Mercy

"Mercy" is the second episode of Season 1 of Rippled Water. It aired on Saturday, 14th June.

Plot Synopsis
The episode begins seconds after the previous one ended. Elton stands in horror after Caleb expels blood from his mouth, covering Elton's face and chest. Caleb, now collapsed on the ground, is prodded by James, who is unsure as what to do with the sick individual. Dee and Leon both try to take control of the situation, but with Leon's immaturity meaning that he is unable to think of a solution. James steps in, ordering Kam to get involved, helping himself and Leon carry Caleb out of the bar. Dee takes Elton off to clean himself up, with James ordering her to remain wary of the blood, knowing that there's a chance whatever infection has come over Caleb is likely spreading through the blood. James, Kam and Leon carry Caleb to the poolside shed, breaking the door open to put him inside, hoping he will remain out of site to guests and hotel owner Nigel Draft.

Up in the hotel, Dana returns to her room, finding it has been ransacked, with blood covering the bathroom floor. Dana begins to panic, looking for her domineering lover Del. Del appears behind Dana, grabbing her and shoving her against the bathroom wall, where he proceeds to tell her that she will not leave him, believing that she is the one who attacked him earlier that evening.

The next morning, James and Leon sit on guard outside the shed. Inside Kam is checking over Caleb carefully, noting that whatever is effecting him is likely contagious, making sure he doesn't get to close to him. James and Leon begin to debate whether to call local authorities, with Leon suggesting they don't, as any more bad press will result in the resort being closed down, ultimately rendering them all unemployed. Kam exits the shed after examining Caleb, informing the two men that Caleb's survival is unlikely, but that certain medical tools may be able to give him hope, or at least make him comfortable. The three men begin discussing the where they'd be able to get medical supplies, with James pointing out the only resources left are those in Elton's office. Dexter overhears the men talking while lying on a sunbed, he looks over, but is quickly noticed by Leon, who suggests they remain silent due to eavesdroppers.

Around the resort several guests are seen trying to comprehend why everything is at a standstill. Cordelia and Laura have a discussion about 'Bar 9' being closed (causing havoc, being the only place that still had staff to serve food). The two seem to butt heads, with Laura taking a nonchalant attitude to the whole situation, much to Cordelia's annoyance. Davey approaches Cordelia on the beach, flirting with her at first, before noticing an argument breaking out down the beach, which completely steals his attention. Azure is seen shouting at Laura, demanding that she admits what she saw the previous night (having been situated outside the bar during Caleb's arrival). Colin attempts to defuse the situation, but to no avail, with Laura fighting back, claiming that Caleb was simply a drunk guest who had likely taken a fall. Dexter and Jackson walk over to the crowd forming on the beach, asking Azure to explain what she had seen.

Heaven begins to walk round the resort, with her lift to the docks failing to arrive. She begins to search the area for anyone able to help, stumbling upon her co-workers and Kam by the pool. Heaven immediately suspects that something is up, questioning Leon and James as to why they're not working. James attempts to lie his way out of the situation, but ends up failing, confirming Heaven's suspicions that something is up.

Dee sits in Elton's office, having watched over him during the night. She awakens to find him staring blankly at paperwork, finding it hard to get his attention for an unknown reason. Dee asks whether Elton is ok, to which he replies that he is, before demanding to know why she is not working. Dee tries to proclaim that it was because she wanted to make sure he was ok, but Elton demands she gets back to work, which she obeys. After Dee leaves, Elton begins to burry his head in his arms.

Back at the shed, Kam finds a now conscious Caleb sat up. He attempts to talk with Caleb, but is quickly attacked, with Caleb trying to strangle Kam, who easily fights him off. Caleb begins to threaten Kam, stating that he will not take him "back". Kam exits the shed, stating that they need to tie Caleb up, as he is now proving to be a danger to others. Despite James' original unwillingness to go along with it, Kam is successful is tying Caleb down with the assistance of Leon. The three get a fright when they notice Azure leading a mob towards 'Bar 9' in order to give proof to her claims of Caleb arriving at the resort that previous evening. However, when they get there they find the bar has already been locked up. Azure then suggests that they go to find Elton, the manager of the hotel who was 'attacked' by the man.

Heaven goes to visit Monroe, who is suffering from a hangover. Monroe initially believes that Heaven has arrived to inform him that he is fired, noting that he has slept past opening hours. Heaven lets him know that this is not the case, and that she has come to let him know that James and Leon are hiding something. The two discuss the situation, with Monroe stating that he is willing to help her find out what the others are hiding.

At the shed, the three continue to argue over what to do with Caleb. Leon suggests that they take Caleb out into the jungle and leave him to die, as it would mean he is no longer their problem. Kam appears to agree with Leon, with James being the only one to stand against them, not wanting to lose his humanity over keeping a job. James demands that they get Dee to help them, knowing that she will provide a suitable solution to the situation.

The angry mob rallied by Azure head to the front desk where they find Robb, who tries to control the crowd, eventually passing them over to an irritated Elton. Azure and Jackson begin to interrogate Elton about the events that happened the previous evening, while Dexter, Davey and Cordelia take a step back, observing rather than getting involved. Elton manages to sway the crowd successfully with his lies, stating that Caleb was a drunk guest who has been taken to his room. Davey begins to believe Elton, suggesting they leave the situation be. However, Azure and Jackson are less convinced, believing that the hotel is hiding something. During the exchange Evie exits from the elevator, heading directly to the front desk where she requests a "mail" from Robb, who quickly hands Evie a package. Evie then exits the lobby, being chased by Davey, who believes she may be hiding something. Elton tells the group to get a lift to the docks, then leave the island, not wanting to deal with the guests any longer. He then walks over to James and Dee, demanding that they follow him to the poolside shed, where Heaven is interrogating Leon and Kam, who seem to be unable to hide what's inside. Heaven forces her way past the two and opens the shed door, finding Caleb inside.

