The Institute Episode 8 recap: Tim and Luke race to save Avery as Stackhouse prepares his next experiment

MGM+'s supernatural horror series The Institute, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, concluded its Season 1 with Episode 8 titled Fight. This bittersweet end of the first installment featured a natural conclusion to many plot threads, while leaving several open for The Institute Season 2, which was already renewed by the network earlier.

The final episode began at Wendy's house, with Tim and Luke questioning Sigsby about the nature of the facility. She reveals that the children were being tortured to prepare them for the upcoming 'Armageddon', some decades later. Since Tim and Luke do not believe Sigsby, they were about to take her to the FBI when a shocking mind connection with Avery forces them to take a detour to the facility.

Here is the complete recap of The Institute Episode 8.

The Institute Episode 8 recap: Stackhouse and Hendricks conduct another sick experiment

With Luke gone, Stackhouse and Hendricks find another replacement for him, who is none other than Avery. As Stackhouse orders Avery for a new test, to drive a car off a cliff in The Institute Episode 8, Avery hatches a plan to unite all the back-half kids' telepathic and telekinetic powers. He decides to connect all of their minds and use their powers to get them out of the titular facility.

While Tony advises Hendricks to abandon the experiment and taser the kids instead, he is adamant that he can force Avery to do whatever he wants. However, Avery's plan connects all of their powers, which leads to the destruction of the tech powering the assassination missions at the facility. In addition, their combined powers also connect Luke's mind to all the other back-half kids in various parts of the world.

Seeing that the kids have become very powerful in The Institute Episode 8, Hendricks orders Tony to incapacitate Avery and put an end to their little rebellion. However, the kids use their heightened and combined powers and force Tony to taser himself, leading to his death.

The Institute Episode 8 recap: Luke and Tim's final efforts

After Tony's death, Avery takes his keycard and charges all the back-half kids towards the exit door. However, all their efforts prove to be in vain when Stackhouse orders a complete lockdown of the institute, trapping Avery and the kids in the hallway. With all the kids trapped in one place, Stackhouse plans on using chlorine gas to kill them and destroy the evidence of their sick experiments.

Elsewhere in The Institute Episode 8, as Tim and Luke gear up to take Sigsby to the real FBI, Luke suffers a seizure because his mind is connected to Avery. When Luke returns to his senses, he informs Tim that Avery and the kids are trapped at the facility, and they need to save them first. Luke and Tim hatch a plan and decide to disguise Wendy as Luke. They will pretend to give 'Luke' to Stackhouse and Hendricks and free Avery and the other kids from the facility.

The Institute Episode 8 recap: The final destruction

By the time Stackhouse realises that he has been fooled and that Luke was actually Wendy in disguise, Luke has managed to enter the facility and reach Avery and the kids. Stackhouse fears that if Luke becomes powerful enough, he might be able to connect with the kids at the American facility and the rest of the facilities and conduct their escape.

The climax finally kicks in during The Institute Episode 8 when Luke connects his mind to Avery and the kids to bring down the barriers between them. However, Avery and the kids' heightened powers go a little overboard, causing the facility to begin collapsing. While Luke escapes with Kalisha and Nicky, Avery decides to stay with the kids to maintain their 'connection' and see the destruction of the facility through. Stackhouse, who is trying to escape the facility, also dies when the floor beneath him collapses.

The final moments of The Institute Episode 8 saw Luke finally reach the outside of the facility, following which he destroyed the Dennison River Bend branch with the powers of his mind, potentially killing Avery and the kids inside. While Luke managed to destroy the facility, he was unable to catch Sigsby and also failed to save Avery and the children, who sacrificed themselves.

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The final moments also featured Sigsby escaping and heading to an unknown destination. She is also in possession of the flash drive that Maureen gave to Luke (the evidence of the facility's unethical and immoral practices), setting the stage for Season 2.

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