MovieChat Forums > Mare of Easttown (2021) Discussion > Only seven episodes? The story doesn't f...

Only seven episodes? The story doesn't feel like it's set to be wrapped up with only three to go.

posted 3 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8461)
7 replies | jump to latest

I was surprised to read the other day that there are only going to be seven episodes. Considering that at the time of this writing four have been broadcast, at the pace we've seen so far it does not feel like the story will be wrapped up in only three more episodes.

Usually the problem is that shows overstay their welcome. This time it feels like the opposite may be occurring.

I hope the ending doesn't feel rushed.

[–] joi2049 (5501) 3 years ago

I'm thinking this next episode (Ep. 5) where Mare has a therapy session with the shrink may TIE together lots of other of story threads that we've had glimpses of so far.

Perhaps the way no one ever seems to be "held ACCOUNTABLE for their ACTIONS" may also be what we see TIED UP or WRAPED UP together???

Mare, for instance, probably didn't do anything about her son stealing MONEY for drugs from her and then he ends up dead.

And Dawn (the woman with cancer) doesn't do anything about the brother of her friend trying to steal $5,000 BUCKS from her.

And the sister (Dawn's friend) also didn't do anything when her brother stole from her either (even though she also reported it to MARE).

And we've also not seen anything happen to BRIANNA for ASSAULTING ERIN.

And we also didn't see Mare do anything about the father of Brianna throwing the gallon of MILK through her window.

And we also haven't seen anything happen to Erin's father for shooting Dylan.

And we also haven't seen anything happen to MARE for stealing HEROIN and trying to FRAME the mother of her grandson for having it.

She's been SUSPENDED from her job and told not to work on Erin's case anymore, but she's also still doing that anyhow now after her boss told her NOT TO.

So I'm also thinking at some point in the next 3 episodes we're going to see the "$hit Hit the FAN" (so to speak), and all of these characters (who aren't being held accountable for what they do) are also going to find out that their actions (and the way they behave) do have consequences???

🧐

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8461) 3 years ago

Those are some interesting observations. I have noticed what you're talking about, though instead of thinking of it as "not facing consequences" I thought more along the lines of "man, people in this town seem unusually compassionate and understanding."

Of course, as you seem to point out, it's not totally true. Mare did get suspended, which isn't nothing, but you'd definitely expect more for a cop who tried to set someone up for drug possession. And I assume that Erin's dad is in jail and will be there for a long time. But you're right that a lot of individuals in the story don't seem to face many consequences for their actions.

I guess we'll see how the last three eps play out.

[–] joi2049 (5501) 3 years ago

Yes at first the observation that they were being compassionate also crossed my mind as well. But after some reflection, ASSAULT (Erin), ATTEMPTED MURDER (of Dylan), Stalking and Harassing MARE, EXTORTION (of the $5,000), BREAKING someone's window by throwing a HEAVEY object through it (which also could have killed someone if one of those pieces of glass had pierced Mare's body), and a COP trying to FRAME another person for a drug crime that they didn't commit are some pretty serious offences.

And the last time we saw Erin's dad he was laying in the woods (in what looked like the same spot where her body was found). And Still Another reason why we know he's not in jail now is because in the preview clip for this coming Sunday we also saw him HIDING a GUN in and under a shelf inside of his tool box.

And if it matches that BULLET that Mare found in a tree, he'll probably end up in jail then.

But that FLASHBACK scene where Mare's son YELLS "What's wrong with you" at her (when he's the one who STOLE MONEY from her purse for drugs) also demonstrates how he had an OVERWHELMING sense of ENTITLEMENT for some reason to assume that something's wrong "with her" for not wanting to hand over to him her money so that he can buy drugs with it.

And the way the other guy says "SORRY Dawn" to the woman with CANCER (after telling her LIES about how she could have her daughter Katie back again for $5,000) also indicates the same kind of a thing for him to assume that simply saying "SORRY" is all that it takes to keep her from pressing charges against him.

And BRIANNA and her father also behave the same way (as if they also feel ENTITLED to MISTREAT ERIN and MARE -- the same way as her son mistreats her in the bathroom).

So where did that kind of an ATTITUDE come from -- thinking that they could BREAK the LAW and get away with doing it -- because they were also pretty COCK SURE that no one else was going to do anything about it -- even if they did get caught doing it???

