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

[sugarbaker design]

Judging by one of the previews, they'll be making Kieran really suspicious tonight.

 

 

Which of course, means he's innocent!

 

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 :)

 

 

That would be totally unexpected, startlingly original and must see TV.  There's no way in hell it's happening!

Edited August 25, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[dradiscontact]

DrLar, that's an interesting theory. For those of you that don't remember, Kieran showed up at the bowling alley after he allegedly heard the call on his police scanner, which is plausible given that his dad is the sheriff.

 

For me, though, that would make him a Billy Loomis ripoff, and while Kieran is being styled in the same way with his floppy hair and edgy exterior, I should hope that the writers have pushed themselves for a more original twist. He's too obvious of a choice. Also, why would he offer Emma a gun and show her how to use it? Why offer to give her a deadly weapon that could potentially be used against him?

Edited August 25, 2015 by dradiscontact

[jay741982]

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.

I'd love for the show to get rid of both of Emma's lovers but I feel Kieran will survive and be innocent so Emma can have a man Blech! I think Brooke will be a killer or be killed since the Actress has a role on Grimm but that could be recurring

[Anela]

I've just read that it's going to end with

a cliffhanger. wtf?

The cast have apparently said that, but I'm putting in spoiler, just in case. 

[colorbars]

I'd love for the show to get rid of both of Emma's lovers but I feel Kieran will survive and be innocent so Emma can have a man Blech! I think Brooke will be a killer or be killed since the Actress has a role on Grimm but that could be recurring

 

I doubt she's gonna be a series regular on Grimm and I'm sure season 2 won't start filming for quite a while anyway.

 

I've just read that it's going to end with

a cliffhanger. wtf?

The cast have apparently said that, but I'm putting in spoiler, just in case. 

 

It might be more of

"will so and so die?" cliffhanger and less of a reveal of the killer cliffhanger. The writers specifically said at Comic Con that they didn't wanna pull a The Killing and not reveal the killer by the end of the season so.

Edited August 26, 2015 by colorbars

[Paradox]

I think a killer or two will be revealed, but there has to be more to continue the story. Something will not be exposed this season. Can't just wrap it up, unless they start all over with another cast, etc. which I doubt.  

Edited August 26, 2015 by Paradox

[Last Time Lord]

God, I'm so tempted to click on those spoilers. Need to resist! Just six days left!

Thinking about something. Let's say Branson is in fact both Maggie's first born and killer.

Why? Is it a nature vs. nurture thing? In episode two, Noah said he did a report on Nature Vs. Nurture with Brandon James as the subject, so that could be foreshadowing.

[Krg114]

I'm not going to name any names for spoiler reasons, but if you look at the cast listing on IMDB, there is an actor listed as "Killer". No name, just "Killer". Interesting.

[rainsmom]

I'm not going to name any names for spoiler reasons, but if you look at the cast listing on IMDB, there is an actor listed as "Killer". No name, just "Killer". Interesting.

I believe that's because they didn't want the actual actor(s) playing the role, because they didn't want the audience to figure it out based on height, the way the person moves, etc.

[colorbars]

I believe that's because they didn't want the actual actor(s) playing the role, because they didn't want the audience to figure it out based on height, the way the person moves, etc.

 

Plus, there's always the chance they hadn't decided who the killer was yet. Or didn't want the actors to know yet so they didn't make it too obvious in their portrayals.

[dradiscontact]

It's pretty standard to have a stuntman running around in the costume. It's not standard to have him credited in the cast, which isn't the case here actually. Mike Vaughn is credited as the killer, because he's the voice actor that we've been hearing on the phone.

[Krg114]

That makes a lot of sense actually. Thank you!

[Cranberry]

Last Time Lord, the spoiler bars don't hide anything important (spoiler bars probably weren't necessary there, but thanks for being cautious, Anela!). They only say that the season supposedly ends on a cliffhanger. However, I've read in a couple of places that the killer will be revealed, so we don't have to worry about waiting til next season for that.

 

MTV is trying to hype Kieran as the killer, so he's probably not, heh. Most people commenting on various sites seem to be on the Piper train at this point.

 

I finally found a friend with the time and desire to binge-watch Scream with me this weekend and try to figure out who the killer is. She hasn't seen any episodes yet, so it should be fun!

