‘Wayward Pines’ season 2 premiere review: Carry on my Wayward son

The second season of “Wayward Pines” arrived to us on Wednesday night with an hour of television that proved to be in some ways shocking, but in other ways a little more complicated for its own good.

Also, it certainly was sad at times. The premiere ended with us saying farewell to Kate, a character who decided that rather than face the new regime in Jason and seeing what Wayward Pines is now becoming, she was better off taking her own life. Having this happen right in front of Megan was a powerful moment for the show, and this coupled with Ethan’s death last season further along the notion that nobody is safe in this world.

Meanwhile, we also had in the hour the introduction to who may very well be our new lead in Dr. Theo Yeldin, who found himself jettisoned from the main core of the town rather quickly, seemingly just out of being a threat. Jason proved out to be both psychotic and a megalomaniac ruling this town, creating “deals” and having public executions for the sake of leverage. Yeldin was not only exiled with Xander, but also Ben, Ethan’s son who could be a major part in the story by the end of the season.

While there were some exciting moments in the premiere, here’s still the rub: How necessary was much of it? We’d argue not very, since we felt that the ending of season 1 was rather excellent. Sometimes, a show needs to realize that it is better leading well-enough alone, and unless the show manages to present something that is truly incredible this season, it has a hard time justifying its return. Kate’s death was shocking, but it was so early in the season that there wasn’t enough power beyond the jarring choice. Grade: C+.

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