The Killer: Really, He's Doing Us All a Favor

[jhlipton]

In episode 8, the person in the mask (who may or may not have been the killer) can't be anyone but Jake or Piper [*] in the main cast.  Emma's mom, the sheriff and Kieran were all together when the attacks took place.  Audrey was away and at Emma's house at one point.  Brooke, Noah and Will fought the Masked Man at one point, and Emma ran from at another.  All evidence points to Jake wearing the costume and stabbing himself -- not anywhere near fatally.

 

But is he the killer?  I think he is almost certainly the person who killed everyone but Rachel.

 

Rachel was killed by a second person.  She was hung, not stabbed.  Her death was made to look like suicide and other than Tyler, all the others have been flat out murder.  And finally, the killer never taunted Emma about Rachel's death.

 

[*] ETA: The mayor, the preacher and Mr Brandon could also be the Masked Man, but I still think Mr Brandon is already dead -- possibly murdered by Rachel's killer.

Edited August 12, 2015 by jhlipton

[colorbars]

In episode 8, the person in the mask (who may or may not have been the killer) can't be anyone but Jake or Piper [*] in the main cast.  Emma's mom, the sheriff and Kieran were all together when the attacks took place.  Audrey was away and at Emma's house at one point.  Brooke, Noah and Will fought the Masked Man at one point, and Emma ran from at another.  All evidence points to Jake wearing the costume and stabbing himself -- not anywhere near fatally.

 

But is he the killer?  I think he is almost certainly the person who killed everyone but Rachel.

 

Rachel was killed by a second person.  She was hung, not stabbed.  Her death was made to look like suicide and other than Tyler, all the others have been flat out murder.  And finally, the killer never taunted Emma about Rachel's death.

 

[*] ETA: The mayor, the preacher and Mr Brandon could also be the Masked Man, but I still think Mr Brandon is already dead -- possibly murdered by Rachel's killer.

 

Didn't the masked man show up at the bowling alley after Kieran left dinner, though?

[Cranberry]

The masked person attacked Emma right after Brooke pulled the knife out of Jake, though (just watched the scene again to check). Brooke yanked the knife, Jake screamed, Emma heard the scream and started running to look for him, Brooke yelled "Emma!," the masked killer came up behind Emma, and Will tackled the killer. Even if Brooke and Jake were somehow in on it together (which I doubt), there wasn't much time for either of them to put on the mask and go after Emma.

[dradiscontact]

It's Jake and Noah tag teaming it. Both had backpacks carrying what? Two knives? How about Jake carried one costume in his bag and put it on in the bathroom and Noah had his own costume to throw on after Jake stabbed himself and also picked up Jake's costume wherever he ditched it before meeting up with everyone in the bowling alley main when the cops arrived. Both are obsessive and keen on digging up other people's business--Jake with his spycam side project and Noah with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Brandon James murders. They stumbled upon the truth about Daisy and used it as a means to an end, Jake needing Nina gone before she blew the whistle on him for illegally filming her and Noah for being ruthlessly teased throughout school for being the scrawny, pasty nerd. Jake has the physical capabilities and has displayed both a lack of emotional stability and a will to exploit people's secrets for personal gain, and Noah is a gore-fetishist mastermind who takes pleasure in being involved in the real life serial murders of his adolescent tormentors. Noah is a techie with the capabilities to hack and surveil and Jake is the perfect partner to use that skillset for financial gain.

Edited August 13, 2015 by dradiscontact

[ParadoxLost]

Rachel was killed by a second person.  She was hung, not stabbed.  Her death was made to look like suicide and other than Tyler, all the others have been flat out murder.  And finally, the killer never taunted Emma about Rachel's death.

 

But motive can paint this differently. 

 

Rachel was made to look like a suicide.  Because of the viral video, this makes Emma feel responsible for her death.  It just didn't work because of the ME.

 

Riley was killed because Emma was told to choose between her friends and she did thinking Riley was in a safe place. 

 

Emma walked into a booby trap, killing Will.

 

There is one killer who is consumed with making Emma participate in the deaths of her friends.  I vote for the secret love child sibling on this one.  And Piper coincidentally arrived in time for this batch of murders.

