If you found last episode lacking in screen time for our favorite "tall, blond" assassin (Nicholas Logan), you'll be delighted to discover the mysterious mass murderer is the primary focus of this week's installment, titled "Antigonish." While the unstoppable killer popped up to plant a bomb in a child's toy in episode 2, it seems he was just getting warmed up.
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To be sure, he leaves lots more blood in his wake this week, but the episode isn't just about his ballooning body count. We also get a peek into his backstory, his non-bomb making hobbies and, dare we say, his softer side. For a deep dive into this increasingly twisted, terrifying character, proceed with caution into our full recap below.
Making a Murderer
Last episode concluded with the killer, disguised as a doctor, entering the hospital to hunt down Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon). But this week's cold open rewinds the clock a few hours, returning us to the assassin's RV. While a metronome relentlessly clicks over the mostly black-and-white scene, he meticulously prepares himself a gourmet meal that'd make Hannibal Lecter proud. He then assembles his fake hospital ID, as one does after dinner.
The scene is also intercut with a flashback of him meeting another private investigator he's hired to track down Linda Maddox. The confident PI tells him she has a boyfriend, Buddy Shaw, residing in Las Vegas. Like the last PI, the man receives a chunky envelope of cash from the killer. Whether or not he also receives a bullet in the bathroom - as we saw with the last PI - is left to our imaginations. What is revealed, however, is Maddox's identity - she's the blonde man's mother.
With that minor mystery solved, we return to the hospital, where Chee is chatting up a young security guard and clutching the medicine pouch Bernadette (Jessica Matten) gifted him. The killer, sporting plastic gloves, exits the elevator and begins messing with the building's electrical box. Jim decides to give Bern a call, but their conversation is cut short when he spots the fake doctor gripping a silenced pistol.
Upon telling Bern what's up, he drops the phone and seeks a safe spot to hide. But his wig-wearing pursuer picks up the dangling receiver and learns the police are on their way. He pulls the fire alarm and begins relentlessly stalking Chee. Meanwhile, Bern calls Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon,) who's in the midst of revealing everything - from his son's discovered belt buckle to the killer's potential involvement in his death - to Emma (Deanna Allison). The couple comfort each other a bit before Joe grabs his rifle and heads to the hospital.
The assassin makes his way to Chee's room, where he suspects his prey is hiding somewhere in the ceiling above him. With the alarm still blaring and flashing, he fires a few rounds hoping to hit his target. But he's interrupted by the security guard, who he immediately empties his clip into. As he reloads, Jim dives from his hiding spot and attacks. The pair engage in a brutal fight that ends when the barely-alive security guard slides his mace over to Chee. With Bern also now on the scene, the blinded assailant leaps out the window, crashing through the windshield of a vehicle parked below. As Chee comforts the dying guard inside, the assassin kills a cop outside and escapes in a station wagon. Joe and Bern get a few shots off but ultimately have to give chase in their cruiser. They soon come upon the killer's getaway vehicle, but it's abandoned, save for the wig - and a few drops of blood - he left behind.
A Massive Manhunt
Michael Moriatis/AMC
Back at the police station, it's all hands on deck. Sheriff Sena (A. Martinez) is coordinating a manhunt, complete with road checkpoints and aerial support. Knowing the killer's hurt and facing the harsh winter environment, he's hopeful he won't make it very far. He also warns his officers that he's desperate and won't hesitate to eliminate any witnesses who might unknowingly aid his escape.
Chee arrives and offers to take the deceased Tomas Charley's son - who's been under Leaphorn's care since the Lieutenant found the boy's dad dead in the desert - to meet with his mom. He drives the boy to a diner, buys him a snow cone and pickle, and bonds with him a bit before the mom arrives to pick him up. He also gives the kid his card and tells him to call him anytime.
Meanwhile, Bernadette's rocking the old-school microfiche, digging for clues on the burned Drumco Oil paperwork. She discovers the documents were part of a geological survey that revealed the drilling site - where Joe Jr. was killed in an explosive "accident" - was worthless, containing no oil and little uranium. Oddly, B.J. Vines (Snowfall's John Diehl) was still eager to purchase the mine. Even stranger, Dillon Charley/ People of Darkness leader, working as a courier for Drumco, delivered the report to the geological bureau.
