S01.E03: Off With a Bang

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

Victim or villain? Jeanette continues to add fuel to the fire as her reckless behavior causes her friends and family to question her even more.

Airs April 27th.

[Spartan Girl]

The plot thickens.

So Jeannette’s parents are divorced and she and her mom obviously aren’t talking. Honestly, she kind of comes off as solipsistic as Kate’s mom, so they’ve got that in common at least.

Jamie is still the worst. And I do not like Mallory.

[Jx223]

Tonight's episode wasn't as eventful but we did learn a few more things. Such as Jeanette's older brother and her are still speaking to each other and are on good terms. I initially thought he might have been the person that Vincent called on the phone, but that he didn't want to talk to him, because he was estranged from Jeanette. But that wasn't the case. It was also mentioned that Cindy is still alive, but Jeanette won't take her calls. I had speculated on this before, but I really do believe that Cindy could have been so embarrassed regarding what happened with Jeanette and the accusations that she abandoned her family.

I think this could be the case even more tonight after learning that she was pretty popular in high school and was the Homecoming Queen. Maybe she just couldn't deal with all of the disdain and embarrassment surrounding Jeanette and that caused her to bail. She looked like she was beginning to struggle dealing with things after Jeanette first talked to the cops and the family went out to that event. 

Another theory I have is that she might have had some sort of mental breakdown. Though, I think in that case Jeanette might have been more sympathetic towards her and may have taken her calls.

And I think it was interesting that Cindy mentioned that Kate's mom was awkward and used to follow her around in high school. Also, that they used to be close. When Kate's mom was telling Kate about Cindy, it was like she telling an opposite story. I think that Cindy's story could be true and that could be a big reason why Kate's mom seems resentful towards her. Plus, she mentioned Kate's dad being interested in her, which could have also caused friction between the two women.

Also, I wonder if tonight's interaction between Kate, Vincent, and Mallory might have foreshadowed that Kate/Mallory may strike up a friendship. Mallory did seem more understanding towards Kate than she has in the past. Maybe the two will actually strike up a friendship and start to hang out. And speaking of Mallory, I think that she ended up being a bit of bad influence on Jeanette. It sounded like Jeanette liked the thrill of constantly going back into Martin's house. Maybe the list Mallory had encouraging her to break rules, helped feed into that feeling/behavior. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jx223

[KaveDweller]

Jamie is really awful. I am glad neither girl seems to be with him in the 1995 storyline.

I still wish we knew the timeline of Kate's rescue better, and it doesn't seem like the flashbacks will be going back to that. Jeanette's popular friend gets a call that Kate was found, they all run to Jamie's house, and he has already talked to Kate? When did he get a chance to do that?

Not surprising that Jeanette went back to that house after that smile she showed after the first time. Was the scene of her telling Vincent that before or after his interview? But either way, it still doesn't tell us much about the day she supposedly saw Kate. It does seem like if she was roaming around in it she would have heard that someone was in the basement though.  

What I am amazed at was how they showed the press talking about Jeanette. And she said last week something about the governor calling her a disgrace. Unless we haven't been shown evidence, I would think most media outlets would be careful to not accuse a teenage girl of such terrible things. The word allegedly would be thrown around.  I mean, Jeanette is still a minor. If she really didn't see Kate, she seems to have a defamation case against a lot of people.

Also weird that the police were surprised Greg wanted to accompany Jeanette on her interview/questioning. Isn't that required by law for minors? The nineties weren't that long ago.

 

[Jx223]

21 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Jamie is really awful. I am glad neither girl seems to be with him in the 1995 storyline.

I still wish we knew the timeline of Kate's rescue better, and it doesn't seem like the flashbacks will be going back to that. Jeanette's popular friend gets a call that Kate was found, they all run to Jamie's house, and he has already talked to Kate? When did he get a chance to do that?

Not surprising that Jeanette went back to that house after that smile she showed after the first time. Was the scene of her telling Vincent that before or after his interview? But either way, it still doesn't tell us much about the day she supposedly saw Kate. It does seem like if she was roaming around in it she would have heard that someone was in the basement though.  

What I am amazed at was how they showed the press talking about Jeanette. And she said last week something about the governor calling her a disgrace. Unless we haven't been shown evidence, I would think most media outlets would be careful to not accuse a teenage girl of such terrible things. The word allegedly would be thrown around.  I mean, Jeanette is still a minor. If she really didn't see Kate, she seems to have a defamation case against a lot of people.

Also weird that the police were surprised Greg wanted to accompany Jeanette on her interview/questioning. Isn't that required by law for minors? The nineties weren't that long ago.

 

I still wonder what exactly Kate said beyond "Jeanette saw me, I got her necklace as evidence" that would cause people to hate Jeanette so vehemently. Especially since she did become popular after Kate left. Is it largely a case of the people just loving Kate more/finding her to be more likeable/sympathetic? Or maybe some details/information leaked about the horrors that Kate suffered at the hands of Martin and that caused people to really hate Jeanette.

There really doesn't seem to be a ton of evidence (at least for now) that Jeanette saw Kate, beyond Kate's word. Heck, they are still trying to find out the truth in 95, by asking questions about what happened. So what really happened between 94-95 to make people hate Jeanette that much. Jeanette should keep denying what happened and maybe could have done a stronger job of doing that earlier on. It may have even benefited her if she tried to come up with more of an explanation to explain Kate's accusations. Even if that was telling at least some of the truth by saying she was in Martin's house more than once, & maybe Kate noticed her then. (Though, she didn't notice Kate). That could have forced the police to investigate the home further and possibly discover the two way mirrors that some of us have been speculating Martin had. 

