Mare of Easttown Spoilers and Speculation

[kieyra]

A place to discuss theories and spoilers. 

Please do not use spoiler tags in this thread. 

[paigow]

Besides Guy Pearce, Evan Peters is the highest profile male actor. Therefore, HE is the killer.

All of the denizens we have met have no obvious motive to kill Erin outright. Besides age and location, Katie and Erin are an unlikely pattern for a standard Criminal Minds unsub. 2 killers twist.

Edited April 20, 2021 by paigow

[kieyra]

12 minutes ago, paigow said:

All of the denizens we have met

What if they decide to break rule number one and not introduce the killer in the first episode? 

Ok, you’re right, it’s probably Evan Peters.

Edit: hold the phone. “The Night Of”, also HBO. Killer not introduced in first episode. IIRC. 

[paigow]

Did Katie play basketball? The coach killed her. Not sure if he was the coach 25 years ago.

1. Katie- sexually abused by coach- threatens to go public / attempts blackmail, ends up dead
2. Katie discovers that coach is predator / dealing drugs, ends up dead

[cardigirl]

Putting this out there now ... David Denham's character Frank Sheehan did it.  He's a high school math teacher. 

Shades of Broadchurch season 1. 😄

 

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by cardigirl

[kieyra]

Wait a second, are we overlooking Mare's ... cousin? The priest in an early scene? 

[paigow]

20 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Wait a second, are we overlooking Mare's ... cousin? The priest in an early scene? 

The guy in the catfish photo cannot be ruled out either...

[paigow]

Maybe there will be a spinoff series starring the chemistry teacher called Meth Of Easttown

[PotterOtherP]

I'm gonna guess it's the new cop who put on a big show about being afraid of blood

[kieyra]

54 minutes ago, PotterOtherP said:

I'm gonna guess it's the new cop who put on a big show about being afraid of blood

Hmm, nice one. 

[IndianPaintbrush]

Yeah, I like the new cop theory. It's not as obvious as Guy Pearce. 

Faye struck me as a possible suspect because everyone seems to think she's wonderful - a big contrast to Mare. But she didn't get many lines in the first episode, so we'll see.

[One Imaginary Girl]

Brad Ingelsby also wrote the screenplay for the movie American Woman, which is similar in that the main character is from southeastern Pennsylvania and her daughter goes missing.  It's really worth a watch, with a very good performance (including a decent attempt at the local accent) by Sienna Miller.  The point of that movie wasn't whodunit but the effect of the disappearance on the mother and how her life changes.  I wonder if this will turn out similarly--the person or persons who committed the crimes may just end up being strangers, but we'll be watching how the investigations affect Mare, her family, and other residents of Easttown.

[peachmangosteen]

12 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:

I read somewhere (sorry, can't remember where) that Drew's mom is in rehab (or absent because of addiction) and comes back and wants him back.  And in the previews for the season there is a scene with a young woman yelling "you can't keep my son from me!" 

I figured this would be the story. Not sure whether I like how obvious and cliché it is but we'll see lol.

[kieyra]

3 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I figured this would be the story. Not sure whether I like how obvious and cliché it is but we'll see lol.

... and another Happy Valley parallel, except mom is dead and dad is in jail. Dad gets out of jail and wants to see his son, while grandma cop tries to keep him away.

(Hollywood Reporter podcast also called out the Happy Valley parallels, so I guess I'm not ... never mind, probably still crazy regardless.)

[peachmangosteen]

They should have just called this a US remake of Happy Valley lol.

[kieyra]

1 minute ago, peachmangosteen said:

They should have just called this a US remake of Happy Valley lol.

I mean, there's this whole thing where you can sort of trace the 'Nordic Noir' DNA back to (I think) Forbrydelsen, which was the original/Danish version of The Killing. Then the US Killing, then Broadchurch (and the failed US Broadchurch) then a million tertiary shows like Marcella. "Troubled female detective battles crime and her own demons while grappling with motherhood, usually in a small town but not always." 

While it's part of that club, Happy Valley does have its own very specific thing, a lot of which mirrors the setting of MoE. But ... that's just based on the one episode for me, and the spec about grandson's parents. 

