S01.E05: I Win

[formerlyfreedom]

When Hank is badly beaten, he names a member of the Warren family as the prime suspect. Bridey receives the results of the paternity test she ran on Adam, and the answer is shocking and definitive. The pock-marked man begins to send post cards from around the country to Adam, giving Nina and Agent Clements a real shot at catching him. In the past, we see how John's grief led to his affair with Nina.

 

[truthaboutluv]

Unlike many on this board, I am fine with every character on the show BUT the journalist (although I feel like calling her a journalist is an insult since it seems her ammo to getting anything is to fuck someone). She is the one character that I really and truly just absolutely loathe. While other characters may be shifty, creepy and kind of annoying, they don't give me a visceral rage by their mere presence like she does. Everytime she does that stupid smirk, I want someone to just smack it off her face. And just because of her I want Adam to really be Adam so her stupid smug can be wiped off her face. Not to mention that I almost feel like that is what will happen only because this kid being an imposter almost seems too obvious at this point.

 

Totally called Hank beating himself up. Again, I know many on here are not too fond of this show but I am honestly genuinely enjoying it. Yes, it has its problem but I find it highly entertaining and gripping. And the way the writers are handling Hank's character is a perfect example of what I find fascinating. On the one hand, it would seem they want viewers to sympathize with him - tonight we saw how he was bullied as a child, we saw him being tormented in jail last week per the mayor's orders. However, we then have things like him deliberately taking a bat to himself to set up the husband and I for one never forget that he had child porn on his computer. And there is something very inherently creepy and disturbing about him. So I don't feel sorry for him at all but I do find him fascinating and definitely think there's more to him in terms of what happened to Adam. 

 

Speaking of, whether or not that kid is the real Adam, I do think the signs point to the fact that guy is a predator and he likely did kidnap and torment that kid whoever he may be. I am glad the brother was less aggressive about Adam not really being Adam tonight.  As I said in last week's episode thread, while I accept that someone obviously has to be suspicious about Adam's true nature because that's just this show,  I found the way the brother went about it almost right from the start sort of shitty on his part.

 

As I noted, this was a kid who disappeared when he, Danny was supposed to have been watching him and instead he was coincidentally making out with the future Ms. Lesbian/but not really reporter. After all I think we're supposed to assume that's why he became such an alcoholic disappointment because of the guilt and likely feeling like his family blamed him for what happened. So the brother miraculously shows up and right from the start his reaction was to question and be suspicious, to the point of actually asking the child why he never ran. Of course he had the decency to look shame-faced when the kid rightly told him he did the first chance he got which was only the day before they found him. I just didn't like how he seemed to almost treat the kid like a criminal when it's like, "if this is your brother, he suffered ten years of torture and abuse and your response to him has been coldness and suspicion." 

Edited March 28, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[TimWil]

The journalist character is an absolute joke. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter pointed that out in his review of the premiere. And the actress, although competent, is an example of how awfully this show has been cast in terms of secondary characters and even background actors. Maine is not THAT ethnically diverse, plain and simple. The squadroom and newspaper office sets are hilariously over-ethnicized.

Edited March 28, 2016 by TimWil

[thuganomics85]

So..... Adam isn't Adam after-all, huh?  Actually, since this only the fifth episode of what I'm assuming there is thirteen episodes, I still won't put too much stock on that.  There is always the possibility that Bridey's is being played or something by whoever tested the blood.  But if he really is the imposter, I guess the question going forward is who is he really and what exactly did happen to the real Adam.  No matter which way it goes, I do think he was truly a victim of whoever this guy is that is sending him postcards while on a road-trip with his wife (multitasking!)

 

Not surprised it ended up being Hank who set up his own beatdown.  I kind of agree with Claire that the main reason I didn't believe it was because John really is the last person in this family who would ever assault anyone.  Now, Claire herself?  I could totally see her beating someone down, Danny perhaps tending on much he had to drink and the motivation behind it, and I think even Willa would get physical too, although she strikes me as someone who would attack them from behind, but John?  Yeah, he doesn't strike me as someone who would ever go past just yelling. But maybe this will all a trick, and he will end up killing someone or something.  You never know with this show.

