S03.E06: Hunters in the Dark

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Wayne and Roland revisit discrepancies in the Purcell case that were hidden or forgotten over the years. Among those being reevaluated is Tom Purcell, as well as Lucy Purcell’s cousin, Dan O’Brien. The glitter of Amelia’s book release is tarnished by a voice from the past.

Original air date: 2/10/19

[formerlyfreedom]

Holy shit. I think I may have crapped my pants.

[AimingforYoko]

Kudos to those who called Henry having an affair with Elisa.

Rich, powerful guy with predilections? Isn't that a little season one? Haunting ending, though.

[WaltersHair]

Still digesting. Again, but one question. Is Roland gay? The way Julie's dad looked at him and talking about how Roland knew secret things about him. Maybe they ran into each other in a club? It would explain the way Roland went out of his way to help him.

And maybe Roland is Tom's alibi and Wayne outs him?

Edited February 11, 2019 by WaltersHair

[Gobi]

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

[ghoulina]

That pink fucking room!!!!

[AimingforYoko]

15 minutes ago, Gobi said:

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

Ehhhh, if wasn't for incredibly random chance, nobody'd ever win the lottery.

[Xantar]

7 minutes ago, Gobi said:

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

Yeah that took me out of the story for a bit. 

It wasn't until the after episode summary that I remembered who Hoyt is. I've got to pay more attention to the character guides. I'm not sure why Tom would go down to the basement where there's a vault for conveniently left open either. But it did make for a real banger of an ending. 

[clack]

6 episodes in and I still don't have a clear idea what the conspiracy is about. Was Hoyt tied in with Tuttle, from season 1?

And what do they do with these young girls? Sexually exploit them? Involve them in ritual abuse? Kill them?

Some things that are becoming clear: Lucy ( the mother) sold Julie to Hoyt, then kept asking for more until she was killed. The fat neighbor always by Lucy's side in the 1980 timeline (I think her name is Margaret) is the contact person with the Hoyt conspirators.

[Cardie]

46 minutes ago, WaltersHair said:

Still digesting. Again, but one question. Is Roland gay? The way Julie's dad looked at him and talking about how Roland knew secret things about him. Maybe they ran into each other in a club? It would explain the way Roland went out of his way to help him.

And maybe Roland is Tom's alibi and Wayne outs him?

Yes, I think so. I would go so far as to say that they were lovers. Tom is flabbergasted that West is treating him just like any other perp. I'm torn between thinking Julie has been trafficked and thinking that she is the daughter of either the AG or someone in the Hoyt family, and they want to raise her away from the Purcells. Still, there has to be something worse going on for the Hoyt goons to be killing everyone who knows anything about who might have taken Julie or know where she is.

I'm still not sure what Hays and West did. It involved covering up the facts about the dead-eyed black man, the white woman and the brown sedan but I don't know who or what they are protecting. What happens between Tom and Harris in the pink room will be key. I also wonder if the filmmaker could possibly be Julie's daughter.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

That pink fucking room!!!!

So, we all knew the the room at the end of the hallway was going to be pink, right?

.

.

1 hour ago, Xantar said:

I'm not sure why Tom would go down to the basement where there's a vault for conveniently left open either. But it did make for a real banger of an ending. 

I thought it was based on information he got out of Lucy's cousin, no?
BTW, did Tom wind up killing the cousin? Or did someone else do that to shut him up? The latter seems more in keeping with a true detective story, but IRL the other would happen.

.

.

1 hour ago, WaltersHair said:

Is Roland gay?

I don't think so. For one thing, he was so attracted to the woman he wound up living with twice, but I suppose he might have just admired her as a beautiful object and been faking the rest. 
But the guy who used to be a cop and in this episode is working security for the chicken company pretty much admitted he is/was gay. Is he the guy who disappears?

[SHD]

I didn't really understand the peephole. It was used to pass notes to Julie? Why? And who was passing her the notes?

That was some Silence of the Lambs level ending right there!

[shapeshifter]

25 minutes ago, SHD said:

I didn't really understand the peephole. It was used to pass notes to Julie? Why? And who was passing her the notes?