Davey catches up with Evie, demanding to know what's in the package. Evie responds coldly, not wanting to engage in a conversation with Davey. Davey then attempts to take the package from her, resulting in Evie kicking him in the groin, sending him to the ground. Evie then continues walking to find solitude, while Davey is left wincing on the footpath.

Elton, Dee and James arrive at the shed, with Elton panicking as to why they have tied up Caleb, stating that it'll finish them. Heaven begins to untie Caleb, believing it to be inhumane to keep him locked up. Caleb grabs Heaven's arm once he is free, once again begging not to be taken "back". Caleb then mentions that he let "her die", which the others don't seem to understand. Davey arrives at the shed, having noticed the crowd forming around it, he spots Caleb, and is immediately shocked to see what is going on. Caleb begins muttering "forty-three" over and over, attempting to escape the shed, resulting in Kam throwing him back down, badly injuring the already fragile Caleb. Dee begins screaming at Kam, but is interrupted by Elton, who states that they must deal with Caleb, as he can't be released, as he would tell the authorities what had happened to him. Kam takes a pillow from the shed, willing to smother Caleb to death, ending his pain and the problem of his existence for the resort. Leon appears to side with Kam, willing to allow him to go forward with the killing. Dee and Heaven attempt to fight Kam off, but they are outnumbered after James appears to side with the other boys. Caleb begins screaming "don't let him take me", but he is silenced after Kam places the pillow gently over his face, shutting the shed door behind him.

Kam exits the shed, dropping the pillow onto the ground. Monroe arrives at the scene, with Heaven informing him what had happened. Monroe gives James a disgusted look, causing James to look away, unable to keep eye contact with his mentor. Azure, Dexter and Robb leave the scene, having arrived after hearing Caleb's screams, they are followed by Heaven, Dee and Monroe. Meanwhile, down on the beach, Evie opens the package alone. Inside she finds a picture of Caleb, along with a file on him, containing specific details about him, including height, weight and blood type. Evie then finds a room key inside the package, revealing that Caleb was once a guest inside the hotel. Evie breaks down, putting her hands in her knees, unable to accept what is going on.

Later that night, Kam gives a speech to the guests and staff left at the resort, who all gather before him. The shed is set alight, with Caleb's body inside. Kam tells the group that they need to stick together, as no one is coming for them, and that they will just have to wait it out until the boat's arrive to collect them, although he himself sounds pessimistic. Elton stands off in the distance watching the speech, where he is joined by Nigel, who proceeds to inform him that Elton will have to take over the 'mess', as he is leaving the resort behind.

After Kam's speech, the group begin to head back to the hotel, with James and Leon putting out the fire. While walking back, Dexter tells Azure that she was right, and that he is getting off the island as soon as he can. Bryanna walks towards the beach to collect her things left by a sunbed, while her boyfriend heads back to the hotel alone. Elton suddenly feels a wetness coming from his nose, and as he looks down he notices blood dripping from his nostril, causing him to run inside to grab some paper towels.

James sits alone by the pool, thinking about the days events, trying to gather his thoughts. He is joined by Simon, who tries to cheer James up, trying to state that James shouldn't blame himself. James remains silent at first, not wanting to be lectured by Simon. Before they can finish their conversation, they are cut off by screams coming from the beach. The resorts power suddenly all goes out, with the entire hotel being left in complete darkness. James and Simon quickly run towards the beach, trying to find the source of the screams. As they arrive, they spot several silhouettes in the distance grabbing a woman, with James running over to help. One of the figures quickly turns, whacking James across the face, rendering him unconscious.

Appearances
• James Amazon • Heaven Chiaro • Leon • Diwata • Monroe Jones • Elton Yates • Robb Jarden • Manuel (no lines) • Kam Azar • Davey Westwood • Laura Miller • Jackson Hart • Dexter Alvarez • Cordelia Rey • Simon Corr • Kris Shepard • Nigel Draft • Evie • Jacob Newman • Joey East • Dana Vasquez • Del • Azure Jinks • Colin Jinks • Tommy (no lines) • Alexa (no lines) • Martin Hudspith • Bryanna McLain • Kelly Johnson (no lines) • Caleb • Yusuf, Maznan & Jasni (uncredited)

Deaths
• Caleb

Trivia
• Cordelia and Kelly make their first appearances this episode. They were not part of the original cast, but were added between episodes 1 and 2. It is assumed that they had been at the resort for some time, possibly arriving the same time as Kam, as they were not seen arriving on the plane during the previous episode. • Yusuf, Maznan and Jasni appear this episode as silhouettes, but are not credited. This is due to the fact that their character appearances were not designed until the beginning of episode three, and that for this episode they simply remained as stand-in shadows. • Caleb's death had been planned since the beginning of episode one, after it was decided that he would survive the events of episode one. He was considered to survive until the end of the first season, but the host decided to stick with the original plan, and to have Kam end Caleb's life towards the ending of the second episode. • Caleb's death was somewhat inspired by Edward Mars' death in LOST, in that they were both injured upon arrival, and were eventually euthanized to end their pain.