Project Blue Book “What Lies Beneath” recap: 5 game changing moments

Project Blue Book is on the verge of uncovering perhaps the biggest secret of all, Hangar 18, when everything begins to unravel. Who will be left standing in the aftermath?

Project Blue Book introduced some new elements into the familiar mix tonight starting with the mystery surrounding the existence of Hangar 18. All of the layers to the conspiracy theory are being stripped away one at a time and Generals Harding and Valentine are trying to save the sinking ship.

Mimi and Susie commit deeds that could cost them their relationships with Allen and Quinn while a potential and powerful new ally for the duo makes his presence known. As everyone’s perspectives are upended and carefully crafted lies begin to come undone, who will be left standing in the aftermath?

Here are 5 potentially game changing moments from “What Lies Beneath.” There will be spoilers ahead.

The Existence of Hangar 18

Quinn and Hynek are ambushed one night by a man named John who works in the Technical Air Intelligence Unit at Wright-Patterson. He tells them about the reverse engineering project of extraterrestrial crafts which Harding and Valentine are sanctioning.

To prove that he isn’t making up what he is divulging to the pair, John hands them an alien implant. This is another callback moment to Season 1 and “The Abduction of Thomas Mann” episode where a former soldier held Quinn and Hynek hostage. As it turned out, he was being tracked by ETs through an implant located underneath his skin.

Meet Andrew Garner

Andrew Garner is a shadowy figure who has worked for many different branches of the government from the State Department to the Department of Defense. He was also a close confidant to the deceased Secretary Fairchild who was a champion of Project Blue Book.

Apparently, he has reached out to Quinn and Hynek on behalf of a powerful congressman who wishes to expose the cover up of alien visitations. He provides them with top secret files of UFO sightings at various military installations that did not get reported.

One of them was an incident at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington where a fighter pilot was dispatched to check out strange lights in the sky. When Quinn takes a look at the photos, he has a flashback to his event over DC. The crafts are the same as the ones he encountered.

Once the pair land in Ohio and go back to the Base, they find out that Blue Book has been shut down until further notice. Some important files were stolen from the Generals. Hynek and Quinn put two and two together and find out that Garner was the one who committed the theft.

Big Trouble in Ohio

In Episode 7, “The Curse of the Skinwalker“, Mimi finds out that she no longer has access to the Blue Book case files from Quinn’s assistant, Faye. So, she seizes the moment when Faye leaves the office and steals information on Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico.

She took this particular file to show Allen because it proves that debris from the UFO crash in 1947 was transported to Wright-Patterson. This evidence also corroborates Hangar 18.

Enclosed in the file were blueprints detailing how to construct a UFO. Despite the fact that possessing this data could result in being arrested and Hynek losing his reputation, the pair decide to hold on to the info.

While Mimi is revealing her covert activities to her husband, Susie is outed as a Russian spy. She has taken refuge in the Hynek household to elude her agency but ends up shooting the man who is entrusted to “bring her in.” The cat is out of the bag when he speaks in Russian to her and she responds.

Now, she is exposed for being a spy and is taken into custody when the police show up to do an investigation. Everything has unraveled for Quinn who was in love with her and Mimi who valued her friendship. The two are left picking up the pieces after this betrayal.

Quinn may have the most to lose because the Generals know of his relationship with Susie.

MK-Ultra, LSD and Harding’s Crisis of Faith

The Generals know that Andrew Garner stole critical files from their office. Now, they are paranoid because they are trying to obtain information on who Garner has aligned himself with in the government.

Daniel returns to assist Harding and Valentine. The CIA’s MK-Ultra program is experimenting with LSD and its potential use as a truth serum.

What the agency would do is employee call girls to slip their “Johns” a tab to see what effects it would have on the unwitting subjects. This time, they plan to use it on Garner who has set up a triste with the projects’ particular hooker.

However, things go south when the prostitute gives Garner the wrong dosage and he ends up freaking out. Harding intervenes and is told by an extremely manic Andrew that God has a message for him.

This hits Harding at the very core of his being. As evidenced throughout this season, he is a man of faith who is doubting his beliefs. He is covering up the existence of extraterrestrials and he has committed certain acts that go against his Catholic religion. It is beginning to wear on him physically, mentally and emotionally.

So, we are surprised when he asks Daniel to provide him with LSD and so is Daniel. However, Harding explains that it is for him but we suspect that he is going to use it on Quinn to find out if he told any state secrets to Susie during their relationship.

Friends in High Places

Senator John F. Kennedy contacts Project Blue Book. He is the congressman who wants to expose the conspiracy so that the American public knows that UFOs exist. Through the course of his conversation with Hynek, he reveals that he was a friend of Director Fairchild and that he also saw the film of a UFO disabling a missile.

So, it could be the beginning of a powerful alliance for the pair. Hynek tells Kennedy that the ET phenomenon warrants more study. The Senator agrees with him.

Catch Project Blue Book every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on the History Channel.

Do you think Senator Kennedy will prove to be an influential ally? Will Quinn get ousted from Project Blue Book because of his relationship with Susie? What will happen to Mimi? Let us know what you think in the comments.