 

But this doesn't apply to Nina and Tyler.  Unless they reveal some secret detail of Nina's past, there is nothing in this to torment Emma more than anyone else.  The killer here made a point of staging this as a Brandon James copycat by posting the video.  The killer even hid Tyler's body so there was a suspect at large.  But the real clue is the message on the video 'payback is a bitch'.  It seems like a stretch to think that is anything but motive related to the blackmail.

 

You can't quite get this to independent killers because Riley's killer faked out he cops with Tyler's body.  This is what I think happened:

 

Killer 1 murders his/her blackmailers and uses Brandon James as a cover.  Killer 2 who is tied to Brandon James history learns about it and snaps.  Kills Rachel.  Killer 1 sets up a fake lair in the hospital for misdirection and leaves Nina's computer, Tylers body etc.. Killer 2 ends up at the hospital due to BJ connection.  Sometime before or after Riley's death the killers cross paths and meet up.  By the time Will is killed, they are working as a team because Will's death had a flamboyance to it that Riley and Rachel didn't but Nina/Tyler did.

[jhlipton]

It's Jake and Noah tag teaming it.

That would mean it was Jake who attacked Noah, Brooke and Will.  But Jake is with Brooke most of the time until he is stabbed.

 

(I'll have to watch the sequence again to see who is where at any time...)

[Cranberry]

I think that before the finale, a few of us should take an episode or two each to rewatch and list what every character was doing as each attack/murder was in progress. I bet we could figure this thing out!

 

(...have I become invested in this show? I think I've become invested in this show.)

[bubble sparkly]

My theory is:

 

• Cop Dad = Brandon James' older brother (possibly he had plastic surgery, otherwise we are just supposed to fanwank that no one recognises him).  He isn't involved with the killings but he is trying to get psychological revenge on Daisy for her perceived role in screwing over Brandon.  His plan is to get her to fall in love with him then break her heart.  He might be responsible for sending the pig heart and some of the other Daisy-related stuff, but nothing murder-related.

 

• Kieran = Brandon James' younger brother who was born after Brandon died and the family moved away.  Thus, he is Cop's brother and not his son (explaining their very weird vibe that doesn't seem like a real parent/child relationship), but they played the son card to keep up appearances.  After his parents died (probably from old age), he found out about Daisy, Brandon and Emma's dad being the real killer etc.  He also found out about the Brandon/Daisy baby (Piper) and those two met each other.  He knows about Cop's revenge plan but decided to go one better and start killing people.  He copied the revenge-dating thing from Cop though and his romance with Emma is part of the plan.

 

• Piper = Brandon/Daisy baby given up for adoption.  Once she found out who she was and that Brandon was framed, she decided to team up with Kieran for the murders.

 

• Nina/Tyler - They had somehow found out that Cop Dad was Brandon's brother and were trying to blackmail him about it (remember there was a file with Cop's name on Nina's computer).  Kieran discovered this and he and Piper decided Nina and Tyler would be good first candidates to kill

 

• Rachel / Riley - Kieran and Piper didn't have anything against them personally, but they were killed to screw with Emma.
• Will - He was killed to mess with Emma and because Kieran was pissed Emma still had feelings for him.

[Last Time Lord]

I think that before the finale, a few of us should take an episode or two each to rewatch and list what every character was doing as each attack/murder was in progress. I bet we could figure this thing out!

(...have I become invested in this show? I think I've become invested in this show.)

Well, with this past episode, Piper was not seen after she showed Emma, Jake, and Brooke the "No Cops" message that was directed at Emma.

Now, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that she went to the hospital to get her self diagnosed mild concussion checked out, but we never actually saw her, so her whereabouts for about half the episode are in question.

[Happytobehere]

I think that before the finale, a few of us should take an episode or two each to rewatch and list what every character was doing as each attack/murder was in progress. I bet we could figure this thing out!

 

Well, with this past episode, Piper was not seen after she showed Emma, Jake, and Brooke the "No Cops" message that was directed at Emma.

Now, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that she went to the hospital to get her self diagnosed mild concussion checked out, but we never actually saw her, so her whereabouts for about half the episode are in question.

We also know the Kieran disappears from dinner to "go get Emma" and is not seen again until he conveniently shows up at the bowling alley just after the killer disappears because he hear the call on the police scanner. He also leaves Emma's room right before Will calls, meaning he could have heard her plans to meet up with Will and gotten there before her to set the lawnmower murder.

