Written by Michael Caissie and co-directed by Caissie and Hayk Kbeyan, the eighth episode is quite extraordinary and gripping.
Eva Voskanyan is a revelation as Emma, while tensions arise between the married couple, Chris (Danny Mahoney) and his pregnant wife, Marie (Bibi Lucille). Marie demands answers (and the truth) from Chris, while he has to concede the demons of his past.
Luke (Arman Khachatrian) tries to hold it together for Jessica (Dalita Avanesian), and remains optimistic. Adam (Johnny Neal) discovers new information about the other characters in the cave.
The search above-ground is making minimal progress. Ophelia Bancu (Victoria Aleksanyan) and Preston (David Chandler) meet up, sit down, and brainstorm how this could have happened to their children. Nora (Anelya Gubryan) panics while Dimitri (Tigran Gasparyan) is unconscious. The terminal Dimitri and Dr. Ivan Serob (Boris Pepanyan) have an emotional conversation on moral values.
Lisa (Tatjana Marjanovic) has a backbone and stands up to Bobby (Fellows), which doesn’t fare well with the former con. Bobby commands respect from Lisa. She ignores him in a few instances, they get into multiple disagreements, and he calls her “ungrateful.” Lisa tells Bobby that they won’t be able to get out of the cave but he is in denial, and it is followed by a powerhouse catharsis from Bobby, which Fellows executes pitch perfect.
Erik Fellows layers his emotions well as he showcases feelings of pride, frustration, guilt, and denial. While he does play a character that viewers love to hate, he is also somebody that the audience can easily root for due to this badass nature. By the end of this episode, Fellows will drench his audience in a wide spectrum of raw emotions, as he showcases his sense of triumph.
Tatjana Marjanovic once again, is superb as the voice of reason in this compelling finale. True knockout performances from both actors in this episode (and the whole season); moreover, the entire cast is noteworthy as well.
The eighth and final episode of the first season of Purgatory entitled “Pride” is available on Popstar! TV by clicking here.
