“Colony” 1.7 Review: Who is “Broussard”?
Who is Broussard? That is the quintessential question that has been nagging at viewers’ minds since Colony’s inception and the one that takes center stage in the show’s seventh episode, titled Broussard. After the Resistance’s failed attempt to kidnap Snyder, Broussard finds himself on the run, and the Transitional Authority, headed by Will, is in hot pursuit. It doesn’t take long, however, before Will and the others discover that there is more to Broussard than meets the eye. As it turns out, “Broussard” is only one of more than a dozen aliases that this elusive man has been using over the years in his work as a military agent, making his character an intriguing one indeed.
Interestingly enough, we don’t actually learn much about Broussard in this episode, and what we do learn are things that we guessed already. It’s no surprise that Broussard has military experience and multiple identities; previous episodes have hinted at that. What is surprising to discover is—and I wish the episode had shown us more about this—that Broussard’s relationship with Katie is compromising his loyalty to the Resistance.
What exactly is the nature of Broussard and Katie’s relationship? I’ve wondered this since the pilot, because it was obvious that the two of them knew each other well enough that Katie was aware that Broussard was in the Resistance. At first, I thought that Broussard and Will had worked together and that was how Katie was introduced to Broussard, but now it’s clear that Broussard and Will have no past to connect them. So how exactly did they meet and how long have they been friends? I feel like these are questions that need to be answered soon in order to help me understand why taking out Katie would cause Broussard so much internal conflict. He trusts her more than anyone else, even more than Quayle, but I still have no idea why.
Hopefully, we’ll find out either by season’s end or next season—or perhaps this will remain one of those mysteries that remain a mystery. I am sure that we’ll continue to see the Resistance come apart at the seams as their suspicions and distrust of Quayle grow. Perhaps there will be a coup and a new leader of the Resistance will be elected…anything is possible!
There were three other noteworthy revelations in this episode that warrant addressing. One is the linking of the alien invaders to Jesus Christ and Christianity and using that as a way to convince the populace of their inherent goodness. As history has proven, there is no better way to garner support from the populace than tying a governmental world order to a religious ideology, so I’m really excited to see how this plays out. I especially loved the scene in which the Bowman’s tutor, Lindsey, starts to school Gracie in that propaganda because it hints at more domestic trouble to come.
The second revelation is Maddie’s relationship with her new employers. I know that Maddie is caught between a rock and a hard place because of her son’s condition and that this drives her to do things that she might otherwise have found questionable—such as engaging in a strange sexual relationship with her employers—but I can’t help but feel like she’s digging herself into an even deeper hole. Charlotte Burgess seems like someone that you wouldn’t want to toy with or double-cross, so I sincerely hope that Maddie finds an alternative beneficiary quickly.
Lastly, there’s the book that Will finds in Broussard’s home, Nostromo by Joseph Conrad, which is a book that Katie also possesses and that is used by members of the Resistance to decipher messages. From the look on Will’s face, I think he has finally realized that his wife is a Resistance agent. Given that Snyder revealed to Will earlier in the episode that he has found their son Charlie, I imagine that Will is feeling both betrayal and fear upon learning of his wife’s activities. Undoubtedly, there is a confrontation on the horizon, a confrontation that is bound to shake up the foundation of the Bowman family.
New episodes of Colony air on Thursdays at 10:00 pm ET/PT on USA.