'Wayward Pines': Meet Djimon Hounsou as CJ Mitchum in exclusive clip

Meet CJ Mitchum, Wayward Pines’ and Wayward Pines‘ resident know-it-all — in a good, humanity-preserving way. Played by Djimon Hounsou (in his first small-screen role since Alias in 2004), CJ has a keen understanding of the town’s origin as well as its future potential.

Case in point: In this exclusive clip from Wednesday’s episode, “Blood Harvest,” CJ delivers the disturbing news that the chemical levels in the town’s soil have changed and become unusable for farming. The crops the survivors need are outside the fence, where harvesters will be unprotected from Abbies, and though CJ admits they’ll have to wander outside the perimeter to survive, he’s wary of overstepping their boundaries. Plus, he’s not fond of Jason (Tom Stevens) and the militia’s plan to use flamethrowers against any Abbies who approach. “You can’t control fire,” CJ says. “It’s elemental. It’s alive and unpredictable. It’s like trying to control the wind or the sun.”

Luckily (or is it unluckily?), Theo (Jason Patric), the newest resident of Wayward Pines, will come into CJ’s orbit. “[He and CJ] come to an understanding, come to know each other,” Hounsou told EW before the season’s premiere. “[CJ] is certainly thinking about our safety, but he’s very doubtful of our interacting with the outside world.”

Watch the clip above. Wayward Pines airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.