 

Looks like that Willa/Bridey from last week was just some kind of fantasy, but Willa totally does have the hots for her, Bridey knows this, and is already making the moves.  Ah, sibling-swapping.  A classic!

 

In the end, not only did Hank fail to "win", the real winner ended up being Claire, whose campaign continues to thrive, because everyone naturally loves John now for beating up a pedophile.  Hank really didn't think that part through, did he?

 

I loved that the brief scene of that couple mailing the kidnapper's letter in Hawaii, because every single person in that brief scene was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.  Every single one.  Because how else are viewers suppose to know that it was Hawaii, unless their smacked with a two-by-four by the prop department?

 

I noticed that Andrew McCarthy directed this episode also.  No playing with puppies this time, but I noticed he did get that big cake scene, so in my continuation of him taking advantage of being the director, I choose to believe he had plenty of cakes lined up and did plenty of takes to make sure they did it right a.k.a. he as much cake as possible.  It's for the art!

Edited March 30, 2016 by thuganomics85

[KaveDweller]

Would anyone really take a stranger's letter and mail it from somewhere else? Anytime you get on a plane they ask you if you were given anything by someone you don't know....wouldn't that give someone second thoughts? An envelope could have traces of some kind of disease a person wants spread. It's also just really sketchy.

 

If Adam is a plant and is faking his whole traumatized act, he is an amazing actor. I think no matter what he was abused a lot.

[Free]

If Adam is a plant and is faking his whole traumatized act, he is an amazing actor. I think no matter what he was abused a lot.

 

Agreed, although I'm still expecting a twist at the end.

[backformore]

Do we know that Adam isn't Adam?

Or just that he isn't John's son?

[Free]

Do we know that Adam isn't Adam?

Or just that he isn't John's son?

 

So far it's a cliffhanger until we get answers.

[Madding crowd]

I think we all suspected Adam wasn't Adam, but I assume there is much more going on. I will be quite disappointed if one of the family members killed Adam because why? These don't seem to be raging abusive alcoholics who beat up their children. I can't imagine a brother or sister just pulling the brother away from the carnival to murder him. Maybe the twist will be that the real Adam is alive somewhere.

 

Pock mark is really creepy. I wonder why his adoring wife doesn't suspect something is weird about the guy and I agree I wouldn't carry a letter with me to Hawaii to mail it for someone. I am still intrigued at knowing what is going on with Hank. I'm not sure someone could actually beat themselves up that badly without passing out first, and who found him? He also seemed to heal pretty quickly.

 

The scene with all the bats outside was crazy. How would you buy hundreds of bats without someone noticing? It's kind of like when people light hundreds of candles before they take a bath. The reporter seducing first the brother, and now the sister is so corny and trope like. In any case, they don't seem to know much so why not just investigate on her own? 

 

I like Joan Allen's portrayal of the mother-she showed genuine heartbreak in the scene with the little league call.

[DebbieM4]

I know we pretty much have to suspend disbelief with a lot of what we see on this show, and usually I can overlook a lot.

 

However, why would a young girl be riding her bike outside alone at night, especially after her brother was kidnapped?  When Nina told young Willa to "go on home", I was kind of horrified.  Drive her home!  Don't send her out into the night by herself!  Cops know all too well what can happen, and in that situation it certainly should have been uppermost in everyone's minds.  She should have had Willa wait in the car while she spoke to John, and then she should have driven both of them home.

 

Of course it was all laying the groundwork so we could see the beginning of their affair.  Clumsily done, IMO.  There were better ways that could have been accomplished.

[Margherita Erdman]

I know we pretty much have to suspend disbelief with a lot of what we see on this show, and usually I can overlook a lot.

 

However, why would a young girl be riding her bike outside alone at night, especially after her brother was kidnapped?  When Nina told young Willa to "go on home", I was kind of horrified.  Drive her home!  Don't send her out into the night by herself!  Cops know all too well what can happen, and in that situation it certainly should have been uppermost in everyone's minds.  She should have had Willa wait in the car while she spoke to John, and then she should have driven both of them home.