Well, they showed the notes this episode and an earlier one--maybe somebody has a screencap?
A brother and sister passing notes through a hole when they're supposed to be in bed for the night sounds innocent enough, but in this show, it seems nobody is innocent. 

[Jextella]

I didn't much care for Tom breaking into the rich person's home and exploring a cellar only to find a pink dungeon.  It was a little far-fetched for me, and it was a bit heartbreaking to see Tom reach his boiling point.

Still, I'm in.  Potential spoilerish stuff:

Spoiler

Ever since seeing the Star Wars figurines in the toys found at the scene, I've thought Mike, the boy who Roland and Hayes interviewed, early-on was involved somehow.  He is played by an adult male in remaining episodes according to IMDB.  I wonder if he was the man the girl at the convent saw through her window.  He looks a bit like the actor.  If he was at the scene, it seems Julie was referring to her and Mike when she said we left (her brother) resting.  

Seems Julie went missing after being at the cave. 

 

 

I recall in season 1 Nic P said the series was more of a character study than a who-dunnit.  In my mind, things were woven together so well where the crime and clues were concerned, that it was impossible not to stir up far more interest in the crime than in the cops' stories (which were good...just very secondary to the who-dunnit part).    

Nic might be getting closer to accomplishing his goal this season.  I do want to see how the who-dunnit part plays out.  But, I'm mostly curious about how it plays out for Roland and Hays. 

Peep-hole question:  Was the peep hole in Will's room or Julie's?  I thought it was Will's but...if so, the idea of the kids passing notes through it doesn't make sense.

When Uncle Dan came to visit, he slept in Will's room.  Will slept on the couch.  The peep-hole was in Will's room.  Julie would have been in her room with no peep-hole.  

What am I missing?

Edited February 11, 2019 by Jextella

[thuganomics85]

If last week's episode was Stephen Doff's Emmy reel (naturally, every episode is Mahershala Ali's time to shine!), then I think tonight was for Scoot McNairy.  The way he played Tom's confusion and then rage/frustration once he realized he was suspect, was perfect.  And the scene when Tom confronts Dan was fantastic too.  Fine show, all around.  I do suspect that Tom isn't long for this world, although we will see if it happens at the Hoyt Residence.  Because part of me is wondering if Wayne will end up accidentally playing a part with whatever happens to him, and that is why Roland ended up resenting him.

So, the peephole might not have actually been a peephole, but used as a way to past notes between the children.

Credit to everyone who called Wayne's son having an affair with the reporter.  Still wondering if the son is going to play a bigger role in all of this, or if he's just mainly here to show how Wayne's family life turned out near the end.

Amelia's working on a sequel and Wayne ain't too happy about it!  To be fair, sequels can tend to pale compared to the originals.  Or second seasons of television shows pale compared to the first season (sorry, Nic!)

Didn't realize that this season was only eight episode (I had thought it went to ten), so I am curious to see how they'll wrap things up in these last two episodes.

[HollyG]

44 minutes ago, Jextella said:

Peep-hole question:  Was the peep hole in Will's room or Julie's?  I thought it was Will's but...if so, the idea of the kids passing notes through it doesn't make sense.

When Uncle Dan came to visit, he slept in Will's room.  Will slept on the couch.  The peep-hole was in Will's room.  Julie would have been in her room with no peep-hole.  

What am I missing?

I thought the peep hole was between Will & Julie's room so they could pass notes (so the answer is both). When the detectives saw the peep hole, they naturally concluded that the uncle put it there to watch Julie. But it was really just a childhood thing between brother & sister.

Edited February 11, 2019 by HollyG

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

 

Clip:

[Bannon]

The previous episodes have been of an extremely high quality, some of them incredibly so, so it was nearly inevitable that one or two episodes would not be as luminous. If it was nearly inevitable, it is best that it happens prior to the final two.

