“Cul-De-Sac” is episode fourteen of season one of First Wave.
The episode opens in the titular cul-de-sac at night. A woman is looking at a house. Inside, a man is with another woman who is clearly out of his league. She asks how he did it. The woman from outside is now coming upstairs with a gun. The mistress wants to know how he killed his wife. He didn’t; he told her about them. The woman with the gun enters and tells the man, Sam, that she won’t let him do it. He says not to worry; she won’t shoot. He’s wrong. The wife, Ethel, shoots many times. Across the way a boy with a telescope sees Ethel leave. And sees the woman shot get back up and a wound heal.
Cade is saying that every week Eddie posts his journals on the Paranoid Times site. No one believed them. Until now. Nick Patterson claims he saw a double homicide but one of the victims got up and walked away. Based on Cade’s journals, Nick thinks it was alien self-healing. Maybe it is; maybe it isn’t. Cade is normally guided by the prophecies of Nostradamus, but today he isn’t.
Cade introduces himself to Nick as Ross Banks from the Paranoid Times. Nick doesn’t believe Cade is a webhead or knows about web stuff. Cade does know about being a punk – he learned it as a survival technique on the street – but Nick is in his parent’s drive. Does he want to talk? Nick indicates the window and mentions the owner, Michelle. Who told the police she wasn’t at home during the shooting. Nick asks why Sam broke into her house and was alone in her bed in his boxers. Cade says that aliens can heal, if you miss their vital organs, but a well-placed gunshot will kill them. Nick tells him to come back at seven and asks if it’s really true? He thought it wasn’t, until he saw what happened. Yes; it’s really true. Cade then tries the house of a neighbour who was watching, but she doesn’t come to the door. He then rings Eddie; Nick is convinced but Cade isn’t yet.
When Cade knocks later, Nick bolts from the table. Cade was going to introduce himself but Nick says his parents know he’s here. Well, they know someone is here, but Nick didn’t say who. Nick uses his telescope and says that at seven Michelle has a shower then gets dressed. She has no bullet wounds or scars. Cade is still doubtful. Nick tells him the Alien Hunter – Nick seems to idolise Cade’s real identity – would believe him. He wishes he’d been sent. Cade agrees; yes, the Alien Hunter would believe him. Sam, the dead man, was an out of work TV repairman. Definitely out of Michelle’s league. Then Nick’s mother enters; she’s not happy to find Nick has invited a man he met on the internet into his bedroom and calls her husband. Cade apologises; he thought they knew he was here.
Another man, Barry, turns up at Michelle’s. He’s not supposed to turn up unless she’s expecting him and to only use the front door. What does Barry have for her? A brand-new cleaver. To use on his wife.
Nick’s parents are upset with him, but the argument devolves into being upset with each other. Which happens a few times. Cade tries knocking on the neighbour’s door again when Nick’s mother comes out. She contacted the Paranoid Times and apologises for being rude. She’s worried about Nick, and tells Cade to go upstairs. Nick says that Michelle is back; she usually works during the day. She’s got company again. Cade prevents Nick from seeing who the company is, because this time it’s his father.
Eddie has checked out Michelle and she appears clean. He says that’s what the aliens do; blend. However, she’s seeing several different men, encouraging them to cheat on their wives and to kill said wives as well. Pretty disruptive to the neighbourhood.