We have now reached the penultimate episode of Mare of Easttown, HBO’s fantastic limited series starring Kate Winslet. The crime drama has been consistently great television throughout its run, and the sixth episode ‘Sore Must Be The Storm’ was no different. After last week’s thrilling conclusion, we got to see our protagonist get a bit of rest as well as a few moments of happy satisfaction. But us fans knew at this point that they’d be short-lived as the case of Erin McMenamin’s murder is still very much open, and Mare’s persistence won’t let her slow down. As the overall investigation intensified to the max degree, the episode also gave us even more close insight into our detective’s demons. In other words, it’s more of the awesomeness we’ve come to expect from Easttown. For new viewers who are not caught up to this point yet, consider this your final spoiler warning.
The Easttown community celebrates the injured and exasperated Mare (Winslet, Mildred Pierce) as a hero after she narrowly rescues Katie Bailey (Caitlin Houlihan, Girls) and Missy Sayers (Sasha Frolova, Red Sparrow). Unfortunately, the tense confrontation with the girls’ abductor, Wayne Potts (Jeb Kreager, Mindhunter), resulted in the tragic death of Mare’s young partner, Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters, WandaVision). Further complicating things for the police is the concrete alibi that Potts was out of town on the night of Erin McMenamin’s murder, which means he is not her killer. Left with no other options, Chief Carter (John Douglas Thompson, For Life) lifts Mare’s suspension and puts her back on the case. With that, she continues investigating prime suspects Dylan Hinchey (Jack Mulhern, The Society) and Billy Ross (Robbie Tann, Preacher), but could it be someone else completely who’s responsible for killing Erin? And for the love of God, who is the father of the girl’s baby?!?! WE WANNA KNOW!!!!
Sprinkled throughout this week’s Easttown were those brief happy instances for Mare that were previously mentioned. The long-suffering Dawn Bailey (Enid Graham, The Sinner) has had a contentious relationship with Mare and the local police over her daughter’s disappearance, which we saw in the show’s premiere. Upon Katie’s rescue and return home, it was touching seeing the now relieved and thankful Dawn make peace with Mare. It was also sweet to see Richard (Guy Pearce, Memento) surprise her with a gift basket stocked with hoagies, cheesesteaks, and some cold bottles of Rolling Rock. Being honest with both her suitor as well as herself, however, Mare says that she can’t date him until she admittedly “gets her shit together.” As much as fans like myself may want her to happily end up with Richard, kudos to Mare for recognizing her need to take care of her issues first.
The epicenter of that story arc this episode was the super emotional scene at the therapist’s office, in which Mare detailed the events of the day her son Kevin killed himself. The haunting scene is edited back and forth between Mare’s session and the flashback of when her son’s body was found dead in her home. Winslet proves riveting yet again, showing her character’s reluctance to continue discussing this with her therapist and the painful grief she’s still experiencing. We also learn that part of the rift between Mare and her daughter Siobhan (Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys) stems from Siobhan being the one to find Kevin. A tearful, drunken Siobhan admits to resenting her mom for it later on in the episode. Pile this on to the fact that Zabel’s own mother Judy (Deborah Hedwall, Jessica Jones) harshly blames Mare for her son’s death when the latter comes to pay her respects. Those moments of happiness for our new favorite detective were fleeting indeed.
If Mare’s guilt-ridden psyche is the “Sore” of the episode’s title, then the new revelations in the Erin case have created the impending “Storm.” After the slain girl’s friend Jess (Ruby Cruz, Castle Rock) tells the police that she and Dylan burned the journals, he intimidates and threatens her to keep quiet as he becomes the main suspect. But Mare’s investigation points her in a new direction upon linking the dates of Erin’s secret pendant to the dates of a McMenamin/Ross joint family getaway. As if that wasn’t enough, John (Joe Tippett, Gray Matters) and Billy’s father Pat (Gordon Clapp, NYPD Blue) tells the former that Billy was caught with blood-covered clothes on the night of the murder. Putting all the pieces together, Mare sets off to confront the accused right in the episode’s closing moments, right as Chief Carter receives an unrevealed bombshell of a clue at the very end. Can you say cliffhanger?
HBO’s Mare of Easttown gave us viewers everything we want and more in the crime drama’s second to last episode. ‘Sore Must Be The Storm’ had great character development as well as various relationships being restored and examined. On the murder mystery side, we also had plenty of new clues and information, and suspects who may or may not be as guilty as we think they are. Winslet’s amazing performance has been the engine that has made Easttown run this whole time, but the best may be yet to come. Us fans are squarely on the edge of our seats for the conclusion to Mare’s personal and professional story, so the anticipation for next week’s finale is off the charts.
Mare of Easttown Episode 6, ‘Sore Must Be The Storm’ is now streaming on HBO MAX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miQqyfO66uw&t=5s