When we catch up with the killer, he's dehydrated and struggling to remain upright. He stumbles across a farm and immediately begins drinking from a bucket of water. An old Native woman catches him, gives him a verbal scolding, and invites him inside her house. She sets him up by the fire, feeds him, and begins unspooling a lengthy tale from her childhood. But there's a significant language barrier, so while she talks, the killer surveys his surroundings to plot his next move. Later, while the woman sleeps, the assassin creepily stares at her. Cut to outside the house, and he's stealing a horse to make his escape - while leaving the audience wondering what state he left the kind woman in.
The manhunt isn't going well, leading Joe and Sena to lament how evil the world has gotten, especially for Native people. On the plus side, they soon learn of Bern's fresh intel from her investigation on the Drumco site. Even better, Sena references "animal scat," which reminds Joe of a recent complaint from someone regarding RV waste being dumped on their land. Joe and Bern head out to follow up on the possible lead.
Emma's Personal Struggle Continues
While the episode heavily focuses on the killer and Joe's dogged pursuit of him, it takes a breather to dig into Emma's more personal tale. She's called to the home of the pregnant woman she'd previously advised not to have her baby at the hospital. The mother-to-be is in severe pain, and her husband's none too happy that they followed Emma's risky recommendation. But the skilled nurse delivers the baby like a boss, leaving the couple happy with a healthy newborn. Sadly, Emma isn't so joyful, as she returns to her truck and breaks down in tears.
The episode also catches us up on the reporter who'd approached Emma about speaking out against the involuntary sterilizations plaguing the reservation's women. The journalist is attempting to question patients outside the medical facility when a nurse stops her and demands she leave the premises. She agrees to comply but tearfully asks - off the record - "How does it stop if we don't stop it?" The nurse listens intently, but walks away without answering.
An Ending Returns to the Beginning
Michael Moriatis/AMC
Having met with the man regarding the illegal dumping complaint, Joe and Bern discover tire tracks belonging to an RV and pick-up truck. And this brings us full circle - right back to the season's opening scene, when the Lieutenant and Sergeant entered the suspicious RV without waiting for backup. In the premiere, we watched it unfold from Joe and Bern's perspective, as they dove to the mobile home's floor while the assassin attempted to shred them to ribbons with machine gun fire. We never learned what happened to Leaphorn and Bernadette that night.
This time, the scene begins from the viewpoint of the killer. With his metronome still ticking and the radio eerily playing The Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night," the camera pans across the trailer's interior - showing all the killer's carefully arranged weapons, ammo, and bomb-crafting materials - before pausing and focusing on his face. He stares straight ahead, then slowly closes his eyes. But the sound of Joe and Bern pulling up outside pulls him from his trance. A terrifying look, with just a hint of a smirk, washes across his face just as the screen goes black and the credits begin to roll.
Questions and Predictions
- Prediction: The old woman lives. While it would be completely out of character for the killer to leave a witness alive - he did, after all, try to kill a boy with a booby-trapped doll - we're betting he didn't interrupt the woman's slumber to snuff her out. Given that we now know he's searching for his mom, it's likely he might have seen some of his own mother in this kind old woman, and decided to spare her life.
- But how does Linda Maddox factor in? Is the assassin's missing mom linked to the larger mysteries surrounding the People of Darkness, Joe Jr.'s death, and Drumco Oil? Or is his persistent search for her related to something else entirely? Regardless, we look forward to eventually meeting Mrs. Maddox and finding out why she's so important.
- Prediction: There's something fishy about the killer's method for finding his mother. Given his proficiency at tracking his targets, it's odd that the assassin is relying on low-rent private investigators to find his mom. He obviously could do the job much better himself. Toss in the fact he killed the first PI - and maybe the second one - and it seems there's more at play here.
- What's up with the sheep? Episode 1 introduced a sheep with twisted horns and possible ties to the supernatural. While the animal, still imprisoned at the police station, makes brief, "bleating" appearances, its mysterious arrival hasn't been explored any further.
