A Murder at the End of the World: Episode 1 recap
Episode 1 Homme Fatal
WARNING: Here be SPOILERS. I give a lot of details and some musings for each episode. It’s how I do recaps. (I use “they” for Emma Corrin and “she” for their character.)
Starting off with the song The End by The Doors, a person is walking up a street and crosses over to the sidewalk. It’s Emma Corrin, all bundled up in a red hoodie, black tights and hightops, headphones on and clearly not engaging with the world around them. They check their phone and map screen. They enter a bookshop and a book signing/reading is taking place. The announcer, uh announces that the next reader (our protagonist, clearly) is a debut author, Darby Hart, who has written a true crime piece. Minimal applause reluctantly breaks out.
It’s a nice beginning because we get a character sketch right away. Darby tells her restless and diminishing audience that she grew up in Lost Nation, Iowa and her father was the county coroner. We see a line forming for the previous author’s book signing portion of the event. This is when Darby realizes she must engage so she pushes back her hoodie and drops the backpack. She gives us some statistics about unsolved murders and leads into the Jane Doe who is the subject of her book. Some of the audience begins to trickle back to their seats as Darby details how she hacked into a cold case database at age 15.
And as Darby finds her stride, we see the audience choosing to stay, become riveted, and in the end, explode with applause. I was hopeful seeing this because as I’ve said in our podcast and previous blog post, I thought the storytelling was weak in The OA. Here, we get a lovely unfolding of a moment and looking back after seeing the first two episodes, I wonder why the writers/creators couldn’t keep that magic consistent.
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Back to the recap.
Darby says she can’t tell her story without talking about Bill and how they met on an amateur sleuthing forum. I think there are so many clues here even from the very start and there is no way I’m going to be able to recount each one. Use this recap as a guide to how the plot unfolds and watch for yourself. I’m sure you’ll come up with some theories about Every Single Thing anyone is wearing or doing in the background of each scene!
After a year of research, she and Bill found what they believe to be the serial killer’s first known address. She opens her book and says she will read from near the end of the book, defying the advice she was given for not reading from that portion. Again, we fill in the character sketch for Darby Hart. As she reads, we get a time jump and we’re with Bill and Darby as they argue in a motel about breaking into the serial killer’s house. It’s evening.
Seems Bill is worried the cold case is not so cold and they may put themselves in danger. In their conversation, we find out that Darby believes the serial killer to be a cop. She absolutely does not want to let the police know what they are up to. She tells Bill, “if we don’t do this, no one will.” He says he won’t do it and throws the car keys into the dirt parking lot outside the motel. We get Darby’s voiceover from the reading as she strides off to find the keys, “The thing about getting close on a case is that you actually start to burn. And the only way to put out the fire is to solve it” We’ll hear this again!
Just to give you an idea of how much is packed into each episode, this is only six and a half minutes into the premier epi.
We cut to them driving along and get one of the cutest moments in the first episode. They are clearly still upset with each other. Then Darby puts on a song. It’s “No More I love Yous” by Annie Lennox. Bill begins to sing along and doesn’t want Darby to change the song. She smiles and you know she’s no longer mad. She joins in and they sing off-key, head banging and getting really into it. I have to wonder about the significance of every single song. I’m sure you do too. Maybe someone nerdier than I will make a Spotify playlist?
The GPS breaks in as the song is ending and we learn they are one mile away from their destination. The mood flips back to Serious Mode. Voiceover: “From a distance, it’s easy to see what we did was reckless.” Yeah, ya think?
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They pull into a subdivision and a driveway. Darby has found a hack to force the garage door to open. Here, we learn she has a girl boner for Lee Anderson, female hacker/coder extraordinaire who was an early Internet pioneer until she was doxxed and the victim of harassment that ended up with her dropping off the radar. (Note: Bill doesn’t recognize the name Lee Anderson but there is some speculation about this after Episode 2.)
Oops, the hack opens up all the garage doors in the subdivision. They pull into the garage and she closes the doors. They head inside and it looks like it’s been abandoned for some time. In other words, there’s dust which is odd seeing as how the house is up for sale. You’d think a broker would stage the home. Oh well. But as we see in a moment, there’s still electricity because they turn on the basement light once they’ve gone downstairs.
The two see lines on the basement floor and Bill supposes the concrete flooring has been “redone.” They suit up and start breaking up the flooring. This is exhausting work but even so, I’m truly shocked that they just lie down on the floor, taking a break, and fall asleep.
