From continues to pick up the pace in Episode 7, Belly Of The Beast, though this wasn’t quite as harrowing an entry as last week’s terrifyingly intense episode. Still, we’re making progress and learning new and interesting things about the world. Characters are starting to actually tell one another important details, sharing information rather than mindlessly keep it from one another, though there’s still some of that going on.

For instance, I’m not sure why Boyd wants to be so secretive about the dead monster, Smiley. Let the people of the town know! It will give them a much-needed morale boost. Something to believe in. Some hope, whether or not it’s warranted.

I say that last bit because . . . I’m not sure. There are some very bad signs that this victorious moment may not be what they hoped it would be. They bring Smiley inside (though really, they should have brought it to the barn or something, or just left it outside—I don’t think it’s wise to let one in, even if he seems genuinely dead). After some arguments with Kenny—who is now, apparently, Mr. Argues About Everything—they get busy dissecting it, discovering that it’s essentially just a desiccated husk of a normal human being.

This lends credence to the theory that the monsters are all just former people who got stuck in Fromville and somehow turned into . . . whatever these things are. Obviously, many people are killed by the monsters before that’s even a possibility. The big question I have—if this theory is true—is how some people are transformed instead? Who (or what) changes them? What is the process?

My guess would be that once you go past the town, possibly through a Faraway Tree, there is something or someone who turns you. Recall the spiderwebs, also. And then there is the ballerina.

I knew we’d see the ballerina again, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. But both Maryelle, in her detox nightmare, and Elgin in his bath, hear the music playing, see the music box. Maryelle sees Smiley, alive now and roaming the clinic’s halls. Elgin, taking a bath to clear his mind on the advice of Julie Matthews, hears the music playing and then suddenly the ballerina is above him, pressing him underwater. But she is no longer a beautiful woman. She’s now a hideous undead hag. We don’t know what happens to Elgin. The credits roll as he’s pushed under.

Why are people having these visions? Boyd didn’t infect them, and it seemed clear the worms went into Smiley and killed him (or destroyed him if he wasn’t strictly alive to begin with). Since he didn’t have blood, were they released into the air in some way, possibly infecting people that way? I have no idea!

The one thing our heroes collect is the monster’s bile. The only fluid in its body. Is this something that could be used against other monsters assuming it’s infected with the worm poison? Or is it what was used to animate the dead in the first place?

I’m not sure. Other important stuff from this episode:

Finally, what the hell were they thinking leaving Smiley’s body in the basement after dissecting it? That thing should be outside covered in gasoline with a lit match. Instead, I’m pretty sure that something bad is about to happen because they were so negligent. They’re planning to use the bile as a weapon, but what if taking out the bile brings Smiley back to life?

Overall, another strong episode. What did you think? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.