 

Of course it was all laying the groundwork so we could see the beginning of their affair.  Clumsily done, IMO.  There were better ways that could have been accomplished.

Not to mention, I couldn't get past the idea that the catalyzing event for the dad and cop to begin their hot affair was the dad passed out dead drunk on cheap beer having pissed his pants. He must have smelled really sexy that next morning after sleeping on her couch. Ewww.

And then maybe he took a shower and brushed his teeth, but he returned home in the same clothes. Still would have smelled like beer sweat and urine. Yum.

[JapMo]

The editing on last night's episode was horrible. Waaayyy too many unimportant scenes. At this point, the show needs to really step it up, and it's not. So many scenes with John and the lady cop that offer no new story. We get it, they still have a relationship. Move on already. Speaking of story, is there a point to Danny? While I like the actor, he's being wasted here. One or two throwaway scenes with Adam every episode, and the obligatory family member calling him a drunk, does not give him a purpose. I'm glad he's suspicious of Adam, but do something about that suspicion, other than turn to that idiot Bridey. And on that subject...if she was any kind of reporter, why would she be wasting her time with the siblings? Frankly, I'd go after either the father or the pedophile next door. IMO they have a TON of secrets in their closets.

[nara]

Would anyone really take a stranger's letter and mail it from somewhere else? Anytime you get on a plane they ask you if you were given anything by someone you don't know....wouldn't that give someone second thoughts? An envelope could have traces of some kind of disease a person wants spread. It's also just really sketchy.

If someone looks safe, people are careless. I am surprised by how many times strangers in airports have asked me to watch their stuff while they go to the bathroom. You could argue that they are crazy for trusting me not to steal stuff or slip something in, and you could argue that I am crazy for agreeing, but it happens.

  

Do we know that Adam isn't Adam?

Or just that he isn't John's son?

It was a paternity test, so it tests parentage only. Good catch, I didn't think of that. That might explain why Claire doesn't seem to care about her husband's affair. We also don't know if that was Adam's DNA that was tested, since it came from a trash can--right?

I think that Zach Gilford is being completely wasted in this show. I hope they do more with him.

I am not surprised that Danny has been skeptical from the get go. He has felt guilty for so long that he's afraid to accept that his brother is home and be relieved by it, in case it's not true. He senses that this is not his brother and it appears that he is the only one with good instincts. Of course, I think his suspicion is meant to make him look guilty, because how else would he be so sure that this boy is not Adam. I want to see more about Claire and why she is so sure it's Adam. Of all of them, she's the most likelyto be able to sense whether or not he is her son.

Am I the only one hoping that awful reporter gets killed?

[truthaboutluv]

Am I the only one hoping that awful reporter gets killed?

No. I haven't disliked a character this much since Rebecca on How To Get Away With Murder. May this one suffer a similar fate.

[Texasmom1970]

No. I haven't disliked a character this much since Rebecca on How To Get Away With Murder. May this one suffer a similar fate.

Awful as it sounds count me in as well. I think I am disappointed in this show not so much because of the acting but the story. This show had the opportunity to be a little different and interesting and it is not living up to what it could be.

[TomGirl]

Speaking of suspending disbelief (over and over again) it is OH SO BELIEVABLE (sarcasm) that uptight, image-conscious and very recognizable Willa would let Bridey plant a big fat long kiss on her in oh, I don't know, maybe a very crowded bar. Yeah, right!

ETA: I expect an incriminating photo or video to crop up soon.

Edited March 28, 2016 by TomGirl

[seacliffsal]

I guess that I'm in the minority, but to me, Nina is the worst character. I couldn't believe it when she told the daughter to go home, on her bike, barely a teenager, at night... I also couldn't believe that after the fiasco of the arrest and conviction of the neighbor that they would let her anywhere near his assault care-wow is that department setting themselves up for massive lawsuits all because of her. I also can't stand that she can't/doesn't show any emotion or facial inflections. In the preview when she was all "I have a plan...." I can't believe the parents didn't just slam the door in her face as everything she has done as a police officer has been just wrong.

[missmontyp]

I am a person who would have mailed the postcard.  Especially a postcard that I could read and see what was written.  So now I will be more careful and that is a good thing.

