“Origins” is episode eight of season one of La Brea.
At the camp, they’re cleaning up after the previous episode, “The Storm”. Their supplies have been destroyed and an attempt to build a greenhouse fails.
Sam is on his last pill and drops it when Lily cries out. She’s yelling for Ty because there was someone in the woods. The someone is a boy from the village, who trips and hurts himself. Sam treats his hand, though the boy doesn’t talk. Sam asks she be taken outside; Lily speaks to him on the way.
Sam wonders how long he’s been spying on them. Ty says Paara’s people are more afraid of them than the other way around, and she’s convinced that Silas had nothing to do with Eddie’s death. Eve doesn’t think it’s a problem that the boy got so close, but an opportunity. They’ve lost their supplies and don’t know how to survive and the boy needs a lift home. They need to make peace with the village.
Ty, Levi and Evi head out in the jeep with the boy, who admits his name is Isaiah. He’s done the trip before to make sure that they weren’t hurt. He knew they weren’t dangerous, despite what his father says about the Sky People. That they’re enemies. Levi wants to head back but they are surrounded by an armed party of villagers.
They’re escorted to the village; Paara is the leader. Silas appreciates Isaiah being brought back, but they should leave. They explain they don’t know how to survive and they need teaching. Paara agrees to help.
Josh asks Riley if she wants to pair up to patrol. She does. And is being flirty. Sam wants to talk to her in private; he doesn’t want her partnering with Josh because he’s seen how they look at each other and will get distracted. She’s not impressed.
Gavin leaves a message for Nathan, then has a vision. Izzy comes in, heading for school, but when Nathan rings back, he lies to Izzy. When he speaks to Nathan, she says that she spoke to the assistant of Ella, the person who was with Gavin when they were both found. Her assistant will talk to them at the gallery.
There’s a new piece that Ella has been working on that they saw. A hand, as seen in the past. The assistant explains that Ella is not herself and hasn’t wanted to speak to anyone. Afterwards, Nathan and Gavin are speaking when he sees a reflection. Ella, in a car. She drives off.
At the village, Levi and Ty are talking about Eddie. Levi doesn’t trust Silas. Paara shows them the garden and can teach them. She also explains that they weren’t always a peaceful village and prefer friends to enemies. Six years ago, everything changed. A sinkhole opened in the ocean and a passenger ship fell through. The survivors came ashore but they didn’t want peace. After years of war, those who survived ground common ground and lived together.
Sam is behaving erratically and Izzy meets his son at school; she isn’t happy her father is keeping secrets. Gavin and Nathan look further into his past, and some surprising things are discovered back in the past.