A noise awakens Darby. Neighborhood dogs bark. The basement has windows and the morning sun is streaming in. We see a nice cinematic moment with Darby in the foreground and the silhouette of the stairs on the wall behind her. Darby had earlier remarked that the stairs were uneven and when she wakes up, she gets a better look at them now that the sun is up.
She rouses Bill and they begin to dismantle the staircase. Um, how will they get out? Do they break a window? They find a body wearing a ring that matches one Darby pulls from an evidence bag in her pocket. Bill says, “He started with his wife.” “Patricia,” Darby answers. (Note: how do they have this other ring? If the person married to Patricia killed her, wouldn't he still be wearing the ring? Or was he arrested at one time and the ring taken...?? How did she get it? I hope this is cleared up in later episodes. Little things like this bug me!)
A noise is heard coming from upstairs. The basement door opens. We see the lower half of a man holding a gun. He doesn’t speak. But they do. They rattle off names, presumably the names of the victims of the serial killer. The gun is raised. Bill steps in front of Darby as she protests. A gunshot rings out as he closes his eyes. We don't see what happens.
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We’re back at the book reading.Thunder rumbles. Darby tells her audience, “I think that’s all I can handle for one night. Thank you.” BIG applause. Some audience members want to ask questions. Darby is asked about her book dedication to Lee Anderson. She says Anderson “got the better of” the people who doxxed her and “destroyed her life.” She explains that Lee later married Andy Ronson, “the King of Tech.”
Darby fields another question, this one seemingly about how she and Bill grew apart. We don’t see her answer regarding why Bill wasn’t there at the reading. Cut to her walking in what looks like an industrial area and heading upstairs to a concrete but cozyish abode. Of course this is where she lives. More filling in of that character sketch.
She checks her messages. Portishead plays (LOVE Portishead, by the way) as we see her “do her thing.” Kudos to Emma Corrin for being believable. Their movements on the computer and other tech feels authentic. She has nodded off and that song must have been on repeat. It’s 3am. She gets a message from someone claiming to be Andy Ronson’s assistant with an invitation to a meeting of the minds retreat. More of her doing that research techy thing, asking for input in case she’s being scammed.
There is an incredibly long amount of time spent on the tech-happy sequence of Darby meeting the assistant who is AI. I feel like the writers just wanted to do the “can only see via a camera” thing that you have seen in horror films and video games. Shutter, anyone? Fatal Frame? Dreadout? It feels overly extended. You be the judge, of course. The AI even does this flattery thing about her being the smartest person in the room and she admits it gets lonely. There's a Simpsons reference to Lisa. Cringe again.
All through this, we keep seeing Darby’s earrings. I go on the record now: they are a clue! We also get a glimpse of what books she keeps on her shelves. The subreddit has someone working on a list. I love nerdy fans!
Darby accepts the invitation. The retreat is in two weeks and lasts one week, all expenses paid. I’m curious about her leaving when she’s just released a book. Surely she has a mini book tour and other readings or obligations? Oh well.
She calls her dad and they seem to communicate via descriptions of corpses he’s working on. Remember, he’s a coroner. Darby lets him know about the retreat but relays that she actually doesn’t know where it is exactly. He says he’s proud of her. Awww.
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She heads out to a private car, presumably two weeks later, and to a private airport. She hands over her baggage. Security guy is revealed to be the same man who asks about the book dedication at the reading. Hmmm. Darby has a temp check and a mouth swab…and I am reminded of the beginning of the pandemic.
Okay, who will she meet?! She enters the plane and I immediately am jealous of the bookcases at the back. I love the mix of tech with luddite trappings. Absolutely love it. I do feel like there is way too much “hey, look at this decor!” with the raw edge table where a chef makes sushi trays, the black leather with medium-stain wood. What do you think?
She finds a seat at the back and asks a woman (not just any woman! It’s Joan Chen!) if she can sit in the seat beside her. The woman replies, “It’s not my plane.” Okay. That’s how it’s gonna be, rich people? Then she kind of apologies by saying she doesn’t like flying and Darby should be on the lookout for vomit, etc. if she sits by her. Eeep. Darby replies that body fluids don’t scare her. Remember, her dad was a coroner. We got it, show.
Then she gets sake in a lovely square wooden cup that I’ve only had once on a trip to San Francisco. Usually, you get the teeny ceramic bowls. I’d be all, “You can leave the sake bottle right here, warmed.” Yes, I used to love sake! (No longer a drinker)
A man across from her pipes up that he knows who she is and hey, he’s reading her book. It’s Martin Mitchell, the filmmaker, and he says he’s interested in missing black women in D.C, where he’s from. Joan Chen’s character joins in the conversation saying she’s a fan of his films. She’s Lu Mei, as he well knows. And here’s where we get the line, “LA Times called her Gen Z Sherlock Holmes.” Cringe. The most cringe.
