'Reverie' episode five recap: 'Altum Somnum'

On the newest Reverie episode, Mara races against the clock to try and get information to stop a terrorist attack.

Previously on Reverie, Mara met Hill and learned about Dark Reverie. Also, she helped a man achieve his goal of helping his neighbor and her son with a drug trial.

“Altum Somnum” opens on a man going into a large building and waiting in line to go through security. He leaves and calls someone, letting them know he will be late. Seconds later, an explosion happens and he’s knocked down.

At Onira-Tech, Charlie asks Mara to meet him in his office. She does and finds the team waiting along with Monica Shaw. Monica reveals to the others she works for the US Defense Department, who owns thirty percent of Onira-Tech. She says she’s come to ask for their help in foiling a terrorist attack.

Monica shows the team footage of the attack, saying over 60 people are confirmed dead so far. The building was targeted because it housed some military contractors. Someone going by the name Silas sent a video citing the disposal of toxic military items which poisoned a county’s water supply as the motive for the attack. The video suggests more attacks are coming.

Monica announces she brought a survivor named Denise Lang to the building. They believe she can identify Silas. Denise is in a coma and the doctors don’t think she will last very long. Monica says Mara should be able to go into Denise’s mind with Reverie. Alexis finds out Monica has the Reverie source code and asks Charlie if he gave the military the code. He ignores her and focuses on Mara’s safety. Paul doesn’t want to do it, saying it’s a violation of Denise’s rights. Charlie says Mara can’t go in if she could die when Denise dies. Mara looks at pictures from the attack and says she’s going into Reverie.

Paul and Alexis use the security video as a layout for the Reverie program and hope Denise’s brain will fill in Silas’s face. Paul still believes the plan is a gross misuse of the program and of Denise's personal rights, but he’s going along with it to help keep Mara safe. He and the others work on recreating the lobby for Reverie.

Paul lets know Mara know the Reverie is ready. Alexis tells Mara not to mention the Reverie program to Denise because she might not take it well. Mara gets into the program and moves a plant in front of a Reverie exit symbol. She bumps into someone and recognizes the girl’s shoes from the pictures of the victims. She sees Denise and the two speak briefly. Denise seems confused and knows something is wrong.

Charlie meets with Monica. He accuses her of risking Mara’s life to show off to investors. Monica agrees she is using Mara to help the Defense Department see Reverie as a tool it can use in the future. During their conversation, Monica receives a call. She reveals the woman in their care is not actually Denise Lang.

In Reverie, Mara sees Denise watching a man whose has no face. She yells at the man, calling him Silas. Mara leaves Reverie and tells the others. Dylan reveals the woman they know as Denise is actually a young woman named Ashley Trent. Monica insists Mara continue to help and get information from Ashley about Silas. Mara says she doesn’t believe Ashley knew about people getting hurt and wants to find out more about the woman.

Alexis is unhappy that Monica is using her program in that way and deciding what the team does. She reiterates she’s in charge and confronts Charlie about giving Monica the Reverie source code. He says she needs to change her attitude about what being in charge means.

Mara meets with Ashley’s mother Mrs. Trent and asks about Ashley. She discovers Ashley’s father stole money from his clients when Ashley was a teenager. Mrs. Trent kept the truth from Ashley as long as possible. As a result of her father’s criminal activity, Ashley was bullied and kept running away from home. Mrs. Trent says she hasn’t seen her daughter in a year.

Charlie takes Alexis to meet with a woman Ashley knew named Edith Leonard. He tells Alexis she needs to start interacting with other people and taking responsibility for her own actions. They discuss the fact that the money they got from the government came with conditions. They knock on Edith’s door and a woman answers, claiming Edith is asleep. Charlie doesn’t believe her and they walk in seconds later. Alexis finds ID pictures of Ashley and they run outside to stop Edith from escaping. They try to talk to Edith but she pulls a gun on them and goes on an anti-military rant. They are unable to stop her from committing suicide.

Monica tells Mara she needs to go back in because they think the next attack will happen soon. Mara has the idea to use Edith’s face when she goes into Ashley’s Reverie. Ashley sees Mara as Edith and asks her questions, wondering why everyone and everything seems so weird. She has Mara open a door that goes to a building in the woods, but Mara insists it’s just a closet. Ashley falls and Mara wakes to discover Ashley’s lung collapsed. Monica says she received a tip about a location but given Ashley’s state, she cannot help confirm if it’s real or not.

Mara tells Paul about the door to the woods. He says Ashley’s brain is making a Reverie itself. He thinks she’s rejecting the Reverie they created and making a safe space of her own. Mara talks to Mrs. Trent and finds out the cabin was a family cabin they went to when Ashley was little. Mrs. Trent holds a copy of Alice in Wonderland she used to read to Ashley as a little kid and says she wished she had told Ashley the truth about her father sooner. Mara realizes Ashley will value the truth from her and goes back into the Reverie.

Mara goes back into the Reverie to discover the lobby and its occupations are still. She enters the door that goes into the woods. Meanwhile, Monica calls Charlie and tells him the tip was fake. She tells him to find Mara so they can discover the next bomb location.

Mara walks into the cabin and talks to Ashley, who is confused and scared. Mara explains what the Reverie is and what’s happening in the real world. Ashley explains that Silas told her the bomb wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Mara comforts her, letting her know she was preyed upon by Silas. Ashley explains Silas left the bomb in the closet for her to move, but it was supposed to be set for nine hours later when everyone was gone. She saw it was set for 45 seconds and froze. Mara asks her about the other bomb and Ashley tells her where the other is set. The room shakes shaking and Ashley realizes she’s dying. She tells Mara to tell her mother she loved her and to leave immediately.

Mara tries to use the exit word, but it doesn’t work. She rushes back to the lobby and uses the exit symbol just as the Reverie disappears. As Monica and her team disarm the bomb at the second location, Mara goes to Mrs. Trent and lets her know Ashley helped save lives. She tells her Ashley loved her and uses Ashley’s nickname from when she was a child. Mara then reads Alice in Wonderland to Mrs. Trent as the two women cry together beside Ashley’s body.

Charlie goes to Alexis and tells him about a friend he saw die when he was younger. He wants to let her know she can talk to him about seeing Edith’s suicide. Alexis reveals she’s seen someone die before and Charlie admits he knows. She thanks Charlie, but when he leaves, she continues to look at Edith’s pictures online.

Monica brings the team some alcohol and thanks Mara for her help. Alexis joins the group to celebrate and they all propose a toast to various things and people, ending with Mara toasting Ashley.

Reverie is getting better with every episode. This was a heavy episode, but I thought the cast handled it well. The ending with Mara reading to Mrs. Trent was touching. The part where they showed Paul entering the Reverie and seeing what needed to be fixed was really interesting.

Reverie airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC. Reverie's on break this week but will return on July 11. Check out the preview for the next episode below.