[DrLar]

But they now are making sure 99% of the people think that Branson is the killer, he was able to escape somehow of his cell, kill a deputy, subdue the Sheriff and tied him down... again  after Kieran leaves the party... Also the theory that there's more than one killer grows... can they both be Branson and Kieran?

[Misty79]

I think Piper is definitely a lock for one the killers. I would have liked Kieran to be one of them as I dislike the guy as a love interest for Emma, but oh well, he's been too telegraphed now. 

 

The big question for me is who is Piper working with? If Piper isn't one of the killers I think she's at the very least Brandon's spawn. 

 

We've still never had an explanation for Audrey having a picture of Brandon James up in her bedroom (episode 1) so as much as I don't like that scenario she may be involved. 

[rainsmom]

Do you guys know if the actors knew who the killers were prior to receiving the final script?

 

It's a given that the killers aren't Branson and Keiran. It's possible that one of them is guilty, but not both (because where's the fun in that?).

 

I'm 100% on board with Piper. I want Jake to be her accomplice, but I'm not sure it really makes sense -- and besides, the telegraphed assholes rarely turn out to be actual villains. I could live with it being Branson, but it would be weird, I think, for the killers to both be outsiders. Surely one of them needs ot be part of the inner circle to maximize the shock value. So that brings me back to Jake, mainly because I don't think they want to lose Audrey or Noah as characters in future seasons, and I don't think Brooke or Emma makes any sense at all.

[colorbars]

I would be shocked if Piper isn't the main killer (the Billy, the Mrs Loomis, the Jill), I'm just not sure who the other one is. I do think it'll be either Branson, Kieran or maybe Jake, and we'll spend a bit of the finale questioning which one it is. But ultimately, they probably won't be that interesting. Which makes me think it'll be Branson, because Piper is clearly Maggie's kid and therefore is the betrayal aspect of the reveal, since she's related to Emma and befriended her and Emma's trusted her this whole time, so the second killer probably isn't that close with Emma. If it were Kieran, then he'd be the bigger betrayal than Piper. And same with Audrey. So Bransan or Jake.

 

As nervous as I am that Audrey will be involved since she's the one character I don't want it to be - having the one LGBT character the killer would look so bad, imo, especially if there is any kind of romantic motivation (ie, she had a thing for Emma and got rejected) - deep down I don't think it'll be her. Like rainsmom said, I don't think they want to lose her or Noah, they seem to have made them the core three of the show, and they're basically the Sidney, Gale and Dewey, if I had to guess.

 

Edit: Actually, there seems like there's some promo out there (I haven't seen the whole thing) that includes what seems to be the killer about to take off the mask, and I gotta say,

it definitely looks like Audrey to me.

.

 

But it under tags just in case.

Edited August 28, 2015 by colorbars

[jhlipton]

The ending sure made it look like Branson killed the deputy to escape, but I think that's a red herring.  One of the killers killed him and stunned or killed Branson.

 

I wish I knew how far Wren Lake was from the school.  That would help eliminate anyone who was at the dance.

[sugarbaker design]

The ending sure made it look like Branson killed the deputy to escape,

 

 

I thought the exact opposite, that it couldn't have been Branson who killed the deputy.  Branson was unarmed and behind bars, so it must've been someone who came into the police station to, perhaps, interview Branson for her podcast.

[dradiscontact]

From the bloodstains, I would say that the killer attacked the guard outside of the holding cells in the hallway, where there's a small pool of blood. That pool trails inward towards Branson's holding cell. The killer cuffed the guard to the cell bars, where the guard was left to bleed out, and then took the keys and released Branson. All of the bloodstains are passive and widely dispersed, so this show isn't exactly going for Dexter-level accuracy in terms of staging a violent crime scene (there's no spatter, which is bizarre for a knife attack; the initial impact stain seems too large for what had to have been a swift attack; there are no transfer stains, not one smear or footprint), but that's kind of the story the bloodstains are telling.

[jhlipton]

Here's what I think happened (edited):

 

The sheriff goes roaring out to Wren Lake. Only Kieran and Maggie could know that he's gone.

 

K or M kills the deputy and Branson, who is stashed somewhere. Then they go roaring out to Wren Lake.

 

The live feed is set up and the killer-de-jour comes roaring back to town., They get into costume and join the dance.  [[NOTE: The Incident at Wren Lake may have happened much earlier than it seemed, so the killer would have plenty of time before the dance.]]

