Helix is an American science fiction thriller television series that premiered on Syfy on January 10, 2014 and just concluded it’s 13 episode season 1 (on Saturday). The series follows a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who travel to a research facility in the Arctic to investigate a potential outbreak of disease. While there, they find themselves stuck in a life-or-death situation that could decide the future of mankind. The executive producers of Helix are Ronald D. Moore, Lynda Obst, Steven Maeda, and Cameron Porsandeh,Maeda serves as day-to-day showrunner. The main cast are Billy Campbell as Dr. Alan Faragutt, Hiroyuki Sanada as Dr. Hiroshi Hatake, Kyra Zagorsky as Dr. Julia Walker & Mark Ghanimé as Major Sergio Balleseros with Jordan Hayes as Dr. Sarah Jordan, Neil Napier as Dr. Peter Farragut & Meegwun Fairbrother as Daniel Aerov and Tulok (Twins) and Luciana Carro as Anana.

In the Arctic, a giant corporate company named Illaria, is running a large state of the art research center where genetic engineering research is being done and a majority of the people in the station gets infected. It is unclear at first whether the goal is a bio-weapon or to transform humans in some way, and there are two variants of the virus. The first is immediately fatal with no cure. Those infected with the second virus become dangerously violent “Vectors”, spreading the infection to others, with a small percentage eventually regaining some normality if treated, as it seems several characters have already been infected and cured. These cured ones can control the Vectors to a certain degree and are identified by the silver eye colour that they get post getting cured. Dr. Alan Farragut and his team of CDC scientists are called to a remote Arctic Research Base where his brother got infected with a deadly and unknown virus. Soon Alan and his team have to realize that there are secrets being kept and it is later revealed that the “outbreak” is a cover story for using Julia Walker as a test subject, and to deceive the CDC personnel into creating an anti-viral “cure” to the benefit of the Ilaria corporation’s objectives. The CDC team tries to find a treatment for the infected patients and contain the virus by hunting down the ones who were exposed to the virus. Meanwhile, panic rises amongst the people on the station. On day 3, Peter seeks Alan’s help before he collapses, Sarah finds a rapid response test for infected patients, Julia begins to slowly feel the effects of Peter’s attack while Balleseros helps Doreen get another monkey sample.

On day 4, the quarantined people on Level R force Dr. Hatake to re-establish communication by cutting off the air supply. Meanwhile, Peter’s condition worsens quickly, forcing Alan to try the untested universal treatment, Sarah has to question her rapid response test and Doreen gets closer to figuring out Balleseros. On day 5, Alan tries to find out what happened to Doreen after discovering her body, Julia finds a helpful friend on Level R, Sarah keeps hiding an infected patient in her room and Balleseros tries to find the mysterious Dr. Hvit. Alan and Jordan’s work on decoding the virus is seeing progress, while Julia is being cured by Hatake. Constance Sutton (Jeri Ryan) of Ilaria Corporation arrives with mercenaries; Daniel makes a discovery; Julia learns something about herself and Hatake protects her from the mercenaries. The vectors attack and take Peter’s body; Walker is held prisoner by Sutton after the true nature of Sutton’s relationship with Hatake is revealed. Secrets come to the light and unlikely alliances are established; at the same time, Alan and Walker take on a dangerous mission to destroy what’s left of the NARVIK virus. Walker learns something world shattering about her past. Alan and Julia travel to an abandoned satellite station in a last-ditch effort to call for help. Once there, they come across the truth behind Hatake’s plan and Julia’s condition. Meanwhile, Dr. Jordan (Sarah) makes a startling discovery of her own, which could mean a cure for cancer.

Peter Farragut and vectors attempt to spread the virus in a desperate, final attempt. Meanwhile, the scientists of the CDC create a cure for the virus by working together, just as a threat from deadly mercenaries of the Ilaria Corporation threaten their very lives. The Ilaria assassin, The Scythe, kills the remaining survivors that have not yet made it to the bunker, and is then revealed to be a teenage boy. The Scythe is revealed to be the immortal Spencer Chiswick, Constance Sutton’s 16-year-old son. Alan and Hatake lure Spencer and one of his agents outside where they plan to lay a trap; Hatake throws a canister, allegedly containing the virus, onto the snow and causes one of Spencer’s operatives who attempts to retrieve the virus to fall into a chasm. Spencer learns Julia is Hatake’s daughter and abducts her. He gives Hatake a choice of lives to save—Julia’s or Daniel’s, but Daniel sacrifices himself. Julia realizes that a package Spencer brought with him contains her mother. Day 13: Balleseros agrees to hand over the virus, already reported in Puerto Rico, if Hatake turns over the list of displaced Inuit children. Peter is revealed to be working for Ilaria and frees the Scythe, who blows up the base, stealing both the virus and cure. He also takes Julia hostage, after killing her mother. Day 235: Alan searches in Paris for Julia, who is shown to now be an Ilaria executive.

It is a good series but goes too confusing especially with regards to what the virus is and what is the purpose of Illaria spreading it. The explanations of Julia being Hatake’s daughter took me by surprise and seemed a bit odd. Overall I like the show but wish season 2 takes a more clearer approach and clear their plots.