Season 2 Speculation

[BingeyKohan]

I guess I would chalk up the following as S2 speculation, ultimately, but beginning with a mini rant about the nagging feeling I get when it can appear in retrospect showrunners didn't always know where they were going to end up with their stories (or changed horses midstream based on outside forces).

When they introduced the snowglobe fairly late in the season as this very important talisman from Martin's house I didn't understand why it supplanted the stolen yearbook from Martin's previous school - something also in Mallory's possession, stolen by Jeanette, but never really referenced again. Why make it a yearbook from his previous school if it wasn't going to lead them to a clue later? It could have been literally any object if it was going to serve no purpose except as a symbol of a secret pact between Jeanette and Mallory.

In general the show fell into the trap of dropped or seemingly retconned details that seemed earlier on like they were going to be more significant (a fairly minor offense in the big scheme of things). But part of me wonders if there was a point in the season where they realized they might need more story for a future season so they decided to hold back on anything related to Martin's previous school and what might have happened there with another student like Kate, and that's why they decided to leave the yearbook hanging out there and only make a veiled reference to a former student who came forward after Kate was found.

In Martin's final scene (when Kate killed him) he was wearing a sweatshirt with the Widow Falls initials. And I'm still perplexed by the 1987 date stamp on the photo of Martin in the basement that the actor posted to his IG the day of the finale. All that to say I wonder if they are thinking of orienting season 2 as a kind of prequel exploring what happened there, maybe even including the drive to Key West he described. I could see the jumping-off point being Mallory the budding documentarian deciding to dig into it as a filmmaking project. (Not saying I want more Mallory but the yearbook is still in her possession...)

ETA: this would be a complicated path forward because then they are basically centering the franchise on an abuser who is not even an 'anti-hero' worth following around like that. But I can also imagine them getting network pressure to keep the franchise in the same universe as season 1 and play to their storytelling strengths.

 

Edited June 17, 2021 by BingeyKohan

[peachmangosteen]

Discuss your theories and/or hopes for season 2 here!

[peachmangosteen]

The fact that the writers have said they don't find Jeanette bad just misguided makes me think their plan is for Jeanette to have eventually tipped the police off to Kate being at Martin's.

And, in general, them saying they added the last scene in late makes me think they'll end up continuing this story in season 2 rather than doing a new story, which I'm conflicted about. On the one had, I wouldn't mind seeing more of these characters and getting more answers to this story but I also worry that doing more with it would ruin it.

[Ambrosefolly]

They said Jeanette/Kate is one complete story. I think they will have a different cast and characters of just different characters to tell a story. 

[JenE4]

4 hours ago, Ambrosefolly said:

They said Jeanette/Kate is one complete story. I think they will have a different cast and characters of just different characters to tell a story. 

I think this, too. I don’t think there will be anything at all from this season—new mystery altogether. Or, these characters might now become the “extras” and instead they tell us more about other characters that didn’t get a lot of screen time, like Kate and Jeanette’s siblings or mothers.

Edited June 17, 2021 by JenE4

[methodwriter85]

I'm assuming this case was based on the 1990's Katie Beers/Jaycee Duggard cases(the latter of which wasn't resolved until Jaycee was found alive in 2009), so maybe the second season could be based around Columbine? Or perhaps something modeled on the Oklahoma City bombing? 

I really think this show should be an anthology.

[peachmangosteen]

21 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I'm assuming this case was based on the 1990's Katie Beers/Jaycee Duggard cases ...

I don't recall the writers ever saying this was based in any way on a true story.