Edited August 30, 2015 by jhlipton

[Cranberry]

Did the rewatch today with my friend and my brother! It was fun. Unfortunately, the characters rarely had alibis at all. No one had a solid alibi -- as in we saw them on screen in a different place at the same time something bad was going down -- for anything until episode three, and even then it was just a few people who couldn't have texted/called Emma at certain times plus a few characters shown in other locations while Riley was being murdered (each separately, so they could be one half of a duo, and so their alibi is pretty much useless). It's like that for pretty much every event (text, phone call, lurking in mask, scare/attack, murder). Some of those texts that aren't actual conversations could have been set to send automatically, too.

 

If we're going with the idea that there's a duo at play, then in episode three we see that Noah and Brooke couldn't be a team because while Riley is being murdered, Noah is at work and Brooke is at a hotel. That's backed up by episode seven when the killer attacks Brooke and Noah at the same time. It's also implied earlier in episode seven that no combination of Jake, Brooke, and Piper could be a team, as they all walk off together (and wait together outside the abandoned building) right before Emma has a phone conversation with the killer (the door slams and then the phone rings). Maggie and the sheriff couldn't be a team, as they're still at dinner together when the killer is menacing the kids at the abandoned bowling alley.

 

Noah and Audrey are together at the game store while Will is dying at the end of episode seven, but of course that kill was triggered by tripwire and could have been set up earlier. Someone did have to call and taunt Emma immediately before he died, though; did either of them have time for that? Jake was still in the hospital at that point, as far as we know (not certain on that).

 

In episode eight, I still think that the first meeting with Emma's dad was real -- it was shot more clearly and without any "this is a hallucination" elements -- and so was the chat with Piper. Second conversation with dad was a definite hallucination. Someone had asked in the episode thread if the person who answered Emma's IM to Audrey (and sent her video of the old hospital) was actually her, and I'm not sure, as she and Noah were searching Branson's classroom at the time.

 

Brooke and Branson can't be a team, as she was at the liquor store and Branson was in jail when the sheriff was nabbed in episode nine. (Also, Brooke getting attacked on stage wouldn't make sense if they were a team.)

 

We can assume that Kieran and the sheriff are not a team, as there would have been no reason for Kieran to hit his father over the head with no one around to witness it -- if they wanted to stage the sheriff being injured and tied up, they would have skipped the head-bashing.

 

Audrey rarely has an alibi for anything. Ditto on Kieran and an even bigger ditto on Piper.

 

Some observations/questions we had:

 

Audrey: Has a voice-changer app on her phone; knows self-defense/can handle herself against larger opponents; her DNA is on the inside of the mask; only Rachel, who is dead, could back up her Sept. 30 alibi; is that key she wears around her neck (and sometimes idly plays with) in every episode significant?

 

Noah: Has spoken to Brandon's older brother, Troy, while writing a nature vs. nurture paper. What did he learn? Also knows the most about the case in general and about serial killers; has great tech knowledge.

 

Jake: Ava the Playboy bunny pointed out that he's smarter than he looks. What are his motives for surveilling/blackmailing people? He's rich and doesn't need money like Will does.

 

Kieran: Mom and stepfather died recently in "car crash;" didn't let Emma visit his house to look at evidence when she asked to, but brought it to hers instead; has been arrested before; was away for two eps dealing with "insurance stuff;" has a gun and knows how to shoot (explains this by saying his dad's a cop, but he didn't live with him until recently); either has a fake ID or is old enough to drink at a bar (where he meets Nina).

 

Brooke: Claims that "Tyler" texted her at the same time that he texted Riley, but we don't see that; won't text Tyler and try to get him to meet (says that he'd know she was playing him) but cajoles Riley into doing it.

 

Piper: Claims to have spoken to Rachel's parents about Audrey and discovered that Audrey pushed Rachel into doing things she didn't want to do, but we don't see that convo; her father was murdered when she was too young to remember him and his murder is unsolved; no mention of her mother at all; "discovered" the "NO COPS EMMA" on the wall but we don't see her find it; knows that Emma comes from "a family of survivors" and specifically cites her mom (when no one is supposed to know that Maggie was involved in the initial massacre at all); we only know that Cassie James is Cassie James because Piper says so; claims that Cassie IDed Kieran, but we don't see that convo; around the right age to be Brandon's child. She is also the only major suspect that no one in-universe has suspected.

