SWAMP THING Episode #4 Review

With each episode, Swamp Thing continues to embrace the lore of the character whole-heartedly.  Episode four — “Darkness on the Edge of Town” — continues our journey into the supernatural aspect of the DCU.   The swamp in Marais is really the center of everything going on in town.  You could argue the swamp is just as important to this show as Swamp Thing himself.

What makes this show special is it’s the superhero show without the superhero.  Yes, Swamp Thing and Abby are doing some offbeat detective work and scientific experiments but they are not swooping in to save the day so to speak.  Swamp Thing is doing his thing from a distance.

As Abby and Swamp Thing appear to have the Green Flu in check, a new illness rises from the depths of the swamp.  The latest is a blood-borne pathogen that allows the host to hallucinate their deepest darkest fears to life, similar to Scarecrow toxin.

This provides some great jump scares and even toes the line of being a psychological thriller.  The episode delivers a gruesome garbage disposal scene that would make Eli Roth grin ear to ear like a proud father.

As the pathogen travels from host to host Abby and Swamp Thing really start to establish their relationship.  They have a heart-warming scene that is just perfect and the only thing missing is Abby’s signature silver hair.  It was like they ripped this from a panel of Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing, it is so damn good.

Crystal Reed gives an outstanding performance.  You really feel her pain and her fear.  Reed is given so much more to work with in Swamp Thing than she was in Gotham and it is really nice to see her get some DC redemption.   The chemistry between Reed and Mears is really starting to get me in the feels every week and this scene solidifies it 100%.  They are the DC power couple no one talked about until now.

Kevin Durand/Jason Woodrue and Virginia Madsen/Maria Sunderland should not be lost in the discussion either.

Durand, as Woodrue is truly a creepy, know it all scientist.  Woodrue doesn’t seem to be in this for fame or recognition, he’s doing this for his wife and I feel he is just using Avery to get what he wants.  I fully expect Woodrue to play both sides of the fence to service his needs.

Maria Sunderland is really starting to creep me out.  She is growing fond of Susie Coyle while still having visions of her own deceased daughter.  It’s like she is trying to replace her daughter with Susie.

Madsen has become a scene stealer as we see her character slowly unraveling right before our eyes.

“Darkness on the Edge of Town” has the most horror elements of any episode to date and it one of the more suspenseful/thrilling episodes of the young season.   The stakes in Marais are still high.  The swamp is really proving to be the cause of it all.

The show continues to embrace what the character is and the dark universe elements of the DCU flawlessly.  Swamp Thing is about as layered as Mel Rose Place, drama galore mixed in with blood and gore.

Canceled or not this show is damn good and I’m going to soak up the last six episodes like a clump of moss. – Peter Verra

GRADE: A+