Audrey is in theory taking exams and isn't seen until Noah calls her, she is however with people for a good part of this week's mayhem.

[Misty79]

Some neat theories in here. 

 

I was thinking about who would actually shock me if he/she was involved, which is a good litmus test for a successful slasher story. I could only really come up with one person: Emma's mother. So now I'm hoping it is her (she'd probably have to be working with someone for the logistics to work) because, actually, there is something off about her. Up until now I've just assumed it's because the actress is doing a poor job, but now I'm rooting for her to be a little evil. I'd like the show to do something different.

 

The slasher being a love child of Brandon's (or whoever the original killer was) would be very Harper's Island and unoriginal. 

Edited August 14, 2015 by Misty79

[colorbars]

Well, with this past episode, Piper was not seen after she showed Emma, Jake, and Brooke the "No Cops" message that was directed at Emma.

Now, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that she went to the hospital to get her self diagnosed mild concussion checked out, but we never actually saw her, so her whereabouts for about half the episode are in question.

 

I also thought it was convenient that we didn't see Piper "finding" the message the killer left for Emma after she woke up, it just showed her waking up and then cut to Will with the killer, and we didn't even know she found the message until she brings Emma and co there later. Add in Audrey and Noah theorizing about Jake and Will setting it all up at the end of the episode, definitely lends to the theory that she could be in on it.

 

I'm still betting good money Emma's father is involved somehow.

[Last Time Lord]

I also thought it was convenient that we didn't see Piper "finding" the message the killer left for Emma after she woke up, it just showed her waking up and then cut to Will with the killer, and we didn't even know she found the message until she brings Emma and co there later. Add in Audrey and Noah theorizing about Jake and Will setting it all up at the end of the episode, definitely lends to the theory that she could be in on it.

I'm still betting good money Emma's father is involved somehow.

I subscribe to the theory that Emma's father committed the massacre in '94 and framed Brandon James for it. After all, Brandon was "a monster" to most of the town.

If Piper is the/one of the killers, and Brandon and Emma's mother's love child put up for adoption, I suspect Emma's dad is going to be deader than Disco pretty soon.

[colorbars]

I subscribe to the theory that Emma's father committed the massacre in '94 and framed Brandon James for it. After all, Brandon was "a monster" to most of the town.

If Piper is the/one of the killers, and Brandon and Emma's mother's love child put up for adoption, I suspect Emma's dad is going to be deader than Disco pretty soon.

 

For sure, I've been a firm believer in that one from the beginning. So whether he's somehow involved now or his involvement is a mere a trigger/cause (ie revege on Maggie and therefore Emma), he plays some kind of key role, I'm sure.

[Last Time Lord]

Have any other characters noted how Emma is the common link between between all the murders?

Nina -- Emma's friend, was with her when the outing video was filmed.

Tyler -- Nina's boyfriend, in Emma's circle of friends.

Rachael -- Was filmed in the video Emma was present at when recorded

Riley -- Emma's friend, inadvertently choosen to die by Emma as part of the killer's game.

Will -- Emma's ex(?) boyfriend. Emma set off the booby trap that killed him via that chainsaw on wheels.

[jay741982]

I think Emma herself said she was the common link

[colorbars]

Emma's told her mother and the Sheriff about the phone calls and the yearbook she got and everything, right? So I'm pretty sure people are aware she's at the center of it all, so all the victims being connected to her isn't too surprising.

Edited August 16, 2015 by colorbars

[Awesomesauce]

That would mean it was Jake who attacked Noah, Brooke and Will. But Jake is with Brooke most of the time until he is stabbed.

(I'll have to watch the sequence again to see who is where at any time...)

I've had too much time on my hands so I've over analyzed the bowling alley events. Jhlipton is right, Jake or Noah could be involved, both of them had a chance to put on the costume briefly. But there was a ghostface who wasn't either of them, which is the one who attacked from behind the door. The unaccounted for people who this could have been are:

Kieran

Piper

The Mayor

Mr Branson

(Not counting people we haven't met which would also include Brandon James and Emma's dad.)

[Cranberry]

I really do intend to marathon all of the episodes again before the finale and see how many characters I can "alibi out" each time Emma receives a phone call (sometimes Emma is with other characters when she gets those) or when someone is attacked. I keep trying to talk people into watching with me because it's way more fun to marathon a show like this in a group, but so far no one is taking the bait!