The disdain for Jeanette would make more sense, if Kate stated that Jeanette had a role in her abduction/was working with Martin to keep her captive. And actually had some strong evidence to support that. But "just she saw me one day in the basement", without some really concrete evidence doesn't really hold a bunch of weight, nor IMO warrant quite this level of hatred towards Jeanette, including from the national media. A lot of suspicion and gossip, sure, but not this very extreme level of hate.  People on the show are reacting as if Jeanette held Kate captive.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jx223

[KaveDweller]

7 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

There really doesn't seem to be a ton of evidence (at least for now) that Jeanette saw Kate, beyond Kate's word. Heck, they are still trying to find out the truth in 95, by asking questions about what happened. So what really happened between 94-95 to make people hate Jeanette that much. Jeanette should keep denying what happened and maybe could have done a stronger job of doing that earlier on. It may have even benefited her if she tried to come up with more of an explanation to explain Kate's accusations. Even if that was telling at least some of the truth by saying she was in Martin's house more than once, & maybe Kate noticed her then. (Though, she didn't notice Kate). That could have forced the police to investigate the home further and possibly discover the two way mirrors that some of us have been speculating Martin had. 

The disdain for Jeanette would make more sense, if Kate stated that Jeanette had a role in her abduction/was working with Martin to keep her captive. And actually had some strong evidence to support that. But "just she saw me one day in the basement", without some really concrete evidence doesn't really hold a bunch of weight, nor IMO warrant quite this level of hatred towards Jeanette, including from the national media. A lot of suspicion and gossip, sure, but not this very extreme level of hate.  People on the show are reacting as if Jeanette held Kate captive.

There also isn't a lot of detail in Kate's accusation. Maybe there is and we just haven't seen it yet for dramatic affect. But if someone who was locked in a basement for a year claims a person so her, shouldn't the response be, "How? Where was she and where were you? Where did you find the necklace exactly." Then if Kate said Jeanette was in Mr. Harris's basement the cops would be able to ask Jeanette if she was there.

I am guessing after being accused Jeanette started acting out, causing people to believe Kate and spread more gossip? Although it seems like that would only happen in their small town, and reporters in the bigger cities would forget about it. 

[Jx223]

10 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

There also isn't a lot of detail in Kate's accusation. Maybe there is and we just haven't seen it yet for dramatic affect. But if someone who was locked in a basement for a year claims a person so her, shouldn't the response be, "How? Where was she and where were you? Where did you find the necklace exactly." Then if Kate said Jeanette was in Mr. Harris's basement the cops would be able to ask Jeanette if she was there.

I am guessing after being accused Jeanette started acting out, causing people to believe Kate and spread more gossip? Although it seems like that would only happen in their small town, and reporters in the bigger cities would forget about it. 

I would also ask Kate if she screamed for help or call out to Jeanette in any way. Did Jeanette talk to her or make any sort of gesture towards her, really acknowledging that she saw her? Granted we may not know all of the details, but going off of what we know, Kate's accusations don't seem particularly strong. There doesn't seem (at least for now) a lot of weight into what she's saying. 

IMO, in a way it's surprising that more people on the show aren't a bit torn between which girl they think is telling the truth. I think that would be a bit more realistic, at least based off what we know so far. It makes more sense than Jeanette being viewed as the town pariah by almost everyone in town. 

It's possible Jeanette may have acted out or at least acted more suspiciously once Kate was freed. Maybe that hurt how she was viewed. But even taking that into consideration, it still feels like there isn't enough evidence to support the extreme hatred of her. I feel like if there were, people still wouldn't be questioning things as much in '95. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jx223

[CrazyDog]

Wow, I'm pretty hooked on this show. I love the overlapping storylines. 

Jeanette is sketchy as hell, but there's such a big chunk of story that we're not aware of. 

I also don't get how Kate talked to Jamie so quickly after being rescued, unless there was just a bigger lapse than it seemed between her rescue and people in town finding out. 

Cindy is still so off, and I didn't really believe her story about Kate's mom either, though I guess she wouldn't have been able to lie about being so popular in high school. Nice parallels between the moms and daughters, even if unreliable on both side.

Jeanette teeters between looking broken and looking unhinged, and both are believable. The acting practice vs. her sad and bitter, but sincere (IMO) conversation with Vincent. 

I do believe Jeanette is guilty of something, but not what she's accused of. What proof is there? Definitive proof of her abandoning Kate would not lend itself well to her filing a defamation suit.

Even after 3 years, it was interesting that Kate was yelling at Jeannette only about the lawsuit, and how terrified Jeanette was in response. Guilt?

I don't like Mallory either, but Jeanette keeping some of her stash even after Mallory was grounded wasn't a good look. 

All the different camera angles, especially with Jeanette are interesting.

This show has me suspicious of everyone, ha.

Edited April 28, 2021 by CrazyDog

[cardigirl]

I hope this doesn't devolve into fantastical storytelling just to give us dramatic scenes, i.e., things that would never work that way, because that's not how news reports or police work. 

I don't much care for any of the iterations of Jeanette. She comes across as a mushmouth to me. I like her friend, Vince, but Mallory can go hang. 

Still interested in what really happened, and I wonder if we'll ever truly know. 

Jeanette's brother and dad seem like great people so far, so how did she turn out so messed up? Oh right, her mom? 

Long way to go until this mystery starts to make any sense. Something to watch, maybe DVR. 

 

[tennisgurl]

I am still totally hooked on this show. This episode had less wham moments but we did get some more information. The bit that actually stood out to me was Cindy telling Jeanette that Kate's mom was once the awkward girl who followed Cindy, the It Girl, around, while Kate's mom basically told Kate the opposite, that Cindy was a desperate poser who was obsessed with her. Its like a multigenerational mean girl story of trying to figure out who was really who. I am also guessing that Cindy left town because she couldn't handle the scandal of going from the former It Girl to the town pariah. Jeanette's brother seems to be on her side, and while her dad is trying he seems really burnt out by everything and doesn't seem thrilled with Jeanette. Maybe he believed her about not seeing Kate, but is upset about the lawsuit? 