 

My theory is that the DNA was Danny's.  So Danny is not John's son but maybe the result of a relationship before or just after John and Claire got married.  John accepts the baby as his and they both decide to move on and live life and not reveal to anyone that Danny is not John's.  It happens more than people think.  I personally knew two couples who did this and the kids are grown up now and know the story but not many other people do.  There is no need.  

 

Lastly I, like most of you, am enjoying this for what it is, but there are so many writing problems that it seems just an ok show.  If anyone has netflix look up "Happy Valley" and " Last tango in Halifix"  both of these were written by Sally Wainwright.  She is a wonderful writer and I can just imagine this material in her hands.  I think we would all be on the edge of our seats every Sunday instead of pointing out the plot holes and bad script.

 

Anyway will keep watching as I am kind of hooked on it now but also disappointed.  It could be so much better.

[Free]

The editing on last night's episode was horrible. Waaayyy too many unimportant scenes. At this point, the show needs to really step it up, and it's not. So many scenes with John and the lady cop that offer no new story. We get it, they still have a relationship. Move on already. Speaking of story, is there a point to Danny? While I like the actor, he's being wasted here. One or two throwaway scenes with Adam every episode, and the obligatory family member calling him a drunk, does not give him a purpose. I'm glad he's suspicious of Adam, but do something about that suspicion, other than turn to that idiot Bridey. And on that subject...if she was any kind of reporter, why would she be wasting her time with the siblings? Frankly, I'd go after either the father or the pedophile next door. IMO they have a TON of secrets in their closets.

 

Agreed, it's just stalling until the time runs out.  As for the reporter character, she's just getting more and more annoying.

[ari333]

This show could be really good if they didnt' leave weird loose ends. I don't mean mystery. Im ok with that. It's the weird bits that don't make sense that bug me. Im still in though BAH

If Adam wants to "know that [he] can get out" then why not reset the alarm after disarming it - if that's what happened. I wasn't paying attn.

[iMonrey]

 

The editing on last night's episode was horrible.

 

Agreed. I totally called Hank beating himself up to set up John, but last week someone else rightly questioned who exactly he expected to find him. Good point, one that the show simply glossed over and cut to Hank already in the hospital. Did he call 911 himself? Was this an editing problem or a writing problem? 

 

The other issue is why Hank decided to drop the charges. Nina comes over and basically shows she knows he did this to himself. But what proof did she have? None. Next scene, they're announcing Hank has dropped the charges. WTF? 

 

Not to mention Hank's seriously Slayer-levels of self healing. Beat his face bloody with a baseball bat, just a couple of scenes later he's got a few slight bruises and that's it. And Nina said his nose was broken in three places?? C'mon now, he'd have had bandages and swelling for weeks. 

 

This show has not been advertised as a limited series so I find it hard to believe any revelation about Adam's DNA just five episodes in is definitive. Bridey apparently swiped a coffee cup she says was used by John and a Q-Tip from Adam's bedroom trash can. All that proves is that the DNA on the Q-Tip doesn't match the DNA on the coffee cup. The ownership of the DNA on either of those two objects is far from conclusive. 

 

Narratively it makes more sense if Adam is a fraud, but I wouldn't rule out him being the product of an affair (actually Adam, but not John's biological son), or the Q-Tip belonging to someone else.

[nara]

Observations I forgot earlier.

Why do we see so much of young Willa, but not young Danny, when he went down such a destructive path?

I liked Danny taking Adam driving, though I would start with an empty parking lot...and wasn't Adam astonishingly good at controlling the vehicle? (Suspicious!) Danny also knew that Adam is the one who turned off the security system at such an inopportune time. Danny is the only one who seems to get Adam. I'm afraid that when it comes out that Adam isn't Adam, Danny will be the one most hurt.

Also, I think I would have preferred not actually seeing the pock marked guy, so if we could wonder if he really existed...

[Racj82]

I think we all suspected Adam wasn't Adam, but I assume there is much more going on. I will be quite disappointed if one of the family members killed Adam because why? These don't seem to be raging abusive alcoholics who beat up their children. I can't imagine a brother or sister just pulling the brother away from the carnival to murder him. Maybe the twist will be that the real Adam is alive somewhere.

