S01.E03: Of Puppies And Monsters

[ari333]

Maine doesn't have the death penalty, so I guess he was trying to beat life in prison? But he's not super young, 30 years doesn't give him a lot of time (assuming prison decreases life expectancy).

 

Thank you. Yes.

All the more reason to take his punishment for whatever he actually did and not confess to MURDER that he didn't do.. He seemed already in his 30s. so 30 yrs sentence .... yikes... who  does a plea for that if they didn't do it?

[partofme]

Thank you. Yes.

All the more reason to take his punishment for whatever he actually did and not confess to MURDER that he didn't do.. He seemed already in his 30s. so 30 yrs sentence .... yikes... who  does a plea for that if they didn't do it?

 

People falsely confess all the time.  Police interrogation can be grueling.  That's why if Adam is alive his parents should blame the police more than Hank for their not looking for him. 

[ForeverAlone]

In defense of the FBI guy sussing out the affair between the cop and the husband, I had the exact same thought during the first scene I saw with the two of them (long before they started schtupping in an interrogation room). I can't even explain WHY, but it was just some strange vibe I had that those two had a sexual history. 

[ForeverAlone]

People falsely confess all the time.  Police interrogation can be grueling.  That's why if Adam is alive his parents should blame the police more than Hank for their not looking for him. 

A prime example of false confessions due to police pressure is the Central Park Five. Five boys confessed to gang raping the Central Park Jogger (even though they didn't do it, and there was obviously no evidence they did, SINCE THEY DIDN'T DO IT), and it wasn't until the real perpetrator confessed in jail that the truth came out, and the men were released from jail. 

 

I really do hope the show deconstructs the police investigation from 10 years ago, to explain WHY the police accepted his confession (and the DA and the judge) when there was obviously no body. They really didn't have any evidence that Hank killed this boy. Sure, they had evidence he knew Adam and was friendly with him (which we know to be true), but there was clearly no evidence of actual murder. And because the police pressured Hank into confessing to this crime with little evidence to support it, they concluded the investigation and stopped looking for him. Police ineptitude is one of the main reasons Adam stayed gone as long as he did. 

Edited March 15, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[ari333]

What's up with his (the neighbor, Hank) sniffing and fondling Adam's mittens? ANd hiding them in a can in the ceiling? I say "Adam's" bc they had the name Adam on them. That's for sure creepy.

[candall]

A prime example of false confessions due to police pressure is the Central Park Five. Five boys confessed to gang raping the Central Park Jogger (even though they didn't do it, and there was obviously no evidence they did, SINCE THEY DIDN'T DO IT), and it wasn't until the real perpetrator confessed in jail that the truth came out, and the men were released from jail. 

 

I really do hope the show deconstructs the police investigation from 10 years ago, to explain WHY the police accepted his confession (and the DA and the judge) when there was obviously no body. They really didn't have any evidence that Hank killed this boy. Sure, they had evidence he knew Adam and was friendly with him (which we know to be true), but there was clearly no evidence of actual murder. And because the police pressured Hank into confessing to this crime with little evidence to support it, they concluded the investigation and stopped looking for him. Police ineptitude is one of the main reasons Adam stayed gone as long as he did. 

Oh, this Whack-A-Mole show surely has a Hank-centric episode coming up where much of his creepiness quotient will decrease.  With all these crazy people, somebody probably threatened to kill Hank's mother unless he confessed.  Still. . . he sure bleached the hell out of that garage!

 

My main impression is the same as last week's:  Mom's not so much a politician as a giant human wild hair.  Get a grip, Joan Allen, like your character in every movie you've ever made.

 

Excellent point made above that someone should confirm Adam's vocabulary regarding pockmarks.  We could have saved some time if anyone had sussed out that "door in the ceiling" was actually a manhole cover.

 

Interesting to replay that "something unforgiveable" narration over Adam holding the key.  Grassy Knoll Theory #397:  could Adam have had the means to escape and, for some reason, didn't???

 

Hilarious that none of us are sure what's a clue and what's sloppy writing!

 

Hank, two words:  animal shelter.

