Upamanyu Biswas
SyFy’s ‘Revival’ follows a police officer named Dana Cypress, who works at the Mountain Bay County police station in the small town of Wausau, Wisconsin. When a miraculous event known as “Revival Day” hits the town, Dana and the other townsfolk are amazed to see the town’s deceased people come back to life with all their memories, personalities, and appearances intact. Although it breaks the conventions of rational thinking, the town’s inhabitants have to get used to their new reality, while a series of mysterious events forces Dana into an investigation that involves both the living and the dead. To that end, the show’s first episode, titled ‘Don’t Tell Dad,’ sets things into motion by showcasing the challenges in the protagonist’s path, especially as everyone tries to figure out a world with new rules governing mortality and the supernatural. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Dead Come Back to Life in a Rural Town
The episode begins at the local crematorium, where Randy, the crematorium operator, shows an intrigued woman with a camera, May Tao, the intricacies of his cremation job. As she films him, he places the body inside the incinerator before taking a step back. While the machine does its thing, the two continue their conversation. However, it is abruptly cut short when they both notice strange sounds and movements from inside the furnace, suggesting that the dead body might be alive. Before long, the furnace door rips open, and the dead person inside climbs out, his flesh openly visible and wrapped with flames. Randy and May back away from the scene in a state of shock, which only increases further as all around the room, dead bodies begin to come to life.
Elsewhere, Dana Cypress, a local policewoman, argues with her father, Wayne, about leaving her job and moving to Chicago with her son, Cooper. Wayne sees this as a form of betrayal because he also happens to be the Sheriff, making him her boss at work. Their argument has to be curtailed because of a flurry of calls sent to Wayne’s phone, who receives news that something has gone awry in the town. Reluctantly, Dana agrees to head out for a nightly shift to check on proceedings. During a ride through the town’s graveyard, she is startled to discover a slew of dead people climbing out of their graves, slightly dazed like zombies. However, they are more confused than aggressive, which leaves Dana and the townsfolk with a lot to work with as they figure out what this all means.
A Dead Horse Stirs Up More Trouble
More than a month after the resurrection of countless dead people, a day labeled as “Revival Day,” the people of Wasau are finally allowed to leave their homes after a long quarantine period. Dana’s sister, Martha, also known as Em, receives a visit in her college dorm room from a friend, who urges her to clean up the room, especially now that people have their freedoms back. However, Em simply drowns her head underwater to escape her friend’s voice. Meanwhile, Dana tries hooking up with a stranger at Nella’s bar, using her small break from work as a way to get some stress off her shoulders. Unfortunately, her plans are disrupted by yet another call from her dad, who wants her to check up on a dead horse, which was reported by a senior resident named Lester.
After ditching the stranger in the bar’s parking lot, Dana heads over to the woods, where she discovers the horse’s dead carcass. Lester shows up out of nowhere to provide some more context. As she looks around the vicinity, she discovers human teeth on the ground alongside another dead wild animal, adding another layer of mystery to the situation. The following morning, the protagonist drops off her son, Cooper, at school before heading off to work. At the police station, she learns that a new guy from the CDC is joining the force, a partnership her father is not entirely sold on. Wayne tries to make this point to Mayor Dillisch, who won’t budge on trying to integrate the dead and the living together. Dana enters the office to introduce herself to the new guy, but she is stunned when she realizes that it is the same man she tried to hook up with at Nella’s. His name, she learns, is Ibrahim.
Dana Finds More Troubling Information About the Horse and Revivers
Despite an awkward encounter with Ibrahim, Dana tries to make the most of her visit to her father’s office by slipping out of there with a case file relating to “revivers,” a term used for those who came back to life on “Revival Day.” She uncovers a few names on the list which grab her attention. Later, Randy drops by to tell her that the CDC guys took the horse’s carcass away from him, suggesting that something bigger is at play. In the meantime, Em waits outside the office of Professor Weimar in her college, hoping to have a word with him. However, he adjourns for the day, urging those outside the office to meet with him the next morning. Desperate, Em slips into his office to have a few words with him. Judging by the tone of their conversation, it seems Em and Weimar are involved in a clandestine relationship. He promises to meet her later in the evening.
Searching for answers, Dana stops by the makeshift headquarters of the CDC team, which happens to be a high school basketball court. There, she tries to get Ibrahim more information about the dead horse and why it is of value to the CDC. Ibrahim tells her that they found human teeth inside the horse. Upon hearing this news, Dana informs Ibrahim about the human teeth she found on the forest ground when she discovered the body. After a quick preliminary look through the microscope, Ibrahim reveals that the teeth she found are identical to the ones inside the horse’s body. Subsequently, Dana alights upon another lead, one relating to the other dead wild animal she found in the forest. Elsewhere, an upset Em, who has seemingly been stood up by Weimar, calls her father to provide a brief update on her life. A stalker keeps an eye on her from the shadows.
Dana and Em’s Disparate Worlds Collide
After connecting the dots from the dead horse case with the names of potential revivers from the earlier case file, Dana tracks down a man named Miles Miller, whom she finds next to some train tracks. Dana takes him into custody in the aftermath of a brief scuffle. He tells her that he has no knowledge about the dead horse. However, he did see another truck with a tarpaulin covering its back that could have been the one connecting to the dead animal. The following morning, while driving around town, Dana discovers Em sleeping on an outdoor bench. She gives her sister a lift to her dorm, using the car ride as an opportunity to discuss the recent difficulties in their relationship. As a way to bridge the gap, Dana promises to organize a trip with Em, only to be distracted by something on the roadside. It is the truck with the tarpaulin Miles was talking about earlier.
The car and the adjoining property are owned by the Dittmans, who feign ignorance when questioned about the horse. With alarm bells ringing in her head, Dana heads for their barn while her sister waits in the car. At the same time, we also witness Wayne heading out for patrol duty after receiving news about complaints from Opal Shaw’s house. He stops by her house, doing a cursory check on her environment. When the woman comes to the door, he notices the blackened nature of her hands, suggesting foul play in the air. Ignoring the woman’s concerns, he steps inside the house and discovers a dead body in the dining room. Opal has been trying to will him back to life, hoping that he, too, might be like the other revivers. The scene is too startling for Wayne, who realizes the madness gripping the townsfolk who just want their dead loved ones to come back to life.
Inside the barn, Dana discovers more human teeth, hinting that she is in the right spot. Moments later, a ravenous old lady drops down from the ceiling, nibbling her teeth loose as more grow back in their stead. It becomes clear that she is a reviver. Dana tries to fight her, but her strength is magnitudes higher than her. The two Dittmans lose their lives in trying to stop the older lady, leaving the protagonist to fend for herself. Fortunately, Em shows up to help out with a scythe. However, the woman uses it to stab Em through her stomach. Distraught from her sister’s fatal wound, Dana unleashes the whole round of bullets into the woman. As she prepares to lose her life, the woman’s head is carved open by Em, whose stab wound heals miraculously as Dana watches. The older sister realizes that Em is a reviver, opening a completely new door in their family dynamics.
Read More: Where is Revival Filmed? Shooting Locations of the SyFy Show