That isn't to say this episode was not good. It was. Dorff knocked it out of the park with his slow burn at having to go hard at Mr.Purcell. The scene with Wayne and Elisa in bed, with Wayne lying his ass off about being able to put bad experiences behind him, was another stunning scene of writing, acting, and directing. I don't think I've seen a better portrayal of the corrosive effect of untreated PTSD, with the victim quietly and desperately hanging onto the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, year after year, as his life slips away. Most writers handle this so very clumsily, and again I am stunned by the improvement over previous seasons. Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

What detracted a little from this episode, for me, was the fact that the machinations of powerful pedophiles holds little interest, even with well shot scenes like the one ending in the pink room. If it eventually advances our understanding of what happened between Wayne and Elisa, Wayne and Roland, great, but I hope we don't spend too much time in the minds of pedophiles. I also thought the contrivance of the conversation being overheard in squad room was a little tiresome, but in a 10 episode story a writer may be forced to advance things more quickly, and I'd rather this path be taken, as opposed to the very common writing decision to convert major characters into temporary morons.

[SHD]

6 hours ago, HollyG said:

I thought the peep hole was between Will & Julie's room so they could pass notes (so the answer is both). When the detectives saw the peep hole, they naturally concluded that the uncle put it there to watch Julie. But it was really just a childhood thing between brother & sister.

Oh, OK. So it was kind of a red herring then. I thought the notes still had something to do with her disappearance.

When they were talking to the cousin in the diner, he said something like he and Lucy lived together as children and then said something like "We shared a lot of milestones." Was he implying that they had a sexual relationship when they were younger?

[ghoulina]

10 hours ago, Xantar said:

Yeah that took me out of the story for a bit. 

It wasn't until the after episode summary that I remembered who Hoyt is. I've got to pay more attention to the character guides. I'm not sure why Tom would go down to the basement where there's a vault for conveniently left open either. But it did make for a real banger of an ending. 

Someone was watching him on the security cameras. Even before he entered the house, I think? I almost wondered if they were luring him in, wanting him to find it, before they "took care of him".

7 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Amelia's working on a sequel and Wayne ain't too happy about it! 

I don't think I would be either. I read a ton of true crime, so I can't hate on the authors. But, if I were a cop, I would probably feel exploited and used if my wife kept writing about my case. And a little betrayed, as it obviously bothers him. 

10 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

Oh my gosh, that may have been my favorite scene of the entire series so far. Ali never once condescends with his portrayal of a man living with dementia. And it was a delight to watch Roland's face change as he realized what was going on and decided how to handle it. 

I'm still not sure he's imagining the car, though. 

[Xantar]

8 minutes ago, Bannon said:

The previous episodes have been of an extremely high quality, some of them incredibly so, so it was nearly inevitable that one or two episodes would not be as luminous. If it was nearly inevitable, it is best that it happens prior to the final two.

That isn't to say this episode was not good. It was. Dorff knocked it out of the park with his slow burn at having to go hard at Mr.Purcell. The scene with Wayne and Elisa in bed, with Wayne lying his ass off about being able to put bad experiences behind him, was another stunning scene of writing, acting, and directing. I don't think I've seen a better portrayal of the corrosive effect of untreated PTSD, with the victim quietly and desperately hanging onto the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, year after year, as his life slips away. Most writers handle this so very clumsily, and again I am stunned by the improvement over previous seasons. Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

Little correction: Wayne's wife is Amelia. Elisa is the documentary director. Henry (Wayne and Amelia's son) is having or had an affair with Elisa. 

Don't worry. I can barely keep the characters straight either. 

5 minutes ago, SHD said:

When they were talking to the cousin in the diner, he said something like he and Lucy lived together as children and then said something like "We shared a lot of milestones." Was he implying that they had a sexual relationship when they were younger?

I think he was implying that, but it's not clear if he was telling the truth or just being an asshole. 

[Bannon]

6 minutes ago, Xantar said:

Little correction: Wayne's wife is Amelia. Elisa is the documentary director. Henry (Wayne and Amelia's son) is having or had an affair with Elisa. 

Don't worry. I can barely keep the characters straight either. 

I think he was implying that, but it's not clear if he was telling the truth or just being an asshole. 

Yeah, thanks, I'm bad with characters' names. I need a friend like Roland!

[AimingforYoko]

7 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

Someone was watching him on the security cameras. Even before he entered the house, I think? I almost wondered if they were luring him in, wanting him to find it, before they "took care of him".