Pock mark is really creepy. I wonder why his adoring wife doesn't suspect something is weird about the guy and I agree I wouldn't carry a letter with me to Hawaii to mail it for someone. I am still intrigued at knowing what is going on with Hank. I'm not sure someone could actually beat themselves up that badly without passing out first, and who found him? He also seemed to heal pretty quickly.

The scene with all the bats outside was crazy. How would you buy hundreds of bats without someone noticing? It's kind of like when people light hundreds of candles before they take a bath. The reporter seducing first the brother, and now the sister is so corny and trope like. In any case, they don't seem to know much so why not just investigate on her own?

I like Joan Allen's portrayal of the mother-she showed genuine heartbreak in the scene with the little league call.

regarding the bats, the show in this timeslot this time last year did the same exact reveal involving flashlights and it was equally as dumb.

[nara]

regarding the bats, the show in this timeslot this time last year did the same exact reveal involving flashlights and it was equally as dumb.

 

I actually like this one better, because the flashlights were all done by one person who somehow managed to avoid being seen.  This was done by a mass of people who were not being surreptitious.

[RedInk]

Agree that the mail-order paternity test from two uncontrolled samples is likely to be invalid in some way. It's actually just convincing me that Adam IS Adam. And now I have to believe that Bridey's newspaper is so influential, everyone in Maine conspired, bought bats, drove to the house, and dumped them. And it was a surprise.

I watch this show in fear that the pockmarked guy is going to have a kid in his lair, and I can't really stand to watch that.

[CleoCaesar]

I'm more or less enjoying the show but now, five episodes in, I can safely say that it's just not good. The bad editing. The ludicrous characters (raise your hand if you buy Nina as a hardened cop or are interested in her torrid passion with John). The extremely cheesy dramatic music. The fact that a rural Maine town has the racial makeup of New York City (and now 3 characters in a small cast are gay, yeah okay). Just the very campy nature of it all.

 

I find myself irrationally annoyed by the pregnant wife. I really don't know why.

[cooksdelight]

If I worked at a bakery, and a man said "I'll eat it here" about a whole cake.... I'd be calling somebody. That was Quentin Tarrantino territory right there.

[kay1864]

Things I've learned from this show:

 

- Stretches of Interstate 95 look like two-lane country roads, despite it being the primary route to and from Florida for Northerners.

 

- Female small-town cops take the mayor's drunk husband home to sleep it off on their couch, even though the mayor's daughter might be worried about dad's safety, and even though it's completely freaking inappropriate.

 

- Cops who have had sex with the mayor's husband send texts to break it off instead of I dunno, calling?

 

- Cops and FBI agents investigating a (still at-large!) child abductor abandon their list of employees who own trucks with suspicious tires, if the owner has cleverly sold the truck to a scrap-metal dealer.

 

(this last one is just insanely lazy and stupid, writers)

[UsernameFatigue]

Agreed. I totally called Hank beating himself up to set up John, but last week someone else rightly questioned who exactly he expected to find him. Good point, one that the show simply glossed over and cut to Hank already in the hospital. Did he call 911 himself? Was this an editing problem or a writing problem?

The other issue is why Hank decided to drop the charges. Nina comes over and basically shows she knows he did this to himself. But what proof did she have? None. Next scene, they're announcing Hank has dropped the charges. WTF?

 

I had said last week that I didn't think Hank beat himself up as what would be the point of him lying on the floor as if he has been knocked out when there was no one to find him? So now that we know he did stage the beating, yes did he call 911 himself? One would think there would be a phone nearby him if he was lying on the floor looking like he is unconscious. Not to mention his prints would be found on the bat as well as John's as he was not wearing gloves when he beat himself up. Not only prints but full palm and fingers since he was gripping the bat pretty hard. How did those prints get there if he was being beaten by John - it should be John's full prints not Hank's. And yes, why were the charges dropped?

