S01.E04: Episode 4

[saber5055]

Does everyone in Eureka, pop. 27,000, claim to know everyone in town on a personal basis? In my town of 1,700, everyone does know everyone else because no one moves away after graduating high school. And everyone knows everyone else's business. If they don't know it, they will for sure make something up about you based on observation. Police department: Two. Newspaper: One four-page weekly.

 

Question: Why is Pete the police guy staked out at Danny's house? The family shouldn't be sequestered inside, plus they have not been threatened. I don't get it. Even if Mike were arrested for Danny's murder, if he was bailed/bonded out a police guard still wouldn't be keeping watch over him/the family. Danny wasn't killed inside the house nor taken. It's not like the family is in danger of being murdered. Are they?

 

I was surprised in the first episode, when Beth went running onto the beach where Danny's body was, the uniformed police guy just called, "Hey, stop lady" instead of "Hey, Beth, get back here." If everyone knows everyone else in Gracepoint, like Miller keeps telling Carver. Although I do remember it being said police from other towns were being sent to help with the investigation. So: Never mind.

 

One underlying message in this show is that no one really knows anyone. So, I will just go along for the ride!

Edited October 25, 2014 by saber5055

[Guest]

The BBC version had a police guy at the family's house, as some sort of courtesy liaison or something.  I thought it might be a British thing but they kept it here, so who knows.  It seems more like a 'victim's assistance' type thing to me, but he doesn't seem to do anything, or offer them any info.  Maybe it's just to give it even more of a 'small, cozy town where the cops are your buds' feel?  

[Actionmage]

Although I do remember it being said police from other towns were being sent to help with the investigation. So: Never mind.

 

No, the extra cops were brought in due to WhaleFest depleteing the "boots on the ground" for canvasing and such. The cop on the beach maybe should've hollered at "Miz Solano", if not "Beth" if the townfolk know everyone.

 

Question: Why is Pete the police guy staked out at Danny's house?

 

My smart-ass answer is: to be incompetent, but I think Pete's supposed to be a ComboCop- part police liason, part protection from The Press (like the two photographers outside the house in Episode 2), and part eyes and ears for the department.

 

Unfortunately, because he's not that great, he botched having a respectful relationship with Beth. To be fair, after this episode, I think the distrust would have happened period, but Pete isn't the subtlest interrogator.  If Beth and the family had stayed put or used Pete as the shield he is supposed to actually be, Raymond would not have had a chance to interact with Beth and Fr. Paul would not have had his extreme overreaction this episode. 

 

Sometimes I feel badly for Pete, but then I remember he was sleeping in his car as Beth walked right past him. Some protection.

 

eta:   I apologize for assuming Owen's mom was the newspaper editor.  Considering that I would not treat an employee of mine like a naughty teen in front of police officers (especially after leaking the identity of a murdered child) that was the only place my mind could make sense of that treatment.  We have been given harder evidence that Owen's mom/Ellie's sister is NOT the newspaper editor.  Sorry for the confusion.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Actionmage

[kat165]

I too hope this show stays a limited 10 ep series. I was so pissed off when Under the Dome got dragged into a 2nd season. There's not a character on Gracepoint I'd want to spend a 2nd season with. I hope it we find out who the killer is, that they had a decent motive (by that I mean believable) and that's it. I've read that season 2 of Broadchurch will be about the fall out from the murder. There's not one character in Gracepoint I care enough about to watch their fallout.

Edited October 26, 2014 by kat165

[meep.meep]

If only she had made krabby snacks and ready mades!

[Amerilla]

Question: Why is Pete the police guy staked out at Danny's house? The family shouldn't be sequestered inside, plus they have not been threatened. I don't get it.

 

Some police departments have what they call Family Liaison Specialists or Victim Liaisons that assist the families of murder victims The DC Metropolitan Police describe their Family Liaisons as giving "support services to survivors of homicide victims throughout the investigative process.  Specifically, members of this unit support survivors by acting as a liaison between the detective investigating the case and survivor. FLSU specialists establish relationships throughout the community and provide information about government and community-based resources to better serve the unique needs of survivors and their family. Specialists also provide survivors with on-going emotional support, case updates, information concerning victim’s rights, referrals for grief counseling, information regarding funeral expenses, and other related services."  I think that's roughly what Pete is supposed to be doing, however ineptly, and I think in the first episode he mentioned just completing training with the state.  

 

Now, do I believe that a town that has virtually no murders or a high level of violent crime would bother to train an officer to do that job? No, but I'll give it to them as a narrative tool to illustrate the tension between the Solanos and the police.

 

Ellie and Carver were great, and his palpable terror over the idea of dinner was hilarious. Overall, though,  I thought this episode did an especially great job of highlighting the show's theme of how little people can actually know about those closest to them.. That scene with Beth and Mark (?) talking at the kitchen table at the end was awesome - in one day, she's coming to realize her son and daughter both had major secrets, that Mark was fooling around on her, and it's making her feel like she has no idea of who she is anymore...and yet she herself is keeping secrets, about her pregnancy, about knowing that Mark was stepping out on her. Meanwhile, across town,Ellie is feeling horrible about poor Beth, but you can also sense she's silently "tsk-tsk"-ing the Solanos for not knowing what was going on under her own roof....yet she herself has no idea what's going on with her own son. Having Tom flip through her notebook while she's standing 12 feet away, obliviously talking about Carver and scooping ice cream was perfect.    

Edited October 26, 2014 by Amerilla

[saber5055]

We have been given harder evidence that Owen's mom/Ellie's sister is NOT the newspaper editor.

