Leave Nothing to Chance — Mare of Easttown Episode 2 Review
This review contains spoilers
Towards the end of the episode, Mare Sheehan lands in an academic writerly party where she in no way fits in. She’s offered duck liver pate as an hors d’oeuvre, and waits for passersby to keep walking before spitting it out. Rather than find a trashcan, like a normal human being, she hides the napkin in the couch. It is a beautiful couch with mustard yellow fabric, an antique to be sure. And Mare just ruined it.
What kind of a person is this? Well, as we saw in episode two of Mare of Easttown, this sort of behavior is more common than we think.
The episode doubled down on some of the themes and talking points we saw in episode one. Mare informs Kenny that her daughter has died, producing a reaction we believe to be genuine, though he lied about a possible alibi. Video footage of the catfishing just before Erin’s murder has Mare in a bind when her daughter Siobhan is captured on screen. A new detective from out of town, Colin Zabel, gets the coldest welcoming from Mare, coupled with confrontations so vicious they turn to black comedy. Seeing Brianna punch Erin, Mare gives an eye for an eye, arresting her publicly while she’s on the clock as a waitress in the dining room. The interrogation, ahem, argument, between them is the last straw for Detective Zabel, as he realizes just how interconnected this town is. Brianna’s father does not appreciate his daughter’s arrest, and responds by doggedly pursuing her across town, eventually breaking a window of her house with a gallon of milk. We saw that milk before, purchased as a foreshadowing.
It’s going to be one of those shows. It is too small of a town for any character to not be involved, too short a miniseries to offer these twists time to breathe, and too much has happened in the past two years between these characters for anything to be a coincidence. The milk is just the beginning. Because Frank, Mare’s ex-husband, taught at school at the same time Erin went, of course it could be the case that Erin’s child was not Dylan’s at all, but the lovechild of a man who lost his mentally ill son to suicide. Coupled with a divorce, the timeline of one year and nine months for Erin’s baby is awfully close to the two years ago where Frank and Mare’s son died. We see Mare’s daughter-in-law in a rehab center. Drug related? There’s a likely chance that she knows, or is involved in, this latest case of Kailey Brooke gone cold. Mare, who seems especially committed to her job, would not have dropped the ball so easily, especially considering how close the two mothers are. Unless, of course, she knows more than is willing to let on. In episode one, she dismissed the case rather quickly to Chief Carter. Besides the pate, what else is she hiding?
Because nobody doubts her commitment to family. She arrives early to the office of a pediatrician, where she recounts her medical history with such personal hurt and anguish that every other detail in the room goes dark. Few of Mare of Easttown’s scenes feature monologues or poetic asides about the fall of mankind. This is not True Detective, and thank God. But rather, this exposition of her son’s mental troubles reminds us of how erudite Kate Winslet is as an actress, even when playing a blunt instrument like Mare. We see cracks in her visage that will likely crumble before the series ends. Until then, she has been forced, whether through personal troubles or through her work, to become the immovable object. Colin Zabel arrives only as a comedic impossible force, who seems so bright and optimistic, you say your “fucking hells” to the television right along with Mare. Despite Mare’s attitude, Kate Winslet’s performance convinces us to be spiteful in spirit.
Most of the thematic resonance of the episode is around fathers, as the episode is named, both literally and figuratively. There is some assumption in Easttown that personal vigilantism is not only heroic, but expected. When Mare tells Kenny that her daughter is dead, she brings along two of Kenny’s cousins, not for his sake but for hers. Kenny lashes out violently, eventually taking justice for himself by sneaking out, kidnapping Dylan at gunpoint and, when Dylan does the teenage thing and runs, shots fire. And Brianna’s father does not seem to care that he might be stymieing a police investigation. At least we know where Brianna’s bullish nature comes from. And the “fathers” of the catholic church seem to know of Erin, but when Father Dan asks Deacon Mark Burton about how much they knew, we seem some abstract hand waving.
By the time Mare arrives at Richard’s tweed-coat-wearing celebration, the spell of the small town has been cast on us too. Seeing people not only smile and offer mirror neurons of understanding in conversation, but doing so in something other than ripped jeans and a hunting jacket, makes us feel isolated and alone the way Mare does. It only takes Mare roughly forty-five seconds to try to escape, after spending more time than that looking for lipstick. When Richard chases her down to convince her to stay, it’s clear that he has no idea, like Colin, what he has gotten himself into. The two characters exude a happy confidence that Easttown mocks. Even if we assume that this attitude is healthier for interpersonal relationships, it wont save you here. Like Erin, it may even destroy you.
Mare of Easttown’s first episode opened a window for anyone to enjoy. The second episode is an irrevocable leap. No character is safe from the dastardly whims of the screenplay and, as we can see in the previews for later episodes, it will go straight to the top. Whether that happens to be the clergy or Mare herself (or both) we’ll have to wait and see. Some may criticize the show from here on out for its individualizing of the trauma of small town life. Most of life’s woes occur through happenstance and poor luck. Not every downturn is caused by a pissed off father. Though I do worry, I am going to stick it out. The writing is too tight, the acting too phenomenal, and the tone is just the right combination of depressing and darkly humorous for me to walk away.
Originally published at https://theroyleline.blog on April 27, 2021.