It does seem weird that all of the national media has fully jumped on this "Jeanette is evil" bandwagon when they really don't seem to have much evidence in 1995, although maybe there is more that we just haven't seen yet. All they have now that we know of are Kate's word, the necklace, and Jeanette admittedly acting rather suspicious. I guess with her angsty 1995 haircut she started acting out and that just made her look worse in the time between 1994 and 1995, and then the lawsuit just made her reputation worse. It does look rather bad to sue a victim of kidnapping and god knows what else, but if it does turn out that Kate was mistaken or lying, she would have a pretty good case for a whole lot of people considering none of this has been legally proven. I do think that Kate thinks she saw Jeanette, but she might have been mistaken. Then again, knowing Jeanette was frequently in and out if the house does raise some questions. Kudos to the show because I really am not sure where this is going. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by tennisgurl

[abc123baby]

maybe completely crazy. but i just got a tingle in one scene with jeannette mom and then when jeannette refused to talk to her. jeannette is soooo shady, but what if it was her mother that saw kate? in low light maybe she could pass?

 

[mandymax]

I tend to think that Cindy is remembering her high school days and her interactions with Kate's mother as she WISHES they were - so popular, all the boys wanting her, Kate's mother looking up to her - especially given the context in which she shared these memories: while assuring her "nerd" daughter that she surely had lots of people who wanted to be her friend and that she would one day be just like her mother (Cindy).  Her gazing off into the distance while saying that Kate's second husband once wanted HER kind of sealed it for me - like she was daydreaming.

I'm so curious to see how they tie all of this together!

[Leilani]

I think what we're watching is a girl who is a sociopath:

Telling Vince she was flushing the pot and ended up holding on to it, even when Mallory was mad at her because it was going to get Mallory in trouble.

Needing to practice how to be 'a victim' which is what psychopaths and sociopaths do since they don't know how to be human and need to emulate and play a role for the people they want to manipulate.

Telling Vince she has been to the house many times and grew to get a thrill from it.

It could turn out to be the 'star' of the show is actually an awful selfish person and we're seeing all her sociopathic tendencies. She could have seen Kate and not told anyone because she did want to take over her life just like she didn't think think there's anything wrong continuing to break into Martin's house for the 'thrill' or keeping the stash of pot from Mallory. 

It looks like she might have outed Vince and Ben too while we see Vince lying to the attorneys when asked if he knew she had been to the house more then one time.

This third episode was a profile in all the ways Jeannette is selfish and willing to break the law or hurt her friends without any qualms.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Leilani

[applecrisp]

4 hours ago, mandymax said:

I tend to think that Cindy is remembering her high school days and her interactions with Kate's mother as she WISHES they were - so popular, all the boys wanting her, Kate's mother looking up to her - especially given the context in which she shared these memories: while assuring her "nerd" daughter that she surely had lots of people who wanted to be her friend and that she would one day be just like her mother (Cindy).  Her gazing off into the distance while saying that Kate's second husband once wanted HER kind of sealed it for me - like she was daydreaming.

I'm so curious to see how they tie all of this together!

I distrust the mom too. Wouldn't there be proof about homecoming queen though?

[meatball77]

Regarding Jeanettes mother, her popularity or not in HS isn't known but what we do know is that she's super concerned about appearances. 

Kate's big beef with Jeanette is that she stole her life and it sounds like she wasn't quiet about it.  One report about how Jeanette was terrible wouldn't be a national conversation but if she was on multiple talk shows and going on and on about how Jeanette stole her life, that would.  Enough that the lawsuit made sense for a lawyer to take.

[SoMuchTV]

17 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

Even after 3 years, it was interesting that Kate was yelling at Jeannette only about the lawsuit, and how terrified Jeanette was in response. Guilt?

Wait what are the three years? Did Jeanette file the charges in 94 or 95? I thought 95 (or some point between 94 & 95) but I could be mistaken.  Anyway at the point of the car confrontation, they were two years past Kate’s abduction and one year past her rescue.

Edited April 29, 2021 by SoMuchTV

[BingeyKohan]

I got Dory (from Search Party) vibes from Jeanette this episode.

any guesses on what Martin’s 92 yearbook might reveal? Surely they will look at it at some point and find someone else in it we know. 

[gesundheit]

I'm still just hung up on Jeanette's awful wig. Obviously they were planting the seeds of the generic duckling-to-swan transformation with the "maybe you want to try contacts again?" bit, next she'll get her hands on a flat iron. But if someone's hair is that naturally curly, it's not going to look like it does in 1995 when it's that short. Long curly hair is even curlier when short! I'm here doing zero analysis of the plot because I'm just obsessed with the wig.

I do love Vince. The first week I was wondering what that silliness was about his crush on Jeanette because I assumed he wasn't into girls, so I was glad to have that confirmed. That speakeasy was weird, though, it was 1994, not the 70s! On the other hand, I'm not sure what kind of town they live in, I guess I'd buy it depending.

I don't think we've really seen anything from Jeanette yet to see her actions as anything more than rebellious teen and then traumatized teen, but I guess there's a lot more to unfold.

This show is successfully manipulating me with the music choices, that's for sure! Loved Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" at the beginning bookended by the angsty cover of it at the end.

[methodwriter85]

16 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I'm still just hung up on Jeanette's awful wig

My personal theory is that either Jeanette cut off her hair in a rage, or she was held down by Jamie and a mob and had her hair forcibly cut off a la the 1996 Tiffani Amber Thiessen/Brian Austin Green tv movie "She Fought Alone." She stars as a girl who becomes the town outcast when she accuses Brian's best friend of rape, which he initially doesn't believe and he cuts her hair off as a means of revenge.

[cmahorror]

I'm enjoying this but am I the only one getting a "Wild Things" vibe from this show? I almost feel like both girls were working to get money from Kate's parents. Before throwing stones, hear me out...

Kate is pissed at her friends and boyfriend for moving on without her while she was missing and her mom for cheating. She finds Jeanette's necklace at the house, maybe it had fallen off during one of Jeanette's visits before Kate was kidnapped, and decides to blackmail her into getting revenge. Kate will accuse Jeanette in public, Jeanette will sue Kate and her family in retaliation, win by trial or settlement, and then the two girls split the money and go their separate ways.