 

Another stupid scene was Hank at the bakery. He orders a cake and then says he is going to eat it there. So why in the world would the person behind the counter ask him if he wanted something written on it? He obviously wasn't buying it to take to someone for a special occasion - who bothers to put writing on a cake for something they are going to eat alone? (The fact that he was eating the whole cake rather than a piece was dumb as well. Yes, we know they needed a scene for the title of the epi but the whole 'entire cake with message on top' was just stupid.

 

The other unbelievable scene (who am I kidding - there were many unbelievable scenes) was Hank coming onto John's property when he has a restraining order against him. Why would John go out and talk to him and argue in the middle of the night? He has a restraining order to keep Hank a certain distance from his family but instead of calling the cops to enforce it he argues and tells Hank to get off his property. Why bother with the restraining order in the first place? Ugh.

[KaveDweller]

The fact that a rural Maine town has the racial makeup of New York City (and now 3 characters in a small cast are gay, yeah okay). Just the very campy nature of it all.

So many shows get criticized for not being diverse enough. I'm guessing the casting director was trying to be all diverse to avoid that criticism, without thinking about the realism part. And they likely would get that criticism if they had an all white cast. This kind of thing is probably a no-win for them.

Another stupid scene was Hank at the bakery. He orders a cake and then says he is going to eat it there. So why in the world would the person behind the counter ask him if he wanted something written on it? He obviously wasn't buying it to take to someone for a special occasion - who bothers to put writing on a cake for something they are going to eat alone? (The fact that he was eating the whole cake rather than a piece was dumb as well. Yes, we know they needed a scene for the title of the epi but the whole 'entire cake with message on top' was just stupid.

What he should have done if he wanted to be a dick and send a message about "winning" was have the cake delivered to the Warren family. But maybe he just really wanted to eat cake? I'm guessing they don't serve it in prison.

Edited March 29, 2016 by KaveDweller

[cooksdelight]

- Stretches of Interstate 95 look like two-lane country roads, despite it being the primary route to and from Florida for Northerners

That caused me to laugh out loud and scare my dog. Having lived in Richmond, VA where it's 6 (or sometimes 8) lanes.... not to mention D.C., that was stupid. Or maybe we're all dumb and I-95 is a 2-lane road in Maine.

At any rate, the sign didn't look right either. The art director should be flogged.

[nara]

If I worked at a bakery, and a man said "I'll eat it here" about a whole cake.... I'd be calling somebody. That was Quentin Tarrantino territory right there.

The fact that he ate a whole cake that wasn't even chocolate is enough reason to hate him IMO! ;)

[cooksdelight]

The fact that he ate a whole cake that wasn't even chocolate is enough reason to hate him IMO! ;)

And he used a fork. In the middle. Not a spoon.

[Ina123]

Would anyone really take a stranger's letter and mail it from somewhere else? Anytime you get on a plane they ask you if you were given anything by someone you don't know....wouldn't that give someone second thoughts? An envelope could have traces of some kind of disease a person wants spread. It's also just really sketchy.

 

 

Years ago, before the craziness we live in now, I was going on a trip that would take me close to Santa Claus, Indiana. It was near Christmas and a friend asked me if I would mail a letter addressed to his little girl (about 7 yrs old) from Santa Claus so it would have that postmark. I tease that kid about it to this day.

Of course, in today's world, under different circumstances, I wouldn't do something like that if I didn't really know for sure what was in it.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Ina123

[Ina123]

 And now I have to believe that Bridey's newspaper is so influential, everyone in Maine conspired, bought bats, drove to the house, and dumped them. And it was a surprise.

 

She did it with twitter. The hashtag (-#) was #PapaBear. It truly is amazing how fast those accumulate. I would suspect most were not new bats but just an old bat from the garage or closet that people grabbed. It's very easy to be manipulated about a pedophile. They are hated even by criminals in prison. Lowest of the low.

[truthaboutluv]

Agreed. Plus I'm sure that the family is major news in the entire state just because of the whole story of missing son being found 10 years later. I don't doubt for a second that in the state where this actually happened, the media would be all over it and then add on the mother announcing her candidacy for governor. So with people already paying attention to them, a news story goes out saying the dad beat up the pedophile living next to them who originally confessed (to some people it would not matter that Adam is alive, they'd still think the guy is scum) to killing his son and a hashtag starts showing support for him, yeah I can believe quite a few people jumped on board. 