[Happytobehere]

I really do intend to marathon all of the episodes again before the finale and see how many characters I can "alibi out" each time Emma receives a phone call (sometimes Emma is with other characters when she gets those) or when someone is attacked. I keep trying to talk people into watching with me because it's way more fun to marathon a show like this in a group, but so far no one is taking the bait!

The only problem with that is Killer A could be with Emma when the call that Killer B places comes in. Conversely, Killer B can be with someone when Killer A is playing Brandon James. That's the trick of multiple killers, at one point, everybody has an alibi, which is what tricks people into believing they are innocent.

Having said that, I still think Piper is in the mix somehow. I also think that BJ's brother is in play, they didn't give us the line about him being the only one who loved and protected Brandon for no reason, nor did they have Emma's Mom confess her belief that BJ wasn't the killer (still think that was Emma's dad who flipped when he found out about their relationship. Perhaps all the victims knew about Daisy and Brandon). My only question is who the brother (post plastic surgery) will be revealed to be, Doofus Cop, Murderous Mayor, Mr. Branson (notice how similar it is to Brandon), it has to be a character already known. Could be a not so dead BJ himself seeking revenge for lifelong mistreatment and being shot for crimes he didn't commit.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Happytobehere

[Cranberry]

Oh yeah, I definitely think there are two killers. I think there pretty much have to be. But I think it should be possible to rule out some potential pairs (for example, if two characters are both with Emma while she's actually speaking to the killer on the phone, or if two characters are in the room when the killer attacks, then they can't be in a team together... for example, Brooke and Noah).

It could very well end up being one person we haven't seen yet, though, like Emma's dad, or one of them along with one person we have seen... maybe the next couple episodes will help rule some more people out.

[Last Time Lord]

I don't think I truly understood just how much the Scream franchise changed the "whodunit?" murder mystery until trying to see if I can figure the identity of the killer(s) for this show.

[jhlipton]

The only problem with that is Killer A could be with Emma when the call that Killer B places comes in. Conversely, Killer B can be with someone when Killer A is playing Brandon James. That's the trick of multiple killers, at one point, everybody has an alibi, which is what tricks people into believing they are innocent.

I still think it might be a useful exercise, just to see who's where and who has alibis for all the right times (unlike how most police shows act, someone who doesn't have an alibi handy is probably less likely to guilty than someone who does).

Edited August 18, 2015 by jhlipton

[Anela]

How old is the teacher supposed to be? He could also be the mystery baby.

[jhlipton]

To expand on my previous post:

 

I think that Jake is one of the killers -- the knife did not get between his heart, his lungs and major veins and arteries without his knowledge and help.

 

So if we look at all the calls and murders where Jake has an alibi, and look at who also has an alibi during those times, it could narrow down our suspects.

[Happytobehere]

To expand on my previous post:

 

I think that Jake is one of the killers -- the knife did not get between his heart, his lungs and major veins and arteries without his knowledge and help.

 

So if we look at all the calls and murders where Jake has an alibi, and look at who also has an alibi during those times, it could narrow down our suspects.

Good idea. If we figure out who is sans an alibi when Jake is covered and cross-reference it against who is covered when Jake is missing, we could figure it out, cause like you, I'm not buying his all too convenient, yet non-lethal stabbing. I wonder if there are three killers because if Piper is in the mix, I don't see her or Jake as the true mastermind behind the killings.

[rainsmom]

I wonder if there are three killers because if Piper is in the mix, I don't see her or Jake as the true mastermind behind the killings.

I think this is a good theory. Piper and Jake top my suspect list, but I agree that they don't strike me as mastermind types. It makes sense to have someone like the sheriff or currently unseen character to really mastermind it.

 

Maybe what they'll do is have Piper and Jake be unmasked this season, and then, if they want to continue this same storyline next season, end the season with the revelation that there was someone else.

[Paradox]

One thing that has bothered me about the bowling alley episode is how the game was changed. I think the motives were different with the kidnapping of Will.

