Episode Recap: Escorpion and the Red Hand

Roberta, Hector, Sun Mei, Addy and Doc come across some gutted zombies hanging from a bridge, with the word THIEVES written in blood on the wall. After the Zs are cut free and dispatched, the gang meets a few of the gun-toting locals, who claim their town was overrun by the Red Hand, a crazed group of vigilantes who take their orders from a mythical figure known as 'Escorpion.'

Say ... isn't that what Hector used to call himself?

Just then, the Red Hand attacks and the gang retreats to an abandoned novelty factory, where Hector figures this Escorpion is either someone impersonating him or just adopting his former villainous brand. Meanwhile, Doc and Sun Mei prepare to perform some impromptu dental surgery on Addy, who's got an infected tooth that's rendering her almost incapacitated.

Roberta asks the locals, Clive and Ryan, why their town has been targeted by the Red Hand. Apparently they kind of had it coming, as they robbed the Red Hand of their food supply, prompting the exclamation of THIEVES back at the bridge.

The Red Hand attacks again, storming the factory with molotov cocktails and Zs strapped with dynamite. Roberta almost buys it in the resulting explosion, after which Clive and Ryan notice the tattoo on Hector's arm that identifies him as Escorpion (if not the Escorpion they think he is). Hector has no choice but to kill them both, after which the Red Hand retreats and the gang hits the road once again.

Meanwhile, back at the Museum of Progress in Spokane, Murphy is pressuring Dr. Merch to prepare the vaccine that will turn his ever-increasing number of 'followers' into Blends and thus jumpstart the New Murphy Order. Murphy's been feeling weak due to all the blood he's been donating to the research, and Merch informs him that he needs periodic shots of the original Z-virus vaccine or else he'll end up like Patient Zero back in Colorado (remember him from Season 1? He kind of looked like a Z version of The Fly).

Dr. Merch injects 10K with the original vaccine, which she's been secretly taking herself. It frees them from Murphy's control! She and 10K plan to destroy the Blend Vaccine and get the hell out of there, though Murphy gets wind of their treachery and gives Dr. Merch a fresh mind-controlling bite. Before Murphy can test the Blend Vaccine on him, 10K makes a run for it with a satchel full of the original vaccine, jumping into the rampaging rapids of the waterfall lest he be recaptured by Murphy's goons.

Finally, Dr. Merch takes desperate measures to escape Murphy's control once and for all. She wanders into his Zombie Moat and injects herself with the original vaccine, causing the Z's to swarm and overtake her as Murphy screams in protest. Whoa!