Someone else (Alice Braga) joins in after hearing the title of Darby’s book, “Silver Doe…sounds like a porn name.” Giggle. I agree. She starts to introduce herself but Darby knows it’s Sian Cruise. She walked on the moon, guys. Lu Mei bows out of the conversation saying she needs to be asleep before the plane moves. Martin and Sian have a moment. He says, “sooooo…?” And she replies, “Definitely not Andy.” He scoffs, so say the subtitles, and says, “Disagree.” It’s explained to Darby that they are guessing whether someone is invited by Andy or Lee. 9 guests. 5 invited by Andy, 4 by Lee. I feel this is important!
We meet another plane occupant who is snooty about the guests, saying the distinction between builders and nonbuilders used to mean something. Here we learn that builders refers to people who create companies that solve problems of actual value. Dude, put your ego away. All cell phones are then collected. Darby hears that this might be due to attempts on Andy’s life but Sian says it’s just theatre.
Sian might know where they are headed but won’t tell. Darby gives insight into her Sherlock Holmes’ abilities by noting that the clothing the pilot was wearing indicates they are going somewhere very cold. Martin asks about Bill being an artist who now goes by the name Fangs and Darby relays she has not spoken to him in 6 years. Fangs? Really?
We find that Lu Mei has brought along security…and drugs. Which she shares with Darby. Note: what is up with taking strange pills from people you don’t know? Would you do that? Is this a generational thing?
We’re now about halfway through the episode. Note: I love the soundtrack.
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Is Martin having a nightmare? There’s some turbulence. Oh, we’re in a dream sequence? Darby opens what first appears to be the plane’s bathroom door but it's the door to the motel bathroom…and we see Bill in the tub with murky water and a bloody rag. He says, “Darby, I thought we were going to die.” So we’ve jumped back to events after we heard the gunshot in the basement of the serial killer’s house. (I wonder if it wasn’t the serial killer but someone who thought they were trespassing and shot at them? How did they get out cuz they demolished those stairs, remember?)
Her eyes flutter awake and it’s still that time, in the motel, after the basement stuff. Darby looks around for Bill but he isn’t there. He’s left the keys on the nightstand. She calls for him. She hears water dripping and goes to the bathroom. There is still murky water and a bloody rag but there’s also a note on the mirror: I think this is both too much and not enough. I left you the car. (The car he stole, right?)
She awakes for real, looks around, and sees Sian to her right. Lu Mei is awake behind her. They are in Iceland. She was RIGHT. And this right here is what I saw in the trailer and prompted me to watch this show. I love an isolated landscape with a mystery. It’s my jam, really.
Lu Mei and Darby are paired in a vehicle on its way to the hotel/retreat. She tells Darby she builds smart cities in China. I learned about these while doing ESL tutoring years ago. They get to a checkpoint and we see guards. Darby tells Lu Mei she is there to meet Lee Anderson. Lu Mei just sort of chuckles a bit. The sound she makes isn’t really dismissive but it’s a bit condescending. What do you call that noise?
There’s so much I love about this show’s aesthetic. Oh and what do you think of the company’s (or is it just the app's) logo? We saw it earlier on the AI app when Ray met Darby. We see it now on the flags outside the hotel. We see another guest arriving. He interests me! No fancy luggage for him. Weather-proof duffle is how he rolls. He and Darby see each other. She’s a kind of stand-in for the viewer, right? We’re here, seeing all this for the first time.
The interior is gorgeous. Marius, the concierge, welcomes her and gives her a ring to use for accessing certain areas. Seems Marius has met Lu Mei before, if his greeting is anything to go by. And honestly, I feel like Everything Means Something or at least we are encouraged to think so.
The room is lovely. AI Ray is here to help! He tells her that her group is the first to stay at the hotel, that “Andy sees this as an arctic test run for” his development as an app. I admit, when I heard this, I thought, “Oh, this isn’t really a hotel. They built this facility for this so-called retreat.” I’m immediately suspicious. Run, Darby!
But no, she eats snacks from the complimentary mini bar. She learns that she can use nifty glasses to get a visual representation of Ray. She sees a hotel schematic and Ray says he can also go over the itinerary for the 5 days she will be there. He also shows her the seating arrangement for the welcome dinner that will take place that evening. She’s between Sian (Dr. Cruise) and the rude guy from the plane whose name is David Alvarez. He begins to give her their details. David Alvarez is a venture capitalist. Ah, that explains his jerk attitude.
