Revival Season 1 Episode 1, “Don’t Tell Dad,” is a solid series premiere. It’s giving dark Wynonna Earp vibes meets Fargo. Melanie Scrofano is back on my screen in a Syfy show, and all is well with the world. “Don’t Tell Dad” deftly lays the groundwork for what’s to come, and the overarching mystery is intriguing as all get-out. Society at large discriminating against Revivers also hits close to home, especially considering the state of our country. I hope the series finds thoughtful ways to explore that.
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Revival, “Don’t Tell Dad”
We open on Randy’s Crematorium during the holiday season in Wausau, Wisconsin. May Tao (Katharine King So) films a segment about odd jobs in town. Here, she focuses on Randy (Graeme Barrett) and his cremation business. May helps Randy load a body into the cremation incinerator.
Suddenly, the man inside starts pounding on the door after Randy turns on said incinerator. He’s alive. After a few seconds of struggling, Randy opens the door. The man barrels into the room, now on fire. Then, May and Randy hear voices from the morgue as those within, who used to be dead, call out for help. One person bolts upright while inside a body bag. Revival Day is here.
The Dead Are Back
Meanwhile, Wayne Cypress (David James Elliott), the town sheriff, quarrels with his daughter, Dana (Scrofano). Dana is an officer at the local station, working under her dad. Dana is packing her and her son Cooper’s (Hudson Wurster) belongings. She plans to move them to Chicago, where she has accepted a new job. Wayne tries to dissuade her from leaving. Dana gives her father her two-week notice.
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Then, Wayne gets a call about Randy, who’s understandably panicking after the dead came back to life in his crematorium. He orders Dana to investigate. While en route to Randy, Dana stops in the middle of the road near the cemetery. She looks on in horror as the formerly deceased make their way toward her in a state of bewilderment. Why are they alive? Jordan (Flora McInroy), Cooper’s classmate, approaches Dana, asking for her mother.
Fast forward 35 days. Quarantine is finally over, but Wausau officials — as sanctioned by Mayor Dillisch (Conrad Coates) — have ordered everyone not to leave town. CDC checkpoints are situated at various spots across town. We learn that at least 47 “Revivers,” as they’re called, are in a registry. In addition, those who returned from the dead usually died between December 4 and December 18; the latter date is now known as Revival Day.
Move On
Meanwhile, Martha “Em” Cypress (Romy Weltman), Dana’s little sister, soaks in a bathtub. We’re in her dorm room. Her roommate Kay (Maia Jae) returns from her extended stay at home during the quarantine. She encourages Em to help her clean the place. Classes are about to restart, after all. Life goes on.
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Elsewhere, Dana gets smoochy-smoochy with Ibrahim Ramin (Andy McQueen). They’re about to get it on in Dana’s vehicle when Wayne calls her about a dead horse. Someone’s gotta be on dead animal duty. Dana politely gives Ibrahim the boot before driving away. This scene feels very Earp, and I love it.
Later, Dana drives to the aforementioned dead horse in the middle of a road. She also discovers a dead coyote in an animal trap, a rather crudely made one at that, with railroad spikes. Strewn about the coyote and horse are human teeth. Yum.
Is Wausau Safe?
The following day, we see a “For Lease” sign outside Dana’s house. She sends Cooper off to school, although he’s unsure about returning. On TV, Mayor Dillisch chats with a Reviver and reassures the townsfolk that, despite the extra precautions taken by the sheriff, with his registry and checkpoint zones, Wausau is safe.
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At school, Cooper reunites with Jordan, expressing gratitude that she’s back. However, kids can be cruel, and their classmates bully her for being a Reviver. Dana heads into the station to find a bevy of people complaining about Revivers. Well, except one. Opal Shaw (Jill Frappier) is desperately searching for her husband. He died the day before the two-week period prior to Revival Day.
Deputy McCray (Nathan Dales) creepily asks Dana if she’s found her horse guy yet. It’s a Letterkenny reunion, my good buddies. Dana asks Deputy Brent Carlisle (Mark Little) if he was able to secure the registry for her. Unfortunately, the sheriff is restricting access to just the task force.
The Registry
After this, Dana eavesdrops on the sheriff and mayor’s heated argument. Well, she’s mostly curious about the cutie patootie the CDC has sent over. Inside Wayne’s office, Wayne advocates for kicking the Revivers out of Wausau, while Dillisch believes they’re not a threat.
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Then, after Dillisch storms out, Dana barges into her father’s office. She realizes the new CDC liaison is none other than Ibrahim, her almost-sex buddy. Things get awkward. Ibrahim explains that they have zero evidence thus far to support that Revivers are dangerous. Once he departs, Wayne asks if Dana and Ibrahim have slept together. He also urges Dana to move quickly with the horse case. The station is stretched thin as it is.