[paigow]

9 hours ago, kieyra said:

"Troubled female detective battles crime and her own demons while grappling with motherhood, usually in a small town but not always." 

Prime Suspect - Helen Mirren refuses to do another season, make a prequel!

[Snazzy Daisy]

On 4/21/2021 at 10:24 PM, One Imaginary Girl said:

Brad Ingelsby also wrote the screenplay for the movie American Woman, which is similar in that the main character is from southeastern Pennsylvania and her daughter goes missing.  It's really worth a watch, with a very good performance (including a decent attempt at the local accent) by Sienna Miller.  The point of that movie wasn't whodunit but the effect of the disappearance on the mother and how her life changes.  I wonder if this will turn out similarly--the person or persons who committed the crimes may just end up being strangers, but we'll be watching how the investigations affect Mare, her family, and other residents of Easttown.

What I love the most about the American Woman movie is the sisterly bond between Debra & Katherine. I really hope this show will not follow this movie’s template because if they do, there won’t be many intense & punchy moments that we can expect.

[paigow]

I was thinking all the birth defects in Easttown pointed to some kind of environmental disaster coverup...

Mare just lost her prime suspect, can she find the real killer before Nick Offerman doppelganger does?

[Jextella]

It seems the killer was either following Erin or he/she was out in the woods to begin and meeting Erin was accidental.

I guess I'm leaning toward the former.

Taking some of the ideas presented above....Erin needed money for her son's surgery. Maybe she tried blackmailing someone - likely a pedo.  

I'm going with the priest or John Ross who was "dead to the world" the morning after Erin's death. Or maybe his spouse Lori who is protecting her husband.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Jextella

[paigow]

Frank should be ruled out along with everyone who went to the bar AFTER the engagement dinner. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

This guy is shady - Billy Ross. A cousin to Kenny (Erin’s dad) and John’s brother. He seems overly upset after dinner at Kenny’s. 

[paigow]

He is worried all the attention will disrupt his fentanyl dealing...

[FemmyV]

15 hours ago, paigow said:

I was thinking all the birth defects in Easttown pointed to some kind of environmental disaster coverup...

Mare just lost her prime suspect, can she find the real killer before Nick Offerman doppelganger does?

That's actually an interesting point re: environmental pollution. Some of those towns were dumping grounds for all manner of shit.

 

I'm starting to wonder if we're going to see or learn some of Mare's even more negative, darker side. Was she once as abusive as everyone else in town seems to be? Could be. They say guys grow up and marry someone just like their moms, maybe she and Carrie have more in common than we know. She had no trouble at all putting the smack down on Brianna's family in their own restaurant. Most of us don't wake up one day and set out humiliating people.

I'm also starting to wonder if Mare might know exactly where Katie Bailey is, and if she is alive or dead. She knows the pain of losing a child, maybe she's trying to spare her old friend from having to feel what Mare thinks would be even worse pain, than a missing kid.

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by FemmyV

[Snazzy Daisy]

I think Mare blames Carrie for Kevin’s death and Carrie blames Mare. I hope we get to see the backstory of this strained relationship in the next episodes. Mare is burdened by a lot of guilt in her personal life (her son’s death & addiction, unable to properly diagnose him & find the right treatment/cure) and in her professional life (not be able to solve high profile case, being perceived as an incompetent detective). Mare needs Drew more than Drew needs Mare. With Drew, Mare gets to have a 2nd chance in making things right. I wish Mare could focus on repairing her relationship with Siobhan before it’s too late.

[paigow]

Thunder Road  by Springsteen should be the closing theme song for Mare... "This town is full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win"

[BingeyKohan]

I hope it's not Guy Pearce because that doesn't feel very interesting to me but I struggle to understand why he needs to be around otherwise. We'd already know or suspect Mare has a hard time letting people in, and the 'culture clash' of having her enter his world isn't really very interesting. He's not really being set up as a super insightful writer so I don't think he's there to ultimately see something in her 'character' that she can't see herself. Maybe he'll just rip off the gruesome stories for a book and that will be his offense.