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Darby dyes her hair. Did she bring the dye on the plane? Did she ask the concierge if he had some emergency Manic Panic in the storerooms? I need to know the answer. Off she goes to the welcome dinner but oh, what’s this? Someone is bringing an oxygen tank and a tray/toy/food (can't tell on my TV) to a room. As the door is closing, Darby walks past and glances at Lee inside with a blonde child. She’s sweeping up something that’s broken on the floor. Darby kind of sighs out her name, Lee looks up, Darby scuttles away, and the door is shut from inside but not by Lee.
Darby walks in, a bit nervous, finds her seat, and listens to the conversations around her. New people alert! David is talking with Ziba, pointing out her activism in Brazil and some scary moments she had. She claims she was gaining a reputation as someone who could get funding for environmentalists or climate activists against logging. Across from her, we meet Oliver talking about deep fakes and even performs one at the table using Sian’s “voice.” Oh and Oliver somehow has a phone when no one else was allowed. Clue?
At that moment, we meet our host, Andy. In runs Zoomer, his son, and Lee, his wife. She invites everyone to join them after dinner in the hot springs, which is the reason the hotel was built at this location. They do the husband/wife thing where they talk about what their significant other thinks of them in front of everyone. Andy says, “my wife says this is the only way I know how to take a vacation, which is basically to keep working…she is very accurate about my vices. It’s why I married her.” She responds, “I thought I married you.” I really dislike this performative kind of married people talk. Blech. But again, character sketch! Filling in the gaps to get an idea of who these people are…or rather, who they present themselves to be.
Andy gives his little speech. AI Ray is mentioned. He says, with his son in unison, “I prefer the term alternative intelligence.” OMG, the circular bar. Can I just sit there and get virgin cocktails all night then go sit where the bookcases are? As he walks around, talking his talk about the climate, he rushes over to take bread out of his son’s hand. “No, please, don’t give him that.” He is gluten-intolerant? A robot, as reddit seems to think? Hmmm, this feels like a clue.
Note: There’s an empty chair directly across from Darby. Andy continues, quoting Margaret Atwood: “The nearer we get to the climate crisis, the fewer choices we have.” Okay, Andy, what are you leading up to? Is this the whole theme of the show? What rich people decide to do when the world begins to fall apart?
Andy likes a mix of folks, indeed. But he most likes an original thinker. He points out Oliver’s work with robotics, Ziba using message end-to-end encryption in her activism, and Sian researching ideas to colonize the moon. He says everyone he invited brings something to the table. He does that grumpy husband thing where he says something nasty but makes it seem like a joke: “If Lee invited you…(pause)...I have no idea what you’re doing here.” Some laughter. David and Sian lean over and look at each other on either side of Darby to share a look and laugh. “Told you. Definitely not him.” I think they are referencing who invited Darby.
And look who sits down across from Darby. Yes, audience, it’s Bill. We saw this coming, right? Darby thinks she’s imagining it and chokes on her food. Sian slaps her on the back. Wow, those doctor skills, you guys. Lee does a toast, “To finding a way out.” That’s really ominous. Andy adds, “Together.” Those wine glasses are absolutely gorgeous but look like you’d spill your drink trying to drink out of them.
Bill softly says, “Hello, Darby Hart” as she gives him puppy eyes. While she’s processing that he’s here, Zoomer comes up to Bill and says, “I’ma doctor” with his little toy bag. Bill goes along, saying he’s having trouble with his chest in this cold and asks Zoomer to take a look. Emma is amazing in this scene because you can read their emotions flicker over their face so clearly. We get the following interaction that redditors have deemed SIGNIFICANT.
When Zoomer tells Bill how old he is, Zoomer says, “5 years, 9 months, 20 days, and 27 seconds.” There are SIGNIFICANT glances passing between Lee and Andy. Zoomer tells Bill his heart is “beating really fast.” Bill doesn’t agree, smiles, and takes the “medicine” that he’s handed by Zoomer. The boy is called over to sit with Andy. Bill and Lee share a pointed look. Darby looks uncomfortable and uncertain. Lots going on here.
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We cut to her in a bathing suit, entering the hot springs to join other guests. She has the look of a new student glancing around the lunch room trying to decide where to sit. Ziba comes over (wades over?) and introduces herself. Ziba is fascinated with Fangs and he’s the reason she accepted the retreat invite. Martin floats over and joins the convo. He defends Andy’s wealth, saying he is doing good in the world. He also says the retreat feels like an audition. Neither of them know why Darby is there.
