Project Blue Book recap: Who died in Season 1, Episode 5?

Hynek dances closer to uncovering Project Blue Book’s real agenda, but in the process he may have discovered something so dangerous, death is the only way to escape.

Ever heard of the band Foo Fighters? Well in spite of its title, this episode of Project Blue Book isn’t about them, sorry if you were hoping so! The term “foo fighters” actually originated during World War II from US pilots who needed a nickname for any unidentified objects they saw while soaring through the skies.

Hence the episode title. It’s up to Hynek and Quinn to help a group of pilots who have been traumatized by their experiences in the skies. Like Fuller, they too have had run-ins with unexplained phenomena. They have begun attempts to communicate with the otherworldly beings who broadcast to them through the radio waves.

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Unfortunately, Hynek is unable to tell these pilots what they want to hear. He gives them a technical and real-world explanation for the strange orange orbs they’ve seen zooming across the sky.

I’ll admit, the case-of-the-week in this episode isn’t as strong as in previous weeks, but that is due, in part, to the focus being heavily on Susie Miller and the Man in the Hat mystery. So I can forgive it.

I enjoy Ksenia Solo as an actress and her quietly strong performance as Susie has certainly been compelling. Especially her relationship with Mimi and the mystery of how much is genuine and how much is being faked. But, for the most part, I’ve found it hard to come up with a good reason for her character’s existence. I understand the parallels between the alien fear and the nuclear crisis but as of yet, Project Blue Book has yet to find a way to marry these two factors together in a satisfying way. For now, they merely coexist but neither necessitates the other.

This week, it would appear, that problem may be getting fixed. Quinn pays Susie a house call. He finds her reasoning for showing up with a gun to scare Fuller away from the Hynek residence to be suspicious. His appearance spooks Susie’s accomplice/husband and he gives her a black eye to express his displeasure with her getting over-involved in Mimi’s affairs.

Susie however, is nothing if not resourceful. She uses her shiner to win Quinn’s sympathy and coax him into taking her out for a drink by episode’s end. I will say, Project Blue Book has done a nice job of building to this moment. Perhaps not with Susie and Quinn specifically but we saw only a few episodes ago how lonely Quinn is. It wasn’t long ago he was considering going to a university party with a blonde college coed. Therefore it isn’t hard to believe Susie could persuade him into something similar.

And where is Hynek when all of this is occurring? Coming up with crazy, yet plausible, theories about Project Blue Book’s secret agenda.

Earlier in the season, the mysterious Man in the Hat lured Hynek to a mind control facility near an abandoned carnival. Hynek believes this lab is being used to brainwash unsuspecting US pilots who have witnessed “foo fighters” into weapons that can be used to communicate and potentially control extraterrestrial beings.

Crazy, right? That’s what Quinn thinks too. Hynek intends to show Quinn the lab as proof but once they arrive the entire place is empty. But guess who is hanging outside the place like a junkyard dog? Henry Fuller, who has been missing since he fled from Susie’s gun last week.

Hynek tries to press Fuller for more information and he essentially confirms Hynek’s theories but can’t give him any straight answers. Finally, Hynek asks Henry if he recognizes the strange triangular symbol that has been showing up everywhere.

Instead of answering, Henry goes completely blank and then finds a can of gasoline and immolates himself. Whoa! Apparently, Alan Hynek has come across a kill trigger of some kind, at least that’s how General Harding frames it when he gets the call about Henry’s death.

Next. Project Blue Book recap: Operation Paperclip. dark

Odds & Ends

So not only is Project Blue Book potentially brainwashing pilots but they’re installing self-destruct buttons in case anything goes wrong. It doesn’t get much scarier than that.

A new episode of Project Blue Book titled “The Green Fireballs” airs on Feb. 12 on the HISTORY.

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