Silly theory, I know, but it would definitely be an interesting twist...

[Anela]

I can actually see Jeanette’s Mum telling the truth about high school. Kate’s Mum seems to be obsessed with status/how they’re seen by others, and nothing messing up their perfect lives.  

Jeanette creeped me out this episode, but I could see her trying to mimic the girl on TV, because her lawyer told her to be nicer, and then laughing over it being so ridiculous.  They had the mirrors very clearly shown behind her in the basement, so they must come into it. If he was deranged and evil enough to kidnap her (and worse), he could use the mirrors to keep an eye on her.  If that’s the case, it must be a secret room. One that wouldn’t be used by anyone else, and maybe Jeanette hid there.  That defiant question at the end, will probably still lead to “no” as an answer.  
 

I’m glad that caught this from the beginning, instead of being a year or more behind everyone else.  

[Anela]

1 hour ago, BingeyKohan said:

I got Dory (from Search Party) vibes from Jeanette this episode.

any guesses on what Martin’s 92 yearbook might reveal? Surely they will look at it at some point and find someone else in it we know. 

I thought maybe he did the same thing there, and that’s why he moved.  Maybe it didn’t go so far as kidnapping, or maybe it did, and he killed her, but wasn’t caught.  

55 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I'm still just hung up on Jeanette's awful wig. Obviously they were planting the seeds of the generic duckling-to-swan transformation with the "maybe you want to try contacts again?" bit, next she'll get her hands on a flat iron. But if someone's hair is that naturally curly, it's not going to look like it does in 1995 when it's that short. Long curly hair is even curlier when short! I'm here doing zero analysis of the plot because I'm just obsessed with the wig.

I do love Vince. The first week I was wondering what that silliness was about his crush on Jeanette because I assumed he wasn't into girls, so I was glad to have that confirmed. That speakeasy was weird, though, it was 1994, not the 70s! On the other hand, I'm not sure what kind of town they live in, I guess I'd buy it depending.

I don't think we've really seen anything from Jeanette yet to see her actions as anything more than rebellious teen and then traumatized teen, but I guess there's a lot more to unfold.

This show is successfully manipulating me with the music choices, that's for sure! Loved Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" at the beginning bookended by the angsty cover of it at the end.

I had a boy pretend to have a crush on me, because he wasn’t ready to tell people that he was gay.  We’re still friends. It’s obvious that he loves her as a friend, though.  Re: the interview. I thought that came before he followed her into the basement.  

[gesundheit]

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

My personal theory is that either Jeanette cut off her hair in a rage, or she was held down by Jamie and a mob and had her hair forcibly cut off a la the 1996 Tiffani Amber Thiessen/Brian Austin Green tv movie "She Fought Alone." She stars as a girl who becomes the town outcast when she accuses Brian's best friend of rape, which he initially doesn't believe and he cuts her hair off as a means of revenge.

Yeah, I'm thinking that was done to her (and this was her desperate version of modifying it into a "look"), or that she did it in a crazed rage at some point that we'll eventually see, set to Nine Inch Nails or something.

And yes, I've definitely seen that movie!!

[ZeeEnnui]

I'm so hooked on this show! I wasn't sure after episode one but two and three sealed it for me.

The scene where Jeanette tried to copy the girl on TV was such a Dexter lite move. I don't know if Jeanette lied about seeing Kate or not but if you have to copy bad TV acting to seem human, then you're on the sociopath scale. 

One thing that really stuck out to me was the scene where Vince found Jeanette in the basement, and she started talking about letting evil into the house. For a minute there I thought we were going to swerve into Lois Duncan supernatural territory with the show, but it seems like we're going to stick to "people are the monsters" territory for now. I do want to know what she meant by that, unless she's going through her high school Goth phase which seems about right for her 1995 look. 

I'm still confused about last week's Jamie slap fest. Maybe its the jumpy flashbacks but I thought Kate hadn't yet announced that Jeanette had seen her in the basement. How would Jamie know about that since I think Jeanette was with Kate's OG crew when she showed up at his house? If Kate's friend's knew about the accusations against Jeanette there is zero chance they would have accompanied her to Jamie's house.

So I have a theory about Cindy. She is obsessed with Jeanette being popular like she was in high school (if that story is even true). What if she is the one that discovered Kate was being held captive in the basement and said nothing because Jeanette was getting popular and achieving all of her unhealthy, vicarious dreams? Kate coming back would destroy Jeanette's popularity. Her husband was the real estate agent, and it would be easy for Cindy to obtain a key. Of course, why would she go there in the first place. We also know that she thought the hideous Claire's knockoff necklace that Mallory and Vince gave Jeanette was trash. Maybe Cindy had it with her to get rid of and accidentally dropped it? 

Speaking of 1994, Jeanette. I have questions about how she so quickly because the most popular girl in school. In 1993, she seemed like a sweet geek who was mega awkward in a nice puppyish way. How did Jeanette get from A-C?

Interesting that it was Jeanette or Jeanette's lawyer that leaked the story about the counter-lawsuit. Burned out dad was not happy about that since it clearly hurt any attempts to rehab Jeanette's already tarnished image.

[waving feather]

I'm not sure if the show is trying with making young Jeanette likable in 1993 or not but it's not working. She comes across as a holier-than-thou hypocrite. She's always the first to correct her friends on any "immoral" things but she's out there lying and breaking into people's home. She crossed a line when she flushed down her friend's pot. It isn't hers in the first place to get rid of it. She could still say no and return it. And then at the end she kept some of it, ultimately stealing it and lying to her friends, while putting on a good girl persona.

[Anela]

3 minutes ago, waving feather said:

I'm not sure if the show is trying with making young Jeanette likable in 1993 or not but it's not working. She comes across as a holier-than-thou hypocrite. She's always the first to correct her friends on any "immoral" things but she's out there lying and breaking into people's home. She crossed a line when she flushed down her friend's pot. It isn't hers in the first place to get rid of it. She could still say no and return it. And then at the end she kept some of it, ultimately stealing it and lying to her friends, while putting on a good girl persona.