 

Seth Branson/Palmar: Old enough to be the offspring; previous girlfriend was killed; refuses to talk about his past; someone broke him out of jail (to frame or to assist?); as Noah points out, his name is pretty much "Bran's son."

 

Sheriff Hudson: An "anonymous tip" led him to the old hospital in episode four; he used to get high on pills while on the job.

 

Jake and Brooke grew up together, and Emma and Audrey grew up together, so none of them could be the Brandon James kid (too young).

 

Is the language arts malware connected to the murders, or just Jake and Will's surveillance/blackmail thing? Tyler and Nina had access; was Riley also involved? She was the other TA with access.

 

Whoever broke into the municipal records building a year ago already knew the combination to a locked room.

 

How is Rachel's murder connected? Was she killed just to frame Audrey? Was Audrey's DNA also planted to frame her? Why no taunts from the killer re: Audrey?

 

So... I still don't have a better guess than Piper as the half-sibling, heh. I'm unsure about the killer. Maybe Brandon's older brother Troy? Would that be too Harper's Island? I would guess a father/daughter thing, which would be even more Harper's Island, but I don't think that Brandon committed the initial murders, so I don't think he's back to kill now (even though his body was never found). I think it's more likely that either his brother killed people 20 years ago, or Emma's dad did (or, the fun outside possibility, Emma's mom. My brother also suggested that maybe Maggie talked Brandon into murdering people for her).

 

Jake looks mighty shifty, and he's my brother's pick for at least one killer. My friend suspects Kieran as the half-sibling and a killer, although she's wavering now because the show's trying hard to make him look suspicious.

[colorbars]

Great post!

 

Assuming the killer now is the one that broke into the record building a year prior, I have a really hard time believing it was any of the kids. They're only, what? 16 at this point? I just find it really really hard to believe a 15 year old would've been able to not only break into there, but know where to look and what to look for and all of that. So that, ontop of the yearbook thing from earlier in the season, and the knowledge of a relative of Brandon's likely being involved (whether it's his kid or his brother or hell, even him himself), I think at least one of the killers has to be out of high school.

 

I'm really curious about how Rachel's murder ties in. The fact that the show is focusing on it tells me it's gotta be of some significance to the mystery. Framing Audrey? There's that, Piper's talk with Emma, the DNA in the mask, the Brandon James parallels, my own personal hopes...

Edited August 30, 2015 by colorbars

[jhlipton]

Brooke and Branson can't be a team, as she was at the liquor store and Branson was in jail when the sheriff was nabbed in episode nine.

 

Do we know if the sheriff was nabbed before Branson's "escape" or after?  The time-line on this show is always a little wonky.  The scene at the theater, just before Branson's arrest, makes me doubt that they're a team (of killers, at least), though.

[colorbars]

The timeline of the sheriff getting nabbed is weird because the scene with Brooke/Jake in Jake's house is night time, while the rest is the day. And I assume it all happens on the same day given that Noah/Audrey start watching Rachel's footage when it's light out and then by the time they're done it's dark out (and the sheriff gets nabbed during the day between those scenes, but Jake/Brooke have their scene at night during then too).

 

Watching those scenes again, the sheriff says that the lake house he went to/where the calls originated from, was "far from the school", explaining why it would be hard to buy that Branson made the calls, so I don't think it would be too easy to go back and forth between there and the dance.

[Awesomesauce]

Watching those scenes again, the sheriff says that the lake house he went to/where the calls originated from, was "far from the school", explaining why it would be hard to buy that Branson made the calls, so I don't think it would be too easy to go back and forth between there and the dance.

I believe the dance is taking place at the Rec Center, not the school, so I'm not sure if that might be closer to the lake house?

Cranberry, thanks for the analysis! Like most around here, I'm on the Piper train, for the reasons Cranberry listed, and also because the show has never painted her as suspect at all and the only others we can say that about are Brooke and Emma (and I just can not believe it could be either of them). Now, if we look at who Piper has led Emma to suspect, it would be Audrey, Seth, and Kieran, so it seems like we could rule those 3 out as her co-killers. So if any of the high schoolers are involved, it has to be Noah or Jake. I'm leaning toward Noah, since he has the tech knowledge and the motive to get revenge on the cool kids. Perhaps Uncle Troy influenced him too.

