Episode 8 of Revival finally takes us back to the past and gives us a clear picture of the significance of the Rose Blackdeer case. In the previous episode, Dana was reunited with Jesse Blackdeer, the prime accused in his daughter’s disappearance. Dana was the only one in the police department who believed that Jesse was innocent, even though the police had found incriminating evidence against him. She knew Jesse, and she was well aware that, as a father, he wholeheartedly loved Rose, and there was no way he would kill her. But since the department was always under constant pressure to solve cases fast, Jesse Blackdeer became an easy target. Dana needed time and evidence to prove that someone who went by ‘Bear’ was a potential suspect. But she didn’t get enough time to work on the case after Jesse was arrested.
Spoiler Alert
Who was ‘Bear’?
Two years ago, when Dana searched Jesse Blackdeer’s house, she came across Rose’s jewelry box, which had a bunch of letters in it. All the letters were written by someone who went by ‘Bear.’ And their writing suggested possible romantic interest. In the last letter they’d written to Rose, they’d mentioned her moving to Chicago and asked her to meet them one last time. Dana wondered if ‘Bear’ was bothered by Rose’s decision to move away and start her life afresh. Clearly, they seemed obsessed with her, and that perhaps was enough motive to stop her from leaving. But who was ‘Bear’? After going through Rose’s handmade jewelry collection, Dana got a rough idea of her style, and when she came across one of Blaine Abel’s posters, her eyes were immediately fixed on the necklace he was wearing. It was a handmade piece with a bear claw, suggesting that he was the one who’d been writing letters to Rose. When Dana interrogated Blaine Abel, he mentioned that he was traveling to Myrtle Beach at the time of Rose’s disappearance, and when she asked for proof, he casually stated that he possibly had his ticket somewhere. When Dana referred to him as ‘Bear,’ he looked a little shook. He quickly added that Rose was very special to him and he believed she was one of the few people who cared about his opinions. Dana didn’t believe a word he said. Blaine was twice Rose’s age, and she didn’t think that he wrote those letters simply to express his friendly admiration—there was something more to the story. But her conversation with Blaine was interrupted by her colleague, who informed her that evidence had been found at Jesse Blackdeer’s house, and he had been arrested. The cops had found the clothes Rose was wearing when she left in the furnace at Jesse’s house.
Dana couldn’t believe that she’d missed out on such crucial evidence when she checked the place for the first time. She had a feeling it was all too convenient and there was someone pulling the strings from behind. But convincing the entire department that Jesse was not guilty was an impossible task. When Jesse escaped from prison (thanks to Dana, who’d released him from the handcuffs) and was in the woods, Dana had him at gunpoint. She begged him to surrender, but he didn’t trust the cops anymore. Instead of pulling the trigger, Dana allowed him to leave, because she knew deep in her heart that the man was innocent. And while she faced a lot of backlash for the way she dealt with the case, Dana still believed she was on the right track.
How was Brent involved in Rose’s disappearance case?
Brent seemed a little too keen on framing Jesse Blackdeer as the bad guy. The fact that Jesse and Rose had a loud argument in public right before she left was enough reason for Brent to apparently suspect Jesse. He was also the one who’d handed Dana Rose’s landownership contract. According to the contract, the land Rose was assigned would have reverted if she established permanent residency outside tribal lands. It essentially meant that if Rose left, the government would automatically own her land. Dana knew that this piece of information was sufficient to establish that Jesse had a motive to kill his daughter. While Jesse didn’t want Rose to lose the land, he denied the disappearance/murder allegation. Dana was a little surprised when her father informed her that not only was he in favor of inspecting Jesse Blackdeer’s house a second time, but even Brent thought it was a good idea. Since they had already checked the place out, she didn’t understand why Brent was so keen on going there again. But she didn’t think much about it. During the initial days of the investigation, Brent was possibly on team Dana. He read the letters Dana had found in Rose’s jewelry box, and he was the one who’d mentioned that the letters were oddly addressed to a ‘Bear.’ He would have tried to hide the letters if he intended on protecting the kidnapper, but that was not the case at the time. But soon, the kidnapper/killer reached out to Brent and promised to help him clear his mother’s hospital bills, and all he had to do in exchange was plant evidence in Jesse Blackdeer’s house. It was Brent who’d left Rose’s clothes in Jesse’s house the night before the police went to investigate the place a second time.
