Episode 3 of "Revival" kicks off with Kay unraveling a harrowing narrative that contradicts Dana's initial presumption of Em's demise as a mere overdose. She recounts their perilous excursion to a drug dealer's abode for their next fix, culminating in Em's daring escapade upstairs where she pilfered the dealer's entire stash of narcotics.
This revelation propels Dana towards the doorstep of the accused dealer, an unexpected acquaintance from their school days. As Dana probes his wife, she receives a shocking revelation: it wasn't Em who had been snooping around but Kay herself. However, the dealer's husband soon enters the fray, his tone menacing as he warns Dana with a chilling prophecy of "another dead Cypress," a stark caution against meddling in his family affairs.
Elsewhere, Cooper finds himself entangled in another violent altercation, this time inadvertently harming a classmate while attempting to shield Jordan, a girl who had miraculously returned from the grave. Dana is summoned to address Cooper's suspension and subsequently accompanies him to drop Jordan off at her home. There, Dana uncovers a heart-wrenching reality: Jordan's parents have shunned her, convinced that her resurrection has left her "fundamentally altered."
Meanwhile, Ibrahim persists in his fruitless quest to uncover the origins of Revival Day. In his relentless pursuit, he pays a visit to Arlene's son-in-law, accompanied by Wayne, where they witness a stash of pills and the confined room where Arlene had once been imprisoned.
Simultaneously, Em awakens in the sanctuary of Rhodey's house. Rhodey confides in her that his own demise was the result of an infected wound, prompting Em to rationalize her own plight. Everyone believes she took her own life, but Em contends that had she jumped, her resurrection would have been accompanied by broken bones—just as Rhodey retains his wound.
Over at Terry's house, the scene of Arlene's earlier tragic act against her daughter, Arlene reappears, her wrath unchecked as she eliminates her son-in-law. As their bodies begin to stir once more, Blaine Abel, an ambitious faux preacher seeking to amass a following, arrives and sets their reanimating corpses aflame. Authorities intervene, deciding to separate the bodies and secure Arlene's, which exhibits signs of slow rejuvenation, under lock and key.
Subsequently, Ibrahim convenes with Mayor Wayne and the Governor, unveiling his discoveries concerning traces of mercury in Arlene's cerebral tissue. He postulates that her son-in-law had insidiously poisoned her, ultimately precipitating her descent into psychosis. In response, the Governor sanctions the tagging and monitoring of all revivers, and mandates that those exhibiting aggressive or violent behavior be relocated to a separate camp, the location of which is selected by Wayne.
Elsewhere, Em finds herself immersed in the electric atmosphere of a punk concert, where Rhodey is taking the stage. At this very venue, the drug dealer she once robbed catches sight of her and nearly lunges at her alongside his brother. Fortunately, Dana arrives at the nick of time, apprehending the brother and uncovering drugs on his person, providing her with just cause for his detention. Em and Rhodey subsequently depart together, their evening culminating in a tender kiss after the concert.
Dana later strikes a pact with the eldest sibling of the drug-dealing clan: he agrees to spare her family in exchange for the release of his incarcerated brother. Additionally, she uncovers that they were not the ones who inflicted harm upon Em.
Meanwhile, Em's thoughts drift back to her childhood, marked by persistent illness due to her condition. Rhodey, sensing her introspection, urges her to "live a little," and together, they plunge into the water, the moment evoking memories of her encounter with Blaine. In a parallel narrative, Blaine, who had been incarcerated for setting Arlene and her daughter's bodies aflame in the church, is granted freedom. The episode concludes on an ominous note as Blaine reunites with his devoted followers.
