Helix S1E4 - "Single Strand" Recap

Those quarantined are growing panicked. Those that are actually not (yet) infected want to get out and Julia fails to calm their nerves. They concoct a plan to shut down the oxygen scrubbers, which would leave the base with only six hours of clean air. The outside is too cold to simply open a window so Hatake would have to negotiate with the quarantined group. They throw Julia out when she refuses to go along with their idea. She spots a person in a gas mask at the end of the hall who beckons to her. She walks after them but upon turning the corner, no one is there.

Alan, Hatake, and Daniel discuss the exploded satellite dish and Alan questions if he is the only one alarmed by this. He tells them he had only suggested the quarantine level based on the assumption that they'd be able to call for help. Daniel says that the next supply drop won't be happening for a while and Hatake says that they must abandon the sick and the dying.

Sarah's hands are still shaking and she accidentally drops her pills after being interrupted a loud banging at her door. A woman is there, saying she doesn't want to go to Level R, asking if she is certain that she hasn't gotten any false tests, showing Sarah a bump on her arm. Doreen and Balleseros check in with Alan regarding the monkeys, saying they've yet to determine whether the virus was transferred from human to monkey or vice versa. Alan visits Peter and tells Dr. Duchamp he wants to try the cure since Peter's condition is worsening. Duchamp is against the idea but Alan tells him that he is the next of kin and consents to the cure being applied.

Hatake knows that Balleseros blew up the dish but Balleseros reminds him that the people they work for are not pleased and the virus they created does nothing but wreak havoc, as opposed to what it is actually supposed to do. The alarm goes off and Hatake sees that the oxygen scrubbers have been shut off. Daniel comes in and plots with them about how to go about doing this. Balleseros wants to unleash guns and firepower on those infected but Hatake insists that he and Daniel will go down and handle it.

Sarah re-tests the woman in her room and the test comes up negative again. The woman repeats her earlier sentiment about not wanting to be sent down to the quarantine level and when Sarah tries to reassure her, the woman tells her she doesn't know what Hatake is capable of. Sarah responds by saying that she doesn't know about Alan and how hard he will fight for the infected. Peter is convulsing and when the cure is finally administered (a yellow liquid injected into his veins), he stops.

Balleseros convinces Doreen to keep her findings quiet from Alan by claiming he's an undercover agent from the Pentagon. When he says that virus is a gene delivery vehicle, which he claims to have overheard, Doreen says that maybe he's not as dumb as he looks.

Julia is chased by a Vector after making noise that reveals her location. The masked figure from before pulls her into a room and they slam the door on the Vector's arm after it gets caught. It suffers a serious injury as a result. Julia tells the masked figure that it can remove the mask as the virus is not airborne. The masked figure does so and introduces herself as Jaye.

Alan speaks to a sleeping Peter, saying he owes Peter for helping him to survive their youth with an abusive father. But he then says that Peter owes him because of his sleeping with Julia.

Sarah tends to the sick woman who is beginning to have hallucinations and she realises that her test doesn't work. The woman asks her about her tumour and when Sarah denies it, she says she can spot the signs since she is an oncologist. The woman says that they will keep each other's secrets.

Doreen and Balleseros study the virus and Doreen figures out that the virus is manmade. Sarah comes in prepared to tell Alan about the faulty tests but Peter speaks and sounds like himself again. Peter goes back to sleep and Sarah then tells Alan about the test not working, though she doesn't mention the sick woman in her room. He asks if there are any infected on the floor and she lies about anyone reporting in. He tells her to fix the problem and tell Hatake they need to re-test everyone.

Hatake reveals a secret room with a staircase that will lead them down to level R. Alan undoes Peter's arm restrains and Peter begins talking about past events as if they were happening currently. Down on Level R, Julia and Jaye search for food. Jaye bangs on the door of the quarantined people and Julia warns her to be quiet, as the vector with the messed up arm is near.

Alan and Duchamp look over Peter's readings and they find that the virus is coming back even stronger. Duchamp warns him that it won't be long till Peter's back to vector status and tells Peter to say whatever he needs to now. Alan goes in and talks with Peter, who reveals that Hatake had him in a lower level and was abnormally interested in Julia. Alan apologises for driving Peter away and Peter apologises for the affair, also admitting that it had been an ongoing thing. Peter went to the base to keep himself away from Julia. He then flatlines and Alan tries to resuscitate him.

Sarah searches for Hatake in his office but he's nowhere to be found. Her hand tremors return so she looks through medical supplies and takes a bottle of morphine. Peter is alive but in a vegetative state. Sarah brings the morphine to the sick woman and injects her. It calms her and then Sarah decides to inject herself.

Jaye and Julia find some food and begin eating cheese whiz straight from the can. Jaye spots something on the wall and Julia recognises it as her initials in her own handwriting as a child and realises that she has been at the base before. Hatake and Daniel reach the scrubber room where there are some men holding axes. Hatake promises to help them and wins their trust enough for them to lower their weapons. They turn the scrubbers back on and then Hatake takes Daniel's pistol and shoots each of the men. Daniel is shocked and asks Hatake why. Hatake says that they would have become a problem and  tried to kill them later. He tells Daniel to dispose of the bodies and head back upstairs. Hatake still has something to do on Level R.

Doreen finds an unknown strand of DNA in the virus and that there's some trait that the disease would manifest inside the people. She's intent on telling Alan and Balleseros grabs her, injecting her with an air bubble and apologising while doing so. Hatake encounters a vector on the quarantine level who doesn't attack and instead steps aside to let him pass. Balleseros dumps a shelf on Doreen and the Narvik B rats begin crawling over her. Well, that's one way to get rid of a body.

Helix airs on Fridays on Syfy at 10PM.