Containment (TV series)

Containment
Genre	Drama
Based on	Cordon by Carl Joos
Developed by	Julie Plec
Starring	David Gyasi Christina Moses Chris Wood Kristen Gutoskie Claudia Black George Young Hanna Mangan-Lawrence Trevor St. John
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Julie Plec David Nutter
Producer(s)	Cyrus Yavneh
Location(s)	Atlanta
Cinematography	Nelson Cragg
Editor(s)	Paul Karasick
Camera setup	Single-camera
Production company(s)	My So-Called Company Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	The CW
Original release	April 19 – July 19, 2016
External links
Website
Production website

Containment is an American limited series,^[1][2] based on the Belgian TV series Cordon. The show was officially ordered as a series by The CW on May 7, 2015,^[3] and aired from April 19 through July 19, 2016.^[1] The series follows an epidemic that breaks out in Atlanta, leaving a section of the city cordoned off under quarantine and those stuck on the inside fighting for their lives. Major themes in the series are love, loss, and duty. On May 12, 2016, The CW announced that Containment would not be renewed and would remain as a limited series.^[4]

Cast and characters

Main characters

• David Gyasi^[5] as Major Alex "Lex" Carnahan
• Christina Moses^[5] as Jana, Lex's girlfriend
• Chris Wood^[5] as Officer Jake Riley, Lex's friend
• Kristen Gutoskie^[5] as Katie Frank
• Claudia Black^[5] as Dr. Sabine Lommers
• George Young^[5] as Dr. Victor Cannerts
• Hanna Mangan-Lawrence^[5] as Teresa, a pregnant teenager
• Trevor St. John^[5] as Leo Green

Recurring characters

• Zachary Unger as Quentin, Katie's son
• Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Micheline, Teresa's grandmother
• Charles Black as Bert, Teresa's grandfather
• Shawn Parsons as Sam, building maintenance
• Nadine Lewington as Suzy, Jana's friend
• Tiffany Morgan as Leanne, Teresa's mother
• Demetrius Bridges as Xander Paulson, Teresa's boyfriend
• Gregory Alan Williams as police chief Besser
• Jimmy Gonzales as Officer Meese, a controversial cop
• Thom Gossom, Jr. as Mr. Carnahan, Lex's father
• Robin Spriggs as Harley, armed menace within the cordon

Production

Containment shot its pilot episode, in February and March 2015, on location in Atlanta, Georgia. Several locals were cast as extras in various scenes.^[6] By that October, the show was in regular production in the Atlanta area.

Broadcast

The series was also broadcast on the Global Television Network in Canada,^[7] in the UK on E4 (TV channel)^[8] and in Germany on ProSieben.

Reception

On Metacritic, the series holds an average score of 48 (out of 100 points) based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[9] Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes also reported mixed critical responses, averaging a 53% rating. The site's consensus reads: "Uninspired performances and pedestrian writing make Containment just another in the long line of disaster movie scenarios we've seen played out countless times before."^[10] However, Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes have been largely positive, showing a 78% rating.^[11]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	David Nutter	Teleplay by: Julie Plec	April 19, 2016	296853	1.67[12]
A Syrian man is found to be infected by a highly contagious virus. He infects multiple people, including his doctor and family, and sets in motion a series of events which lead to Zone 6 of Atlanta's being quarantined via a cordon sanitaire. Government official and doctor Sabine Lommers erects this barrier around Zone 6 to prevent the virus from spreading. She asks police officer Lex Carnahan to stay outside the barrier to maintain calm and become the public face of the virus containment effort in the rest of the city. He eventually accepts, but only in the hopes of learning what is happening inside the quarantine, as his girlfriend Jana and his friend and fellow cop Jake are inside.
2	"I to Die, You to Live"[13]	Charles Beeson	Julie Plec	April 26, 2016	3J5952	1.56[14]
Authorities discover that the younger brother of the Syrian man, now deemed "Patient Zero", had a girlfriend who was likely exposed to the virus. Sabine and Lex must track her down to see if she has been infected. They use citywide security footage to learn that she is at a teen sleepover somewhere inside the cordon. Meanwhile, the pregnant Teresa wishes to visit her grandmother, who has Parkinson's disease. On the way, Teresa's infected friend exposes her to the virus while hugging and kissing her, and Teresa then takes measures to avoid infecting her grandmother. When the authorities confirm the existence of infected people outside the cordon, they position shipping containers to reinforce the barricade, signifying a somewhat more permanent quarantine.
3	"Be Angry at the Sun"[15]	Charles Beeson	Marguerite MacIntyre	May 3, 2016	3J5953	1.42[16]
While Lex attempts to maintain control outside the cordon, he learns that a young woman, who had close contact with an infected patient, is unaccounted for. With limited resources available, Lex is forced to enlist help from Jake, whose growing resentment towards Lex for getting him trapped inside is causing him to spiral. Meanwhile, Katie must face her students' desperate parents, and Teresa is shaken by a robbery at her mother's store. Furthermore, Leo Green, a reporter, shows that there is a way out of the cordon, which leads to chaos and the shutdown of all communication inside the cordon, except for that with Dr. Cannerts.
4	"With Silence and Tears"[17]	Chris Grismer	Michael Jones-Morales	May 10, 2016	3J5954	1.35[18]
Lex continues his PR job until he realizes that that is not the job he wants to do. Katie needs medication, and Jake helps retrieve it and supplies for Dr. Cannerts. Jana makes a phone that works inside the cordon; while looking for a signal on the roof, she meets Sam, head of building ops and maintenance. She successfully makes the phone, but it stops working after she talks to Lex for a second. Theresa's mother gets robbed again but is saved by a gang that takes over the shop. Xander tries to get into the cordon and, after an unsuccessful attempt, he gets in with Leo's help.
5	"Like a Sheep Among Wolves"[19]	Janice Cooke	Jeff Stetson	May 17, 2016	3J5955	1.28[20]
A food drop is organized inside the cordon. With limited police officers available to oversee the distribution, part of the food is taken by the gang still in charge of Theresa's mother's shop. Meanwhile, Lex is getting fed up with the authorities, and Katie realizes a mismatch in the timeline of events which leads to her figuring out that the people in charge are lying to the public. In the end, Meese is seen inside the cordon talking over a sat phone to a Chief Besser, saying that he made it inside the cordon.
6	"He Stilled the Rising Tumult"[21]	Michael Allowitz	Elizabeth Peterson	May 24, 2016	3J5956	1.40[22]
7	"Inferno"[23]	David Boyd	Matt Corman & Chris Ord	May 31, 2016	3J5957	1.06[24]
8	"There is a Crack in Everything"[25]	Elliott Lester	Ariella Blejer & Dawn Kamoche	June 14, 2016	3J5958	0.95[26]
9	"A Kingdom Divided Against Itself"[27]	Lance Anderson	Michael Jones-Morales	June 21, 2016	3J5959	0.87[28]
The CDC and the National Guard organize a breach to get a child out of the cordon who may be the key to curing the virus.
10	"A Time to Be Born"[29]	Carol Banker	Elizabeth Peterson	June 28, 2016	3J5960	0.86[30]
11	"Nothing Gold Can Stay"[31]	Chris Grismer	Julie Plec & Tom Farrell	July 5, 2016	3J5961	0.82[32]
Lommers blames the virus on Cannerts, on national television. Katie dies of the virus, with Jake holding her in his arms.
12	"Yes Is the Only Living Thing"[33]	Charles Beeson	Marguerite MacIntyre	July 12, 2016	3J5962	0.78[34]
13	"Path to Paradise"[35]	Charles Beeson	Matt Corman & Chris Ord	July 19, 2016	3J5963	0.85[36]
The series ends with news media outlets covering Lommers' scandal and reporting they expect there will be hearings. The two young teenagers get engaged. Lex joins Jana in the cordon. They find another person who has antibodies against the disease. At the show's conclusion, the cordon sanitaire is still in place.