Ziba is practically drooling with jealousy when Martin mentions that Bill/Fangs and Darby had a thing years ago. Darby bids them goodnight and exits the pool after dunking her newly pink head. Glad this is a hot springs and not a chlorinated pool. Arriving to her room, she is caught off guard by Bill. She punches him in the gut then suggests they get a drink. He says no but offers a walk instead.
He tells her he thought her book was beautiful, especially the parts about her childhood. So now I have a better idea of the content of her book. We know from the book reading that the basement events come at the end and now we know she starts with her own childhood. He talks about how she grew up and the way it made her “really tough and really fragile at the same time.” He says he used to think what they did was “cheap” or maybe “salacious,” but that Darby just wanted to make sure “no one fell through the cracks.” He calls her book art. Awww.
She asks him why he’s there. The way he answers sounds like he’s saying Andy invited him. OMG, guys, their lanterns are adorable. I want like five of them. These two just fall back into their strange way of talking with such ease. She takes a beat and asks him, “Why are you really here?” He laughs to himself, remembering how it’s hard to get the truth past her.
He reveals that he came for Lee. Darby says he looks like he has a lot on his mind as they sit looking back at the hotel. He’s very vague. She asks him why he left. Bill admits that she scared him. He says he could never have been as brave as she needed him to be. Their conversations seem so…off, to me. She presses him and he starts to talk about her misconceptions of her own bravery but puts it off, saying they have a whole week.
They have a really sophomoric exchange where he says, “I thought that maybe you only really like women.” She counters, “Bill, all women really only like women. Just like all men really only like men. So they invented all the professional sports so they could be intimate with each other.” This is like Gender Studies 101, where you make sweeping statements but later learn that things are a bit more complex than you initially thought.
He asks her to come get warm with him. Booty call? When she says no, he says he needs to tell her something. She tries to joke but he responds that she scares him. Bill says she left him many times before he physically left and he thinks she doesn’t even know why or how or when. He says it was hard to be in love with someone like that. Ouch. Dude is so vague but I think we’ll get a clearer idea of what went down as the series progresses.
Then, he says he’s in room 11 if she changes her mind but he says it so dismissively. What the heck. And off he goes into the darkness, without that cute lantern. When Darby returns to her room again, she calls out to AI Ray and he asks if she’d like a hot bath. He has read her body stats on her ring. Hmmm. Clue, perhaps for something later?
She tries to joke with Ray saying the bath was cool but he is so literal and says it should be hot. She lights up a joint after her bath and noses around on her laptop. Darby looks up pics of Lee on the internet then searches for pics of Fangs and Lee together. The ones she finds seem recent, going by hairstyles. She is jealous and flops onto her back, slamming the laptop shut. She puts on her headphones and guess what song comes up. Yup, Annie Lennox. She smiles and then gets a bit sad but finally jumps and heads to room 11. Emma has such a great talent for showing emotions without speaking. Not every actor can do that!
As she nears the door, she runs smack into Marius who says, “Easy there.” Not her fault the hotel is circular and you can't really see around "corners." She knocks on the door and says, “Bill, it’s Darby.” He doesn’t answer. Subtitles say here that Bill clears his throat. She hears what she imagines to be Bill having sex with someone. But as she walks away, the sounds change in such a way that she now realizes he’s in trouble. She calls to him but only hears sounds of distress inside. I do not understand why she doesn’t go right at that moment to get help. Actually, there are several moments coming up in these final five minutes of the episode when she could have gone for help.
She runs outside the hotel to find his window. Note: why is his room situated where it is in relation to where her room is? Hers is 8 and his is 11. I want to see that hotel schematic!
As we see her coming around to his room window, we see what looks like flashing lights. (After watching the second episode, I have a theory about this!) She looks inside and there’s blood. Bill’s lamp is turned over. He slaps his bloody hand up to the window. As he lies on the floor, he tells her to stay with him. “You stay here,” he says specifically. He mutters something we can’t understand. She wants to go get help. He smiles and weakly tells her he needs her to stay. Then he appears to stop breathing. She runs off. We get the credits with the Annie Lennox song playing from what sounds like her headphones. Then silence for a bit. Episode 1 of A Murder at the End of the World has ended!
What did you think? I’ll recap the second episode soon then the others as they appear on Hulu. Any theories yet? What do you think about the acting, cinematography, location?