 

Will took Piper to the warehouse for the exchange with the Mayor. He led Piper there for the drop. After he was taken by the "masked person", she woke up with the spray painted message, and Noah cracked the coordinates which lead to the bowling alley. Will and Jake both end up stabbed, but alive. They were both stabbed in the same spot. The plan was for Will and Jake to survive the bowling alley, I don't doubt that. Now, I do buy the theory that another "masked person" showed up. There could have been a total of three people who wore the mask at the bowling alley with two different motives. I have to watch it again, but this whole episode struck me as something being off. The cops stating the killer "couldn't have vanished into thin air" only highlighted the killer or masked person was there right in front of us. I don't think whoever killed Will at the end also kidnapped him at the warehouse.

 

Also in the Exposed episode, after Piper opened up about her father to Emma on the bench. Emma ran into Will and gave him the whole "We're done!" speech. That was recorded and played back to Emma when the killer called. Piper could have recorded that, just saying. 

Edited August 19, 2015 by Paradox

[Anela]

I dropped off to sleep, and had a dream about this, as a person living it. I wish I could remember the rest, because I think my brain was sorting it out, but the main bit I remember was it being dark, we were outside, something had just happened, and here's Noah making up to me - like he was comforting me, and also hitting on me. I let him kiss me, but was thinking, "I'm way too old for him! He's the killer!!!" I was trying to figure out how to get away, but expecting to be stabbed at any time.

Edited August 19, 2015 by Anela

[Cthulhudrew]

It's possible that the killers are not all working together.

 

(Side note: After watching this and bingeing on Harper's Island over the weekend, I think it would be awesome to have a slasher flick where the entire town was secretly serial killers, so no one knew who was doing what killing. Is there something wrong with me?)

Edited August 19, 2015 by Cthulhudrew

[jhlipton]

 I think it would be awesome to have a slasher flick where the entire town was secretly serial killers, so no one knew who was doing what killing. Is there something wrong with me?)

 

If there is, it's wrong with me too, because that is so freaking awesome!

 

We see someone sneaking up on their unsuspecting prey.  Up comes the knife... Just as it about to come down... GUH!!!!  The would-be killer gets a stabbing of their own!!!!  The new killer goes to check on the prey, but it turns out they were aware of both killers all the time, and down goes another killer!

[dradiscontact]

One thing that has bothered me about the bowling alley episode is how the game was changed. I think the motives were different with the kidnapping of Will.

 

I still think Jake and Noah are a team, and I think you are correct that Will was supposed to live. I think the plan was for Jake to hurt Will enough so that he suffered for screwing up the blackmail scheme and to make him sympathetic enough for Emma to forgive him, but ultimately Jake didn't want to kill his laxbro. I think while Jake was incapacitated in the hospital, Noah acted alone in killing Will and showed up to the hospital to clue him in. It's the only reason that makes sense to me that Jake didn't ask Brooke about Will but he asked Noah.

[Paradox]

I've rearranged the core to fit similar to the original Scream cast.

Emma

Noah

Piper

Sheriff

Daisy

I do not want Audrey to turnout to be the killer, but she's still too suspicious and she's always had the motive. I know, the motives don't really matter, simplicity, but she keeps picking Noah's brain. How convienant the computer uploaded Emma's sex tape, the same files she insisted Emma take, and now lead to finding evidence in Mr. B classroom, but now she wanted the cops involved. Strange. Then again, that could all be Noah.

I wonder what was Emma and Audrey's falling out as friends. Was it just long time childhood friends drifting apart once in high school?

I think there is a betrayal moment to be played here. Either when Emma slept with Kieren or stood up for Audrey to the cops.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Paradox

[ZootSuitWyatt]

It's possible that the killers are not all working together.

 

(Side note: After watching this and bingeing on Harper's Island over the weekend, I think it would be awesome to have a slasher flick where the entire town was secretly serial killers, so no one knew who was doing what killing. Is there something wrong with me?)

Hot Fuzz?

[Cthulhudrew]

I still think Jake and Noah are a team, and I think you are correct that Will was supposed to live. I think the plan was for Jake to hurt Will enough so that he suffered for screwing up the blackmail scheme and to make him sympathetic enough for Emma to forgive him, but ultimately Jake didn't want to kill his laxbro. I think while Jake was incapacitated in the hospital, Noah acted alone in killing Will and showed up to the hospital to clue him in. It's the only reason that makes sense to me that Jake didn't ask Brooke about Will but he asked Noah.

