And we're back! The second episode of The Institute season 1 left off with a young kid with powerful TP abilities being brought to the Institute. His name is Avery Dixon, and Luke and Nicky believe he might be their key to escaping the Institute once and for all. Here's what happens next in The Institute season 1, episode 3, titled "Graduation."
Major spoilers are ahead from The Institute episode 3!
Luke undergoes more tests
The third episode begins with Tony escorting Luke to Dr. Hendricks for additional testing. Once securely restrained, Dr. Hendricks administers an injection of a strange green liquid to Luke. As the substance begins to take hold, Luke grows dizzy and his heart rate spikes. Dr. Hendricks instructs Luke to keep his eyes fixed on a screen until told otherwise, warning that if he looks away, Tony will slap him, and if he does it again, he will receive an electric shock.
As Dr. Hendricks starts up the machine, he instructs Luke to tell him if he begins to see dots on the screen. Luke struggles to stay looking at the screen, so Tony slaps him and forces him to look forward. Luke starts to see colorful dots but doesn't tell anyone. Dr. Hendricks stops the machine and walks over to Luke, who is now convulsing. Luke passes out but wakes up after a while. When he awakens, he asks Dr. Hendricks if he can go to his room and lie down. But Dr. Hendricks won't let him because he has another test for him.
He presents Luke with various cards and asks him to describe what he sees. Although the audience can clearly see the images on the cards, Luke is unable to. Growing frustrated, Luke starts shouting out random answers. This enrages Tony, leading him to deliver an electric shock. Luke is then brought back to his room.
Later in the cafeteria, Luke, Kalisha, and Nicky get to know Avery better and begin to discover just how powerful his telepathic abilities are. Maureen is in the cafeteria as well, listening in on their conversation. She then reports back to Ms. Sigsby what she's learned.
Back in the cafeteria, Kalisha reveals to Luke that she saw dots when she was in the dream box, meaning that she's going to Back Half soon. Luke asks her if there is any way she can fight dream box, and Kalisha responds that if you try to fight it, you could possibly get an embolism. Suddenly, a humming sound can be heard throughout the Institute. Luke asks the others what the sound was, and Kalisha tells him that they sometimes hear the noise. She tells him that she thinks it's coming from the Back Half.
Later, Luke and Avery are strolling through the Institute's hallways when they come across Maureen mopping the floor. Luke is trying to find a staff member they can trust to help them escape the Institute. He asks Avery for his opinion on whether they can trust her since he can read minds. But when Avery reads Maureen's mind, he discovers that she's hiding a lot of secrets. He shares with Luke that Maureen actually hates working at the Institute, but she can't be trusted because she reports back to Ms. Sigsby with everything they talk about.
Later on in the episode, Luke, Nicky, and Avery are hanging out at the playground. A security guard walks by with a dog, and Avery just stares at him. Luke and Nicky ask him what's wrong, and Avery explains that he can see what the dog sees. He shares that through the dog's eyes, he's able to see another playground located by the Back Half. Luke then asks him if he thinks there's a way they can dig through the ground to get over there, and Avery responds that he believes they can.
Their conversation is interrupted when Kalisha stumbles through the doors. She doesn't look good because she just came back from dream box. Luke asks her if her experience was bad, and Kalisha replies that she connected to "the hum" while in the dream box. Unfortunately, she's about to graduate to Back Half now.
Kalisha graduates to Back Half
It’s graduation day for Kalisha, but the mood is far from celebratory. She and the others are clearly upset about her transfer to Back Half. After the brief ceremony in the cafeteria, everyone takes a moment to say their goodbyes. While Nicky shares a heartfelt moment with Kalisha, Luke pulls Maureen aside. He tells her he knows she’s unhappy with the Institute and urges her to help them before it’s too late. Maureen brushes him off, telling him to leave her alone. But as Luke walks away, it’s clear she’s considering his words.
Luke, Nicky, Kalisha, and Avery sit back at the table and all hold hands. Ms. Sigsby and a few staff members soon take notice and approach, informing them that it’s time for Kalisha to leave. Tony then escorts an emotional Kalisha to Back Half. While this is going on, Luke is having Avery see through Kalisha's eyes. Ms. Sigsby watches them from her office on the security cameras. Once Kalisha walks through the doors of Back Half, Avery is unable to maintain the connection anymore.
Annie is killed
When the mysterious humming sound occurs at the Institute, Annie hears it from her tent at Dennison River Bend, Maine. While Tim is out on patrol later on, he checks in with her. Annie tells him about the noise, but Tim admits he didn’t hear anything. Suddenly, Annie begins talking to herself, muttering that someone was killed. She says the official explanation blames the incident on pilot error, but she insists out loud that the real cause was telepathy. She believes someone or some people caused the pilot to read the numbers wrong by using telepathy. Tim just stares at her in confusion. Annie then tells him to stay away from Route 10, aka where the Institute is located.
Later in the episode, Tim unwinds at a local bar after his shift when Kate notices him and starts a conversation. As they talk, a news report on the TV catches Tim’s attention. It’s about a recent plane crash that claimed the life of a senator. Tim tells Kate about his earlier conversation with Annie, who believes some form of mind control is happening at the mysterious facility on Route 10. He also relays Annie’s claims about telepathy being used to manipulate the pilot, causing the crash. Tim thinks Annie might be onto something, especially since the details she mentioned match the news report. However, Kate shuts down the idea, dismissing it as conspiracy talk. They talk for a bit more before Kate leaves the bar.
At the very end of the third episode, Tim goes to check on Annie again and finds her lifeless body lying in her tent. He looks over and sees an empty alcohol bottle and some pills. Could Kate have had something to do with Annie's death? It looks like it! The episode ends here.
Here is one other important thing that happens in The Institute episode 3:
- Ms. Sigsby becomes certain that Dr. Hendricks and Stackhouse are secretly conspiring behind her back. Her suspicion is confirmed when she catches Dr. Hendricks in a lie, prompting her to review the security footage. There, she sees him speaking with Stackhouse, but the footage becomes muted by Stackhouse after a minute or so.
You can stream The Institute season 1 on MGM+ right now.
Check out more content on Show Snob below: