Chapter 02: Scalpel

**Chapter 02: Scalpel** is the second episode of the Season Three. It is preceded by Chapter 01: Sand and followed by Chapter 03: Medicine.

## Plot

While the residents of the Shell prepare for the next stage of the Selection, Joana summons allies from the Cause and reveals her master plan.

## Summary

**One Year Ago**

Joana speaks to a group of people, saying they're betraying the Cause. They want to go to the Shell. They ask if Joana will join them and she declines, telling them they're destroying the Cause. Natália asks her what she's done for the Cause. They hope she'll change her mind, but she says she won't.

Joana goes to clean the blood of the necklace, but Natália tells her not to use water as they're almost out. She's surprised Joana stayed. Joana tells her to gather everyone from the Cause and everyone else she trusts because Joana has a plan.

Michele prepares to start the testing.

Marcela watches as the people's implants go dark. She wonders why they're removing the implants. She watches as Maurício's goes dark. André asks if they're her family. She says she has no family, as she lives in the Offshore.

Rafael offers Artur some food that he stole after the stock room was raided. He tells Artur to eat it to get his strength up before the Selection starts.

Rafael joins Joana's meeting. She wonders why the generator hasn't been fixed yet. They have to take parts from other things because they don't have the power to required to make it. They're going to use the generator to destroy the Offshore, doing what the Founding Couple did to the Inland. They want to lie to pass Michele's selection and then blow it all up. Natália isn't convinced and neither is Rafael. Rafael leaves. Natália agrees to help Joana, but thinks she'll change her mind.

As people wait in the atrium, they hear banging at the door. Two men, one badly beaten, beg to be let in.

Michele is informed that one of the men, Simão, was badly beaten by his family, who didn't forgive him for going to the Shell. Michele goes out and announces that she wants his injuries treated while they start the selection. She splits them into threes. Joana, Marco, and Rafael are the first group.

Joana, Marco, and Rafael are blindfolded and tied up in a room and they have sex minutes to escape. Joana tries to guide Rafael to the door, as she's the only one who can see. Marco is blinded and deafened. Rafael finds the door is locked. They need to figure out where the key is. They figure it out. Joana realizes Michele wants them to work together. As time winds down, Rafael leads Marco to the key and Marco opens the door just in time. They help each other get free and Michele congratulates them.

Otavo tells Elisa he passed. He kisses her, but she pulls away from him. He tells her he won't let her down this time.

Joana goes to Rafael and pleads with him to help her with her plan.

Glória tells Marco she passed and now she's less stressed. Marco tells her that his son's mother passed the Process, so he takes care of their son himself now. They bond over having terrible mothers.

An eliminated candidate resists leaving.

Natália questions Joana about her life Inland. Joana says she isn't into relationships because people ask questions. Talking just brings trouble. The less people know about you, the better. She tells the story of a girl she used to know, whose greatest wish was meeting her mother. Soon after that, a woman appeared saying she was the girl's mother. But it was just a trick and the woman was a local drunk. Natália realizes the story is about Joana, but Joana denies it. She puts another part in the generator. There are only 23 pieces left. That gives Natália time to convince Joana to stay. They leave to go to the next test.

Michele says the next test just involves them declaring their faith in the Shell. There's a lie detector in the room. If there's a green light, they all pass because they were all telling the truth. A red light means someone lied. Three red lights and the whole group is eliminated. She wishes them luck and leaves. They take turns saying the phrase and get a red light. They argue over who the liar is. They try again and get another red light. Joana admits she might be the problem and the others may need to convince her the Shell is worth it. Joana starts their third attempt. They get a third red light. They start to argue over who is at fault. Otávio blames Joana. Michele then comes in and tells them the test was impossible. There's no polygraph in it. It only flashes red. She created the test to see how they would handle failure. They'll face failures and she needs them to unite. Because of that, Otávio fails and the rest of them pass. As they leave, Michele asks Joana what she has against her. Joana says she betrayed the Cause and stole their victory. Michele explains why she did it.

Otávio looks for Elisa and doesn't find her. But he takes a scalpel from her supplies. He goes to Michele and holds her with the scalpel to her neck. He orders Joana to go get Elisa. She finds Elisa and brings her back. He wants Michele to admit that it's her fault he failed and that he actually passed.

Rafael sees what's happening on a camera.

Between them Michele and Elisa calm Otávio down, but then Rafael comes to the window and yells at Otávio, who then slices Michele's neck before running out and holding the blade on Rafael instead. He tries to use the blade to leave, but then drops it and jumps off a ledge to his death.

Elisa and Joana tend to Michele's neck. When Elisa goes to get supplies, Michele reminds Joana that if she dies, Joana is free to take over the Shell. Joana holds pressure anyway, saying Michele deserves to die, but Joana's not like her. Elisa returns and tends to Michele's neck.

Elisa covers Otávio's body with a sheet. Natália sits with her and talks about her sister not passing the Process and completing suicide just as Otávio had. She assures Elisa that it's not her fault.

Michele wakes up to find Samira's necklace beside her.

Joana plays with the scalpel. Natália sits next to her and says she was right that the Process will always hurt people and the Shell is fake. She pledges support for Joana's plan.

Rafael checks on Artur. He says Artur can tell him anything, but Artur brushes him off. He rolls over and we see that he has an open wound on his arm.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Bianca Comparato as Michele Santana
* Vaneza Oliveira as Joana Coelho
* Rodolfo Valente as Rafael Moreira
* Rafael Lozano as Marco Álvares
* Cynthia Senek as Glória Ribeiro
* Bruno Fagundes as André Santana
* Thais Lago as Elisa
* Laila Garin as Marcela

### Special Guests

* Fernanda Vasconcellos as Laís
* Silvio Guindane as Vítor
* Ney Matogrosso as Leonardo Álvares
* Zezé Motta as Nair

### Guest Stars

* Amanda Magalhães as Natália
* Felipe Rodilha and Guilherme Rodilha as Maurício Álvares (Marco's son)
* Leo Belmonte as Artur Moreira
* Daniel Veiga as Felipe
* Rafael Losso as Otávio
* Bruno Rocha as Paulo
* Kaique Jesus as Ricardo
* Fernando Rubro as Xavier Toledo

### English Dubbing Cast

* Bianca Comparato as Michele Santana
* Misty Monroe as Joana Coelho
* Jay Preston as Rafael
* David Haverty as Xavier Toledo
* Tara Sands as Natália
* Jason Linere White as Otavio

*Additional Voices*

* Ryan Bartley
* Andrew J. Russell
* Joe Fria
* Deneen Melody
* Billy Kametz
* Laura Post
* Doug Stone
* Rachel Robinson
* Jason Kelley
* Chris Jai Alex
* Kaiji Tang
* Stefan Martello