They took ample pains to show us that Erin was topless but not bottomless. I assume eventually they will establish whether there was sexual assault but just based on completely superficial tropes of detective shows it points more to a woman killer, potentially, than a man.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, BingeyKohan said:

I hope it's not Guy Pearce because that doesn't feel very interesting to me

Mare is his alibi... They were sexy timing when the murder happened...

[paigow]

On 4/26/2021 at 5:37 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

I wish Mare could focus on repairing her relationship with Siobhan before it’s too late.

There is probably a LGBT based conflict waiting to erupt...

[Snazzy Daisy]

6 minutes ago, paigow said:

There is probably a LGBT based conflict waiting to erupt...

Please don’t go there, ughhh please don’t 😣

Mare is not that conservative, is she? Siobhan and that yellow beanie girl make a cute couple!

[paigow]

1 minute ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Please don’t go there, ughhh please don’t 😣

Mare is not that conservative, is she?

It is probably repressed since the suicide, but I bet they argued a lot about it before...

[paigow]

Siobhan is the killer. She was driving that night. The initial promo trailer shows the bike transported via car / truck and being thrown off a bridge.

[BC4ME]

On 4/28/2021 at 6:37 PM, paigow said:

Siobhan is the killer. She was driving that night. The initial promo trailer shows the bike transported via car / truck and being thrown off a bridge.

Definitely on my short list. Don't know motive but her performance at the interigation with the new cop was very suspicious IMO. 

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by BC4ME

[paigow]

Siobhan theory:

Found out she has a half-brother. Seizes opportunity to get rid of Erin AND frame douchebag Dylan. Gets lucky that Nick Offerman doppelganger capped Dylan. Case closed.  OOps... now she has to kill the blabby girl....

[raven]

OR could be Siobhan's girlfriend.  I'm re-watching ep 1 and Siobhan has to calm her down, the girl is irritated at one of the other kids over bad drugs.  It is odd that Siobhan and the other kids turn up in the woods, the last we see of them, they are at Frank's house.  Siobhan asks Erin if she needs a ride home and Erin walks off, crying.  If Siobhan's involved, I like the theory that Siobhan is protecting someone else.

Then our last shot of Siobhan is her and the girlfriend in bed together looking content.  So maybe not??

 

[raven]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

The initial promo trailer shows the bike transported via car / truck and being thrown off a bridge.

Looks like a car/SUV with a hatchback.  Hmmm.

[Fuzzy Logic]

I’m guessing two different guilty parties for Katie’s disappearance and Erin’s murder.  Maybe a religious/church connection for Katie, and then something much closer to Mare’s home for Erin.  There’s been way too much made of the ear surgery’s cost; could that Post-It note have been more of an obvious neon sign?  I do think that Frank was sexually involved with Erin and the next episode will deal the possibility that Frank is the baby’s father...with DNA ultimately ruling him out and making the audience cross him/that connection off the suspect list prematurely.  

While I think that the weepy cousin (cousin??) is the most likely father of Erin’s son, I’m speculating that Erin approached Frank, asking for money for the ear surgery, claiming that the baby was Frank’s (even if she knew that to be a lie).  And I bet Frank’s ‘perfect’ fiancé found out somehow, and then killed Erin in response.  So as of right now, I’m going  with Faye.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Fuzzy Logic

[BingeyKohan]

Here’s what I think about the bike and that drop into the water from the trailer: Mare will find out the addict from episode 1 has it but she suspects only to sell it. To avoid getting him pegged for murder Mare herself drops it in the river but it comes back to haunt her.

[raven]

5 hours ago, Fuzzy Logic said:

While I think that the weepy cousin (cousin??) is the most likely father of Erin’s son,

To further complicate, there's the other cousin, the tall guy who is the husband of Mare's friend.  The friend wakes him up to tell him about Erin after Mare calls and the husband is tired, implying he had a late night at Frank's engagement party.  Mare needs to focus on the party, who was there and when.

