Revival: Em Discovers the Upside of Being Undead in Episode 2, “Keeping Up Appearances”

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In the debut episode of SYFY’s fresh television series titled Revival, viewers were introduced to the quaint town of Wausau, Wisconsin primarily via the Cypress family: Sheriff Wayne (David James Elliott), his police officer daughter Dana (Melanie Scrofano), and her sister Em (Romy Weltman). These characters are all grappling with the aftermath of “Revival Day,” an extraordinary event that occurred on January 1, during which town residents who had perished on that day miraculously returned to life on January 2.

In tonight’s Episode 2, titled “Keeping Up Appearances,” we delve into the past events that led Em to acquire her “Reviver” status, as hinted in the previous episode’s suspenseful ending. As Em struggles to recall the specific day and its aftermath, she revisits significant locations from that time.

Em, who had previously battled depression and Adderall addiction following her Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) diagnosis in childhood, finds her newfound ability to heal instantly more of a peculiar gift than a burden.

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In an intriguing turn of events, a researcher at the CDC named Ibrahim Ramin (Andy McQueen) has unveiled the regenerative capabilities of a substance he calls “Revivers.” This discovery was notably verified when Arlene Stankiewicz (Nicky Guadagni), who was previously declared dead and placed in a morgue, miraculously got up, attacked a newborn, and then fled into the wilderness of Wausau.

This week on a special post-mortem feature exclusively from SYFY WIRE, I delve into the creative minds behind the gripping series, “Revival.” Showrunner Aaron B. Koontz and stars Elliott and Weltman reminisce fondly about their favorite scenes from the riveting episode titled “Keeping Up Appearances.”

In this week’s exclusive SYFY WIRE post-mortem of “Revival,” I join showrunner Aaron B. Koontz and stars Elliott and Weltman as they share their cherished moments from the captivating episode titled “Keeping Up Appearances.

Revival showrunner and stars David James Elliott and Romy Weltman discuss Episode 2

Arlene goes feral inside the maternity ward 

Following the occurrences in the barn, the Cypress family finds themselves seeking clarification at Wausau Hospital. Wayne is baffled, struggling to make sense of the town’s strange happenings; Em can’t fathom how she met her demise initially; and Arlene contributes to the pandemonium by behaving like a terrifying creature from a horror film, rampaging through the hospital.

Elliott shared with SYFY WIRE that the sequence was filmed across several days, sometimes with a week or more between filming different parts, which can be challenging. This approach was new to him, and he acknowledged it presented its own difficulties since they shot five episodes simultaneously.

Elliott explained, reminiscing about a large folder he often used due to preferring physical copies. During breaks between filming, he would frequently flip through the pages to keep track of his character’s emotional journey in each scene. He added, “Shooting one episode can be challenging enough, but trying to shoot five at once is exhilarating! It’s hard to grasp the enormity of it if you really think about it happening.

Em gets herself into a bar fight in Revival “Keeping Up Appearances”

In the series “Keeping Up Appearances,” several mysteries surrounding Em, initially introduced in the first episode titled “Don’t Tell Dad,” are resolved. The narrative focuses on Em as she attempts to connect scattered memories that lead her back to the bridge where her mother met a tragic car accident two years prior. We also learn that Em’s life has been heavily restricted due to her brittle bone disease, which has left her resentful about her limited experiences.

Weltman shared that in preparation to portray Em, she delved deeply into research about OI and drug addiction to grasp her character’s thoughts and feelings. She felt as though she truly came to know Em both before and after the “Revival Day,” learning alongside her throughout the story. The tale of Em, according to Weltman, revolves around her education, her emerging strengths and weaknesses, and her journey of self-discovery. As a young woman, she often encountered doubts about her abilities from others. However, it’s the challenging experiences that teach you how much you can stand up for yourself and accomplish on your own.

Towards the finale of the episode, Em provokes an aggressive Reviver detractor in the neighborhood tavern intentionally, aiming to instigate a physical altercation. The outcome sees a fierce brawl unfold, surprisingly leaving Em unscathed; a rare occurrence for her vulnerable character.

Koontz mentioned that they drew inspiration from a scene in Tim Seeley’s comic book “Revival,” featuring artist Mike Norton, and utilized it to deepen Em’s struggles by incorporating the OI diagnosis into her character as well. In the comic, there’s a powerful moment where Em initiates a fight and ends up getting beaten. This scene carries an intense, raw emotion that conveys, ‘I can be hurt, but they can’t harm me,’ and what this signifies in her development. Much of television revolves around generating more conflict, so the team decided to challenge this norm by focusing on a character who is at their absolute weakest. By afflicting them with a brittle bone disease, we could take them from their lowest point and elevate them to an extremely strong position.

Later on, during post-production, Luke Boyce came up with a brilliant concept that Koontz shared. “We decided to intercut the fight sequence with a conversation from a car ride, which wasn’t originally scripted in this manner,” Koontz explained. “After filming Episode 2, we rewrote that conversation specifically to align with this idea. I’m now modifying the dialogue to harmonize with the scene, so it helps illustrate Em’s journey, her suffering a blow, and the implications of this for a character evolving into something [different].

Koontz hints at a scene in Episode 3 titled “Reality Check,” where a character expresses: “It took my death for me to truly live.

He mentioned that the larger themes of Revival were something they wanted to explore and expand upon. He believes that the bar fight scene is one of the first instances where you can sense there’s more to Em than meets the eye; she seems to be genuinely enjoying herself for the first time, as she has never been this free before. To further develop this aspect, they introduced her struggle with a disease and addiction, elements not present in the comic. These additional layers, in his opinion, significantly deepen Em’s character and hint at what could potentially unfold.

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2025-06-20 06:02