The Noah/Jake thing has potential. I could see Noah killing Rachel out of jealousy (he really wishes Audrey would be with him), Jake killing Riley for similar reasons (jealous about her liking Noah), and Noah killing Will. It's like maybe they started out with a tenuous alliance that has deteriorated into one-upmanship.

Hot Fuzz?

Holy crap! I'd completely forgotten about that movie. That was the big reveal, wasn't it? 

 

I've got to back and watch that again. Fun flick. :D

[jhlipton]

I still think Jake and Noah are a team

Did Jake have time from the moment he left Brooke to pee, until she found him, to be the Behind-The-Door Killer? If not, then there would have to be a third -- at least an accomplice (the BTDK didn't have to attack anyone; just be menacing).

[Anela]

The girl who plays Piper tweeted that people were hot on the trail of one of the killers. I wasn't reading through twitter posts the other night, so I don't know who they were guessing. 

[dradiscontact]

Did Jake have time from the moment he left Brooke to pee, until she found him, to be the Behind-The-Door Killer? If not, then there would have to be a third -- at least an accomplice (the BTDK didn't have to attack anyone; just be menacing).

 

Jake suggests they split up after trailing into the bowling alley behind everyone else by a suspicious amount of seconds, which is noted by Brooke. For those of you that think there's a third person involved or just a second person that isn't Noah, this is where you can theorize that he made contact with them. After they split up, Noah posits to Emma that maybe Jake is the killer. (A theory that is raised only to be conveniently taken off the table fifteen minutes later when Jake gets "stabbed". But after the most recent episode, my theory on these two involves Noah taking over the game by leaps and bounds to make bold moves for the thrill of it, which possibly involves slowly turning the tables on Jake.) Jake tries to use scare tactics to get Brooke to forgive him before ducking into the bathroom to pee. (You know, right before he starts his knife-wielding campaign to scare Brooke into his arms while garnering as much sympathy as possible.) Brooke turns away from the bathroom at the sound of Noah and Emma breaking into the backroom. While Brooke's back is turned, the killer sneaks up behind her coming from the direction of the bathroom. Noah and Emma cut Will down inside the backroom, which is where Brooke eventually runs to as the killer gives chase. Audrey calls Noah (not part of the plan), so he gives her a "panicked" run-down of events with the bare minimum of detail ("I'm at the bowling alley with Emma.") before the call "drops", and God love Audrey, like every other teen on television, she does not call 911 but instead drives to Emma's house (?!) to report it, presumably having been told by Emma that the sheriff would be there for dinner. Brooke laments that Jake is still somewhere in the bowling alley with the killer, and Noah once again raises suspicion against him only to have that be dashed away in a few minutes, and in one of the many moments of this episode that makes me love Brooke, she accuses Noah of being the killer for bringing them to the bowling alley in the first place while wielding the "knife-stick". ("You know it's just a spear.") The killer plays "Daisy, Daisy" over the PA system, and Emma leaves the backroom to play the cassette tape. Somewhere in the bowling alley--but you would think in Emma's line of sight, no, or at least near enough to her that she would peak out from behind the counter given where we see Jake next? He totally staged that stabbing, you guys--we hear Jake scream and shout "Help! Where are you?" Your behind-the-door killer makes an appearance to a perfectly timed bit of snark from Noah. (Maybe they came up with that during dress rehearsal. "Okay, okay, I shout and then you count down 11 Mississippis and open the door.") Will barricades the door as Brooke and Noah leave through another door at the opposite end of the room (which makes Brooke "barricading" the first door by laying a pipe across it even more ridiculous. Like, nobody noticed another way into the room except for the guy who's been mostly unconscious?). Brooke and only Brooke comes out from behind the lanes to see Jake slumped against a column with his own knife in his chest, which she pulls out for...zero medical reasons. Then Emma pops out from wherever she's been mystery solving, and the killer pops up behind her only to be tackled by Will before running off as the cops bust in. Kieran shows up through presumably the same entrance the other kids used, the opposite direction I think (I think!) of where the killer ran off to. Minutes after we've last seen him, Noah busts through a door much closer to the current scene (and has a gun drawn on him. Ha!) and conveniently has found a quicker way out of the bowling alley (quicker than the front entrance the cops just busted through?), and everyone follows him, including the cops, because they got their training in Rosewood, PA. This is the only time since their arrival at the bowling alley that Noah and Jake are on-screen together, and in the time in between, only one could be accounted for at a time while the killer terrorized the group.