Before she leaves the office, Dana surreptitiously grabs the registry files. She looks through them at her desk. She notes that a few names, like Myles Miller, are “Unascertained” Revivers. Myles also has a violent past. Next, Dana gets a call from Chicago, with, presumably, the woman who hired her on the other end informing her that they can no longer keep the job open for her. So, Dana’s stuck in Wausau.
Scout’s Honor
Randy pops up and tells Dana that the horse is gone. The CDC took the carcass. Meanwhile, Em pays Professor Aaron Weimer (Gianpaolo Venuta) a visit. It’s abundantly clear they had some kind of romantic entanglement (with quite the imbalanced power dynamic). Em demands that Aaron meet her at their spot later. It’s important.
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Later, Dana visits Ibrahim at the makeshift CDC headquarters inside a high school gymnasium. Dana wants to know why he took her horse. Ibrahim explains they found an anomaly inside said horse — human teeth. In fact, they’re a match for the teeth Dana discovered near the dead coyote. Ibrahim decides to show Dana something incredible, but she can’t tell anyone about it. “Scout’s honor,” Dana says while throwing up the Vulcan salute (nice nod to Scrofano’s other job, writers).
Ibrahim cuts through Reviver tissue. In an instant, the tissue stitches itself back together. That means Revivers boast self-healing abilities. Dana calls Lester (Peter Millard), who was with her when she discovered the teeth, to confirm what kind of truck he drives. She recalls the truck tracks she found at the scene. They don’t belong to Lester. She tells Ibrahim that someone placed an already dead horse in the middle of the road.
The Only Lead
Dana also believes that someone out there is hiding a super-strong, animal-eating Reviver. This Reviver’s teeth, in particular, can regrow, so while they might be strong enough to bite through a horse, the act might still destroy their teeth.
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Dana decides to pursue her only lead — Myles Miller. She wonders how the police know they’ve tracked down all the Revivers when there are 45,000 people in the quarantine zone. Someone could’ve died in their sleep and not known it. Meanwhile, Em and Wayne chat on the phone. Em promises to be better at calling her dad on a more consistent basis. After they hang up, Em weeps, staring at the wedding band in her hand. Someone watches her from the shadows.
Next, Dana finds Myles (Josh Cruddas), who’s not exactly thrilled to see her. They get into a scuffle. Myles’ arm winds up in one of his animal traps, so that’s not fun for him. Dana notices his teeth aren’t in great shape, but they’re merely how they were before Myles came back from the dead. They’re certainly not regrowing. Dana arrests Myles for, if anything, assaulting an officer.
A Reunion
The following day, Dana leaves to meet with a couple residing on the outskirts of the quarantine zone. They could have what she’s looking for: answers. Wayne takes Cooper along to do a wellness check for Mrs. Shaw. While en route, Dana finds Em sleeping on a bench. She offers to give her little sister a ride home.
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Dana and Em reconnect. We learn that they used to be close, but time — and family issues — drove a wedge between them. They reminisce about old times and decide to plan a beach trip for when all the madness ends. We learn Em has an undisclosed medical condition, potentially pertaining to her bones. Em decides to ride along to keep Dana company while she works.
Later, Dana arrives at the Dittmans — Bob (Derek McGrath) and Terry (Nora McLellan). As it turns out, they have the kind of truck Dana is looking for. There’s also a bloody tarp in the truck bed. Dead giveaway. Elsewhere, Mrs. Shaw lets Wayne into her house. He discovers that she dug up her husband’s corpse, and it’s sitting at the kitchen table. The poor woman begs her husband to come back to life. Aw. Wayne departs while calling the coroner to pick up the body. Unfortunately, Cooper has fled Wayne’s vehicle.
A Rogue Reviver
Dana hears noises emanating from the Dittmans’ barn. We learn that Terry’s mother now lives there. She’s the rogue Reviver who ate the horse and coyote. Dana watches as Arlene (Nicky Guadagni) pulls her teeth out. They grow back instantly. Arlene lunges at Dana. Terry tries to pacify her mother. Unfortunately, Arlene tosses Terry, whose head catches on a hook on the barn wall. She dies.
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Bob attacks his mother-in-law, but Arlene casts him aside with ease. Em, who Dana ordered to stay in the car, grabs a scythe. She attempts to stab Arlene with it. Suddenly, Arlene plunges the blade through Em’s torso. Dana cries out and rushes to her sister’s side. She whirls around and fires on Arlene, but the bullets do, well, nothing.
After this, Arlene tries to choke the life out of Dana. Thankfully, Em slices the top of Arlene’s head clean off with the scythe. Arlene collapses. A shocked Dana watches as the wound on Em’s stomach heals. She’s a Reviver. Em tearfully begs Dana not to tell their father.
If I had a nickel for every time Melanie Scrofano’s character has a little sister with special abilities, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
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Revival airs new episodes every Thursday at 10/9c, only on Syfy.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
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