I thought they were showing us that she lied easily, and could be capable of doing what she's been accused of. I'm so used to red herrings in shows and movies, but she did creep me out when she was mimicking that girl. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Anela

[KaveDweller]

4 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I do love Vince. The first week I was wondering what that silliness was about his crush on Jeanette because I assumed he wasn't into girls, so I was glad to have that confirmed. That speakeasy was weird, though, it was 1994, not the 70s! On the other hand, I'm not sure what kind of town they live in, I guess I'd buy it depending.

They are in a small town in Texas. I have never been to Texas, but it is known for being pretty conservative, so I can buy that the gay scene was limited to what seemed to be a bar set up in what looked like an old house.

3 hours ago, Leilani said:

I think what we're watching is a girl who is a sociopath:

Telling Vince she was flushing the pot and ended up holding on to it, even when Mallory was mad at her because it was going to get Mallory in trouble.

Needing to practice how to be 'a victim' which is what psychopaths and sociopaths do since they don't know how to be human and need to emulate and play a role for the people they want to manipulate.

Telling Vince she has been to the house many times and grew to get a thrill from it.

It could turn out to be the 'star' of the show is actually an awful selfish person and we're seeing all her sociopathic tendencies. She could have seen Kate and not told anyone because she did want to take over her life just like she didn't think think there's anything wrong continuing to break into Martin's house for the 'thrill' or keeping the stash of pot from Mallory. 

It looks like she might have outed Vince and Ben too while we see Vince lying to the attorneys when asked if he knew she had been to the house more then one time.

This third episode was a profile in all the ways Jeannette is selfish and willing to break the law or hurt her friends without any qualms.

Jeanette could easily be a sociopath. The practicing saying she was a victim looked especially bad. It reminded me of the recent remake of 'The Bad Seed' that Lifetime did. That little girl practiced how to say she loved her dad, it was super creepy. It wouldn't even surprise me if Jeanette didn't just see Kate, but was involved in her going missing. But she could also just be a selfish teenager who has been pushed to her breaking point. Not all liars are sociopaths. We haven't really seen enough to know for sure.

That's what I really like about this show, it isn't clear who is lying and who is good or bad. I actually think everyone is lying about something.

24 minutes ago, ZeeEnnui said:

Speaking of 1994, Jeanette. I have questions about how she so quickly because the most popular girl in school. In 1993, she seemed like a sweet geek who was mega awkward in a nice puppyish way. How did Jeanette get from A-C?

It seems she hooked up with the most popular boy in school, which would help with her popularity.

[gesundheit]

7 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

They are in a small town in Texas. I have never been to Texas, but it is known for being pretty conservative, so I can buy that the gay scene was limited to what seemed to be a bar set up in what looked like an old house.

Ah, thank you! I had forgotten it was supposed to be Texas. Yeah, small town Texas in the 90s, I can buy the necessity of an LGBT speakeasy in someone's house.

[Megan]

I figured it out.

Jeannette’s actress is a Alia Shawkat clone. They look alike even and the voice is the same.

 

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

Ah, thank you! I had forgotten it was supposed to be Texas. Yeah, small town Texas in the 90s, I can buy the necessity of an LGBT speakeasy in someone's house.

Dallas is supposed to have a big gayborhood called Oak Lawn, but maybe they're not near one of the big Texas cities like Dallas, Houston, or Austin. Maybe this is supposed to be the Killeen/Fort Hood area, San Angelo, or Lubbock. The first two episodes made me think this was supposed to be a genteel suburb of Dallas, but it really could be anywhere in Texas. 

I don't know though, they're being pretty vague about the setting. The accents keep going in and out. They haven't really explored the evangelical/Christian side of what is ostensibly supposed to be a Bible Belt town, although it's possible it's coming up. It also can't be THAT small of town, given the size of the local mall.

I did like that they made Jamie's family Mexican-American, because that just goes with the Texas setting. (Froy is himself Mexican through his Dad's side, and he's even from the Dallas suburbs.)

I'm pretty sure the show was filmed in Georgia or Los Angeles which is why it doesn't feel as Texas as it should.

[tennisgurl]

12 hours ago, Anela said:

Jeanette creeped me out this episode, but I could see her trying to mimic the girl on TV, because her lawyer told her to be nicer, and then laughing over it being so ridiculous.

That was probably the Jeanette moment that most creeped me out, it reminded me of that scene in The Assassination of Gianni Versace where Andrew Cunanan saw a news report of his recent murder and imitated a woman he saw who looked shocked and horrified so that he could fake an appropriate reaction. It makes you wonder how much of Jeanette is copied from other people, the way she copied Kate's life. I'm not sure though, it really is hard to figure out who is lying about what. 

All of this stuff with the moms has got to be going somewhere. Last week I wondered if Kate's mom saw her and left her behind to cover up her affair, and this week my crackpot theory is that it was Jeanette's mom who saw Kate and left her there so that Jeanette could be the It Girl and Cindy could live vicariously through her. 

[mandymax]

16 hours ago, applecrisp said:

I distrust the mom too. Wouldn't there be proof about homecoming queen though?

Maybe?  Probably.  But in her own mind, she is/was all those things, so she likely wouldn't be thinking about providing proof to back it up.

I remember the scene where she and Jeanette ran into Kate and her mom after aerobics, and she - Cindy - acted toward the mom just the way Jeanette acted toward Kate at the mall: goofy, hero-worship, giddy just to be talking to her.  This also makes me think she's re-imagined her entire high school social life.

Oooh - what if she saw that Jeanette had the chance to be popular, the way she never did, and had something to do with Kate disappearing and Jeanette taking over her life?????

[Guest]

My one complaint is that the acting really seemed to take a nosedive this episode, lol. All the kids had really flat line deliveries during moments that were supposed to be incredibly emotional.

