“Suffer the Children” is episode five of season two of The 4400.
Shawn rushes down to the lobby of The 4400 Centre where Jordan is having another episode. Afterwards, Shawn wants Jordan to see a new specialist. Jordan says he’s been to them all and no-one knows what’s wrong. Shawn says they need to figure out what the unborn baby did to Jordan in “White Light”. Jordan says he knows what she did; she saved him. He was judged and found wanting, forced to see the truth. His motives for helping the 4400 were not pure. Shawn says she tried to kill him. Jordan says she did. She killed the old Jordan. He’s been reborn, and everything he’s done since he owes to Richard, Lily and that child.
Richard, Lily and Isabel are sitting in a house when Brian and Heidi come around, as they live on the same block. Everything is going well, except Lily sounds to be crying. Because it’s a dream. She wakes up in the car and Richard asks if she was having a nightmare. No. Then why was she crying? Because she knew it was not real. Lily is getting tired of running, trying to stay ahead of NTAC and Jordan.
At Van Burne Junior High School in Fairview, Washington, a class full of children are playing violin, piano, painting and other creative activities. And they’re doing it rather well. The teacher, Heather Tobey, was taken in 1974. One kid, Greg, has drawn a cartoon, but not very well. Heather places her hand on his shoulder and stares into his eyes. Nothing seems to happen. The principal and sheriff enter; they want a word with Heather. In the corridor, she’s told she’s been arrested for child abuse.
Tom is at home talking to his sister about Kyle; his birth certificate may say he’s 21 but he’s really still a teenager and will screw up like teenagers do. Susan says he’ll get it out of his system. But Shawn has cut them off for a year. Danny is eating himself up inside. Kyle and Danny are upstairs playing a video game. They talk and Danny talks about Kyle and Shawn and how Danny used to blame Shawn for everything, but it wasn’t his fault. It’s the fault of those who took him and sent him back a freak.
At a ceremony, Shawn sees a couple of homeless kids taking food from the buffet. He intervenes with the security guards; it seems the centre was built where the kids used to live. The girl says there are more at the bridge. Is the food still free? It is.
Tom and Diana are heading to Fairview; both think the charges against Heather Tobey are vague. They could be anything or nothing. Tom hopes for nothing. A 4400 serial killer was bad enough. At the school, the parents don’t want her back. Except those who paid her bail, who do. Tom and Diana arrive and speak to one, Greg’s father, Frank Venner (Brent Stait), who says his kid was lucky. In the corridor, the principal tells them he doesn’t believe it’s abuse. But the kids are definitely changed. The children they speak to are enthused, because they discovered an interest in creativity. Except for Greg, whose father says in two years the kids will have brain tumours or be blind or crazy. Tom guesses his father is Frank.
Heather explains she sees what’s inside people and helps bring it out. She studies children and sees a light in their eyes, a tiny flame that gets brighter. It doesn’t work for grownups, or for every kid. She also taught Frank; he was one of her first students in 1972. She probably taught most of the parents out to get her. Some of the parents are definitely pleased with how their kids’ futures have opened up.
Lily is in the car outside a shop where Richard is getting supplies when a police car arrives. The cops head inside, and one ends up recognising Richard. He silently tells Lily to go.
Lily reaches out to her former husband, Brian, for help. Jordan is also notified, and makes an offer to Richard. Shawn wants to help the homeless people; Jordan tells him to do so, but don’t heal them. Because he can’t heal them all.
In the previous episode, “Weight of the World”, Kyle lost time. He didn’t tell Tom, but he’s still having blackouts.