My only problem is that this seems a little too similar to some of the movies, so I'm thinking the motivation is going to be different somehow. Like, instead of Piper being jealous of Emma's life, perhaps this is her way of entering her life and acting sisterly by giving Emma a crisis where she needs someone to lean on while simultaneously getting rid of her unworthy, lying friends and boyfriend and helping her learn the truth about her mom's past?

[colorbars]

I believe the dance is taking place at the Rec Center, not the school, so I'm not sure if that might be closer to the lake house?

Cranberry, thanks for the analysis! Like most around here, I'm on the Piper train, for the reasons Cranberry listed, and also because the show has never painted her as suspect at all and the only others we can say that about are Brooke and Emma (and I just can not believe it could be either of them). Now, if we look at who Piper has led Emma to suspect, it would be Audrey, Seth, and Kieran, so it seems like we could rule those 3 out as her co-killers. So if any of the high schoolers are involved, it has to be Noah or Jake. I'm leaning toward Noah, since he has the tech knowledge and the motive to get revenge on the cool kids. Perhaps Uncle Troy influenced him too.

My only problem is that this seems a little too similar to some of the movies, so I'm thinking the motivation is going to be different somehow. Like, instead of Piper being jealous of Emma's life, perhaps this is her way of entering her life and acting sisterly by giving Emma a crisis where she needs someone to lean on while simultaneously getting rid of her unworthy, lying friends and boyfriend and helping her learn the truth about her mom's past?

 

Ah, okay, thanks for that clarification. I meant to comment that unless it wasn't at the school, but I didn't remember that. I've also been watching the promo and trying to decide whether the scenes at outside the dance or at Brooke's house. There's lights hanging from trees and it looks like a party lot in some of the shots, which would make me think the dance, but it seems so deserted to be the dance, and Noah and Audrey are both in regular clothes.

 

But everytime I see the shot of the killer coming up behind Audrey, I can't help but think that shot is gonna be right before a commerical break and we won't see the rest of it, and the next time we see Audrey, it'll be when she jumps out and scares Noah, and has a cut on her arm, and she'll claim she just got away from the killer or something. Which will either be a red herring or set up for her to be the killer. The thing with Audrey being the killer is that the only motive I can see is the video thing, but considering the killer stole the mask a year earlier, it would suggest this has been planned for a while.

 

But Noah is another option I've been thinking about, though he and Piper did have a scene alone together towards the beginning of the season. The fact that he wasn't really ever a serious suspect other than being brought in at the beginning and then casual accusations from Jake in the bowling alley episode, his comment about leading the police to their best evidence, obviously being good with technology, he seemed to be manning the DJ booth at the dance so he coould've easily put the video feed up... But he's a popular character (so is Audrey) and nothing about the show has shown me that they're willing to take that much of a risk yet.

[Cranberry]

In Noah's scene alone with Piper, she was interviewing him for the podcast (her phone with a recording app open was visible on the table and she moved it closer to him at one point), so that could explain why they spoke as if they didn't know each other. In my notes I have that scene happening at the same time that the killer texted Emma as she was eavesdropping on her mom and the sheriff at the morgue (and at the same time that Brooke and Branson were talking via webcam), but it's always difficult to figure out whether these scenes are actually happening simultaneously on this show.

[colorbars]

Actually, I think she has the gif the killer sent open on her phone. Which isn't to say it couldn't have still been recording. And they could've been talking the way they were because they were in public.

[jhlipton]

I still think Jake is, if not a killer, in cahoots with one.  There's no way he got stabbed he way he did in the bowling alley without it being part of a plan.

 

Does anyone besides Maggie (who the sheriff told directly) or Kieran, who might know where his dad is,know that the sheriff was going to Wren Lake?  If not, how would they know to attack him there>

[Cranberry]

Actually, I think she has the gif the killer sent open on her phone. Which isn't to say it couldn't have still been recording. And they could've been talking the way they were because they were in public.

 

Ah, yeah, just checked and you're right. But yeah, it's in public and she's taking notes, so it could all be for appearances. It would look weird if she didn't speak to Noah at all; everyone knows him as the weird serial-killer-obsessed kid.

[ParadoxLost]

I think there are two big anvils in this episode.  First that the Sheriff called in a license plate at the house where he was attacked.  We have seen what almost everyone drives.  Its not Emma's, Jake's, Audrey's, Noah's, Kieran's, or Brooke's Father'.  I think there are pretty good odds that its Piper's.  I don't think we've seen what she drives.