References

1. "The CW Sets Upcoming Premiere Dates and Returns" (Press release). The CW. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016 – via The Futon Critic.
2. Kissell, Rick (February 11, 2016). "The CW Slots Event Series 'Containment' for Tuesdays Behind 'The Flash'". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2015). "CW Picks Up 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' As Hourlong Series, 'DC's Legends Of Tomorrow' & 'Cordon'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
4. Gelman, Vlada (May 12, 2016). "'Containment' canceled by The CW". TVLine. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
5. "Containment". WarnerBros.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
6. Walker, Andre (June 15, 2015). "New CW Series Filming in Atlanta Explores How a Major City Would Contain a Deadly Virus Outbreak". Georgia Unfiltered. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
7. "Containment | Watch Full Episodes Online - Global TV". GlobalTV. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
8. "Containment - About the Show". Channel 4. Channel Four Television Corporation. June 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
9. "Containment: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
10. "Containment: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
11. "Containment: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
12. Porter, Rick (April 20, 2016). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS' and 'The Flash' adjust up, 'Containment' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
13. The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways. I to die, and you to live. Which of these is better, God only knows. - Socrates (1:15)
14. Porter, Rick (April 27, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'The Voice' adjusts up, 'Containment' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
15. Be angry at the sun for setting If these things anger you. Watch the wheel slope and turn, They are all bound on the wheel, these people, those warriors. - Robinson Jeffers (1:11)
16. Porter, Rick (May 4, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'The Flash' and 'Beyond the Tank' adjust up, 'The Real O'Neals' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
17. If I should meet thee After long years, How should I greet thee?-- With silence and tears. - George Gordon Byron (1:07)
18. Porter, Rick (May 11, 2015). "Tuesday final ratings: 'NCIS' and 'NCIS: New Orleans' adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
19. I am sending you out like a sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. - Matthew 10:16 (0:56)
20. Porter, Rick (May 18, 2015). "Tuesday final ratings: 'NCIS' and 'Chicago Fire' finales adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
21. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two." - Ernest Lawrence Thayer (0:59)
22. Porter, Rick (May 25, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'The Voice,' 'The Flash' and 'The Real O'Neals' finales adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
23. This hound will hunt that creature high and low Until he thrusts her back in the Inferno Whence envy freed her first and let her go. - Dante's Inferno (1:19)
24. Porter, Rick (June 2, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'America's Got Talent' adjusts up, '500 Questions' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
25. Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in. - Leonard Cohen (1:04)
26. Porter, Rick (June 15, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'America's Got Talent' adjusts up, 'Maya & Marty' and 'Coupled' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
27. "...How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, That kingdom cannot stand." - Mark 3:23-24 (0:59)
28. Porter, Rick (June 22, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'Maya & Marty,' 'To Tell the Truth' and 'Coupled' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
29. There is a time for everything, And a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to de. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (1:11)
30. Porter, Rick (June 29, 2016). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Zoo' premiere adjusts down to series low". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
31. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. - Robert Frost (0:48)
32. Porter, Rick (July 7, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'America's Got Talent' adjusts up to season high". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
33. (... i imagine that yes is the only living thing) and we'll make yes - E. E. Cummings (1:07)
34. Porter, Rick (July 13, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'America's Got Talent' and MLB All-Star Game adjust up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
35. "The path to paradise begins in hell." - Dante Alighieri (1:24)
36. Porter, Rick (July 20, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'America's Got Talent' and 'Hotel Hell' adjust up, final RNC numbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 20, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Containment at the Internet Movie Database