Helix “Aniqatiga” Review: The Plot Thickens, But at the Cost of the Narrative?

By Clinton Bell

Helix’s unanswered questions and increasingly convoluted story are making it difficult to stay on board.

“Aniqatiga” throws us another curveball, revealing that there’s a police officer named Anana who is interested in the goings on at the base. It’s too early to say definitively, but I’m not sure why this character needs to exist. Instead of answering some of our questions, Anana’s introduction complicates the narrative more. Also, what is up with the guy that looks exactly like Daniel?

We still haven’t learned anything new about Sarah’s tumor, yet overall, Sarah is a more effective character this week than she has been recently. She and Alan even make some progress with the virus, learning more about what it does and how they can slow it down. After learning that cold temperatures slow it down, they decide to cryogenically freeze Peter in hopes that it will help his condition.

Speaking of Peter, it was nice to see him walking around and talking in Julia’s dream/hallucination. Yeah, it was only a fabrication of Julia subconscious, but I’m sure Neil Napier was happy not having to spend the entire episode in a bed, under layers of gross makeup.

As for Alan and Sarah having sex—I’m not a fan. There is nearly a 30-year age gap between them, and it would make more sense for them to have a father-daughter dynamic as opposed to a romantic relationship. Perhaps it’ll evolve into something better, but I am not sensing much romantic chemistry between these two characters at this time.

Julia’s material is what I enjoyed the most this week. The Christmas dinner scene was amusing and a nice pause from the chaos. Julia then wakes from the dream in extreme pain. I’m not sure what Hatake did to her, but she isn’t as sickly looking as she has been, and her eye colour change indicate that Hatake does indeed have the cure for what’s ailing the base. It’s another question that we’ll have to ponder until next week.

The episode concludes with Balleseros’ employer arriving at the base. Hatake seems to know who she is, so I imagine he will do most of the talking, while Alan grills them (and Hatake) with questions. Next week’s episode promises to be a big one.