'Reverie' episode six recap: 'Pas de Deux'

On episode six of Reverie, Mara works with an old boyfriend to help a patient of his leave a Reverie program.

Previously on Reverie, Mara and the team helped stop a terrorist attack.

“Pas de Deux” opens on a woman named Vivian asking her sister Holly if she’d like to go to the farmer’s market together. Holly declines, saying she feels people will stare at her because she’s in a wheelchair. Vivian leaves after encouraging her sister to get out more often. Holly picks up her tablet and escapes into a Reverie. Inside her Reverie, she dances ballet on a big theater stage. Vivian comes home to find Holly unresponsive.

Mara vents to Paul about busy traffic when she gets to work. Pauls says someone is waiting for her office to talk about a patient. Mara enters her office to find a therapist she dated named Chris. She apologizes for not answering all his calls after her sister died. He’s still hurt, but says he wants them to move on and work together.

Chris tells her about Holly’s accident and reveals it left her paralyzed below the waist. Holly was a ballet dancer and started spending too much time in Reverie to experience the feeling of dancing again. He’s worried because she’s been in the program 16 hours and her body cannot take the strain. Mara explains to Chris how Reverie 2.0 works.

Paul asks the others about Chris and Charles reveals he used to help the cops with hostage situations. When asked if the two dated, Charlie refuses to say.

Mara enters the Reverie and watches Holly dance. She applauds the performance, then explains why she’s in Holly’s Reverie. Holly says she will leave, but instead, she runs away from Mara and hides behind a locked stage door.

Mara tells Paul and Chris what happened with Holly. To learn more about her new client, she goes to Holly’s house and talks to her sister Vivian. She learns Vivian teaches ballet to young girls and helps take care of Holly. While Vivian packs a bag for Holly, Mara looks at a music box. The song is one that played in the Reverie. Vivian says she thinks it may have been a gift from Holly’s ex, Zeke. Vivan reveals Zeke was part of the same dance company and left Holly after her accident.

Chris lets Mara know they’ve safely moved Holly into a room at Orina-Tech. The two chat and decide to go out to dinner to talk about Holly’s case. Chris runs into Charlie while he’s waiting for Mara. Charlie reminds him Mara is just starting to heal.

At dinner, Chris and Mara talk about why Holly’s Reverie involves her dancing in front of an empty theater. They start talking about their relationship, which ended when Mara’s sister and niece were murdered. They go back to Mara’s house and she returns a book he loaned her years ago. They flirt and he pulls away before they kiss and they chat a bit about seeing each other tomorrow. Right after Chris leaves, Mara calls Paul to ask him to meet her at Orina-Tech.

Mara enters Holly’s Reverie and asks Holly to teach her to dance. Holly agrees and they talk about dancing as Mara learns the moves. After Mara asks about Zeke, a knocking comes from the door Holly locked the last time Mara was in her Reverie. Mara tries to talk to Holly again, but Holly pushes her and runs for the door.

Back in reality, Mara goes to see Zeke during his work break. He reveals Holly broke up with him after the accident, even though he wanted to stay together. He didn’t give her the music box either. Mara returns to the office and talks to Paul. He says there must be another door that leads to the same place as Holly’s locked door. Charlie bursts in and lets them know Holly’s health is in danger and Mara needs to get her out now.

Mara goes back into the Reverie and tries opening up doors. One door leads to a picturesque house. Mara goes in and finds a young girl named Sadie. She talks to her and they start drawing pictures. Holly comes in and tells Sadie to go do something while she talks to Mara.

Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC

Holly reveals she was pregnant before the accident and hadn’t told Zeke. The music box was a present she bought for her child. Holly talks about how excited she was to have a child and how crushed she was when she lost both her child and her ability to dance. Mara sits Holly down and tells her she’s dying in the real world. Holly says she’d rather die in the dream where she can dance and be with her daughter than stay alive in a world where she has nothing.

Mara leaves and talks to Paul and Alexis. Paul says it’s Holly’s right to chose to stay in Reverie. Alexis says they can’t let a client die and suggests they take out her BCI. They don’t know what will exactly happen if they take out her BCI, but it could cause brain damage. Paul says taking it out would be wrong because Holly didn’t give her permission. Alexis can’t stand the idea that people could use her product for assisted suicides. Mara tells them to give her some more time to get through to Holly.

 

 

Mara goes to see Chris and asks him for advice. The two argue and he talks about how she gave up on him after her family died. He tells her not to let Holly give up and she politely thanks him and leaves.

Mara goes to see Vivian at her work. Vivian feels faint and the two sit down and talk. Vivian has a mild form of MS and hasn’t told Holly yet, saying she doesn’t want to burden Holly with her health problems. Mara explains letting Holly know that Vivian needs her might be what helps save Holly.

Mara finds Holly dancing in Reverie. She tells her about Vivian and explains what Holly’s giving up in the real world. Holly says she can’t do Reverie now and then; if she leaves, she won’t be able to dance or see her daughter again. Holly looks around the theater, crying. She comes to a decision. She and her daughter dance together as Mara watches. Holly says goodbye to her daughter, then leaves Reverie.

Back in the real world, Holly talks to her sister and declares she will help with whatever Vivan needs. Holly helps out with one of Vivian’s classes. She instructs the young students on their stances as Vivian watches in the doorway.

Mara tells Paul she’s missed him, but she’s still working on her own life. He tells her to call him whenever she’s ready and she agrees. After, Mara goes into the hospital. She enters a room and looks at Ray, her brother-in-law who murdered her sister and niece. He survived the self-inflicted gunshot and is in a coma.

I liked this episode of Reverie. Finding out Ray’s alive was a major surprise. I think Mara’s difficulty with handling her family’s murder is even more understandable after that reveal. The Reverie storyline was interesting and I liked the hopeful ending. I found Chris really bland. If Chris comes back, I hope they flesh out his character.

Reverie airs Wednesdays on NBC at 10 p.m.