 

Thanks, Actionmage. I had forgotten the newspaper report (Owen?) is Miller's nephew. So that means Miller's sister is the one who has drained her son's (Owen the reporter) bank account dry? I didn't realize the connection at the time.

 

So, the burning boat ... Mark's? But supposedly blood samples have already been removed from that, although we didn't hear this week if Danny really did have a cut on the bottom of his foot.

 

I'm suspecting Miller's son Tommy of the murder now! Ideally, he would have teamed up with Beth, I dislike her that much. There's losing a son, then there's knowing how to choose your words without alienating everyone in town. If I were Miller, I'm not so sure I'd be wanting to spend any time with any of the Solanos after the investigation is over.

 

I'd think that San Francisco would have much more crime to report on than a kid being murdered in a whale-watching town. I still don't know why that reporter is wanting to infiltrate herself into that place, unless she has an agenda against Carver.

 

Who here has ever invited their boss to a family dinner without including a lot of other people in the office as a buffer? *crickets*

Edited October 26, 2014 by saber5055

[Actionmage]

I didn't realize the connection at the time.

 

It was only made in this episode, so you're not behind. *g*

 

So, the burning boat ... Mark's?

 

I don't think so. Unless the teensy cabin at the front had already burned away. My bet is either The Killer or another obstructionist red herring.  "Well, I caught illegal fish and a dolphin in that boat. With your modern forensics and magic, you were gonna get me on that, so I had to burn the evidence! Danny who?"

 

unless she has an agenda against Carver.

 

*dingdingding!* I am betting that she, Renee, is trying to expose Carver as a crap police detective. She either had a relative/friend who died in The Rosemont Case or she is certain that Carver is shady. Probably due to some half-assed info she dug up. If it was solid info, Renee could have already laid groundwork for why Carver needs to not be a detective/cop. If Renee is trying to make a name for herself, by cashing in on the 'unfortunate story' of one Emmett Carver, the homicide cop that botches investigations, then she needs to go away.  Emmett is less than polite, but he's good at his job, at least so far.  Renee self-identifies as a vulture. Who am I really supposed to be more understanding of in this story, at least to date?

[saber5055]

"Well, I caught illegal fish and a dolphin in that boat. With your modern forensics and magic, you were gonna get me on that, so I had to burn the evidence! Danny who?"

Yes! They'll bust a fisherguy who caught a grouper out of season but will let a series of people selling cocaine skate. That sounds like the Gracepoint police department!

 

I did get a kick out of Carver telling Creepy Trailer Lady she needed to sign to get her key back. Sorry, Miller, but Carver is my favorite. You have already proved you would have made a cr*p department head (or whatever that position was Carver got while she was on a two-week vaca).

[izabella]

They for whatever reason were acting like the police were deliberately lying to them or keeping things from them which is why sure, asshole move though it was, I again side with Carver for showing them the tape. Because run the investigation without giving them every detail and they get angry and act like the police is wronging them in some way but tell them and Mark is all indignant at them causing chaos to his family. Again, I get that they are grieving but boy, they are really not coming off very sympathetically.

 

I really don't understand why the Solano's have been suspicious of the police, and belligerent with them, almost from the start.  This is supposed to be a small town with Officer Friendly Ellie, so I'd expect they'd be more interested in helping the police rather than working against them.

[Automne]

Waaaahhh @ the reporter girl with her little, "Nobody wants me here," line. She's only in Gracepoint to try and publicly disgrace Carver over whatever happened in Rosemont and annoying the natives in the process. 

 

I'm sure it's just a line to manipulate Owen, but still.

[millennium]

I don't feel any sympathy for the Solano family.   The father's a cheating asshole, the mother's a head-case, the sister's dating a drug dealer and Danny the dead kid's a thief or worse.  So far they seem to have no redeeming qualities.  Even their grief seems contrived.

 

It's a bit like Rosie's family in Season One of The Killing -- imperfect and at times unlikeable.   But at least some human frailty shined through in The Killing.   The Solanos just get me thinking, "is it any surprise this kid wound up dead?"

 

Ellie's obstructiveness in the investigation is a bit annoying.   Originally I wanted to empathize with her because she'd been passed over for a promotion in favor of a man, but the more she exhibits such unprofessional conduct, the more I'm thinking the decision to not promote her was the right one.   Still like her as a character though.

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

The look of terror on Carver's face when Miller invited him to dinner literally made me spit-take.

 

I cracked up when I saw his face. A child's murder doesn't stop him as much as a dinner invitation.

Beth really isn't very likeable.  Also, it looks like there is more to the Beth and Paul story.  

 

There are a lot of creepy people in this town and Vince and Susan are at the top of the scary list.  

I disagree. Beth is my favorite character because I think she's the "realest". It's hard to tell how one would act in a similar situation, but I think I'd be like Beth. I think she's crazy with grief and everything in her life is topsy-turvy now, nothing is how she thought it was.

 

I do agree about the town of creeps, though. Gracepoint seems to have more than average for a town of that size.

Beth is pretty annoying, but I guess she's justified. Her kid was just killed, and does she know her husband is cheating? If not she definitely strongly suspects somethung weird is going on. That all could unhinge anyone.

It would be kind of unfair from a storytelling point of view if Beth did it, because we saw her find out Danny was dead. But maybe that would be their idea of a huge unique twist. (Agatha Christie anyone? I want to reference a specific title but I guess that would be a spoiler for a super old book someone might still read.)

Agree with you completely. If I was Beth, I'd become unhinged pretty quickly. And kudos on Agatha Christie - she's my absolute favorite author of all time, which people think is strange (I think because I'm 23?).