[KaveDweller]

In defense of the FBI guy sussing out the affair between the cop and the husband, I had the exact same thought during the first scene I saw with the two of them (long before they started schtupping in an interrogation room). I can't even explain WHY, but it was just some strange vibe I had that those two had a sexual history. 

 

I got that vibe too, but this is a TV show so I was assuming we'd find out about some inappropriate sexual relationship between some characters on the show. The cop and the husband were the best candidates, especially since I'd also picked up on tension between the husband and Joan Allen (which FBI guy wouldn't have seen).  I don't assume there's inappropriate sexual relationships between people I meet in real life. But maybe that's why I wouldn't make a good FBI agent.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Three Episodes In, It's Time To Rank The Family's Biggest Creepers
How can you choose the worst in such a dense field? Al Lowe finds a way.

[dr pepper]

In defense of the FBI guy sussing out the affair between the cop and the husband, I had the exact same thought during the first scene I saw with the two of them (long before they started schtupping in an interrogation room). I can't even explain WHY, but it was just some strange vibe I had that those two had a sexual history. 

 

I also had that thought but it was no strange vibe, just a very familiar one from watching a lot of mystery shows. Tvtropes probably has a name for it.

[LovesLinus]

Maybe Hank & the guy with the pregnant wife were working together? Maybe Hank took the fall so that Adam & his partner wouldn't be found?

I have no clue how this will end, but I am enjoying the series :)

[jhlipton]

That can't be the real Adam, because no teenage boy would EVER try to sneak a peak at his own naked sister. Right?

 

I trust you're being sarcastic because the correct answer is probably about every teenage boy EVAH, especially if the sister is hot.

 

 

Do the writers expect us to believe that detective lady never once listened to the anonymous 911 call that let her into Hank's house?

 

 

I think she listened to it but she had no reason to think it was from the dad.  Ity's only after the FBI guy plants the idea that she listens to it more carefully.

 

WHAT? SO who needs a real reason for a search warrant if all you have to do is get someone to call in that they heard "screaming"

 

 

This standard procedure with TV cops (I hope it's not for real cops, but I wouldn't be surprised.)  "We don't have a warrant!" "That's OK, I think I heard a scream."  And it's never questioned.

 

Obviously the police stopped looking for Adam once Hank confessed, but I wonder if anyone actually corroborated his confession.

 

 

This definitely is real standard police work.  As with the Central Park Five, or a case with a teen boy in San Diego, once the police get a confession (often obtained under duress, even if legally), they'll stop looking for anything else.

 

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

I'm wondering why they introduced us to the reporter as the writer of the "lesbian lifestyles blog".  She's obviously not a lesbian (she may be bi, but it doesn't seem like it), That just seems like "sloppy writing" and not a red herring.

Edited March 16, 2016 by jhlipton

[peachmangosteen]

So was it just sloppy writing or as we supposed to notice that the scene made no sense given what we have been told so far?

 

That is the main question with regards to any seeming clue we're given.

 

Did anyone else get a weird vibe from the way the sister said "Im ....YOUR ....SISTER" after the dude peeped at her? Her tone was kind of .... remember.... Im supposed to be YOUR SISTER but she did not say "remember" or "Im supposed to be" -- it was kind of implied in her tone. Just me?

 

It wasn't just you. There's definitely something seriously up with the sister. At this point the only thing that will surprise me is if she isn't involved in this somehow.

 

I'm not sure what the show wants us to think about Hank. We see him be framed, now we see him and his happiness with the puppies. Is he a bad guy? 

 

I wish they had not confirmed that Hank did in fact have child porn on his computer because imo that takes away any of the sympathy the writers obviously want us to have for him. 

 

I don't believe that Andrew McCarthy is a pedophile. Could he be Adam's real father? And that's why they were all eager to get him away?

 

My sister thinks Andrew McCarthy might be Adam's real father, too. Or maybe the real father of the boy currently going by Adam who may not actually be Adam.

 

I started out liking the FBI guy, but I sort of don't trust him.

 

Same. I liked him at first but then he said or did something (I don't remember exactly what) and I was like nope I don't trust him. Although at this point I feel that way about almost everyone.

 

I'm wondering why they introduced us to the reporter as the writer of the "lesbian lifestyles blog".  She's obviously not a lesbian (she may be bi, but it doesn't seem like it), That just seems like "sloppy writing" and not a red herring.