That was Harris James, Hoyt Food's head of security and former cop. He was the one who 'found ' the backpack at Woodard's.

[Drogo]

10 hours ago, Gobi said:

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

...for the second time in the 90s.  You think maybe they'd learn to close doors. 

Also strange: 

• No one ever compared the fingerprints/handwriting on Julie's supportive notes with her family's penmanship/prints? Graphology's been around a long ass time, and we know they lifted Freddy's fingerprints off Will's bicycle.
• They let Dan O'Brien leave the diner when he was so clearly in fear for his life?  Surely there had to be an obstruction/extortion charge in there they could have slapped him with.  I know he wanted his $7K but 24 hours without scoring and he would've been singing like a bird for free.

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So, we all knew the the room at the end of the hallway was going to be pink, right?

How many times had Julie been in that room before she went missing?  She had those drawings of the pink cabinets in her bedroom, so how long was she being groomed? 

16 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

13 minutes ago, Bannon said:

I need a friend like Roland!

We all do.  "Just doing a little reading.."

"Life happens now, I don't like to spend time remembering stuff."  WE SEE YOU, WRITERS.

43 minutes ago, SHD said:

When they were talking to the cousin in the diner, he said something like he and Lucy lived together as children and then said something like "We shared a lot of milestones." Was he implying that they had a sexual relationship when they were younger?

He sure was.  Ending up in the bottom of a quarry seems maybe too good for him.

[shapeshifter]

21 minutes ago, Drogo said:

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

59 minutes ago, Bannon said:

I need a friend like Roland!

We all do. "Just doing a little reading.."

"Life happens now, I don't like to spend time remembering stuff." WE SEE YOU, WRITERS.

Sheesh! Stop reading my mind, y'all!

.

.

21 minutes ago, Drogo said:

1 hour ago, SHD said:

When they were talking to the cousin in the diner, he said something like he and Lucy lived together as children and then said something like "We shared a lot of milestones."Was he implying that they had a sexual relationship when they were younger?

He sure was.Ending up in the bottom ofaquarry seems maybe too good for him.

But the cousin was just a kid himself too at the time of any kissin' cousin stuff, right? He might've been a victim too. Or just a sleaze.

[BonnieD]

Oh, I went right to the conclusion that the kissin' cousins thing went well beyond their childhood and that Cousin Name I've already forgotten is Julie's bio-dad. But if her brother is older and Julie is younger, I don't know if that makes sense or not. I suppose the cousins could have hooked up just occasionally even as adults if it's a pattern they started young. When Cousin said "I would never have spied on her like a perv" i mentally added "because I'm her real father."

Also, agreed that the "listening in through the wide open door to the detectives conveniently dropping information" was VERY eye-rolling. I tried to tamp my annoyance down and just go with it. There's so much good about this show, I refuse to get fret over the occasional dumb notes.

[DarkRaichu]

12 hours ago, Gobi said:

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

Am I the only 1 who think that was way too much of a coincidence?  Purcell was released just like that after being interrogated as if he was a prime suspect.  I think the bad guys played the game 2-3 moves ahead of the heroes.

So everything lead to Hoyt chicken factory.  I am not sure why the man with a deadeye was so interested in Amelia's second book.  For that matter, how the heck did he know Amelia was thinking of making a second book.  At this point, even Wayne barely knew about the 2nd book.   I think Amelia is in this conspiracy deeper than we / Wayne were lead to believe.

And I think Roland, Tom, and that police turned head of security were gay.

IIRC 1 of the notes between brother and sister said something to the effect of "do not listen to them".

Also adult Julie seemed to think her brother was alive when they left him, which was confirmed by that teen who saw the brother looking for her.

[Drogo]

3 minutes ago, DarkRaichu said:

IIRC 1 of the notes between brother and sister said something to the effect of "do not listen to them".

"Don't listen, I'll always keep you safe"- super creepy at their reveal, bittersweet now as words of support from a doomed big brother to his little sister. 

[Eyes High]

13 hours ago, Gobi said:

The first false note for me was Purcell being outside the door at the exact moment he needed to be to over hear crucial information.

