The Barrier – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Skin Contact

Episode 4 of The Barrier sees Hugo and Julia continue their investigation into CIM. After uncovering numerous bodies in the mortuary, they press on to find Marta. Following a string of children being led back to their room, Hugo and Julia evade armed guards and wait for their chance to find Marta.

Stepping out the shadows, Hugo speaks to Marta from behind the glass and promises to get her out. “Don’t be too long Dad” she says, as their time together runs out. Armed guards track them down, flashlights bouncing off the walls, as they’re forced to flee.

The alarms scream out as Hugo and Julia scramble up to the roof and stowaway in a paper truck. When they get outside the facility, the duo charge up to confront Luis about what they’ve found.

Given his trust in Hugo, Luis agrees to visit CIM himself to see if Marta is there. As they do, Alma phones the facility and warns them, activating the evacuation procedure.

As the kids are bundled out the back of the facility, Hugo heads in the front and finds the beds empty. After scrambling out, he eventually finds a truck outside holding the kids but Marta is nowhere to be found. She’s in a different truck but for now, he’s left empty-handed.

Elsewhere, Alex is given a new mission. The notebook he and Emilia obtained last episode holds a list of names for people being targeted next. With a password and address given, Alex makes his way to the revolution. Unfortunately he fumbles at the door and is held captive by the (understandably) suspicious duo on the other side.

Tied to a chair, he’s questioned over the notebook. After some time, Daniela appears and vouches for him, convincing the others that he’s not a whistleblower.

If things couldn’t get worse, Jiminez arrives at the house and confronts Alma over CIM. He tells her he’s concerned and promises to look after things himself. This inevitably sees the Major driving up to CIM to investigate further.

There, he finds Luis and promises to update him every chance he gets. Jiminez speaks to the scientist there who reveals that Alma is in charge of the project and has been for the past 5 years.

Scrambling in the desk he shows off the proof he’s obtained; paperwork confirming all the tests done on the children and Alma’s hand in this. With everything crumbling, Alma loses her composure and calls on her son to stand by her side no matter what.

Caught by the curfew, it turns out Alex hid out in the hallways at the apartment and wasn’t able to go home.  Daniela greets him on the way down the stairs but refuses to tell him her name. Only, later in the episode he does find out through an impromptu family reunion.

Luis drives the family home and finds Emilia outside. The two reconvene and it’s obvious there’s some history between them.

Julia receives an ominous visit from a police officer who wants a “friendly chat” about her sister Julia. Unwilling to cause alarm, she agrees to go with him. Hugo decides to join her to make sure everything is safe.

At the police station, the officers have a facial composite that looks just like Julia. They’re convinced that Julia is the one who killed the Major at the club (which is true of course).

Julia does her best to play up the Sara façade in front of this guy though but it’s not enough. Determined to try and make her crack, he shows Carlos’ ashes and possessions belonging to Julia. Unfortunately she’s suspicious enough to keep in for questioning overnight.

With Julia in custody, Alma joins her son and drives up to the convoy holding the children – including Marta. As they grab Marta and take her away, the episode comes to a dramatic close.

The Episode Review

As the battle lines are drawn, so too are the divides between the families. Daniela complicates matters further though with her allegiance to the revolution. I’d imagine this will come into play a lot more further down the line but for now it’s an intriguing concept.

While the series itself doesn’t quite have the same draw and appeal something like The Handmaid’s Tale has, the similar dystopian feel is enough to keep you watching to find out what happens next.