 

Like I said in a previous post, Jake and Noah both brought backpacks. We only got to see the knife Jake brought, the one he was stabbed with, as far as the contents of what he's carrying goes, and we never find out what Noah was carrying in his. I think they both had a set of the killer's costume, and the time Noah spent off-screen before leading them to an exit is when he hid his costume back in his bag and picked up Jake's wherever he ditched his.

Edited August 20, 2015 by dradiscontact

[Cranberry]

I like that theory! They're both too young to be Emma's half-sibling, though. Do you think that the sibling is not one of the killers? What do you think Jake and Noah's motivation is?

[jhlipton]

For those of you that think there's a third person involved or just a second person that isn't Noah, this is where you can theorize that he made contact with them.

 

Using this fantastic time-line, and presuming only Jake and Noah wear the costume, let's see if it works.

 

==================================================

Jake tries to use scare tactics to get Brooke to forgive him before ducking into the bathroom to pee.

 

[Jake dons the costume]

 

Noah and Emma cut Will down inside the backroom, which is where Brooke eventually runs to as the killer [Jake] gives chase. Audrey calls Noah, so he gives her a "panicked" run-down of events.  Brooke laments that Jake is still somewhere in the bowling alley.  Brooke accuses Noah of being the kille .  The killer [Jake] plays "Daisy, Daisy".  Emma leaves the backroom to play the cassette tape. We hear Jake scream and shout "Help! Where are you?"  Will barricades the door as Brooke and Noah leave through another door.

 

[Jake removes his costume and is stabbed by Noah (without either getting blood on them!)]

[Noah puts on his costume]

 

Brooke comes out to see Jake.  Emma pops out, and the killer [Noah] pops up behind her only to be tackled by Will.

 

[Noah takes off his costume]

 

Minutes after we've last seen him, Noah busts through a door.

 

==================================================

 

It's tight but it does work.  It explains why Noah doesn't stab the killer with the "kife-stick" when the BTDK had his arm sticking through the door, too.

 

With a third party, Jake makes contact instead of donning the costume, and Noah makes contact instead of taking off the costume.  This is safer -- if, for instance, Brooke had snatched the "knife-stick" and stabbed the BTDK.

[ParadoxLost]

I like that theory! They're both too young to be Emma's half-sibling, though. Do you think that the sibling is not one of the killers?

 

I'm starting to think that the half-sibling is the misdirect / red-herring and not one of the killers. 

[dradiscontact]

In the interest of a complete timeline, I should note that for those of you who suspect Kieran, he leaves dinner with the parents right after the group enters the bowling alley. I don't know how far "out beyond the crossroads" is from Lakewood proper, but if he were on a tight schedule, I would think he'd supply his own reason to leave instead of waiting for one to be presented to him. Unless, of course, Jake's suspicious meandering before entering the building was used to send Kieran a text and he jumped at the next available opportunity to scram. The show is a bit iffy on whether or not there's spotty cell reception at the bowling alley, because Noah loudly proclaims there is only moments before Emma receives a call from Kieran with perfect cell clarity. I personally wouldn't chance my murder scheme going awry because a text didn't go through, but maybe Noah just has T-Mobile. I don't think any of Kieran's screen time is relevant, though, because Noah was incredibly loud outside of the bowling alley, as was Jake, and for a group of kids about to enter an abandoned building that may house a serial murderer, you'd think they'd keep it down so as not to alert anyone to their presence. That was the moment I started to suspect them, because why be quiet when you know there's nothing to be afraid of?

 

I don't think Kieran is the killer. He reads to me as a genuinely nice kid that was shipped off to Murderville (from Atlanta, so maybe he's used to it) after his mother and stepfather died in a car crash and is making the best of it with his well-meaning albeit dimwitted bio dad. I don't think Branson is anything more than a sexual predator who killed a girl who was going to get him fired, so he changed his name and started up again in Lakewood. Piper's got my money for being the love child, but I don't think she's involved in the killings. I think her father's death when she was "too young to remember him" led to her career as a true crime podcaster and that career lent itself to her coming to town to investigate what really happened since her father's murder remains unsolved. Her phrasing of it, though, seems a tad off, unless "too young to remember him" means "in utero".

