Decisions

"Decisions" is the fourth episode of Season 1 of Rippled Water. It aired on Tuesday, 17th June.

Plot Synopsis
James and Simon are dragged through the jungle, before being thrown down by temple ruins, both with bags over their heads, and their hands still bound from hours earlier. An unknown female speaks to the two men, demanding to know who they are, but both remain quiet out of fear. The girl begins to get frustrated with the two, pulling the bags off their heads to reveal herself. It becomes clear that this girl is likely a native due to her appearance. She looks down at the two, giving off a faint smile, realizing that they are who she had hoped.

Dee, Kam, Leon and Laura sit together to discuss the matter of Manuel, who they have realized shouldn't still be at the resort, meaning he is likely not all he claims to be. Dee tries to persuade Kam to talk to Manuel, hoping that he'll get to the bottom of the issue. Leon states Kam might not be the best individual, due to his violent methods. Kam and Leon then both try to get Dee to go, as she would be the best at keeping the situation calm, preventing anything from occurring. After initially declining, Dee finally agrees to talk to Manuel, hoping that things will go smoothly. Kam tries to get Dee to take Elton's revolver which she had stolen earlier, but she refuses, stating that guns will cause an issue immediately. Kam then leaves to get changed, while the other three remain at the bar, preparing to confront Manuel. After Kam returns, the group head over to the pool area where Manuel is situated. Leon and Laura remain at a distance, not wanting to look like a mob heading towards Manuel, while Kam swims in the pool beside them.

At the runway, Davey, Monroe, Heaven and Dexter look around at the deserted area. Davey and Heaven have a small argument, with Davey believing he deserves more credit, having already stated that any transportation would be removed in attempt to trap the group on the island, preventing their escape. The group then attempt to use the radio to contact the others, wanting to inform them of their discovery.

Dee and Manuel begin talking, with Dee questioning Manuel about his presence at the resort, despite the fact he should have left with the other workers. Leon and Laura are joined by a silent Dana and Jacob, who blows their cover by asking what they are doing, alerting Manuel, who notices the group watching him. Things get worse after the radio begins to go off in Leon's pocket, with Manuel becoming uncomfortable with the group spying on him. As Manuel tries to leave, Dee gets forceful, pushing him back before demanding to know why he isn't noted on staff files. Manuel claims that he started late, and therefore cant leave until he's completed his term. He spots that Dee still doesn't believe him, causing him to request they go to Elton, who can confirm this. Before Dee can accept, Manuel pulls out a handgun, smacking Dee across the face, pointing the gun towards the group in the distance. Manuel fires several shots, hitting Jacob in the neck. Before Manuel can do any more damage, he is shot several times in the chest by a shaken Laura, who had taken the revolver from the bar after Dee refused to bring it along. Manuel's body falls back into the pool, slowly floating to the bottom, while Laura drops the revolver, in shock as to what she had just done.

After the shootout, Dee is taken to the bar where Kam treats her wound. Both Jacob and Manuel's bodies are moved out of sight, with those that witnessed the deaths breaking down, particularly Kris and Laura. Azure and Leon do their best to calm the others down, but can feel the situation getting to themselves. Dee tells Kam to confront Elton and Nigel Draft, believing both to be involved in whatever is occurring on the island. Leon begins to advise the guests to move out of their rooms, and that they'd all be much safer staying in the bar or setting up camp outside the hotel.

Davey, Monroe, Heaven and Dexter continue venturing north, unable to reach the others at the resort. Heaven assures Monroe that she wont leave the group to find her parents, and instead is willing to stay behind to clear up the mess on Malani, which he appreciates. The group reach the docks, with Davey bursting in excitement, pleased to see that his plan has somewhat worked. Heaven takes out the radio and uses it to call Leon at the resort, hoping to get a clear enough signal to inform him of their findings.

Kam and Leon go to confront Elton, who is in his office talking to Nigel on the phone, in which he is overheard referencing Manuel's death, stating that Robb informed him of it. Elton hangs up on Nigel, spewing up some blood as he does so, with both Leon and Kam able to see that his health has worsened. Kam pulls his gun on Elton, threatening him as opposed to talking, much to the annoyance of Leon, who leaves the office, not wanting to be apart of Kam's actions. Elton insists that he knows nothing, refusing to answer any of Kam's questions. Kam begins physically abusing Elton, smashing the chair into him, and beating him for any information, all to no avail. Elton does however inform Kam that Nigel Draft will have all the answers, causing Kam to leave him in the office, heading outside to Leon. Leon's radio begins buzzing, which he hands over to Kam, who begins speaking with Heaven. Heaven informs Kam about the deserted runway, but is unable to go into detail, with Davey and Dexter jumping in one of two longboats on the dock, leaving Monroe and Heaven behind. Monroe orders Davey to return, but he refuses, causing Monroe and Heaven to jump into the second boat, trying to paddle after them, seeing Davey's plan of getting external help as foolish.

In the lobby, Dana sits and waits to be told what to do, but is met by boyfriend Del, who much like Elton, is bleeding from his nose and eyes, clearly infected with the same virus. Del charges at Dana, holding a shard of glass he retrieved from his room after smashing up its contents. Del pounces on Dana, trying to stab her with the glass, believing it was her who gave him the virus. Dana is able to overpower the physically weak Del, smashing his glasses lens into his eye, before jamming the shard of glass into his neck, crawling away in horror as he bleeds out on the lobby floor. Leon and Robb run over to Dana, with Robb accusing her of murder, suggesting that she is a danger to the group. Dana, still in shock, rambles on, giving the others the impression that she truly may be a danger to others, despite the truth being she murdered Del in self defense.

On Panoi, La takes James and Simon into temple ruins, which she is using as shelter, with the interior full of food supplies and weapons. La begins to frighten the men, making comments that suggest she is completely out of touch with Western attitudes, as well as drawing on past violent acts she's committed. Despite their fears, La is able to treat both their wounds, cleaning them to prevent infection, which they are grateful for.

In the closing scene, the individuals are shown at night going through their own personal struggles. At the resort, Dee sits outside with Kam, resting her head on his shoulder, with both giving off faint smiles. Kris sits with both Tommy and Alexa, crying silently to herself over the loss of Simon. Nigel sits in his room with Evie, looking down at the others on the resort, whilst in the lobby, Dana stands over the corpse of Del, holding an angered look on her face. La, James and Simon sit in the temple ruins on Panoi, with James giving La a faint smile as she passes him a can of food. Out on the water, Monroe and Heaven remain silent after Heaven made a comment about Monroe's failed relationship with his wife. Up ahead, Davey and Dexter continue paddling to find help. Shots are suddenly fired at the canoe, with one bullet hitting Dexter in the shoulder, causing him to fall overboard, capsizing the canoe. Davey manages to keep his head above the water, calling out for his unresponsive companion.

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

Deaths
• Manuel • Jacob Newman • Del

Trivia
• This episode was cut short due to the hosts internet going down, meaning the story was unable to progress.