Day 3
Henry slowly rises from his makeshift bed and heads down for dinner. He is clearly suffering from the effects of war, as he is sleeping on the floor. ..
Henry struggles to focus on his work at the restaurant and becomes overwhelmed when he sees the peach pie. Ruby is worried, but Lucky reassures her daughter that Henry is just tired. However, Henry is actually suffering from PTSD from his time in the war. His mental scars are somewhat quelled when he picks up a stray dog and decides to call it Sergeant.
Back in the present, police arrive at the Emory household following the gun incident. Thanks to Lucky’s inaction, the police don’t act on this and head back to tell Betty they’re not pursuing the charges. Instead, Henry shows the officers his dead dog in the basement, which is what triggered Lucky’s episode. ..
Henry buries Lucky’s dog when the police leave. Gracie can’t talk about this strange spiritual woman she’s been seeing around the police anyway.
In the basement, Lucky finds Gracie staring into the darkened corner at this mysterious figure named Mrs Vera. According to Gracie, Vera smells like dead things. As Lucky stares at the same spot, she too starts to experience this same sensation. This strange spirit suddenly screams at Lucky, prompting the windows to flutter. Lucky snatches up Gracie and hurries back upstairs.
Betty continues to scheme, heading off to see Midge and talking about the Emory house. Specifically, she asks her to team up with her to get their new neighbours out. However, Midge is actually moving – and she’s pregnant too. ..
Henry is confronted by his boss, Stu Berks, who admits he batted for him with the board. After some small talk about TV sets, they talk about work. He accuses Henry of goldbricking, until he eventually opens up and admits that their family dog died.
Henry heads upstairs to the brilliantly white office rooms where a slick shade of yellowy beige descends over the scene. It’s beautifully done too, with Henry breathing heavily and taken back to his time in the war where he was experimented on.
Ruby finds herself in a race against time as she tries to find a way to get out of school before her teachers catch on and force her to leave. She meets Doris, a kind girl who tells her that she’ll come around. Ruby is determined to show the world that she’s not afraid and that she can stand up for herself.
Gracie and Lucky head to the hardware store together. The latter eyes up a whole wall of axes and starts to hallucinate, with the store owner encouraging her to take up a weapon. ..
Betty does nothing to stop Lucky’s murderous thoughts, filling up Midge’s petrol tank with sugar that evening. Inside the house, the family are none the wiser to what she’s done. ..
Lucky and Henry dance around their problems. As they sit down to eat, Lucky does her husband no favours when she produces a slice of pie for him to eat. Given the flashbacks of his past, it’s clear this obviously disturbs him. Still, he forces the pie down, tears stinging his eyes. ..
A gravesite suddenly starts to ooze blood in the garden outside.
The Episode Review
The episode is technically sound, with no problems with the camerawork or aesthetic. The focus is on the story and the characters, and this makes for an engaging experience. The use of Hitchcock-inspired techniques and nods to other films are a nice touch, and it all comes together to create a unique experience.
The story has shown that the family has a lot of psychological issues and is not only disturbed by their past but also distracted by their present.
Mrs Vera is a character that is sure to be explored in more detail for upcoming episodes and it does look promising. However, I hope the show doesn’t resort to constantly throwing jump scares our way. ..
The show’s ending was ominous, setting up the next episode nicely. ..