[kay1864]

That caused me to laugh out loud and scare my dog. Having lived in Richmond, VA where it's 6 (or sometimes 8) lanes.... not to mention D.C., that was stupid. Or maybe we're all dumb and I-95 is a 2-lane road in Maine.

Maybe...but weren't they heading north to NY at that point?  So, still in the NC-VA area?

 

Thought of one more:

Small-town folks in Maine show their support (for a beating you didn't actually commit) by acquiring and tossing dozens of baseball bats into your back yard.  And they include blue and red ones for variety.  And no one inside your home will notice (or be panicked by) the multitude of cars stopping by, OR the noise of bats clattering on your driveway.

[candall]

I must have been in a good mood because I just chuckled my way through all the eye-rollers.  No one noticed the parade of cars driving past and tossing out (baseball--hee) bats.  Father sputters and deflects the question about his bruised knuckles, but copwoman drops it anyway.  "Pedal on home, kid.  Keep an eye peeled for that guy who took your brother."  Adam's five minute fugue state behind the wheel was hilarious. 

 

I took a moment to ponder the daughter's dilemma between wanting to spotcheck those khakis for pee stains and not wanting to look directly at her father's package--so yes, step it up, writers; you're losing us out here.

 

I'm glad the bakery person didn't flip out when Hank wanted to eat a whole cake in-house.  Geez, besides Adam, she's the first person who hasn't hawked a loogie at him since the show started.  (Just as well he didn't get that puppy, since it inevitably would have wound up dangling from the porch light.)

 

If I were binge-watching the whole season, this is where I'd skip ahead, watch the finale, and then settle back to see how they got there.

[backformore]

- Female small-town cops take the mayor's drunk husband home to sleep it off on their couch, even though the mayor's daughter might be worried about dad's safety, and even though it's completely freaking inappropriate.

 

Not to mention the biggest one -    In a town where a child is missing, probably abducted, possibly dead - female cop tells  a girl (missing kid's sister, no less)   to go home.  Alone, on her bike, after dark.   

[MyAimIsTrue]

 

Small-town folks in Maine show their support (for a beating you didn't actually commit) by acquiring and tossing dozens of baseball bats into your back yard.  And they include blue and red ones for variety.  

 

Blue and red, no doubt, because the millions of diverse residents in this small town are Red Sox fans!

[kay1864]

Did she tell people to throw bats there in support of the family because Hank dropped charges so dad was innocent and wrongly accused?   Or because people supported him in possibly having beaten Hank?   

 

I thought the dropped charges happened after the "accessorize your yard with bats" party.  I got the impression they were thrilled he beat a child molester and were cheering him on.

[truthaboutluv]

I thought the dropped charges happened after the "accessorize your yard with bats" party.  I got the impression they were thrilled he beat a child molester and were cheering him on.

 

It was before. As I remember it, annoying reporter linked to an interview/news story with someone basically defending the husband's actions and she sort of posed a question to the followers, like "crime or protecting family" or whatever and added the papa bear hashtag. People jumped on it and then I guess dropped the bats as show of solidarity. Later the detective made it clear to Hank that she realized that he likely beat himself up and then by the next scene, we find out that he dropped the charges. 

[KaveDweller]

Pockmark dad said the stuffed whale would be perfect for "the little guy's room", then he puts it in the dungeon?  Are we supposed to think he's fantasizing about imprisoning this unborn kid, or that the couple are preparing to abduct another boy together?  

 

Maybe she's crazy and not really pregnant. She's convinced herself she is, so her husband goes around abducting kids to keep fulfilling her fantasy. He just keeps them in the dungeon until he needs them.

 

That would be a different twist.

[Palomar]

I guess that I'm in the minority, but to me, Nina is the worst character. I couldn't believe it when she told the daughter to go home, on her bike, barely a teenager, at night... I also couldn't believe that after the fiasco of the arrest and conviction of the neighbor that they would let her anywhere near his assault care-wow is that department setting themselves up for massive lawsuits all because of her. I also can't stand that she can't/doesn't show any emotion or facial inflections. In the preview when she was all "I have a plan...." I can't believe the parents didn't just slam the door in her face as everything she has done as a police officer has been just wrong.

