WGN America's Underground Episode 9: Black & Blue Aldis Hodge, Jurnee Smollett Premiere Recap

WGN America continues with the highly anticipated premiere of their new original drama, Underground. In Episode 9, Black and Blue, Noah (Aldis Hodge) and Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) continue to plan their daring 600-mile escape from their Georgia plantation. 

As they join another team of slave hunters, August Pullman (Christopher Meloni) and his son, Ben (Brady Permenter)  watch as they tear at Rosalee's clothing. August stops the hunters before they go even further. Rosalee throws her red dress onto the oven and lets the flames fun the poisonous leaves. 

John Hawkes (Marc Blucas) arrives at another plantation for an auction of the slaves. Because everyone knows his face and name as an abolitionist, John is stabbed at the hand by the plantation owner. The slaves help John escape as they take the blame for their master's beating. 

John returns home and finds Elizabeth (Jessica De Gouw) and Boo waiting for him. Elizabeth warns her husband that Kyle came back and tried to force himself onto her. John is angry that his wife slept with another man. He charges down into the basement, finding Kyle gagged and tied up.

After stealing a carriage full of money, Cato (Alano Miller) and Noah work together to free Rosalee from the hunters. Cato wants to run off with the money because the world is just about survival. Even though he watched his loved ones get taken, Cato reluctantly agrees to help Noah.  

Cato provides a distraction while Noah heads to the back of the slaughterhouse. August knows this is a distraction but the other hunters aren't willing to give up free money. Due to the poisonous leaves burning, August starts to imagine himself shirtless and being seduced by Ernestine.    

Noah swims through pig's blood in order to enter the slaughterhouse. He finds August talking to himself amongst the dead animals. While August and Noah fight, Ben reads his father's letter, realizes he was being lied to, and cuts Rosalee's rope. 

In her hallucination, Rosalee is back at the plantation with her owner. Tom Macon (Reed Diamond) only sees her as his property and he can do whatever he wants to her. Blaming Tom for being whipped and raped, she then grabs a knife and stabs him. In reality, Rosalee ends up stabbing August's son in the stomach. We have no idea if August's son is still alive as his father holds him in his arms. 

During the shooting, Cato ends up getting an arrow in his leg. With the hunters gaining up on them, Noah has to make a decision to help Cato or not. After running away from Cato, Noah and Rosalee hear a loud gunshot at a far distance.  

Boo watches as John and Elizabeth have an intense argument. The two don't realize Boo has John's gun in her heads. The fighting stops when Boo bulls the trigger, barely missing John's head. 

John opens the door after he hears knocking. Noah and Rosalee are at their door asking for his help. Rosalee runs towards Boo after hearing her voice.  

Elizabeth's heart is broken as she sees Rosalee and Boo wrap their arms around each other.

Readers, what did you think of Black & Blue?