Utopia recap: Episode 7, ‘Talking Hurts’

In Utopia episode 7, the group meets Michael Stearns and demand answers while Jessica and Kevin Christie finally come face-to-face.

Utopia episode 7 begins with the immediate aftermath of the Colleen reveal. She jumps headfirst into “Operation Fun,” a blackmail scheme to keep Michael on track. If he doesn’t read the carefully written statement she’s prepared that says he fully supports the vaccine, then she will release the “fun file.”

Contained inside is years worth of horrific snuff porn, carefully manufactured to make it look like Michael has held this disturbing fetish for years.

At Christie Labs, Arby revisits Kevin. He doesn’t say anything but answers Kevin’s questions about whether he’s calmed down and prepared to carry out his purpose as planned, with a nod. Meanwhile, the television shows Lily speaking with reporters about Dale.

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“Charlotte” alludes to having a “disturbing” relationship with her father, and Kevin is outraged that she’s changing the story. He sends Arby to take care of her. Lily and Arby have quite a bit to talk about, it turns out. Like Arby, she has started questioning her purpose and enjoying her time out in the world.

She desires to stick around, and when the Harvest’s plan begins to take effect, she can offer guidance to those who need it. Arby starts to wonder what his new plan should be as he drinks Pepsi for the first time and listens to Lily’s exciting ideas. He says he thinks he’ll bring her back.

“Like a cat bringing home a mouse?”

“Like a bird, I think you’re a bird.”

Utopia episode 7 recap: Michael and the gang join forces.

Jessica and the group arrive at Michael’s house while he’s in the middle of reading Colleen’s prepared statement. Holding him at gunpoint, they search his body for signs that he might be Mr. Rabbit, but he’s clean. As for Colleen, it doesn’t take long for Jessica to realize she’s Harvest and the two fight. Shockingly, it’s Alice who pulls the trigger and kills Colleen. She’s eager to get revenge for her mother’s death.

All of this is unbeknownst to Thomas, who has just informed his father that Operation Fun was a success. He also tells him the plan for Michael. Once their vaccine starts its work (which we still don’t know what the grand scheme is yet), they’ll make it look like Michael was infected in his basement lab — anthrax-style. Overcome with guilt for what he’s done to the world, and I’m assuming they will ultimately kill him when he’s served his purpose.

Back at Michael’s, Ian keeps Grant and Alice entertained with some music and bed-jumping to lighten the mood. They are just kids, after all.

Jessica tortures Michael via an oven mitt full of glass while making him look at pages of Utopia to see if he recognizes anything. He notices the word “Enyo,” which points to Millner, who said her “cosplay name was Enyo.”

He also notices the clues hinting at his flu, and as the group begins to trust him, Michael reveals what he knows about the petting farm connection. The next stop is Chicago. So, they all create makeshift hazmat suits out of shower curtains and plastic and march down to the site, killing all of the rabbits except one — which they keep — to prevent the flu from spreading to the Windy City.

Arby brings Lily to Home, which is hidden away in the woods. She meets with Kevin in a gazebo, and together they ponder what they will do with her next after her transgression. Before saying their goodbyes, Arby advises Lily to pretend to accept whatever they tell her to do.

Utopia episode 7 recap: Jessica gets bit by a plague rabbit.

On the way back to Michael’s lab, Jessica gets bit by the test bunny uh-oh. But when they reach the lab, Michael establishes that the flu is not his flu. The bunnies are the vector, but they have no idea what makes these kids sick, which means there is no vaccine. They all finally realize that Kevin Christie is behind all this, and there must be something terrible hidden in the vaccine they plan on mass-producing. But it won’t be easy getting to him. Becky says they should contact Milner; she’s Homeland and might be able to help.

At Christie Labs, the journalist, Hailey, returns to interview Kevin ahead of the vaccine’s release. They plan to produce 200,000 vials a day, starting at dawn. He gives Lily a chance to redeem herself by bringing her to the interview to play Charlotte again, claiming they’ve taken her in to recover her sanity. Hailey tries to ask “Charlotte” a few more questions (and apologizes for the Simpro debacle), but Kevin’s staff rush her away.

Utopia episode 7 recap:  Arby delivers Christie to Jessica.

Milner turns out to be a dead-end for the gang. She says it was Jessica’s father’s partner when he worked for the Biological Crimes Unit before Mr. Rabbit took control of him, but she doesn’t believe them about Kevin Christie being Mr. Rabbit.

They head back to Michael’s to regroup before setting out to try and stop the vaccine when the doorbell rings. And there he is, Kevin Christie, wrapped from head-to-toe in duck tape while Arby watches from the shadows.

Odds & Ends from Utopia episode 7

• After learning the origin of his name, Arby tells Lily that he wants to go by “John” instead.
• I really loved the scene between Becky and Jessica at the lab. I wish there were more moments like that throughout the season.
• It seems like Hailey might be one of the few people suspicious of Christie. I wonder if she’ll end up having a more significant part to play?

What did you think about Utopia episode 7? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

All eight episodes of Utopia season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.