And the problem is the way MARE is also included in this assessment, due to the way that she also BROKE the LAW and assumed that she could also get away with doing it as well.

So just like she may have not been a good role model for her son, she may also not be a good one for other members of the town either. Because what if what she DELETED from that SECURITY CAMERA also contained something else that had captured an image of ERIN's KILLER??? That thought never even crosses her mind when she DELETES the IMAGES (as a way to try to protect that other boy who drew those obscene pictures and was flipping the middle finger at the woman who thinks he's a killer).

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8461) 3 years ago

LOL, I have to ask, why do you write your posts like they're a screenplay, with the random capitalization?

Anyway, the last time we see Erin's dad he was not laying in the woods. I believe the last scene we see him in is the scene where he is in the police station, confessing to Mare that he killed Dylan, and then Mare informs him that Dylan didn't actually die but is in the hospital. I can't remember which episode that was, but it's not exactly likely that after confessing to shooting Dylan in cold blood that Mare just said, "Okay, no problem, you're free to go."

I agree that the rest are fairly serious offenses though and, for one reason or another, no one seems to be facing any consequences at all--not even light ones--for their actions.

One thing I think we need to keep in mind is that this is a small town. Everybody knows everybody. So it makes some sense that people are more willing to let things go or deal with them outside of the normal judicial channels. Mare, for instance, I'm sure was reflecting that Milk Jug Guy was in panic mode because his daughter was being investigated for an extremely serious crime. Dawn, on the other hand, I think was less interested in protecting Freddie and more interested in protecting his sister, who she probably thinks needs to be spared from further heartache due to her brother.

Small towns are weird and sometimes, I'm told, they can harbor a lot of secrets.

[–] joi2049 (5501) 3 years ago

The use of CAPS is for EMPHASIS ... sort of like the way that one uses BOLD letters for TOPIC HEADINGS when you have an OUTLINE ... so that you can quickly SKIM through what's been written.

Because my messages also tend to get a bit LENGHTHY at times, and whenever one goes back to read them again, SKIMMING through them is also helpful.

And using CAPS is easier than using the BOLD option, where you have to keep typing those brackets and the slashes and the little "b" letter (which also doesn't work anyhow for each individual word that one would try to use it for). PLUS one also has EYE ISSUES which hurts one's eyes and makes reading the smaller print difficult.

For some reason I recall The scene in Ep. 2 (where we see Mare telling Erin's father KENNY that he didn't kill Dylan) taking place BEFORE his cousins find him in the woods. So what may have happened is he was booked and then put up bail money and was released from jail??? And what if no one files a complaint for ATTEMPTED MURDER against him??? Would he have even been booked at all???

Unfortunately these PLOT summaries don't mention the scene where his cousins find him passed out in the woods:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_of_Easttown

Those are some really "Great points" that you mention about EASTTOWN being a SMALL TOWN.

And what's also interesting about this being a SMALL TOWN (where most people tend to KNOW each other) is the way the "OXY ADDICTION" sweeping the country also seems to have hit places like that the hardest.

The Opioid Crisis in Rural and Small Town America | Carsey ...

https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/opioid-rural-smalltown-us

Over the last two decades, opioid 1 overdose deaths have increased over 400 percent, reaching 45,838 in 2016. 2 Although the crisis is not disproportionately worse in rural 3 than in urban America, opioid mortality rates have grown faster in rural areas, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Rural areas also face unique challenges in dealing with the crisis, including a smaller …

Difficulty maintaining anonymity in communities where “everyone knows everyone” can sometimes cause people to discontinue treatment or avoid it altogether.5

So perhaps that ATTITUDE where they tend "look out for one another," and have each other's backs (so to speak), because they think that's the best way to deal with their problems, is also what's helping to contribute more to their ADDICTION issues???

Mare's son Kevin was an addict, Carrie (the mother of Mare's grandson) is an addict, kidnapped Katie's an addict, Becca's an addict (the first girlfriend of Mare's daughter), the other girl who's kidnapped and is now held prisoner with Katie was also seen popping a pill, Freddy's an addict (the guy who demands $5,000). And for all we know Dylan and Brianna may also be involved with drug use as well.

So that's also a lot of ADDICTION for that one very small group of people that we've met. Add on to that Mare's constant beer drinking, and Mare complaining about her mother drinking "MANHATTAN'S MID-DAY" with her COUSIN (the Priest), and we may have even more addicts who use ALCOHOL instead of drugs???

And Mare's MOM also keeps "obsessively" BANGING away at that game that she plays on that TABLET (as well as hiding her COMFORT FOOD inside of that MIXED VEGGIES bag). And didn't we also see Mare hand her I-pad to her grandson and tell him to "go play with it" while she deals with some other stressful situation???

Plus there also seems to be a lot of SEX ADDICTION as well (with so many teenage girls willing to prostitute themselves out as a way to pay for their ADDICTIONS).

🧐

Can hardly wait to see Mare's session with that SHRINK. And her former hubby Frank also complained to MARE about how she refused to discuss the death of their son with him.

So "Let the HEALING BEGIN" ... as Mare said to her SHRINK a couple of weeks ago ... right before she went right back to working again ... even though she's also suppose to have been SUSPENDED from her detective job!!!

So even the OUTSIDER (Colin who's NOT from this SMALL TOWN) is also allowing MARE to walk all over him (the same way as FREDDY walks all over his sister and her friend DAWN)!!! ???

Imagine having a GROUP THERAPY session with these characters!!! It would be TOTAL CHAOS!!!

📌📌📌📌📌

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8461) 3 years ago

Well, I'm aware that caps can be used for emphasis but it was a mystery to me why you would be emphasizing some of the words you put in caps. In any case, do your thing.

I'm pretty sure we find Erin's dad laid out near the creek before we see him confess to Mare. Like 99% sure. He shoots Dylan --> his friends find him --> he confesses to Mare, and I'm pretty sure that's the last scene we've seen with him so far. There is no presumption of innocence or trial, because he confessed. So it won't make any sense if he's not still in jail.

Those are some interesting observations regarding addictions. One thing we can definitely say is that a lot of people in this place have issues, sometimes quite serious ones. You know, it's weird because when I think of small towns I often think of these wholesome enclaves that are free from a lot of the issues that you have to deal with in the city, but in reality they have their own problems and their own seedy underbellies.

Maybe the town as a whole is heading for a reckoning. I'm not sure how the show could tie up so many loose ends in only three episodes though.

[–] joi2049 (5501) 3 years ago

Basically I keep going back to older messages again to read them again and expand on ideas put forth in them (which is why it helps to be able to SKIM the content in them). If you check out the ILLUSIONS (Ep.5) topic, you'll also see how the ideas discussed here on this topic-- also began over there on that other topic -- and then got expanded upon here -- thanks to the wonderful question that you put forth about the show.

The problem with Erin's father is ON DEMAND hasn't loaded Ep. 2 for some reason. Ep 1, 3, 4 are there, but no Ep. 2. If it were, then one could also SKIM through it to find out if the cousins find him before or after MARE tells him Dylan's not dead.

But that still also doesn't explain WHY we see someone in the PREVIEW clips for Ep. 5 who looks like Erin's father HIDE a GUN inside of a TACKEL BOX with lots of rubber stuff for catching FISHING on top of it.

So how can he be FISHING or placing a gun in that box if he's in JAIL???

That's what I like about DAVID LYNCH who introduced us to the towns of LUMBERTON in "BLUE VELVET" and to "TWIN PEAKS" where the "SLEAZY UNDERBELLIES" of those towns got exposed to us.

"BLUE VELVET" also begins with showing us the idealistic looking WHITE PICKET FENCE with the PRETTY FLOWERS on it, and the fireman on the fire truck waving, and the kids crossing the street, before the camera moves down to show us the BUGS that crawl around down under the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwuzI8Y0uW0

Blue Velvet - Opening Sequence

So maybe that's the same kind of an effect that EASTTOWN is going for???

One way they could TIE things up is to have a GROUP or a FAMILY THERAPY session where we see MARE and DAWN sitting there discussing things with Katie and Carrie and Mare's other daughter??? Maybe Freddy and his sister could also be a part of the group??? And Dylan and his parents??? If Mare's friend Lori is also having problems with her teenage son, maybe they could also be seen sitting there as well???

Because that other link also says that one of the issues is how SMALL TOWNS don't have enough funding to deal with the kinds of MENTAL HEALTH issues that they encounter.

🧐