Mallory is super annoying. Both the writers and the character herself are trying way too hard to establish her as "the quirky one." Re: Vince, I just assumed he was bisexual and didn’t necessarily take him dating a guy to mean that his crush on Jeanette wasn’t real because he seemed pretty defensive when Mallory called him out on it, although he could still possibly be gay. Claiming random crushes to fit in and avoid suspicion is pretty common.

Looks like they’re setting up Jeanette's mom to be a secret sociopath as well. Let’s just hope that Kate and Jeanette aren’t secretly sisters, that reveal that she dated Kate’s dad had me sweating. 

This episode gave more credence to my theory that Martin was framed by Jeanette. Now it’s established then Janette will probably start casually breaking into the house all the time for a thrill. I still don’t really think he knew, although now that I think about it didn’t the preview show him saying something to Kate? But it could just be editing.

The time hopping remains clever and I really loved  the montage of Jeanette going from room to room and Martin’s house in all three timelines, but jumping through all three timelines in multiple scenes gets really confusing. Sometimes it feels like they can barely have a single conversation in one timeline before it jumps. I’m also not a fan of the heavy blue filter to delineate 1995. This isn’t Twilight. We understand that they are depressed and we already have the different hairstyles so it bugs me. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Guest

[JenE4]

When Jaenette went back to the basement in 1995, they clearly showed the fencing on the windows with a nail almost completely out. If you’re trapping someone in, wouldn’t you nail the bars from the outside? It looked like Kate very easily could have pulled the grates off. It was loose nails—not even screws! They were high enough that she could have used the weight and leverage of hanging on them to pull them down. She could have smashed the mirrors and used a shard as a tool to help and, more importantly, as a weapon to attack Martin when he ultimately opened up the basement to bring her food and whatever else he did to her. I would be willing to suspend disbelief, but the fact that they SHOWED the loose nail specifically I thought was to exhibit that it wouldn’t have been too difficult to escape. And if you’re locked in there, wouldn’t you smash the hell out of the place? But I’m  just assuming Kate also has “secrets” and there’s more to what really happened to her, too. Since she has problems with her mother, I haven’t ruled out that she simply “ran away from home” and chose to live with Martin. It’s feasible Martin put the grates on the INSIDE of the windows because he could tell someone kept breaking into his house, and not knowing someone had a key, he could assume they slipped in from the basement windows.

I’m sure every-other episode will make us go back and forth on this, but this episode was a “Jeanette was guilty” episode for sure! The sociopathic way she had to pretend to be the victim, the way she lied to EVERYONE she supposedly cares about. Yikes! Though, it was somewhat implied that maybe Kate rented Misery and Silence of the Lambs for “research purposes” herself, which could lend to the theory that she wasn’t actually being held captive.

As for the question raised on why the nation would turn on Jeanette if she wasn’t involved, we found out last episode (or maybe it was even the first episode—I watched them back-to-back) that Jaenette allegedly saw Kate in December, Kate guessed it was. Kate subsequently wasn’t found (or released? escaped?) until June, so she was held captive for 6 more months because Jaennette didn’t speak up and have her rescued! That is unforgivable, if true. The media and nation has no reason to doubt the victim, and if it took an ENTIRE YEAR for Jeanette to begin defending herself, that’s pretty telling. 

Vince confirmed that he’s Jaenette’s next door neighbor. We can assume Martin lived somewhere further away since they rode their bikes to his place (though perhaps it was because they went from the real estate agency), so how did Vince observe Janette breaking in, in 1995?

But, everything about Vince’s timelines confused me this episode. When he was working at the video store, that was 1994, right?  I’m confused because it was 93 when Jeanette made up with Mallory, but it was the same situation as she explained to Vince, with her mom being out and having pizza rolls. Or does he work EVERY 4th of July—and some of the scenes were in multiple timelines? The LGTBQ+ safe haven was 1994 with Ben. But did he meet up with Ben again in 1995 to discuss his deposition? At one point I thought he was being deposed in 94 and I thought the investigation into Jeanette was just moving fast. Somehow this episode even the 94 scenes looked shadowed like 95, so I had a hard time following anything that Jeanette with her unmistakable style wasn’t in. I noticed too late that Vince had different length dreads in 94 and 95.

The moms also have some rewriting history of their own going on. Cindy followed Kate’s mom’s pattern last week of being sure to mention how hot and desirable they were! Though, Cindy definitely came off as the “puppy” to the more popular Kate’s mom last week, and no married woman is going to say and I know her new husband wanted me, but I was already taken—by, you know, DAD. Uhhh... Okaaaay.

I’m curious why Martin left Westlake High, or whatever it was. Any other missing girls??? Surely if there were scandals, this would be all the news in 1994! I’m actually not even sure why any of this would STILL be news in 95. But it seems like this was somehow just a local scandal for a year until Kate chose to bring it to national TV almost a year later?

Edited April 30, 2021 by JenE4
Vince’s name isn’t Victor

[KaveDweller]

9 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

All of this stuff with the moms has got to be going somewhere. Last week I wondered if Kate's mom saw her and left her behind to cover up her affair, and this week my crackpot theory is that it was Jeanette's mom who saw Kate and left her there so that Jeanette could be the It Girl and Cindy could live vicariously through her. 

This made me think, maybe if Kate's mom saw her, Kate's mind somehow convinced herself it was Jeanette because she couldn't handle the trauma of knowing her mom was willing to let her stay trapped down there.

But really, anyone who let Kate stay locked up seems pretty terrible, unless there is something huge we don't know.

22 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

When Jaenette went back to the basement in 1995, they clearly showed the fencing on the windows with a nail almost completely out. If you’re trapping someone in, wouldn’t you nail the bars from the outside? It looked like Kate very easily could have pulled the grates off. It was loose nails—not even screws! They were high enough that she could have used the weight and leverage of hanging on them to pull them down. She could have smashed the mirrors and used a shard as a tool to help and, more importantly, as a weapon to attack Martin when he ultimately opened up the basement to bring her food and whatever else he did to her. I would be willing to suspend disbelief, but the fact that they SHOWED the loose nail specifically I thought was to exhibit that it wouldn’t have been too difficult to escape. And if you’re locked in there, wouldn’t you smash the hell out of the place? But I’m  just assuming Kate also has “secrets” and there’s more to what really happened to her, too. Since she has problems with her mother, I haven’t ruled out that she simply “ran away from home” and chose to live with Martin. It’s feasible Martin put the grates on the INSIDE of the windows because he could tell someone kept breaking into his house, and not knowing someone had a key, he could assume they slipped in from the basement windows.