Yeah, that was some spectacularly sloppy writing.

I am blown away by Mahershala Ali's performance. Shut it down, give him the Emmy now.

Scoot McNairy has been just excellent as Tom. 

[BonnieD]

Quote

Also adult Julie seemed to think her brother was alive when they left him, which was confirmed by that teen who saw the brother looking for her.

Which led me to believe the mom was present after he was accidentally killed or on purpose eliminated. Who else would bother to put him in a peaceful position like that?

[stormy weather]

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

Also strange: 

• They let Dan O'Brien leave the diner when he was so clearly in fear for his life?  Surely there had to be an obstruction/extortion charge in there they could have slapped him with.  I know he wanted his $7K but 24 hours without scoring and he would've been singing like a bird for free.

This! Which had me thinking "come on, are you guys for real? He's an important witness, what are you doing?!" I can't believe they let him go hoping that they'd ever see him again. Also strange, if I may add, is the fact that no one has ever checked whether Tom is Julie's actual father. It's not that hard, he's alive and I'm pretty sure they could extract Julie's DNA from her toothbrush, clothes, hair on the pillow of her bed, cups, cutlery and so on.

1 hour ago, DarkRaichu said:

And I think Roland, Tom, and that police turned head of security were gay.

For sure. That comment Harris James made about Wayne's body was an even too obvious clue.

Also, okay, we've established communication is not Amelia and Wayne's forte, but maaaaybe, maaaaybe she should have told him about the girl she talked to at that nuns' house? She seemed to know a whole lot about what's going on with the whole rich people/young girls sex ring or whatever that is, I'm sure Wayne and Roland might like to have a word with her as well. Also, how did Amelia get to her before they did? She's a pretty decent detective herself, it seems. 

[Ottis]

13 hours ago, ghoulina said:

That pink fucking room!!!!

Very Twin Peakish!

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Credit to everyone who called Wayne's son having an affair with the reporter. 

Didn't they actually show them together earlier? I thought this was established. It wasn't?

1 hour ago, DarkRaichu said:

I think Amelia is in this conspiracy deeper than we / Wayne were lead to believe.

Oh yeah. She knows stuff. And she is, in fact, profiting off it.

3 hours ago, Bannon said:

Also the scene where Ali returns from the bathroom, confused, and Dorff sadly comforts his old friend, whose mind is slipping away, was simply wonderful.

Agree. Fantastic. 

[12catcrazy]

So I am confused.  At the end when Tom looked into the pink room, didn't he say, "Julie?" or something to that effect?  And isn't this in 1990 when Julie is an adult (or at least an older teen) and seen in the store?  So why would she be in the room, or will there ANOTHER little girl in there who looks like Julie did when she was little and Tom was confused?  

And I'm not sure where you all are getting the child sex ring stuff from?  What am I missing here - was it in the conversation that Amelia had with the girl at the Nun's house?  I thought there was some sex trafficking done from that conversation but I thought it involved something to do with Julie escaping where she was and got picked up by somebody else.  Please set me straight! 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I am blown away by Mahershala Ali's performance. Shut it down, give him the Emmy now.

Right? I know it's still relatively early in the eligibility season but I can't see how anyone puts out a better extended performance than what Mahershala Ali is doing here. He is delivering a tour de force.

[SHD]

9 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

So I am confused.  At the end when Tom looked into the pink room, didn't he say, "Julie?" or something to that effect?  And isn't this in 1990 when Julie is an adult (or at least an older teen) and seen in the store?  So why would she be in the room, or will there ANOTHER little girl in there who looks like Julie did when she was little and Tom was confused?

He seemed to be looking up, maybe at the wall. I assumed that he was looking at a photo on the wall.

[SHD]

2 hours ago, BonnieD said:

Oh, I went right to the conclusion that the kissin' cousins thing went well beyond their childhood and that Cousin Name I've already forgotten is Julie's bio-dad. But if her brother is older and Julie is younger, I don't know if that makes sense or not. I suppose the cousins could have hooked up just occasionally even as adults if it's a pattern they started young. When Cousin said "I would never have spied on her like a perv" i mentally added "because I'm her real father."