May Tao had been investigating Brent; after questioning the members of his bowling team, she learned that the only time Brent had ever missed a match was on November 17th, the night before he found Rose’s shirt at Jesse’s place. Also, according to Jesse’s neighbor, a police officer was seen loitering near Jesse’s place at 8pm, and the fact that Jesse was at the tribal meeting at the time further confirmed that the evidence was planted. After digging deeper, May also found out that, soon after Jesse’s arrest, Brent cleared his mother’s hospital bill of around ten thousand dollars. It was impossible that he managed to clear the dues with his salary; clearly someone paid him extra to do their dirty work. May was Rose’s lover, and solving the mystery behind her disappearance was a personal mission for her. When she figured that Brent was a suspect, she informed Jesse about it. Jesse kept an eye on Brent, but as it turned out, Brent had already found out that someone was following him. He shot Jesse and carried his dead body to Randy’s crematorium, but as luck would have it, he was revived.
Did Blaine Abel murder Rose?
Two years later, Dana, Jesse, and May finally reunited to discuss the case. Jesse and May explained that they’d found a bottle of pills that Em took at the same spot where they’d discovered the earrings Rose was wearing the night she disappeared. Not only were both items found near the Moore Creek lake, but Em was also confident that she was killed there and that was how her body ended up near the falls. She believed that the water had healing properties, and while taking a dip, she also remembered that Aaron was accompanied by a man in an animal mask when she was murdered. And she had a clear memory of a distinct symbol made of overlapping triangles carved on his chest. Dana mentioned that she’d found a text exchange between Brent and Aaron while going through his phone records—‘a dark blue Cutlass Supreme.’ May added that she found a similar text while going through the USB drive that they’d found in Aaron’s house. That was when Dana explained the ‘Bear’ angle, because Blaine Abel owned a junkyard, and he possibly had a Cutlass Supreme lying somewhere. While she had reason to suspect Blaine, she needed concrete evidence to put him behind bars. The fact that Jesse’s tribe had had a land dispute with the Abels for decades suggested that Blaine had a strong motive. Em added that she always knew there was some connection between Blaine and her murder.
Jesse didn’t care about evidence anymore; all he wanted was vengeance. He was determined to kill Blaine, and since he was a reviver, he’d no reason to be afraid of being shot again. Em too was ready to join Jesse, but Dana begged them to stop. She wanted to do it the right way, with a warrant, evidence, and a proper arrest. She felt guilty for not doing enough the last time, and she wanted to get it right this time. While Jesse had promised that he would not take any drastic steps, he couldn’t stop himself from punishing the man who’d potentially killed his daughter. Jesse managed to break into Blaine’s property, and he found Blaine fast asleep. Jesse held his knife close to Blaine, but the moment he was about to strike, he heard a loud screeching noise. He followed the sound, almost unable to stop himself, just like Jordan. He saw a glowing creature trapped there, and he instinctively freed it. The creature led Jesse to the dark blue Cutlass Supreme. In the trunk of the car, Jesse found Rose’s remains wrapped in a sheet of cloth. It was almost as if the creature knew Jesse was searching for a closure, and it led him to it. Jesse was in tears; he held his deceased daughter in his arms and brought her back to the reservation. The fact that Rose’s body was found on Blaine’s property suggests that he was either directly responsible for Rose’s death or had some connection to her disappearance and her death.
What happened to Em?
The way May spoke about Rose, Em was reminded of her relationship with Rhodey. He was the reason why she knew what it felt like to be in love, and there was no denying that she missed him. When Em contacted Rhodey, she learned that he’d managed to escape from the reviver camp. Rhodey planned on leaving town, and he wanted Em to come along with him. Em had no intention of leaving; she was too involved in the case, and she intended on supporting Dana in uncovering the mystery behind her death. Rhodey begged Em to meet him one last time before he left, and she decided to see him. They met in the woods, and Em had a smile on her face the minute she saw him. She hugged him and promised that as soon as she was done solving the case, she would come along with him wherever he went. But soon it became clear to her the actual reason why Rhodey was in tears. At the end of episode 8, a tranquilizer dart had hit Em in her nape. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground. In exchange for his freedom, or simply for his survival, Rhodey compromised Em. The military had taken over the town, and they were desperately searching for Em. The ending confirms that Em will now be taken over to the revival camp, where she will be interrogated and experimented on. Unless Dana and Wayne manage to find a way to free Em. Will General Cale inject Em with the newfound formulation designed to weaken Revivers? We’ll hopefully find out in the next episode.
During Revival episode 8’s ending, Jesse submitted himself to the glowing creature. After bringing Rose’s dead body to the reservation, Jesse finally felt at peace. All he ever wanted was closure and to bid his daughter a proper farewell; now that he’d done that, he believed it was time for him to go. The creature called out to him, and as soon as he came in contact with it, his body fused into the creature, and together they turned into sparkling golden dust. Where did this spirit go, and were all revivers expected to unite with the golden creature(s) in the end? That’s a mystery that is yet to be solved. For now, we know that Aaron had offered Rose a lift, and when she’d refused, she was beaten and forcefully dragged into his car. While it seems Blaine was the man behind the mask, you never know; there might be a surprise in the end.
