis
Episode 3 introduces the audience to another character, albeit briefly and one that further enhances Jessica as a character.
It turns out the person who punched Ian is Artemis. Jessica tells her that she has a lead on her father and the Harvest burned down the asylum. Artemis tells Jessica that her father is dead; she reminds her that her father created many viruses to save her and that he made a deadly one that made him snap. Artemis takes credit for training Jessica and had to put her father in an asylum as he had gone mad. Jessica gets angry and points her gun at Artemis’s head.
Jessica continues to threaten Artemis and asks where Mr. Rabbit is. Artemis tells her she can find what she wants in Utopia. Artemis looks weary and she’s tired of the world. Jessica strangles Artemis to death — as she dies, Artemis tells Jessica to burn it to the ground when she finds “home”. Jessica rips off Artemis’s nails to reveal a code underneath them. She ripped them off like it was skin on chicken — brutal.
The ending
Michael Stearns heads to the hot zone where the virus epidemic is — it’s a school. He tries to blag his way in but it doesn’t work. Meanwhile, Arby heads to Kevin Christie’s office with a gun — Kevin asks him to be quiet as he lets him in. He gives Arby a box of raisins and asks him where Utopia is. Arby says he will find the boy — Kevin explains that they are running out of time and that they need Utopia and Jessica Hyde. Again, the intentions and objectives are not clear but the story is linking relationships and finding commonalities between characters.
Utopia season 1 episode 3 continues a good run of episodes; we learn more about Jessica Hyde, Michael Stearns, and Kevin Christie as relationships become clearer.