 

Next, someone asked, in the episode thread,why Emma's couple costume would be so outdated.  You know what?  It put Emma in a brunette wig.  That sets up someone noticing a resemblance to Piper.

 

I'm more convinced that Piper is Emma's older sister.  But I still think Brandon James isn't the original killer and that will lead to Piper not being the killer.  I think Piper is present to set up next season.  This season has got to be all about the blackmail scheme.  There is too much spying on people on their devices still going on.

[colorbars]

I still think Jake is, if not a killer, in cahoots with one.  There's no way he got stabbed he way he did in the bowling alley without it being part of a plan.

 

Does anyone besides Maggie (who the sheriff told directly) or Kieran, who might know where his dad is,know that the sheriff was going to Wren Lake?  If not, how would they know to attack him there>

 

Well, if the calls were coming from there, it could be where the killer is hiding out, so they would've already been there. If that's the case, that's another point in Piper's direction, since she's visiting town and I don't think we know where she's staying. I think he just told Maggie he was going down to that area to knock on doors, I don't recall him mentioning a specific house? I can't remember how or why he ended up stopping at the house he did.

 

I'm more convinced that Piper is Emma's older sister.  But I still think Brandon James isn't the original killer and that will lead to Piper not being the killer.  I think Piper is present to set up next season.  This season has got to be all about the blackmail scheme.  There is too much spying on people on their devices still going on.

 

Mmm, very well could be. There seems to be so much about the original killing that they still having focused on resolved. How haven't they directly mentioned that Brandon's body wasn't found? There hasn't been a single mention of his brother since the first few episodes, other than that one episode, they haven't really focused on the possibility that Brandon didn't kill all those people, etc. So I could see it.

 

Another thing I was wondering, Brooke's father was also currently in jail, was he not? Brooke mentioned that Jake or Emma this episode, if I recall correctly. So the killing at the jail could have something to do with that, while making it seem like it's just about Seth. If the blackmail stuff is the main focus after all and the Brandon James backstory is a red herring/set up for next season.

[Awesomesauce]

I think there are two big anvils in this episode. First that the Sheriff called in a license plate at the house where he was attacked. We have seen what almost everyone drives. Its not Emma's, Jake's, Audrey's, Noah's, Kieran's, or Brooke's Father'. I think there are pretty good odds that its Piper's. I don't think we've seen what she drives..

She dropped Emma off in a red Mini Cooper after they visited the old woman. I'm not sure who's left who might own the mystery car.

[rainsmom]

Tyler has been completely overlooked in all of this. I suppose everyone assumed that he was killed because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with Nina. But what if he's one of the killers? The head in the jacuzzi looks horribly fake, but I assumed that was due to low budget. His body was burned beyond recognition though -- did we ever get DNA identification of the body?

[Cranberry]

No, Maggie wanted to compare dental records but needed the head. Presumably she did that once the kids discovered the head at the old hospital!

 

And yeah, Piper drives a Mini Cooper.

[rainsmom]

Since we haven't heard otherwise, I'm going to bet checking the dental records "fell through the cracks." I'm going to bet the killers are Piper and Tyler!

[jhlipton]

Another thing I was wondering, Brooke's father was also currently in jail, was he not?

 

That was so weird...

 

He tells the sheriff that he'll explain himself once he talked to Brooke.  Brooke needs to talk to mommy first and does (so all that hooey about "she can't talk" was just PLOT!!!  to drag that story out).  Then, he tells Brooke that Some Random Guy (totally irrelevant to the plot, and I've forgotten who he was).  But we don't know if he ever talked to the sheriff, or is still in jail, or what...

[ParadoxLost]

Tyler has been completely overlooked in all of this. I suppose everyone assumed that he was killed because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with Nina. But what if he's one of the killers? The head in the jacuzzi looks horribly fake, but I assumed that was due to low budget. His body was burned beyond recognition though -- did we ever get DNA identification of the body?

If we are throwing out theories about the victims as killers.... I'm highly suspicious of Rachel. The killer specifically referenced Aubrey when killing Nina. They keep pointing out that Rachel is not like the others. She would be angry at Emma over the post. The killer is spying on everyone and now Rachel always had her camera and snuck into clubs to see any kind of drama. I just can't figure how they get around her death being fake when Emma's mom did the autopsy and she wasn't burned beyond recognition or anything.

