With only one episode left, The Institute has reached a breaking point. Episode 7 delivered gut-punch after gut-punch: Luke and Tim finally confronted Sigsby, only for Tim to be shot in the chaos.
Luke managed to escape and find his way to Wendy’s house, but freedom doesn’t mean safety.
Back inside, Avery — the youngest of the group — continued to use his powers to help the others, even as the walls closed in around them. (If you missed our full breakdown, check out our review of The Institute Season 1 Episode 7.)
By now, Kalisha is a shell of the vibrant girl we first met. Nicky, once a fiercely independent survivor, has risked everything for others. And Luke carries the crushing weight of grief, responsibility, and leadership despite being only fourteen.
Ahead of the finale, we spoke with Simone Miller (Kalisha), Fionn Laird (Nicky), and Joe Freeman (Luke) about their characters’ transformations and the bonds that keep them fighting.
Kalisha’s decline has been one of the hardest arcs to watch, and Simone pointed to two moments that defined her unraveling.
“I would say for Kalisha, her graduation, because I feel like that’s the first time where there’s really a blip in her unwavering hope that they do get out,” she said.
“But I also would say the soup scene. She’s such a spunky, fun-loving girl in the beginning, and to see her as a shell of herself — I think it is just such a departure. It’s daunting and disheartening, but even near the end, she’s still able to carry on and hold onto her strength.”
For Simone, the challenge was playing both sides of Kalisha’s journey.
“It’s so disheartening to see a character like herself invert and face this internal fracture, and just be exploited so brutally,” she explained. “But I think for me, it was really important to respect the fact that she does still try to hold onto hope and light.
“Even when she feels like she’s at her bitter end, she’s constantly checking in with Nicky, showing him the ropes, interacting with Avery, and doing her best to take care of her found family. That gives her purpose as opposed to just sitting in defeat.”
For Nicky, Fionn said the turning point came when he risked everything to help Luke escape.
“Typically Nicky’s a very self-serving, very independent person. And he obviously wants to get out of there, but the fact that he’s making a big show, risking his physical safety to make sure that at the very least Luke gets out, is very selfless and very new for Nicky in many ways,” he said.
That choice changed everything.
“He’s trauma-bonded to Kalisha, Iris, and George. They’re his found family, and I think some of the first human compassion that he’s experienced,” Fionn said.
“So it’s this huge tsunami of different emotions and kindness, but also extreme cruelty that I think has shattered his shell a little bit. He still has that skeleton of defiance and guardedness, but there’s this new and raw compassion that sometimes catches him by surprise.”
By The Institute Season 1 Episode 7, even Nicky’s spirit was fading. “When he’s feeding Kalisha her soup and she’s reduced to a shell of herself, I think that really breaks him. He’s not entirely giving up, but he’s very close to it.”
For Luke, Joe highlighted the moment when his parents’ deaths were revealed.
“At the start of five when he finds out his parents are dead, it just seems like the plan is now off the table for Luke,” Joe said.
“You see Avery and Nicky trying to get his attitude and his confidence back up, but he’s just so defeated because there’s nothing else left for him outside. So what’s the point of leaving?”
Joe added that the tension between Luke’s intelligence and his age was always on his mind.
“This kid is really, really intelligent, but he’s also meant to be 14,” he said.
“What I really wanted to get across was that he is just a kid in this situation, and he’s only going to know so much or have so much composure in certain scenes. He can’t just get out immediately and save the day.”
Even with powers, Simone said the kids’ strength isn’t defined by abilities.
“I think our bonds are really important because at the end of the day, it’s what grounds the show and separates us from just being a show about kids with powers,” she said.
“Ultimately, that’s what helps us… I don’t want to spoil. I’m so sorry. That’s what helps you get into the finale. Let’s go with that.”
And while the finale promises chaos, Fionn teased that the biggest shock may come from how it reframes good and evil.
“At the beginning of the institute, it was like, oh, there are the people kidnapping children and forcing them into indentured labor, and then there’s the kids,” he said.
“But by the end, it’s like, oh, but the monsters that we thought were inherently monsters, they were trying to save the world. And then also, the kids are helping save the world, but they’re a part of it and they’re helping kill the people.”
His answer spilled into a bigger, more complicated thought:
“Anyone else in the real world — there are double agents and people out there who are part of this organization, who are essentially sleeper agents, who aren’t monsters until they’re told to be.
“So how do I say it? It’s overwhelming for these kids. It goes from this very black-and-white good versus evil to, what are people willing to do to save the world? What sacrifices are they willing to make?”
As Fionn put it, “It’s overwhelming.” And that sense of gray area — not clear victory or defeat — is what carries The Institute into its finale.
It’s a finale you don’t want to miss, and we’ll have a full review of the episode available on Sunday, August 24.
Watch The Institute Online
-
The Institute Cast on Found Family, Sacrifice, and the Blurred Lines of Good and Evil
The Institute stars Simone Miller, Fionn Laird, and Joe Freeman tease heartbreak, sacrifice, and blurred lines ahead of the gripping finale.
-
Sigsby Should Hide As The Institute Season 1 Episode 7 Reveals Her Dark Time Is Here
Luke has proof. Tim has a gun. Sigsby has the ultimate excuse for child torture. The Institute Season 1 Episode 7 sets the stage for a brutal finale.
-
Run, Luke, Run: The Institute Season 1 Episode 6 Twists the Knife Again
Luke escapes, Maureen sacrifices everything, and trust is fleeting. The Institute Season 1 Episode 6 twists the knife — and it’s not done yet.
The post The Institute Cast on Found Family, Sacrifice, and the Blurred Lines of Good and Evil appeared first on TV Fanatic.