 

I still want follow-up on this! Is she a lesbian or not dammit? I guess she isn't, but then I don't understand that line. Was it a joke? Does she actually write a 'lesbian lifestyle blog' even though she isn't a lesbian?

Edited March 16, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[iMonrey]

 

I still don't get why Hank would confess to killing a child to avoid the public finding out about his porn collection, though. Every news clip about the kidnapping and alleged murder refer to him as a sex offender, so all he did was subject himself to a longer sentence than he would have served for the child pornography possession charges. It didn't help his reputation at all.

 

Child porn on his computer would make him look guilty in the eyes of the jury. Plenty of murderers have been convicted without a body being found. If he went to trial and lost he'd be in jail a lot longer than if he confessed in a plea deal. 

 

They do however need to address what he told them he did with Adam's body, because once he confesses the next obvious question is "where's the body?" No way he confessed and the  police never bothered to ask that. He would have had to make something up about dissolving it in acid or something that would leave no trace of it.

[Stella Rose]

I really can't stand anyone on this show - Willa seems to be #1 on my "Oh dear lord, she is creepy - I don't even want to look at her strange face" list.

 

That said, my undying love for Andrew McCarthy - birthed in the beautiful 80s, drags me back in - kicking and screaming.  I am extremely peeved at him for making me feel sorry for a pedo who didn't get a puppy.  I know it could be used as a kid lure (or a Stella Rose lure), but...  It's Andrew McCarthy and Puppies!

 

Ptooey.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Stella Rose

[Perfect Xero]

I trust you're being sarcastic because the correct answer is probably about every teenage boy EVAH, especially if the sister is hot.

 

I have to strongly disagree. Source: Was a teenage boy, have sisters.

 

ETA: I'm now realizing that you may have been joking, or not, I don't know. I have a stomach virus of some sort and apparently it's interfering with my ability to detect nuance in the written word.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[isitpink]

What if Hank confessed to cover for his mom? What if it was mom's kiddie porn on the computer. In the flashback (ok one of the flashbacks) when he saw the bottle in the drawer, he had tears in his eyes. Not eff those damn neighbors, they planted this damn thing, but tears. In a series where nothing makes sense, this seems as good a theory as any.

[isitpink]

Also, am I supposed to assume Willa planted a different ship bottle than the one Adam had with him the day he disappeared? Or am I supposed to wonder how she got it in the first place?

[peachmangosteen]

Also, am I supposed to assume Willa planted a different ship bottle than the one Adam had with him the day he disappeared?

 

I assumed that because unless she is the one who kidnapped him then she couldn't have had the real one. Then again, maybe she is that one who kidnapped him!

Edited March 17, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[jhlipton]

I have to strongly disagree. Source: Was a teenage boy, have sisters.

 

ETA: I'm now realizing that you may have been joking, or not, I don't know. I have a stomach virus of some sort and apparently it's interfering with my ability to detect nuance in the written word.

 

At least semi-serious.  I think many teenage boys would at least think about spying on their sister. It's not like she's their mom!!!!

[RedInk]

Don't mean to sound insulting, but I don't understand the argument against the neighbor's pedophilia. The man had child porn on his computer and stated that he "just likes to look at them," in combination with an indecent exposure conviction. He's a bad guy and not worthy of any sympathy (in my opinion). He also told John that he wished he *had* hurt Adam since he was convicted of the crime (I think he even said "your beautiful boy" or something that turned my stomach). My biggest complaint is that I think I'm supposed to be sympathetic toward his horrible character...moreso than for any of the family members?

I'm clueless as to what went down, but the really unbelievable part for me is that they set up the neighbor and apparently stopped looking for their son. Even if they believed neighbor whatshisname were the kidnapper, why believe their son is dead instead of locked away somewhere or handed off? Who just frames someone and then goes about their lives with no closure? Is something really nefarious happening, or is this show just inconsistent, unrealistic and terrible?

Edited March 17, 2016 by RedInk

[KaveDweller]

I'm not sure the father knew about the ship in a bottle being planted. Willa could have done that, but just convinced him to call so the cop had reason to enter. Maybe he thought they legitimately found the ship in there and that proved he was right to do it?

