The Purge Season 2 Episode 8 Recap: Before the Sirens

As we discovered in last week's episode of The Purge, our cast was only two short days away from facing the next annual event. The countdown happened quickly and we now see our characters preparing themselves for the sound of the sirens, which happens by the end of the episode.

In addition to the season regulars, this week’s episode kicks off with teens picking out their Purge outfits, much like folks do for Halloween here in the real world. The girls are not the only ones who are starting to get ready for the lawless night’s kickoff at 7:00 PM sharp.

Marcus, Michelle, and Darren

Since Darren has been tagged and is not allowed to leave the state, Marcus decides they will stay and fight for their lives. Last week, a neighbor gave him a warning that if he remains behind, the bounty will go ahead as planned. In an attempt to keep his son safe, the pair goes for a ride and Marcus ends up breaking Darren’s arm so he can be admitted to the hospital, which is off limits to Purging.

After returning home to Michelle, he learns that the neighbors have called off the bounty, but only to do the job themselves. The last we see of the couple is the end of the hour-long episode when they see the neighbors approaching their home armed with various weapons.

Esme, Ryan

Ryan and his gang (or what’s left of it) seem to have plans to break their buddy Tommy out of prison. Jailbreaks are allowed during the Purge, so it kind of makes sense they would go and get one of their own back. Esme is relying on her ally Vivian inside the NFFA to accomplish her goal but if we remember, she has quite a steep bounty on her head as the sirens ring.

Vivian manages to sneak out to meet up with Esme before returning to the office, only to get caught for incorrectly tagging her friend at the airport. Ryan and his group then face competition with The Jackals. After betraying Ziv, we see a prisoner escort van leading Tommy away and the group heads out after it. It seems the big plan all along was to rescue one of their very own.

Ben

Our campus killer now has full permission to release the beast. After killing his girlfriend last week, it seems that he lost his final grasp on reality as he decides to shave his head and go out Purging. Not wanting to remain in the house with him, the frat guys are right not to.

Turner convinces them all to get the house secure and assigns the second floor to Ben as the other guys try to convince him that his friend is not the same. He goes upstairs to speak to Ben, but finds a notebook which he, of course, decides to flip through. Pencil drawings of weapons, the God mask, and even a morbid sketch that looks awfully similar to Andy dead in the elevator shock Turner. As Ben appears, ready to head out to Purge, he tries to get him to stay by pointing a crossbow at him.

Not capable of shooting Ben, he then realizes that his frat brother is in fact the campus killer. The guys all try to make sure everything is reinforced so that Ben can’t get back in, but little do they know he has already managed to set up an entry before leaving. At the sounding of the alarm, he sneaks back in and chaos erupts. Soon, Ben is holding all the men hostage. One by one he kills them, allowing Turner to live. What his plans are for his final captive remains to be seen next week.

The season has come full circle, both starting and ending on Purge Night. Will all of our characters survive the next 12 hours? Will Esme take down the NFFA? Stay tuned next week for our recap of the upcoming ninth episode, titled "Hail Mary."

About the Author

Michelle Kaotic

Growing up in Northern Ontario, Canada, I still remember that first time watching The Exorcist as a kid. While others looked away, I took in every pea green puke and head-spinning moment that I could. Since then, horror and music have become passionate hobbies in my life. Although new to the convention scene, I’ve been collecting both horror and music items for over two decades. Two moments that make these hobbies worthwhile were coming face to face with Freddy Krueger himself, the legendary Robert Englund, and shaking hands with guitar icon Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. I started Kaotic Notes back in 2015 to house the numerous reviews, interviews, photos, and videos that I had done, and continue to do so to this day. It’s only rock and roll with a touch of blood and gore. What can go wrong?!

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