I also thought he is possibly the father.

[Blakeston]

4 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

And I'm not sure where you all are getting the child sex ring stuff from?  What am I missing here - was it in the conversation that Amelia had with the girl at the Nun's house?  I thought there was some sex trafficking done from that conversation but I thought it involved something to do with Julie escaping where she was and got picked up by somebody else.  Please set me straight! 

I don't think there's much evidence that the Hoyt family was interested in Will and/or Julie sexually. There have been plenty of creepy insinuations of child sex abuse in general, though, throughout the season, so I can see why someone might assume it.

I had some plausibility issues a few episodes ago with the small-town African-Americans in Arkansas in 1980 brashly confronting the police, and I had the same issues in this episode with Harris drooling over Wayne. Someone in Arkansas in 1990, in a position like that, almost certainly wouldn't be arousing suspicion about his sexuality in such an open way - especially not toward a cop.

[12catcrazy]

6 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I don't think there's much evidence that the Hoyt family was interested in Will and/or Julie sexually. There have been plenty of creepy insinuations of child sex abuse in general, though, throughout the season, so I can see why someone might assume it.

I had some plausibility issues a few episodes ago with the small-town African-Americans in Arkansas in 1980 brashly confronting the police, and I had the same issues in this episode with Harris drooling over Wayne. Someone in Arkansas in 1990, in a position like that, almost certainly wouldn't be arousing suspicion about his sexuality in such an open way - especially not toward a cop.

I agree with you on both counts re 1980 and 1990.  And 1990 was still very close to the 1980s AIDS crisis and all the mis-understanding about AIDS.  I wouldn't think that anybody in that climate and in religiously conservative Arkansas would be that quick to out themselves.  Maybe the guy thinks he has so much power behind him, what people think of him doesn't matter.  

As far as the Hoyts and the children, I still think it has something to do with the unseen Hoyt daughter who "lost" a child (girl, I think).  I'm thinking the daughter wanted a little girl and Julie was procured for her.  

[izabella]

6 hours ago, BonnieD said:

Which led me to believe the mom was present after he was accidentally killed or on purpose eliminated. Who else would bother to put him in a peaceful position like that?

I thought I heard Julie say in her phone call something like Will was resting when she left him.  I don't think I heard that in this week's episode, but I'm almost positive I heard it last week.  If that is what she said, it's possible Will was dead the last time she saw him, but Julie was told that he was resting.  She may have been too little to know the difference.

Edited February 12, 2019 by izabella

[bamaview]

I think Julie's father is Mr Hoyt. And she was told that is why she was in the pink room. Them telling her Tom is not her Dad. That would make sense why she said on the phone call, "that man of TV who is calling himself my father'. I think Lucy had an affair with the boss and got pregnant with Julie, and she sold her to him. No why Will was killed....I don't know. 

[Jextella]

17 hours ago, HollyG said:

I thought the peep hole was between Will & Julie's room so they could pass notes (so the answer is both). When the detectives saw the peep hole, they naturally concluded that the uncle put it there to watch Julie. But it was really just a childhood thing between brother & sister.

Thank you.  I thought the peephole was from Will's room to the living room!

[Cardie]

1 hour ago, bamaview said:

I think Julie's father is Mr Hoyt. And she was told that is why she was in the pink room. Them telling her Tom is not her Dad. That would make sense why she said on the phone call, "that man of TV who is calling himself my father'. I think Lucy had an affair with the boss and got pregnant with Julie, and she sold her to him. No why Will was killed....I don't know. 

I think it's either Mr. Hoyt or the AG, for whom Hoyt is covering up. Perhaps Will, Julie and their doll-bestowing friend, who isn't either of those guys, were playing at Devil's Den when Will died--accident or rejecting abuse by the friend. Friend panicked and went to Hoyt's for help. Friend could be connected to the Hoyts so they keep Julie with them from then on to prevent her from spilling the beans.

[ganesh]

I'm a little disappointed there's some big conspiracy. I don't think they'll be able to wrap it up well enough in just two episodes. Not everything has to be all convoluted all the time. 