Yes, I'd smash the hell out of the place. And maybe the nail is how she finally gets out?

But this basement seems like a weird place to keep a kidnap victim. She said she wasn't chained in the wall, so did she really just have free reign on the basement the whole time? No secret room? That is a lot of space for her to roam around and try to plan an escape. And lots of windows to try and signal someone.

[Texasmom1970]

My weird brain probably from watching too many crime shows. When the brother mentioned taking their Mom's call the next day I automatically thought she is in jail and calls once a week.

[mamadrama]

On 4/27/2021 at 11:38 PM, KaveDweller said:

.

Also weird that the police were surprised Greg wanted to accompany Jeanette on her interview/questioning. Isn't that required by law for minors? The nineties weren't that long ago.

 

Therein lies my biggest problem with some of this. There are times when I feel like the stuff that's going on is out of sync with the time period. My mom worked at our jail in the 90s and when she saw that scene it pissed her off. The whole thing about not questioning underage kids without a parent or attorney present has been around for a LONG time. 

I am also getting upset with how the media is allowing the negative comments about Jeanette to air. Protecting the rights of children is not a new thing. Hell, most people on TV wouldn't even call Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold out by name for the longest time. There's been no trial, Jeanette isn't charged with anything, and it's basically one traumatized person's word over another's. They'd really be opening themselves up for slander. I can't suspend disbelief for that. 

This is the first time I've ever watched a "period piece" that's set during a time period that I clearly remember. I feel like they're bending the timeframe to suit their narrative. It's still annoying, though. 

[BingeyKohan]

Current theory: This is going to turn out like Murder on the Orient Express and literally everybody wandered through Martin's house at some point, saw Kate in the basement and was like, meh, she looks comfortable.

 

[azshadowwalker]

On 4/28/2021 at 8:13 PM, gesundheit said:

Ah, thank you! I had forgotten it was supposed to be Texas. Yeah, small town Texas in the 90s, I can buy the necessity of an LGBT speakeasy in someone's house.

I just don't. I live in another conservative state. We had gay bars in the cities in the freaking 80s. Even in my small town, the gay boys would go to one particular bar in town or my gay friends and I would hang out at a local hotel. Lesbians were much more reserved about appearing in public.

That the couple was interracial and gay would likely have been a bigger issue at the time. We had interracial straight couples frequent one of the local lesbian bars in the city because they weren't harassed as much, and that was the early 90s. 

The whole thing had an air of shoehorning a storyline into this for "intersectional" points, though. It happens in every "period piece" these days. 

I wasn't buying the whole news media aspect until I remembered the Texas cheerleader case and how it was national talk in the early days of cable news. I even remember jokes on late night talk shows. Still, it seems a bit over the top. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by azshadowwalker

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

I wasn't buying the whole news media aspect until I remembered the Texas cheerleader case and how it was national talk in the early days of cable news. I even remember jokes on late night talk shows. Still, it seems a bit over the top. 

I always figured that the news media coverage is supposed to be on par with the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping from 2002, as well as the Natalee Holloway case from 2005, which both got a lot of attention. I lived nowhere near either of those two girls and I remember the coverage from those cases. The fact that Kate does get found alive would have brought on a whole new rush of stories about the kidnapping, and then her accusation at Jeanette would have kept the story alive. I completely buy it. Oprah would have been falling over herself to interview Kate.

Kidnapping stories did and do get a lot of coverage, especially when the victim is a white female Homecoming Queen type from an affluent family. It's called "Missing White Woman" syndrome. Add to that the fact that Kate is the stepdaughter of a former NFL player and I think her case would have sufficiently baited news media. 

On 4/29/2021 at 7:27 PM, JenE4 said:

But, everything about Vince’s timelines confused me this episode. When he was working at the video store, that was 1994, right?  I’m confused because it was 93 when Jeanette made up with Mallory, but it was the same situation as she explained to Vince, with her mom being out and having pizza rolls. Or does he work EVERY 4th of July—and some of the scenes were in multiple timelines? The LGTBQ+ safe haven was 1994 with Ben. But did he meet up with Ben again in 1995 to discuss his deposition? At one point I thought he was being deposed in 94 and I thought the investigation into Jeanette was just moving fast. Somehow this episode even the 94 scenes looked shadowed like 95, so I had a hard time following anything that Jeanette with her unmistakable style wasn’t in. I noticed too late that Vince had different length dreads in 94 and 95.

I didn't even realize that was happening. I just thought everything we see from Vince was 1994 except at the end. Good catch! Smart of the show to use "Fade into You" which would have existed in all three years we're following. That was a beautiful scene in any event. I kind of wonder if Covid19 regulations were playing a part in how the scenes were shot, because if you notice the crowd scenes are pretty sparsely populated. I think that might be why we're having these kids watch news coverage instead of seeing Kate and Jeanette hounded by the news media.

On 4/29/2021 at 1:23 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Mallory is super annoying. Both the writers and the character herself are trying way too hard to establish her as "the quirky one.

*whispers* She's Kevin Smith's daughter, so *cough* nepotism *cough*. Kind of funny how connections help, doesn't it? At least initially. I'm with you on not warming up to her. The actress is only 21 but she has a mature face compared to Jeanette and Vince and I keep feeling like I'm watching a 25-year old stoner trying to hang out with two kids instead of watching three kids hanging out together. Usually I don't mind Dawson's casting but this chick looks so much older than the actors playing Jeanette and Vince that it's hard to take their friendship seriously.