 

 

Exactly!  The ultimate unprofessional.  Everything about this case is a conflict of interest with the affair and getting the original wrongful conviction.  No way in hell would this "detective" still be on this case. 

 

All I could think about with their "first time" was the smell of urine. So gross. 

[Vivigirl10]

I love everyone vocalizing the same annoyances and unbelievable tidbits!  It makes me feel less stabby and gets you to just laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

 

 

I couldn't believe it when she told the daughter to go home, on her bike, barely a teenager, at night...

Especially riding her bike in a skirt that barely covered her lady bits.....

 

Nina has shown herself time and time to be absolutely inept and yet she continues to work this case.  Claire knows about the affair on top of everything else and yet here is this Barney Fife continually standing in the middle of her living room.  Tell me, wouldn't Claire have had the right to insist that this homewrecking-innocent-man-jailing-look-the-other-way-murderer be removed from the case (like eons ago)?  Is she the only cop in town?  I just don't understand.  I suppose Nina's constant pursed lips and furrowed brow indicate that we should simply be buying into her unproven brilliance.

 

Can someone help me understand - is this town supposed to be small or citified?  Because the conflicting evidence is driving me bonkers.  It's painted as hokey BFE but it has a bustling newspaper/newsroom, a constant camp of roving reporters, and a Mother who calls to remind the family of Adams baseball game because...she has no idea in this small town that the kid has been kidnapped??? So which is it - big or small???

[sarahlee]

Do we know that Adam isn't Adam?

Or just that he isn't John's son?

Whoa. I hadn't thought of that. 

[Andromeda]

Not to mention why didn't he just tell cop lady that tile was on a different table before the assault?

No kidding. Just say you found it when straightening up and put it on the newly rebuilt table. Such an easy explanation, but the writer couldn't think of any other way to have the cop figure out he did it to himself. Bad writing!

 

Can someone help me understand - is this town supposed to be small or citified?  Because the conflicting evidence is driving me bonkers.  It's painted as hokey BFE but it has a bustling newspaper/newsroom, a constant camp of roving reporters, and a Mother who calls to remind the family of Adams baseball game because...she has no idea in this small town that the kid has been kidnapped??? So which is it - big or small???

Unclear. I can assume the people covering the mayoral candidate are there for that reason... but yeah, it's hard to tell. I also found it completely unbelievable the Little League caller didn't already know Adam's name.

[KaveDweller]

Unclear. I can assume the people covering the mayoral candidate are there for that reason... but yeah, it's hard to tell. I also found it completely unbelievable the Little League caller didn't already know Adam's name.

 

She's the current mayor, but she's running for governor. So it makes sense that the press would be covering that regardless of how small their current town is. And the paper could be a regional one that covers several towns/counties. 

 

I can't believe the little league caller though. You'd think everyone would have heard about the missing kid. Or that someone would mention it to her.

[nara]

No kidding. Just say you found it when straightening up and put it on the newly rebuilt table. Such an easy explanation, but the writer couldn't think of any other way to have the cop figure out he did it to himself. Bad writing!

 

Unclear. I can assume the people covering the mayoral candidate are there for that reason... but yeah, it's hard to tell. I also found it completely unbelievable the Little League caller didn't already know Adam's name.

I interpreted the Little League caller as follows:  1) She was new to the group of moms involved in Little League and did not know most of them (I think she actually  said something about being new), 2) she was going down a long list of names of kids and parents and delivering a standard spiel, 3) by the time she got to Adam Warren on the list she was doing it without thinking, 4) after she got off the phone, she probably realized her gaffe and was mortified--but that all happened off screen.

[txhorns79]

I can't believe the little league caller though. You'd think everyone would have heard about the missing kid. Or that someone would mention it to her.

 

I just figured she was going down a list, and didn't make the connection. 

 

 

I thought the dropped charges happened after the "accessorize your yard with bats" party.

 

The whole bat thing was so weird.  Wouldn't they have noticed what must have been dozens upon dozens of people creeping onto their property to dump bats in their backyard?