[violet and green]

6 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I don't think there's much evidence that the Hoyt family was interested in Will and/or Julie sexually. There have been plenty of creepy insinuations of child sex abuse in general, though, throughout the season, so I can see why someone might assume it.

You don't create a girl's pink fantasy room with a lock on its door at the end of a long corridor with a foot-thick steel vault door in the basement of a house with a full security system, manned by an ex-policeman you have appointed head of security for Hoyts, if there's not some creepy child sexual interest involved. Will was collateral damage.

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, violet and green said:

You don't create a girl's pink fantasy room with a lock on its door at the end of a long corridor with a foot-thick steel vault door in the basement of a house with a full security system, manned by an ex-policeman you have appointed head of security for Hoyts, if there's not some creepy child sexual interest involved. Will was collateral damage.

Most likely. As in about 97½% likely that it is a ChoMo situation--not least of all because we're talking about a poor white girl whose mom is a loose woman and it's rural and sorry, but I'm not the one who wrote in all the tropes.
However, it could be that the rich chicken dude or his wife were just kidnapping his love child to give her a better life--but that would still be crazy pants, so then no wonder if she ran away--or got reverse-kidnapped.

[Jextella]

Lingering issues:

1. I think the heart of the story is in Lucy Purcell's words early on when she said something like she treated the one person who cared for her like dirt.  I have a feeling she wasn't talking about Tom.
2. That WAS Mike, the kid who liked Star Wars, all grown up at the convent.  The name of the landscaping company on the truck is Mike's last name - Ardoin.  Maybe he helped Julie escape and is watching guard in a sense.
3. Uncle Dan said, "it's about the kids...it's always been about the kids".  Plural.  Not just Julie. 
4. Who was the other man in the hunting photo in Harris James' office? 
5. Roland saw a picture of Tom looking at a young Julie (presumably it was Julie) when he was going through his stuff.  It's likely of no consequence, but it did look a little creepy - especially since the female caller put some doubt into the air about "the man claiming to be her father".
6. I'm not ruling Roland out for having more involvement than we've seen - even if minor, e.g. a dalliance with Tom.  Someone posted elsewhere that Roland hasn't put forward anything helpful to the case thus far.  It's all been Hayes. That could be a storytelling mechanism of some sort, but I thought it was a good point.

Could be very spoilery (plus some speculation):

Spoiler

On IMDB Mike Ardoin and Lucy Ardoin are characters appearing in the final episode.  Mike is a grown man.  Lucy is a child.  I wonder if Mike and Julie hook up at some point and conceive a child.  They call her Lucy in honor of Lucy Purcell.  Which could mean Lucy P is "better" than she's come off so far, and Tom is likely worse. We're already seeing Tom go downhill a bit, i.e. drinking, close to losing his job, etc. PRIOR to the kids going missing. 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2019 by Jextella

[Gobi]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Most likely. As in about 97½% likely that it is a ChoMo situation--not least of all because we're talking about a poor white girl whose mom is a loose woman and it's rural and sorry, but I'm not the one who wrote in all the tropes.
However, it could be that the rich chicken dude or his wife were just kidnapping his love child to give her a better life--but that would still be crazy pants, so then no wonder if she ran away--or got reverse-kidnapped.

What's a ChoMo situation?

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Gobi said:

What's a ChoMo situation?

On crime shows it's short for child molester.

[Bannon]

8 hours ago, ganesh said:

I'm a little disappointed there's some big conspiracy. I don't think they'll be able to wrap it up well enough in just two episodes. Not everything has to be all convoluted all the time. 

I'll hope for the best, but I tend to agree, especially since this story is really about Wayne's relationships with other people, and his life long battle with dealing with the traumas he's suffered.

[Fable]

Story-wise, this season has been a bit messy and convoluted, and I don’t think the story telling is quite as tight as in season 1 (never watched season 2, so no basis for comparison there).  Sometimes, it seems confusing, but not unlikable.  What I do, however, like better is the character building.  I did like the characters in season 1, a lot in fact, but I find this season’s characters so much more rich and compelling.