SurrealEstate Season 3 Episode 4, “A Family Thing,” brings Zooey back into the fold for some good ole-fashioned sibling spirit-infused manipulation. I’m glad she’s still appearing, even if it’s in a recurring capacity. There’s a real theme of “home” this season, and what that means to the individual. Zooey struggles to feel at home in her law firm. This episode gives us insight into that struggle and how she eventually feels more empowered by the end. “A Family Thing” is just plain ghostly, campy fun, armed with great performances and more movement in the overarching narrative.
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SurrealEstate, “A Family Thing”
We open with a funeral. The Eno siblings — Sheri (Katisha Shaw), Barry (Matthew Gorman) and Arlo (Jarred Bronstein) — stand by the open grave of their late mother Lisbet. The preacher urges them to throw dirt on her casket. The Enos briefly quarrel over who should drop dirt on Mommy Dearest’s coffin first. They hurl vitriol at each other. After the service, we see Zooey (Savannah Basley), who remarks under her breath that death brings out the worst in people. It really does, though.
Later, Zooey reads Lisbet’s will to Sheri, Arlo and Barry. She’s their lawyer. The will dictates that the kids can divvy up Lisbet’s possessions among themselves. However, she’d rather they decide what to do with the house. The will states that they will have 96 hours to make a decision regarding who will be the beneficiary; otherwise, the house will be donated to charity. Naturally, our trio isn’t thrilled with this development.
Meet Malec — Erm, Tyler
Meanwhile, August (Maurice Dean Wint) proposes that the group convene at some point to discuss the alterations he’s made to their technology. Luke (Tim Rozon) suggests they meet the following day. Malec, aka Tyler (R. Austin Ball), interrupts the proceedings. Luke introduces him to Auggie, Susan (Sarah Levy) and Lomax (Elena Juatco). Auggie eyes Tyler with suspicion. After this, Luke and Tyler meet in the former’s office. Luke wants to chat about potential buyers for Tyler’s home.
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However, Tyler’s more interested in where he’s going. What are his options for a new house? He tells Luke what he’s looking for, which is objectively extravagant. Tyler insists it’s not much, though; he’s not ostentatious. Thinking Tyler delivered a self-deprecating jab, Luke chuckles. Of course, based on Malec’s conversation last week with Seven, we know he loathes being the object of laughter. Tyler orders Luke not to laugh at him (only with him).
Later, per Zooey’s instructions, the Eno siblings begin laying claim to their late mother’s belongings via colorful sticky notes. They start fighting over their mom’s quilt. Zooey defuses the situation by suggesting everyone sleep on it before deciding who gets the quilt.
Evil Barry
That night, Barry wakes up in bed to, well, himself. His evil alter ego, perhaps? Evil Barry reminds him about Sheri and Arlo ratting him out for having weed and him having to miss prom because of it. They don’t deserve Mom’s blanket; he does. EB encourages Barry to stand up for himself. Oh, and maybe he should kill his siblings.
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Then, Zooey brings coffee to Lomax, Auggie and Susan. She admits she misses The Roman Ireland Agency and everyone in it. Sometimes, the suits at her law firm are too overwhelming. The gang misses her, too, especially when the phone rings for the sixth time consecutively. Zooey asks where Luke is, to which the crew realizes he’s still with Tyler.
After Lomax and Susan leave, Zooey stays a bit to chat with Auggie. She knows something is up. Auggie’s Spidey senses are tingling — Tyler isn’t who he says he is. Now, he normally trusts Luke, but perhaps the latter’s judgment is off here.
Running a Marathon
Meanwhile, Luke and Tyler jog through the park. Luke struggles to keep up with Tyler as he rambles on about why he works in the retirement home space. Luke takes a hydration break after a two-hour jog (oof). Tyler looms over Luke while his back is turned, preparing to take over Luke’s body. However, Luke whirls around quickly, and that window for possession promptly closes.
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Next, Sheri chats with her evil alter ego in the mirror. Evil Sheri reminds her of the time Arlo and Barry took credit for the Thanksgiving meal she whipped up. They also just suck. Maybe she should kill them! Zooey eavesdrops on part of the conversation, wondering why Sheri is talking to herself. Sheri emerges briefly from her room, asking if they can get a quote on the house. You know, so she and her brothers can weigh all their options. Zooey knows just the real estate agency that can help.
Later, Lomax chats with the siblings. Lomax understands they’re on a time crunch, so she presents them with a market valuation list that includes comps she has available. Sheri takes the document from Lomax, reminding her siblings that their mother named her the executor of the estate. Then, she and Arlo poke fun at Barry for being a podiatrist. Lomax and Zooey watch them bicker with annoyance.
A Bad Influence
At The Tell-Tale Heart that evening, Luke and Tyler have drinks. They look over potential homes for Tyler. He’s impressed with Luke’s work. Luke feels himself getting increasingly drunk. The bartender/waiter who always knows what Luke wants tells Tyler he’s called an Uber for Luke. Is this the first time we’ve heard him speak? But Tyler’s not ready for the fun to end. He proposes that he and Luke go into business together. At one point, Tyler’s eyes boast the same x’s as Elvis the Elephant. Luke spaces out here, but snaps into reality again.
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Meanwhile, the Eno siblings have dinner together that Alro prepared. Sheri and Barry insult him, claiming the food is sh*t. Arlo imagines stabbing Sheri in the neck. The following day, Sheri tells Zooey about the Thanksgiving dinner debacle and how her brothers broke her arm. Zooey reminds her that they were kids back then. She asks Sheri what she wants now. “I want them dead,” Sheri declares without missing a beat, a look of malice in her eyes.
