The Event Convolution Alert: Cloak-and-Dagger Types Hate Russians, Aliens

After the break last week, I almost forgot how hard The Event is to watch. The fact that this week's "I Know Who You Are" tossed quite a few more shurikens into the plot-juggling feat of all time did not help things along. But fear not, stalwart viewer. As always, here's the Convolution Alert breakdown to ease you through the Monday night circus.

1. Thomas is living luxuriously in some high-rise apartment because the aliens, in addition to far surpassing our nuclear technology, have the ability to predict world economic cycles. Thomas did not buy stock in satellite radio, in other words. Also, in case you missed it, Sophia is Thomas's mother.

Convolution level: HIGH. I guess I was wrong about the romantic vibe I picked up between the two of them in those 1944 post-crash scenes. Either that or we have all been completely and unmercifully retconned. I wonder if this is what Laura Innes means about Sophia getting fleshed out in the coming weeks?

2. A team of assassins, under the instruction of some elderly, white-haired sage, is now after Sean and Leila. The sage and his drones goaded Michael Buchanan into crashing the plane to cover up information about the E.B.E. detainees.

Convolution level: SEVERE. For those keeping track, this brings our competing conspiracy tally up to three: The sage, Thomas and Co., and Sterling. Amid all those enemies, we still don't have a clear answer about Sean and Leila's significance, which is a big part of buying them as heroes, I think.

3. Sterling is totally unsympathetic to traitors, Russian swallows, and alien infiltrators. It all started 14 years ago when his father told him his wife Laura (Bristow?!) was working for the Russians. And then, when she fled, his father shot her. Now, to avoid having the same pain visited upon his tired, hardened heart, he draws blood indiscriminately, heedless of consequence, and employees enhanced interrogation techniques to root out the enemies.

Convolution level: LOW. Like the Sophia/Thomas reveal, this development feels a little haphazard, but at least it complemented Sterling's hunt for the mole, which can't be said about the Simon story from "Loyalty." Still, there's a very blatant, "You wanna know why I don't like traitors? Well, sit down and I'll tell you right now about the moment I decided I didn't like traitors" feel to it. But then, what about this show is subtle. (See point 1.)

4. Simon, who I condemned for his poor decision-making in the last episode, was eased off the hook by Thomas, who switched blood sample Sterling was having tested. This would have revealed Simon as the alien mole. Instead, the man Simon stashed in the trunk will take the fall. How does Simon feel about this? He's all, "Meh, whatever."

Convolution level: GUARDED. This isn't an issue with convolution as much as with consistency. At the end of "Loyalty," Simon risks his life to lead humans out of a collapsing building. And this week, he's going to let an innocent man be arrested as a traitor? Something seems wrong about this.

5. Leila and Sean found a list of young girls' names in Michael's things. At the end of the episode, a woman leads Leila's little sister into a room where the girls on the list have all had their youth apparently harvested.

Convolution level: SEVERE. Oh, sure. Why not add another dimension to the increasingly nebulous Leila/Sean story?