If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Despite a potential serial killer on the loose in the community, Wind Gap residents gather for Calhoun Day, an annual southern-pride festival hosted by Adora on the grounds of her house. As Amma and her friends act out a traditional play depicting the sacrifices made by the wife of a Confederate soldier, Adora shares confidences with Richard that may impact his relationship with Camille. (HBO)
Writer: Scott Brown
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 51mins
Airs: Sundays at 9pm on HBO Canada (Canada)/HBO (United States)
Okay, so the end of the last episode was just a hallucination and didn’t actually happen then but it doesn’t mean that it won’t. Preaker’s mind tends to go in so many directions, as this series has shown so far, so none of this should come as much of a surprise. In fact, she has barely been able to hold on to her sanity, being in a town that has inflicted so much psychological damage to her. This episode was especially tough for Preaker as Wind Gap celebrated their annual Calhoun Day which pretty much was the embodiment of everything she was trying to avoid.
Coincidentally, Preaker’s latest article about the dead girls’ case just happened to get published on the same day and ruffled a few feathers in the process. A few more flashbacks of the family getting ready for a past Calhoun Day also found their way in the episode. Taking offense by her attire Adora and Amma took Preaker out to get a more appropriate dress. During their outing, Adora happened to mention Preaker’s father for whom she did not have the best relationship with. When she managed to lose her clothes while in a dressing room, Amma saw all the healed scars from all the words that Preaker had cut into herself. It also served as a reminder for Adora of her daughter’s past that she wasn’t there for and would rather forget. She simply blamed Preaker’s father.
After this last experience, Preaker would rather pack up and leave as she wasn’t in a good place emotionally and did not want to be in her family home anymore. She was avoiding Richard because she did not want to get close but with Calhoun Day and an out of character outfit, she did not have a choice. Everybody was there, including John Keene and Bob Nash, the two presumed suspects. Adora and Vickery took it upon themselves to spy on Preaker and Richard while mingling with the other guests. Meanwhile, Preaker was further reminded of her past as she ran into a series of old acquaintances. Adora then took Richard into her home to give him a tour and share some of Preaker’s past with him, including how she hasn’t been the same after losing her sister.
Amma and her friends got to perform their play about the founding of Wind Gap in front of the town until they were interrupted by a fight between John Keene and Bob Nash. Being on drugs since before her performance, Amma ran off into the woods. Everyone ran into the woods to try and find her but Preaker found her, inexplicably bloody, in the creepy shed thanks to the Woman in White. As she rested, Preaker shared her suspicions about Amma with Adora while Adora apologized to Preaker for not loving her because of her resentment of her father. This seemed sincere but they were drinking on the veranda.
Adora didn’t tell Richard about Preaker’s scars but she worried for when they would ever get close. Preaker swore it wouldn’t happen, however, the episode ended with them getting very close while she continued to hide her scars.
Overall, this was another good episode that failed to pick up from where the last episode left off by pretty much ignoring the case but it did bring Preaker closer to Adora in what were a series of strong scenes between Adams and Clarkson. The same could be said for Preaker and Richard who got even closer as well. The chemistry between Adams and Messina has been one of the best parts of the series and they were still fun to watch here. It will be interesting to see how their relationship will change after what Richard learned from Adora. The camera work and the different perspectives during the Calhoun Day scenes were great to watch as well. While the technical aspects of the series have been excellent for the most part, hopefully the series will return to the case in the next episode.
Score: 8/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.