Zoo season 3 episode 12 review: A Sam surprise amidst the chaos

It really didn’t take all that long going into Zoo season 3 episode 12 for there to be a reminder that the Zoo Crew is, in fact, still very much screwed. Even though Clementine and Sam may have welcomed a healthy baby, there were still the issue of all of the hybrids running amok … and potentially getting set to breach the wall. Abigail Westbrook has been doing what she can to ignite the beacons, and do almost everything that she can to ensure that these creatures are effectively drawn in.

There’s also one other problem: Sam may be the baby’s father, but he’s also working as a double agent for Abigail and cluing her in on what’s going on. Did we also mention that the plane crashed in hybrid territory during the opening minutes of the episode? Jackson and company realized that they were in a terrible spot, and they needed some reinforcements in order to help out. This meant that new teammates Dariela and Tessa were the welcome wagon! They were sent off to help with the extraction, and that of course meant many more problems. Take, for example, the latest near-death experience for Abe, who is getting close to the show’s version of Kenny with how often he almost dies.

Eventually Dariela and Tessa did figure out a way in which to get the Zoo Crew out into the field, but this is where Sam decided that he was going to betray everyone. He set up the ambush with Abigail, who gave him a pretty epic monologue in which she made it clear that all of this was a part of an extremely epic plan of hers to take over the world and ruin everyone’s lives. He also sent Sam careening off of the side of a cliff.

This would’ve been enough to give you a crazy ending for the hour, since the remainder of the team sans Jackson was able to make it to the barrier alive and safe.

This brings us to the shocker of the week

As it turns out, Jackson’s son Connor was actually alive, much to his own surprise. In the midst of her monologue Abigail confirmed the news to her brother, also making it clear that Connor was actually … Sam. That happened. Basically, Abigail helped to raise Jackson’s son as someone who was against both him and the remainder of the team, and then she got to watch Jackson presumably kill him.

Is Sam/Connor dead as a result of his wounds/a hybrid attack? Given that Jackson was carting off his body in the closing minutes, desperate to suddenly save him, it’s not looking good. As for Abigail, she was still breathing last we saw her! That’s not great entering the finale.

Your Jamie / Mitch update

Are they on the same page more than before? It seems that way, given that Mitch now realizes more than ever that he couldn’t hold it against Jamie that she wanted to use Mr. Duncan to kill Abigail. He would’ve actually done it himself.

The CarterMatt Verdict

This episode was crazy, and about as over-the-top as you would expect from Zoo. Was the reveal of Sam as Jackson’s long-lost son the stuff of soap operas? Sure, but this is Zoo. We mostly enjoyed this episode for its pacing and its ability to tell a consistently story that didn’t try to do too much. That’s been a fatal flaw of Zoo for most of the season.

What did you think about Zoo season 3 episode 12? Sound off now in the comments!

Next time on the Zoo season 3 finale…

If you’re interested, you can secure some additional news on what lies ahead just by heading over to the link here! (Photo: CBS.)