On the seventh episode of Curfew, we spent most of our time with Kaye (Phoebe Fox) as we learned more about how the outbreak began.
If you’re not up to date with Curfew and like to avoid spoilers we suggest you don’t read any further.
The episode opened up with a quick flashback to the beginning of the race where Max Larssen (Adam Brody) made his speech about the island and the reason they were all racing. Back to the race, the racers entered the final leg as they crossed the border into Scotland.
The mysterious BMW i8 and the motorbike were still pretty much level in first and second places. Faith (Rose Williams) was in 3rd with Cheese (Guz Khan) now driving for her as the baby looked to be near. Team Awesome were in 4th place with Team Donohue not far behind in 5th.
Meanwhile, MED VAC 239 were back in 7th place with Michael (Malachi Kirby) at the wheel. In the back of the ambulance Kaye (Phoebe Fox) was giving medical assistance to Sebastian (Peter Sullivan) who was shot at the end of last episode. The bullet had made it’s way into his upper abdomen and her efforts couldn’t save him. Before he died he told her that she needed to continue the work to find a cure.
The episode flashed back to five years, 69 days before the virus outbreak. It showed Helen Newman (Harriet Walter) and Peter D’Carter (Joe Bannister) giving a presentation at Kiloran. She had been able to reverse the paralysis in a monkey called Ziggy. She explained the procedure which used cells from his brain combined with a virus which had resulted in the miraculous recovery. Her daughters Kaye and Ruby (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) were also present in the audience to witness her achievement. Kaye had been offered a job on the team but she needed to think about it.
After Kaye and Ruby left, Peter was bitten by Ziggy who suddenly became very aggressive. Despite the accident, Sebastian said they needed to push on to full human trials. During the postmortem on Ziggy, Peter became unwell. He was unsteady on his feet and began having nosebleeds.
Back in the present, at BrookHeath, Grieves (Robert Glenister) taunted Helen. She said it was his fault but he said it was her who had wiped out 10% of the world’s population. She said that he deserved to die so he got close and began to sing You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones. Helen took the opportunity to lean forward and bite him on the neck. She later died.
A flashback to 44 days before the outbreak took us to the time when Kaye decided to come back and join her mother’s team. She got to know the patients and Helen told her about a new patient who was to be joining them – Michael. Kaye welcomed him when he arrived. Meanwhile, Peter began having terrible headaches.
35 days before the outbreak, Kaye interviewed Michael and he underwent some tests. Kaye seemed to be fond of him and he caught her staring at him. He spoke of his accident and love of driving and was surprised to hear that she didn’t drive. He decided that needed to be fixed and began giving her lessons where they had a lot of fun and became closer. Helen noticed that Kaye had become fond of Michael. After his surgery he was able to stand and walk a little. Helen spotted them sharing a kiss in the gardens.
While Michael was doing well, the other patients started to become ill. Kaye had a chat with Peter and he made excuses for his many symptoms which he explained were much worse during the day. He told her about the virus and she realised what they had done could be dangerous as it wasn’t stable. He suggested she talk to her mother and she soon confronted her. Kaye was most worried that something would happen to Michael so she took him to Ruby’s in Cornwall.
6 days before the outbreak, Kaye struggled to get hold of her mother and became worried. She left her an apology via voicemail and asked her to call back. Sebastian sent a specialist team to Kiloran, led by Grieves, to quarantine the hospital. This is when Kaye left Michael with Ruby and headed back to find out what was going on. When she arrived she found the place in full lockdown with the windows and doors covered, the perimeter fence covered in barbed wire and the gates locked. Kaye used her car to help her climb over the fence and the place seemed deserted.
After gaining access to the building with her keycode she had a look around. She found people dead and mutilated. She picked up a walkie-talkie and Grieves was on the other end asking if it was safe. As she made her way through the building he suggested she left. She found the room where he was hiding out and he explained about the containment job he was sent to do which involved VX gas. He said they were attacked by the patients and saw his team ripped to pieces.
They decided to try and get out of the building and were faced by some of the infected. They made it outside and Grieves said she should use the VX gas to kill the infected. Kaye spotted a shadow in her mother’s office and decided to head back inside despite his protests. She left him with the keys incase she didn’t make it.
At Helen’s office she banged on the door and said they needed to leave. Helen opened up and revealed that she was infected. She’d been trying to discover a cure and infected herself with a strain of the virus. Helen refused to leave but Kaye said she wouldn’t go without her. Outside, Grieves became impatient and sped off. Helen eventually agreed to leave and they were pursued through the building by the infected. They managed to barricade a door and get outside.
Kaye connected up the VX gas and pumped it into the building. As they ran through the gate they spotted Peter who was riddled with infection. Kaye raised her gun but was unable to bring herself to shoot him. Peter ran off and failing to kill him was how the outbreak began. Back in the present she confessed everything to Michael who suggested they might be able to go back and find a cure.
As the drove through the driving rain they were flagged down by an injured Zane (Elijah Rowen). He collapsed in the road and died. A short drive later they found a petrol station where many of the other racers were parked up. They investigated the scene and found Team Donohue’s dog, Brutus, in their Volvo. When they opened the door Brutus ran to the petrol station cafe and it was opened by Roman (Ike Bennett).
Roman worriedly called out to Michael and a man came out carrying a shotgun. He raised it and fired but not at Michael, he shot an approaching Mook. He beckoned them inside, where they found what looked like a dead Meg (Jessye Romeo), an injured Jenny (Andi Osho), Joker Jones (Billy Zane), El Capitano (Jason Thorpe), Cheese and Faith. Most surprising though was that Max Larssen was also there. The episode ended as he said “Welcome to the party”.
On the eighth episode of Curfew, it’s the season finale of the most frantic race the world has ever seen – but will we see a winner? The BMW i8 pulls up at a deserted petrol station, and a mystery racer reveals his identity. The remaining teams also pull over, reunited again at the last stop before the finish line. But it’s the end of a long hard night, and the prize is so close that tensions and tempers run high. All hell breaks loose as one small act of sabotage is blown totally out of proportion. And as the final contenders emerge from the chaos, all that stands between them and the island is a birth, a gun, the blades of a circular saw, and a kitchen sink.
Curfew concludes on Sky One at 9pm Friday on Sky One. Preview it with our gallery below:
