******* SPOILERS ahead
In Mare of Easttown (on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV) Kate Winslet nails it in the role-of-a-lifetime playing Mare Sheehan (definite Irish vibes there), the tough, vape inhaling detective in a fictionalised version of Easttown, in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
She is pretty much unrecognisable in the role with a pitch perfect Philly accent and hiking boots in all weathers.
The 7 episode series follows Mare as she grapples with the disappearance of a young girl from the area, followed by the violent death of another.
If you are reading this article we assume that you have watched all seven episodes, if not be aware that there are spoilers ahead. If you have, do you agree that the finale has left us with some unanswered questions?
- Did Mr Carroll really notice the gun was missing if Ryan returned it on the same night?
The finale hinged on a moment when Mare is called out by the lonely and recently widowed Mr Carroll who tells her that he has noticed that his gun had gone missing, and had then mysteriously reappeared. However it is only months after the murder that he rings Mare to tell her that he has only just noticed that the gun had been returned. However, in interrogation young Ryan, describing the events of the night of the murder, says that he returned the gun on the same night. Surely Mr Carroll would have had no cause to go to the shed in the middle of the night to notice the gun missing if it was only gone a few hours??
2. Did Lori know that John intended to kill Billy when he told her they were going "fishing" one last time?
In the final episode we see John and Lori sitting at the kitchen table where we assume John is telling Lori that it was Billy who killed Erin. However, as we find out later, John was actually telling Lori that it was their son Ryan who did it. However. Lori says questioningly to John "Billy?". Are we to assume that John is telling her that Billy has agreed to take the fall for Ryan? But does Lori know that John intends on killing Billy to keep their secret??
3. Why was Billy willing to take the fall for Ryan and John?
We know there is such thing as brotherly love, but taking the fall for murder is another step altogether and this is not really explored properly. We see Billy "confessing" to John that it was he who killed Erin, but we find out later that this was just him rehearsing the lie. Standing in his kitchen, Billy exclaims to John "I am ready to confess" before John asks him is he sure. Was Billy just a big softy who believed he had no life worth living and was therefore selfishly willing to take the fall for his big brother? If so why then did John feel it was necessary to pull a gun on the man doing him the biggest favour in the world?
4. Did Richard ever come back?
As Mare's love interest Richard, Guy Pearce was many people's favourite to be the bad guy, with some concluding that for an actor of his calibre to be in the show, there had to be a deeper story to him. However, as it turns out he is just there to adore Mare and take her out on dates. In the final episode we see him drive off for a new job in a different state, promising to return in a year. There was no sign of him rocking up to support Mare when it turned out that the son of her best friend was in fact the killer, so did he come back?? We need to know. Maybe season 2 will answer this one.
5. Were there too many red herrings?
There were so many suspects to this murder that ended up not having anything to do with Erin's death, but who gave us cause for reflection. First and foremost was the unlikeable ex-boyfriend Dylan. Why did he feel it was necessary to burn Erin's journals? Was it so that his parents could keep custody of DJ? And it turns out he did have a heart after all when he gave money to Lori for DJ's surgery, not only his own money but the money that Erin had saved, and which we had assumed he was stealing. Deacon Mark ended up back on the pulpit after a short stint in jail on suspicion of Erin's demise. There were even question marks over the innocence of ill-fated detective Zabel (well in our house anyway) who had a creepy "Psycho"-esque relationship with his mother and a dead cop for a father. There was Richard, (see above) the love interest possible baddy. There were some who even suspected the Manhattan drinking cousin priest. So were there too many peripheral stories that subtracted from the overall plot? Or did they just add to the intrigue? We think the latter.