[cardigirl]

5 hours ago, Fuzzy Logic said:

I’m guessing two different guilty parties for Katie’s disappearance and Erin’s murder.  Maybe a religious/church connection for Katie, and then something much closer to Mare’s home for Erin.  There’s been way too much made of the ear surgery’s cost; could that Post-It note have been more of an obvious neon sign?  I do think that Frank was sexually involved with Erin and the next episode will deal the possibility that Frank is the baby’s father...with DNA ultimately ruling him out and making the audience cross him/that connection off the suspect list prematurely.  

While I think that the weepy cousin (cousin??) is the most likely father of Erin’s son, I’m speculating that Erin approached Frank, asking for money for the ear surgery, claiming that the baby was Frank’s (even if she knew that to be a lie).  And I bet Frank’s ‘perfect’ fiancé found out somehow, and then killed Erin in response.  So as of right now, I’m going  with Faye.

I agree that the money for the ear surgery is coming into this is some way. Even if it isn't Faye, it's someone Erin was pressuring for money by threatening to say they were the actual father of the baby. Right now, the one to lose the most from that is Frank and/or Faye. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

You don’t cast Julianne Nicholson and Angourie Rice just to play Mare’s BFF (Lori Ross) and Mare’s daughter (Siobhan Sheehan). These 2 characters should have more depth & various layers than we expected.

Based on E03 trailer, Erin’s last call was made to Deacon Mark. Why would Erin be calling him if she already stopped going to the church/youth group meeting. Were they talking about DJ?

[12catcrazy]

2 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I agree that the money for the ear surgery is coming into this is some way. Even if it isn't Faye, it's someone Erin was pressuring for money by threatening to say they were the actual father of the baby. Right now, the one to lose the most from that is Frank and/or Faye. 

Or possibly one of the priests.  On one hand, priests having sex with members of their flock has become old hat, on the other, you're talking about a teenage girl and a small town.   If the baby daddy was Erin's uncle or cousin, then I'm sure you're going to deal with her father's wrath.  The water is still murky here.   And I wonder what the endgame of the writer is?  As was mentioned, when Erin was murdered, he was otherwise involved.   But did he have something to do with the girl who is still missing?   A case of you don't hire Guy Pearce for some random (scuzzy) middle aged eye candy.  

[BingeyKohan]

Part of me wonders if producers now know hiring an actor capable of a lot gets us speculating so they just do it even though the character is not that significant. I still don't understand why Lily Rabe took that role on The Undoing! But I used the same reasoning to suspect her character would have something intense to play that she never really did.

[paigow]

Waiting for Zabel to do a photo search of priests connected to Easttown over the years and finding all dudes that worked with Kate Winslet.... Dicaprio, Firth, Grant

[Affogato]

5 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

Or possibly one of the priests.  On one hand, priests having sex with members of their flock has become old hat, on the other, you're talking about a teenage girl and a small town.   If the baby daddy was Erin's uncle or cousin, then I'm sure you're going to deal with her father's wrath.  The water is still murky here.   And I wonder what the endgame of the writer is?  As was mentioned, when Erin was murdered, he was otherwise involved.   But did he have something to do with the girl who is still missing?   A case of you don't hire Guy Pearce for some random (scuzzy) middle aged eye candy.  

It isn’t really a small town. It is part of the metropolitan Philadelphia area and not a part that is right next to the countryside, either. 

[peachmangosteen]

They're definitely portraying it on this show as a small town imo. 

[paigow]

8 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

You don’t cast Julianne Nicholson...

Without Goren or Logan

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

They're definitely portraying it on this show as a small town imo. 

Not really. Just because it has its own identity doesn’t mean it isn’t urban. I live in the Boston area and I could name you any number of places you could set this story. Drive through, couldn’t tell where one place ended and the next begins, unless you live there. Philadelphia is similar. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Affogato

[paigow]

11 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

But did he have something to do with the girl who is still missing?   A case of you don't hire Guy Pearce for some random (scuzzy) middle aged eye candy.  

What was the plot of his book? Was it murder / corruption in small town USA? Is this a copycat run by a fan / former student?

[Snazzy Daisy]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

What was the plot of his book? Was it murder / corruption in small town USA? Is this a copycat run by a fan / former student?

Creative writing... maybe he wrote a chick-lit 😂