On 4/29/2021 at 1:23 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

My one complaint is that the acting really seemed to take a nosedive this episode, lol. All the kids had really flat line deliveries during moments that were supposed to be incredibly emotional.

As for acting, Froy Gutierrez is one beautiful boy, but my god his line deliveries were really bad. Like it was to the point where I was cringing. I hope he steps it up because I'm assuming we get a "Jamie" episode. This was obviously the "Vince" episode.

[peachmangosteen]

On 4/28/2021 at 1:13 PM, abc123baby said:

maybe completely crazy. but i just got a tingle in one scene with jeannette mom and then when jeannette refused to talk to her. jeannette is soooo shady, but what if it was her mother that saw kate? in low light maybe she could pass?

Yea, this ep gave me strong 'Cindy is insane' vibes lol. I think 100% her story about high school was not true. And I had the thought that she was the one that saw Kate early in the ep with the scene of her finding out about Kate's rescue. I, like @Texasmom1970, also initially thought she might be in jail when Janette's brother told her about the phone call but then wondered if maybe she was in a mental institution after having a breakdown over Kate's reappearance/accusation against Janette.

On 4/28/2021 at 8:40 PM, BingeyKohan said:

any guesses on what Martin’s 92 yearbook might reveal? Surely they will look at it at some point and find someone else in it we know. 

Yea, that obviously has to lead somewhere. At first I thought they'd somehow find out about a missing girl from that school but then I wondered if it might lead to them finding someone who could be Martin's accomplice or something, like perhaps Cindy.

On 4/28/2021 at 9:10 PM, methodwriter85 said:

My personal theory is that either Jeanette cut off her hair in a rage, or she was held down by Jamie and a mob and had her hair forcibly cut off a la the 1996 Tiffani Amber Thiessen/Brian Austin Green tv movie "She Fought Alone." 

I've just been assuming she cut it off herself but this is really good spec. 

On 4/29/2021 at 1:23 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

My one complaint is that the acting really seemed to take a nosedive this episode, lol.

I've been holding the UO that the acting is pretty bad but I actually thought it was better this ep lol.

I'm so glad I was right about Ben/Vincent. I never get anything right! That scene of them dancing was so adorable while also being really sad. I'm now assuming this whole situation with Janette leads to Ben being outed and that's the 'thing that happened to [him]' that he blames on Janette.

[TVMovieBuff]

I have watched the first 3 eps, and I am loving it. I hope it doesn't let me down in the remaining ones. Can't wait to find out who the villain really is! And all the sidelights, how it all fits in!

I am a 65 year old watching a show on Freeform, and I don't care.

 

 

[CrystalBlue]

5 hours ago, TVMovieBuff said:

I have watched the first 3 eps, and I am loving it. I hope it doesn't let me down in the remaining ones. Can't wait to find out who the villain really is! And all the sidelights, how it all fits in!

I am a 65 year old watching a show on Freeform, and I don't care.

 

 

Same here, only I'm watching on Hulu.

[Grrarrggh]

On 4/27/2021 at 11:38 PM, KaveDweller said:

What I am amazed at was how they showed the press talking about Jeanette. And she said last week something about the governor calling her a disgrace. Unless we haven't been shown evidence, I would think most media outlets would be careful to not accuse a teenage girl of such terrible things. The word allegedly would be thrown around.  I mean, Jeanette is still a minor. If she really didn't see Kate, she seems to have a defamation case against a lot of people.

I completely believe the media would turn on a teenage girl without any proof. In a way, that's the most believable part of the storyline so far.

[teapot]

5 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I completely believe the media would turn on a teenage girl without any proof. In a way, that's the most believable part of the storyline so far.

It happened to Michelle Carter (maybe there was sort of proof there, but she was very young)

[TVMovieBuff]

I believe what we have here is a delicious rendering of the "unreliable narrator" trope. Right now we don't know who is on the up and up, and who isn't! Maybe everybody has an angle. Jeannette's dad seemed at first like the perfect husband and father, then we see he is now separated from his wife and has a new girlfriend. Who seems like a nice person, but maybe she isn't either!

And the Vice Principal? There's another side to that story....

[BigDfromLA]

On 4/30/2021 at 10:57 PM, methodwriter85 said:

*whispers* She's Kevin Smith's daughter, so *cough* nepotism *cough*.

Tarantino also used her in Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood as one of the Manson hippie chicks. You talk about nepotism.

[methodwriter85]

39 minutes ago, BigDfromLA said:

Tarantino also used her in Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood as one of the Manson hippie chicks. You talk about nepotism.

Margaret Qualley (Andie McDowell) and Maya Hawke (Ethan and Uma) were also in there; however I already think they're both pretty good actresses. I'm not saying Harley Quinn can't be, but I'm not really seeing it so far. Maybe Mallory will display some really good acting chops in the show.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 4/30/2021 at 6:56 PM, azshadowwalker said:

I just don't. I live in another conservative state. We had gay bars in the cities in the freaking 80s. Even in my small town, the gay boys would go to one particular bar in town or my gay friends and I would hang out at a local hotel. Lesbians were much more reserved about appearing in public.

That the couple was interracial and gay would likely have been a bigger issue at the time. We had interracial straight couples frequent one of the local lesbian bars in the city because they weren't harassed as much, and that was the early 90s. 

The whole thing had an air of shoehorning a storyline into this for "intersectional" points, though. It happens in every "period piece" these days. 

I wasn't buying the whole news media aspect until I remembered the Texas cheerleader case and how it was national talk in the early days of cable news. I even remember jokes on late night talk shows. Still, it seems a bit over the top. 

But gay and trans bashing was still semi-prevalent in the 90s, especially in small towns in conservative states.  Matthew Shepard was in 98.  Brandon Teena was in 93.  I could see not wanting to be out as a teen in a small Texas town in the 90s.  I'm 5 months older than Jeanette, we didn't have anyone openly gay at our high school in my mid-sized hometown just outside of Los Angeles.     

Edited May 17, 2021 by yourmomiseasy