HBO’s Mare of Easttown finale brought the goods that us loyal viewers all expected it to. During the entire run, the limited series starring Kate Winslet has mastered the marriage of two different genres, that of the murder mystery and the family drama. The last episode titled ‘Sacrament’ was extremely satisfying and did plenty of things right to conclude the series’ multiple story arcs. Questions were answered, loose ends were tied up, and our beautifully flawed, multi-layered heroine finally seemed to get some peace. Besides its lead actress steering the ship, showrunner/creator Brad Inglesby and director Craig Zobel deserve equal praise as well. If any people watching have not reached the final episode of Easttown, yours truly is urging you here to beware of spoilers for the last time.
Picking up immediately from where last week left off, Mare (Winslet) tracks down and arrests John (Joe Tippett, Gray Matters) and Billy Ross (Robbie Tann, Preacher) on their fishing trip. The two brothers become overcome with guilt after being implicated in Erin McMenamin’s death, with John confessing to being both her killer as well as the father to her infant son, D.J. However, Mare later discovers the ultimate truth when she links the missing rare handgun used as the murder weapon to John and Lori (Julianne Nicholson, I, Tonya)’s 13-year-old son Ryan (Cameron Mann, For Life). Having known his dad was having an affair with Erin and wanting to keep his family together, the regretful boy admits to accidentally shooting her in an impulsive attempt to scare her away. Needless to say, with the parties involved being longtime family friends, Mare herself takes little satisfaction in finally wrapping up the case.
The murder mystery portion of Easttown always seemed to be the big appeal to casual viewers, and a few other reviews expressed disappointment in its outcome. Granted, this writer accepts how some fans felt that a few misdirections appeared to lead to eventual dead ends or that some characters’ actions weren’t fully explored. The best examples to me were Dylan (Jack Mulhern, The Society) and Jess (Ruby Cruz, Castle Rock) stealing and destroying Erin’s journals, and yet Jess still keeping the incriminating photo of Erin and John in bed together. Not to mention that Deacon Mark Burton (James McArdle, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) was a prime suspect to begin with because of his rumored checkered past with an underage girl, which was ignored completely after he was cleared of the murder. Some complaining that those plotlines went nowhere is understandable, and maybe even wanting the background of the actual culprit to be a bit juicier. But to be honest, the big reveal of Ryan being the one who pulled the trigger made total sense and fit with the surrounding events.
Regardless, the meat and potatoes of Mare of Easttown has always been Winslet’s multi-faceted and well-developed protagonist. The Oscar and Emmy-winning actress has been excellent throughout this series to no surprise, but her many screen partners have more than held their own as well. This comes through even more in “Sacrament” with all the various storylines being resolved over an eight-month time-lapse, and the episode’s title refers to Deacon Mark’s sermon at the end informing us viewers of such. It was nice to see Mare show some compassion and understanding towards Carrie (Sosie Bacon, 13 Reasons Why), the recovering drug addict who’s the mother of her grandson, Drew. When the latter drops her custody case for her son due to a hard-fought relapse, the two women come together to ensure the boy is always taken care of.
Mare’s contentious relationship with her equally rebellious teenage daughter Siobhan (Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys) also came to a satisfying conclusion. She sweetly encourages her daughter to pursue her dreams and supports Siobhan’s decision to go cross country to attend college at Berkeley. Mare also makes peace with her ex-husband Frank (David Denman, Brightburn), acknowledging her lack of growth since their marriage ended. She even helps him repair the cracks with his fiancée Faye (Kate Arrington, Knives and Skin) en route to the couple’s wedding, and she brings her now-boyfriend Richard (Guy Pearce, Memento) as her date to the festivity. It’s really great that Pearce’s writer/suitor character didn’t end up being any of the guilty parties of the show. This writer was rooting for him to just be an admirer trying to bring some extra joy into Mare’s life, even if he does end up leaving Easttown for a while to teach at a different school. Their courtship appears to be open-ended, so the romantic in yours truly is hopeful for an eventual reunion.
Despite some reviewers’ mixed reaction to Ryan being Erin’s killer, the real crime would be to not give Julianne Nicholson some extra special praise here. At John’s prosecution, the anguished Lori still agrees to look after and raise his illegitimate son D.J. and soon makes sure the child gets his much-needed ear surgery. But the arrest of her own son produced two of the best scenes of the entire series’ run: the ones with her and Mare in the car and the kitchen. Having had agreed to lie to protect Ryan, Lori feels hurt and betrayed by the conflicted Mare’s commitment to her duty, and explosively blames her for her family now falling apart. This is perfectly capped off when the two lifelong best friends have their near-wordless reconciliation at the end. Lori breaking down and collapsing into Mare’s comforting arms is just as wrenching as it is moving. Nicholson has numerous film and TV credits to her name, and she made the most of her chance to shine here in the finale. Consider this her surefire submission for awards recognition later this year.
HBO yet again reached elite levels of excellence with Mare of Easttown, and the network’s reputation would never accept less. Kate Winslet’s return to the limited series format gave her another fantastic and memorable role for her resume, as she has anchored the heavy load just like her character. She has helped to make Mare Sheehan someone we feel like we know and whom we won’t soon forget, as Easttown has been one of the great television achievements of 2021 so far. While some may want the show to have another season, the beautiful final camera shot of Mare climbing the ladder to the attic (the location of her son’s suicide) was as amazing of a closing as you can get. And so, to Winslet, Inglesby, Zobel, and the entire Easttown gang…we’ll see you at the Emmys.
The Mare of Easttown Finale can be streamed on HBO MAX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miQqyfO66uw&t=6s