Then, Sheri laughs it off, but also looks slightly surprised that she said something so shocking aloud. After this, Sheri finds her mother’s perfume bottle, noting the same fragrance permeating the house. She accuses Barry and Arlo of spraying the perfume to toy with Sheri’s grief.
PKTs and TREs
The trio continues laying sticky notes on items they want. This time, it’s mostly things that can be wielded as weapons. They gravitate toward their mom’s quilt again. Zooey comes to the rescue — again — to alleviate the tension. We see the quilt drag itself across the floor after everyone leaves the room. Creepy.
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Later, Auggie shows Luke, Susan and Lomax the ASDRA-level updates he’s made to the agency’s tech. One piece of supernatural-hunting equipment now has a monocle that categorizes otherworldly phenomena, i.e., demons, roadies or poltergeists. Their basic PKT device can now carbon date energy fields to determine how long an entity has existed. Another device can detect TREs — Temporally Resonant Edifices. That’s pretty important in the gang’s line of work.
In addition, Auggie’s hard at work on installing a breach alarm in the office like the old one they had. It’s important to know if anything — or anyone — has followed them home. Auggie looks at Luke. He’s clearly talking about Tyler. He knows Tyler’s a bad egg.
Evil Arlo
Next, Arlo talks to his evil alter ego through a TV screen. Evil Arlo reminds him about the time Sheri and Barry traded his 10-speed bike in for a skateboard and a CD player (ah, that last one takes me back). Maybe he should kill them. I’m sensing a theme here.
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Then, Lomax and Susan are inside the house they’re renovating to flip. Lomax reveals she purchased bricks for their accent wall on the cheap. Susan notices a strange symbol etched into one of them. She snaps a pic to send to Tag, Roman Ireland’s new researcher.
Elsewhere, Luke assists Zooey with the estate sale at the Eno house. They meet the Enos’ longtime neighbor, who’s known the trio of siblings since they were little. She admits they always quarreled, but Sheri’s Thanksgiving story didn’t happen the way she recalls it. Lisbet and her husband never missed any family get-togethers.
Someone’s Got a Crush
Tag (Alex Ozerov-Meyer) imparts his research to Lomax and Susan. The symbol is the Caduceus, also known as the “herald’s wand.” It’s also the staff of Mercury. Tag admits he plans to dig deeper regarding certain elements of this particular Caduceus. He adds that sometimes companies would stamp bricks meant for institutional jobs. Tag only addresses Susan, and Lomax picks up on this. After the call, Lomax points out that Tag has a crush on Susan. Susan reminds Lomax that her dating days are over.
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Meanwhile, the Eno siblings find possessions of theirs that are inexplicably part of the estate sale. Naturally, they accuse each other of playing dirty. They reunite with the neighbor from earlier, who explains that their mom’s quilt doesn’t contain fragments of their clothing. She sewed in bits of her and their father’s clothes.
That evening, Barry hears a woman laughing. He finds the quilt in tatters on the stairs. Arlo and Sheri rush to his side. Our trio decides something supernatural is at play. Perhaps Mommy Dearest is haunting them. Later, Luke and Auggie arrive at the house. Luke already senses a spirit inside the home. Armed with one of his devices, Auggie reveals that said spirit isn’t maternal, but there is a familial connection.
You’re Molting
Elsewhere, Zooey and Susan chat in the latter’s office. Zooey admits she’s terrified. Her job intimidates her, and quite frankly, it doesn’t feel like home — not like the agency. Susan compares Zooey to a molting crab. She’s going through a transitional stage. Zooey was accepted into the firm before completing her bar exam. She’s immensely intelligent and cut out for this.
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After this, Tag informs the crew about Lisbet’s teen pregnancy. She gave birth to a daughter, Summer, at 16. Unfortunately, Summer was taken away from her and bounced between several foster homes. Worse, a foster brother stabbed Summer in the neck when she was 15. It seems the spirit of Summer has been haunting the Eno siblings, manipulating them and turning them on each other. Perhaps she’s bitter, having watched the Enos grow up with Lisbet in their picture-perfect lives.
Sure enough, Sheri, Arlo and Barry brandish weapons and threaten to kill each other. Summer (Eva MacCharles) watches from the stairs, a darkly gleeful expression on her ghostly face. Outside the house, Luke tells Auggie of his risky plan. The plan in question? Summon Lisbet’s ghost to mend fences with Summer.
Move On
Summer accuses Lisbet of leaving her behind to start a new family. Lisbet reassures her daughter that she never stopped loving her. She shows Summer a piece of the destroyed quilt — it’s actually a fragment of Summer’s baby blanket. Lisbet insists she loves all her children. After Summer lets out her rage in a fit of slaps, she embraces her mother. Lisbet tells Summer it’s time to move on. So, move on they do.
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Later, the Eno siblings, who are no longer under Summer’s influence, tell Zooey of their desire to sell the house. They’ll split the money from the sale four ways. A quarter of the sale will go to a charity in Summer’s name. Zooey leaves a voicemail for Susan after this meeting, thanking her for the pep talk. Zooey feels like she’s making progress now.
Meanwhile, Vonda (Jessika Mathurin) finally moves out, but Tyler can’t bring himself to care about her. He’s more interested in the gift that his assistant sent to Luke. At the agency, Susan hands Luke a box without a sender’s address. Inside the package is none other than Elvis the Elephant. Luke is perplexed by this.
SurrealEstate drops new episodes every Thursday at 10 pm EST on Syfy.
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