[Paradox]

I re-watched some of the episodes and a few things I noticed this time around I didn't notice before.

 

Riley was very interested in the whole Brandon James mystery. One of the reasons she connected with Noah. Was it her interest in gore/horror/sci-fi in general, or was it something more?

 

Maggie receives the box/pig heart with a note and it states, "Emma looks just like you at that age". Someone either old enough to remember a young Daisy, or someone who had pictures of Daisy around the same age. Although this could be explained by the 1994 yearbook. 

 

Emma isn't a target until she comes clean to Audrey about being there when Nina films her kissing Rachel in the car. Afterwards, literally, Emma starts to receive calls from the Killer. I found that interesting. Was the mother the actual target and it shifted to include Emma? 

 

Audrey is also who convinces Emma to DM the killer after the Killer texts her in Episode 3.

 

IF Rachel's death is the anomaly, and IF this was indeed a message for Maggie/Daisy, then whoever killed Rachel did not actually kill Nina or Tyler. It just doesn't fit or make much sense. Maybe there is a group of conspirators, but one of them went rogue and killed Rachel? Another theory is a third killer/conspirator, someone who is actually connected to the past, and not connected to original conspirators. The original duo/group doesn't know who this person is, but are also trying to find out, which could explain a lot of the conversations taking place.

 

I still plan on rewatching a few more episodes before the Finale, especially episode 7.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Paradox

[Awesomesauce]

I definitely agree that the Rachel business is odd. It seems strange that they referred to her faked suicide as a message to Maggie instead of as a failed cover up, as if they know the killer wanted the fakery to be discovered. If we go with my theory above about Piper, my take would be that Rachel's suicide would make Emma feel extremely guilty while still leaving one of her few possible "real" friends, Audrey, alive. But I've got nuthin on how a message to Maggie fits in here. As far as we know, their past has not included any other suicides or death faking.

[colorbars]

I think the assumption was that it was a message that there was a serial killer on the loose that wasn't going to stop? I would think anyone that's watched an episode of Law and Order would know that a coroner would easily be able to tell the difference between someone being hanged the way Rachel was outside and if she had actually killed herself on her ceiling fan.

But there could also be some hidden meaning connected to Brandon James and the truth of that night, that only Maggie would get. But since we haven't seen much follow up to that at all, I doubt it.

Anyway, with how much this show has been similar to Harper's Island, I'm wondering which angle they'll pursue with the killer: the long lost sibling our protagonist didn't know she had (Piper) or her childhood best friend who's in love with her (Audrey)? For some reason I just can't bring myself to think they're working together. After what PLL did with their only trans character, I'm really hoping they don't have their one and only spot of diversity in this cast be the killer. And if they do, I sincerely hope unrequited feelings are not involved.

[Cranberry]

I saw someone in the comments on one of MTV's YouTube promos theorizing that Piper and Audrey were in a relationship and were doing all of this together, and my reaction was pretty much, "Please, nooooooo!" It was bad enough that the writers killed one of their two non-straight characters almost immediately; they can't make the remaining one (or two) evil.

 

And yeah, PLL... yeah. That was not good.

 

Post-episode edit: Well, that happened. I'm not sure about the unrequited feelings thing, though. I didn't really get that impression, but who knows.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Cranberry

[jhlipton]

Do why have any idea why Piper stabbed Jake abut didn't kill him in the bowling alley?

[Last Time Lord]

I think he really did just get very, very lucky.

[DrLar]

Can we call season 2 killer from now? it's obvious they are hinting Audrey...

[sugarbaker design]

Do why have any idea why Piper stabbed Jake abut didn't kill him in the bowling alley?

 

We don't know for sure Piper did it, it could've been Audrey.

[jhlipton]

We don't know for sure Piper did it, it could've been Audrey.

 

I think if it was Audrey, Jake would be dead, dead, DEAD!

[Lady Calypso]

I still think it's Kieran. There has been nothing to prove he's not. He just said "I'm not the killer. See, I didn't know about my dad's death? Look at my sad face.". 

[kelslamu]

Haven't watched any of Season 2, but was wondering if anyone addressed the fact that Brandon James didn't commit the first murders.  I may be being dense here, but if he were so sweet and all then did he really kill the five way back when or has this been addressed?