Because otherwise it really doesn't make sense.

[Stella Rose]

I feel like in every show, no matter how dark or twisty, the writers give you someone you can like even a little bit.  if not, the writing better be damn tight (See:  Season 1 of the Killing).

 

With this show they really aren't giving us anything.   Every single character seems shifty, creepy, or just plain icky.   Who are we supposed to root for.

 

 

[hoosiermom]

Is this a one season show?

[KaveDweller]

Is this a one season show?

 

I don't know if it was supposed to be, but the ratings suck so I'm guessing it will be now.

[LisaM]

I'm having a real problem with Joan Allen as the mother - perhaps because I remember her so clearly as the military school commander from The Killing. I see her as too much of a political automaton without any shred of maternal feelings. The one interesting thing about her character was the anvil that her political push for microchipping sex offenders may be connected to the laboratory who just perfected such technology -- and the millions that they could both make.

 

Otherwise, the only character remotely sympathetic is Matt Saracen.

[jhlipton]

Because otherwise it really doesn't make sense.

 

You could apply this to every plot-point so far!

[truthaboutluv]

With this show they really aren't giving us anything.   Every single character seems shifty, creepy, or just plain icky.   Who are we supposed to root for.

 

YMMV but in a show that's twisty and essentially a mystery, I have no issues with every character looking suspicious. The whole point, in my opinion, is to keep you guessing and not knowing what's really going on. Sure Adam SEEMS shifty but is he really? And is he really not Adam even if it seems that way? And if he is Adam, then is he really shifty or creepy or just a very damaged kid who was kidnapped and tortured for 10 years? Personally, so far I like Adam. I firmly believe whether he is the real Adam or not, he's clearly someone who's been very damaged and that's reason enough to find him sympathetic. 

 

Otherwise, the only character remotely sympathetic is Matt Saracen.

 

I actually don't like the brother. I get that for a mystery show like this to work, someone has to be suspicious and it's clearly him, just like Adam has to be acting shifty to raise suspicions that he's not really Adam. However, the way they've gone about with the brother's suspicions just makes him seem like an asshole to be honest. Because what if that IS his brother - then in essence all he's done is question and be cold and borderline dismissive to this kid who has suffered the most horrific thing possible, right from the start. 

 

Before the brother was given any reason to doubt Adam, when they were at the hospital having gotten the call, he was already, "how do we really know it's him." Then the detective said a paternity test was ran and again everything from him from the start was to question Adam eating this or liking this. Then he says the dumbest and most callous thing ever, by asking Adam why he never ran in 10 years. And then of course felt like an ass when the kid said he did, the first chance he got which was only the day before. 

 

I think what bugs me most is that Adam disappeared when he was supposed to be watching him but instead decided to go make out with the other moron I can't stand, aka "I'm so cool not-really lesbian blogger". In the flashback he was an ass to the sister when she came to him and told him Adam was missing and I guess we're supposed to believe that's why he became such a drunk. And yet after years of drinking over the disappointment he was to his parents, his only answer to his brother who he thought was dead because of him, is to skeptical and suspicious the entire time. Even to the point of helping faux lesbian blogger with her story. Yeah, not a fan. 

Edited March 21, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[nara]

I'm wondering why they introduced us to the reporter as the writer of the "lesbian lifestyles blog".  She's obviously not a lesbian (she may be bi, but it doesn't seem like it), That just seems like "sloppy writing" and not a red herring.

I think they are making the point that she will tell any lie to get to her story. Newspaper wants a lesbian blog to be edgier? I'm a lesbian! Newspaper wants a cooking column? I studied cooking in Paris! (Or she would have made the latter claim if it helped her.)

[atomationage]

Danny questioned Adam not knowing or remembering how the ship got in the bottle.  They showed that it was Hank who helped him with that one and probably all the other ones that he had in his room.  Adam probably spent a lot of time at Hank's.

[jhlipton]

I think they are making the point that she will tell any lie to get to her story.

 

True enough.

[lucindabelle]

I did feel so sorry for hank. On the other hand a puppy is a bad choice and he got e idea seeing kids wanting a puppy and we know pedophiles lure kids with puppies. But poor guy lost his mother in jail and needs some love.