 

Cranberry, here are my thoughts on their motivation from an older post:

 

Both are obsessive and keen on digging up other people's business--Jake with his spycam side project and Noah with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Brandon James murders. They stumbled upon the truth about Daisy and used it as a means to an end, Jake needing Nina gone before she blew the whistle on him for illegally filming her and Noah for being ruthlessly teased throughout school for being the scrawny, pasty nerd. Jake has the physical capabilities and has displayed both a lack of emotional stability and a will to exploit people's secrets for personal gain, and Noah is a gore-fetishist mastermind who takes pleasure in being involved in the real life serial murders of his adolescent tormentors. Noah is a techie with the capabilities to hack and surveil and Jake is the perfect partner to use that skillset for financial gain.

 

Those were my initial thoughts, but I now believe Noah's more unhinged than I had originally calculated, and while I suspect he was bullied growing up, we've been given little evidence of that. I think in his case, revenge isn't a necessary motivating factor. I think he thrives on the excitement of curating a real life slasher film. As for Jake's continued participation, if he can't get the money, he may as well get the girl, and that is why they've framed Branson for the murders.

Edited August 21, 2015 by dradiscontact

[colorbars]

With all the talk about the past and the obvious connections and parallels to the Brandon James stuff, I wonder if the killer is purposely recreating certain aspects as a test of some sort for Emma, as a way to put the blame of their deaths onto her, which we know they're trying to do.

 

With the Audrey thing back in episode 6, the show made the Maggie/Brandon and Emma/Audrey parallels abundantly clear with Maggie literally comparing them with her story, and made a point to show that Emma did not make the same mistake her mother did and she believed in Audrey and fought to get her out. She passed the test so nothing happened with them, not even a menacing phone call. Perhaps had she not backed Audrey and not trusted her like Maggie did to Brandon, it would have resulted in Audrey's death, which would have made Emma feel incredibly guilty and responsible.

 

Much like how the killer didn't kill Will when he kidnapped him and instead let him live only to kill him once it seemed Emma was considering going back to him, failing the killer's test. Which could be compared to the way Emma's father cheated on Maggie all those years ago, the night she slept with Brandon, and how she went back to him after she had the baby and moved back to town.

 

Not entirely sure how the other deaths would fit this theory though, so...

[Anela]

I keep thinking it's on tonight. I was about to check my DVR. I kind of wish they'd show the last two episodes together, so we could just finish it. 

[rainsmom]

I kind of wish they'd show the last two episodes together, so we could just finish it. 

Funny. I was thinking the same thing yesterday.

[colorbars]

I wonder if we'll get the reveal of at least one of the killers tonight (as a cliffhanger ending) or if they'll wait to reveal all in the finale.

[sugarbaker design]

I'm figuring reveal [of Piper and Jake] at the last moment of tonight's episode, with full explanation [Maggie/Daisy killed the original 5 people, not Brandon James] and wrap up for next week's episode

[DrLar]

I'm still think is Kieran, on the bowling alley episode he knew where Emma was, she didn't mentioned it, just told him to cover for her, he excuses himself from the dinner party, a few minutes later (small town right?) the killer shows up at the bowling alley, after all the mess and the killer "running away" Kieran conveniently arrives, but none of the cops saw anybody come out as Kieran is rushing "in" (he was never out), he must have stashed the costume someplace.

 

Of course he has motive and opportunity, he arrives to town, next day there's a killing, he's never attacked or far away from the killings or attacks. Of course he had to get rid of Will because Emma was coming back to him. 

 

He may also be related to Brandon James or the long lost son (which is gross since he slept with his half sister).

 

I'm also under the 2 killers boat, Kieran is one, and Brandon James' son the other..

[amensisterfriend]

I'm still kind of hoping it's Emma and her mom as a gruesomely warped tag team. I mean, logically I'm about 99.9% sure it isn't, but a girl can dream :) 

[colorbars]

Judging by one of the previews, they'll be making Kieran really suspicious tonight. There was a shot of Audrey and Noah watching a video that shows Kieran knew Nina and met her before she died, and then Audrey telling Emma she can't trust him. Not sure what that means for the likelihood of his guilt, such damning evidence and people suspecting him right before the finale, but I guess we'll see. I do hope it's him though, because I'm not feeling his relationship with Emma and having the show get rid of both of Emma's love interests in the first season would be nice.

Edited August 25, 2015 by colorbars