Swamp Thing episode 7 review: A beautifully rotten date

Marais must be home to a mighty coniferous woods because there’s a lot of pining in this Swamp Thing episode, and it’s both devastating and uplifting.

Tissues are required for Swamp Thing episode 7. Whether you’re still coming to terms with the fact that there are only three more episodes left to the entire series, you’re still in the denial stage of DCU grief, or you’re reflecting on the fleeting tender appeal of Swamp Thing, there are plenty of reasons to sob. Cloaked as his former self, Alec Holland ceases the chance to take Abby on a date— allowing a poesy of romance tropes to flourish on “Brilliant Disguise.”

Our love for this strange, and often creepy, comic lore made us fall in love with the series. However, it’s Abby and Alec’s intense but lingering spark that keeps us fawning over the series. Like their chemistry that continues to build, every episode gets better and shows a new dynamic to the characters and conflict. It’s “Brilliant Disguise” that gives the Swamp Thing narrative even stronger footing.

In previous episodes, Swamp Thing balances romance, horror, and mystery interchangeably within the same episode. However, “Brilliant Disguise” doesn’t just allow everything mushy and scary to coexist; they exist symbiotically. The quiet moments where Abby and Alec stroll through the flowers allow the episode to transition to the horror and give a new level of contrast for the direction to work from. Adding to that contrast, the Rot—which represents everything the Green isn’t — becomes a mechanism for the duo’s love story.

Calculating as it may be, these plot devices remind viewers of the central theme this week because the horror and conflict only bring Abby and Alec closer together. Though Alec continues to push Abby away (and we’re ready to smack the overgrown shrub for it), episode 7 outlines multiple romance tropes. As with anything comic-media-related, we have a couple of clear favorites: slow burn and forbidden monster love.

Tropes aren’t automatically horrible. In a fan service to the romance genre, it’s clear the episode is toying with our soft spot for some of our tropey biases. Setting itself helps define character interactions and mirrors the budding relationship between the iconic duo. For instance, the flower garden visually represents their growing love and how healthy it is. But coupled with Alec’s enamored glances, it illustrates how he sees Abby.

Cupid’s arrows aside (for the moment), there are a lot of critical scenes and character development:

• Abby’s love motivating Alec to hone his powers. If feeling broken and vulnerable after a performance moves you, then this scene is for you. It’s so beautifully tragic—especially since Abby’s pain prompts his “gardening” session.
• Unexpected, but very much refreshing, team-ups. Seriously, Maria and Lucilia collaborating to take down their lover who’s an absolute dirtbag is cinematic poetry.
• Return of the Rot. It never really went away, but now Avery is the vehicle for Darkness.
• “There’s a war in your body between the Rot and the Green” highlights the obvious themes of mortal nature vs. the evils of humanity.
• Almost sex scenes. Yeah, that spore that allowed Abby to see Alec again, there’s a similar hallucinogenic root structure in the comics that allow the duo to get a bit risky.
• Impending powerful moments. Did you catch the scene where Mrs. Woodrue flinches and tenses up when Mr. Woodrue touches her shoulders? Yeah, we did too, and we sense an imminent shift in their dynamic. One that includes her plotting to take him down.

Of course, there are a lot of other beautiful clips and analogies in this episode, but we’re focusing on the curiously reoccurring comic callouts.

Referencing the symbolic death of Alec Holland again, Swamp Thing would rather let his old self die. However, Abby already loves him unconditionally, and regardless of his worth — leafy appendages included.

Good ole’ stubborn, stubborn Swampy. He wants Abby to “live her life” but he hasn’t even considered that she wants to live her life with him. Despite his obliviousness, there’s just a classic comfort to this trope. You know the recipe for this trope we can’t help but love:

1.  A love interest thinks their partner is too good for them (for a varying degree of reasons).
2. They may or may not be right, but they push their love away anyway in hopes to give them a “better life.”
3. There’s an optional side angle for a potential love triangle that doesn’t really develop fully (Matt, in this case).
4. Oh and, the love interest the partner pushed away doesn’t start away for long because they love their self-deprecating dingus.

While we’re usually ready to defend Swamp Thing at any cost, we’re ready to fight him in this scenario. Seriously, WTH, Alec? He’s clearly way too focused on looking at Abby that he doesn’t even notice how she looks at him.

Looks are everything, and Abby’s lingering look as she thanks Alec for saving her life is especially boisterous. Yup, we’re talking about her waiting gaze, as if she was expecting Alec to make a move (and he totally should’ve, but clearly Swamp Thing isn’t ready to give us monster-lover meets nature-lover content).  As a testament to their connection, this moment highlights Abby’s vicarious connection with the Green.

Beyond clamoring on about how perfect their acting prowess complements one another — even when they don’t say anything — Abby’s look says that she loves Alec and Swamp Thing, but we got lost in the moment. Maybe it’s the moonlit backlighting, the timing, or our urge to see Andy Bean and Crystal Reed in a rom-com (or a culmination of all three). But this gives validity to their early, but strong, connection. On a corny note, it builds a case for love at first sight.

We’d love to see a happy ending soon, but with a series that’s ending in three episodes and the main character who has a persistent existential crisis, that’s unlikely. Like all things swampy and green, not everything goes as planned. Though we’d love to see a quintessential date between the dynamic twosome, that would be uncharacteristic for such a grim but captivating tale.

For the hopeless romantics who still like the dismal reminder that sometimes even the best relationships don’t work out at first, DC Universe Swamp Thing “Brilliant Disguise” is the perfect episode for you.