Hear, I’m not going to defend all of Greer Garrison Winbury’s life decisions as a result of she might or might not have murdered the girl who we now know for certain was sleeping together with her husband and likewise what is that this wig she’s carrying, however I do empathize together with her as a result of goddamn is she surrounded by a bunch of incompetent males. Her three sons are weenies at greatest, psychopathic, drug-addicted douchebags at worst. Her husband has one job — to maintain his shit collectively for the sake of Greer’s profession — and he can’t appear to do it. No surprise she continually has a glance of disappointment on her face.

Take Thomas, who we spend extra time with in episode two. Thomas isn’t a sophisticated individual to determine. (Though, like all the characters on this ensemble, I do respect that he by no means feels stereotypical or one-note.) Thomas is a whole asshole. There’s not one individual, and I’m together with his spouse on this, who really likes him. His mom, perhaps, tolerates him? From the very starting, we perceive the way in which he works. Within the first episode, we watch Abby completely dominate him, demanding he discover the cash to purchase an residence on the Beresford — she even offers him a deadline. He goes instantly from that dialog to cruelly ripping into Benji; he’s searching for somebody to dominate. He’s looking for somebody he could make really feel small, the way in which he feels in his marriage. But it surely’s greater than simply his marriage. In that very same episode, we additionally noticed Tom ask his dad for that mortgage, and Tag replied by evaluating his son to a ship that [checks notes] “drop[s] to the underside like a fucking stone.” A really cool, very chill dad or mum/baby relationship.

Usually, Tom would simply proceed on doing what he does greatest — being a dick — however we get to see a unique shade of him in episode two after we discover him on the Sand Greenback Motel in mattress with Isabel. It’s extra than simply an affair to him, although; he’s in love together with her, he says. Isabel is unquestionably solely on this for the intercourse and medicines, to be clear. It’s not likely stunning provided that Isabel is a girl of the world and Tom is the kind of man who loses a ton of cash in crypto and whose concept of pillow discuss is whining about how nobody takes him critically. He isn’t mistaken — actually nobody takes him critically — however he additionally isn’t going to do something to vary that. Tom’s self-awareness solely goes to this point and more often than not it looks as if he simply can’t assist himself however be a whole asshat.

That model of Tom definitely attends the household assembly Greer calls to ensure everybody will get their story straight as to what occurred and put together all of them for the press launch her workforce is placing collectively by which, apparently, they’ve selected their very own to rule Merritt’s demise a suicide. They conveniently forgot to ask Amelia to this household chat, however she walks in on it and doesn’t hesitate to query the Winburys’ actions right here. It’s Tom who condescendingly explains to her that they should “management the narrative” and that is simply how they do issues right here — as if that dipshit has any say. Benji as soon as once more reveals how a lot he’s beneath Greer’s thumb when later he arrives at his grieving fiancée’s bedside and is mainly like there, there, my mother wants you to signal this NDA actual fast, thanks, bye. Greer is in command of every thing happening on this home, is what I’m saying.

So why is ol’ GGdubs scrambling to get the story she needs on the market? All of it has to do with Tag, in fact. Due to the flashback taking part in again and again in Amelia’s head by which she and Merritt have an enormous battle on the seaside about Tag, we all know for certain that Merritt and Tag had been having an affair. So, Tag has a vested curiosity in every thing happening — even when he didn’t do it, he should know he’d be high of the suspect checklist if the reality obtained out. It’s no surprise, then, that he pays a go to to Chief Carter and Detective Henry as they search Merritt’s bed room. He tries to cozy as much as them with espresso and casually floats a principle of unintentional drowning to see if there’s any traction to it, however it doesn’t assist his scenario in any respect. Henry has zero time for this wealthy man making an attempt to impede her investigation — she refuses to be pushed round or charmed by him. Watching Tag attempt to get all buddy-buddy with Carter solely to name his daughter Chloe by the mistaken title is a delight — for each me and Henry.

When Detective Henry calls out Chief Carter for going too straightforward on the locals, he explains that he merely is aware of the best way to deal with these individuals and he’s making an attempt to remain in command of this case. He doesn’t need them bringing in hotshot legal professionals to close issues down. “The minute [these people] really feel like they’re dropping management, they burn all of it down.” He is aware of what he’s doing. It’s sufficient to persuade Henry — it seems like the 2 cops are keen to turn out to be a workforce now. We discover them on the bar later making an attempt to piece collectively the occasions of the night. Due to some intel from Abby, they’re honing in on the truth that Merritt was one of many individuals in an after-party late-night crew; they want to determine who else was in that group.

With Tag going rogue and doing it so poorly, it appears proper that Greer would really feel the necessity to lock this shit down. However is her frustration together with her husband rooted in one thing deeper? What does Greer know at this level? It looks as if she is aware of lots since later, Tag appears to be mending fences by bringing out a tray with all of the fixings for a gin and tonic, and afterward, she tells him to scrub it up as a result of, in spite of everything, she’s “been cleansing up after [him] all day.” The girl is a well-known author, so I shouldn’t be that shocked that she will be able to fell a person with one sentence, however nonetheless. How slicing!

Truthfully, Greer’s proper to be frightened about her husband flying off the deal with or getting caught up in his feelings. Later that evening, a undoubtedly drunk Tag (he’s at all times drunk and/or excessive) calls Amelia into his workplace to speak about what an ideal lady she is and what an ideal lady Merritt was. He is aware of that Amelia is aware of the reality. When she sees this man getting teary-eyed, she can’t stand there any longer and let Merritt’s demise be swept beneath the most likely insanely costly Winbury rug. What does she do? She drives herself over to the police station to inform Henry and Carter what she is aware of.

And what she is aware of is that Merritt was pregnant with Tag’s child. So no matter was happening between Merritt and Tag was intense and the final time Amelia noticed Merritt, her greatest good friend was working up the seaside, sobbing.

The information of Merritt and Tag’s affair would possibly shock Carter and Henry, however you recognize who received’t be shocked in any respect to listen to about it? Greer. It seems that Greer clocked that gold bracelet on Merritt’s wrist the second Merritt obtained out of the cab the day she arrived. She’s identified the entire time. And in the previous few seconds of this episode, we watch Greer alone in her kitchen, sipping on some tea, remembering the way in which she screamed at her husband, “What the fuck, Tag?!” So, uh, sure, one would possibly say Greer undoubtedly has a motive.

• Abby is performing suspicious as hell: On the high of the episode, she vigorously washes a glass sitting within the sink and appears jumpy when Detective Henry approaches her within the kitchen. Later, Tom finds her packing up their issues, claiming “Danielle at Sally Hershberger had a last-minute opening,” and he or she actually wants some “me time.” I don’t doubt that Abby would discover a method to make Merritt’s demise about her or that she would suppose a hair appointment is extra vital than being together with her household at the moment, however there’s no approach she didn’t know the police weren’t going to allow them to go away.

• Abby stays absolutely the worst (by which I imply greatest, clearly). From repeatedly denigrating Tom’s school girlfriend to mainly demanding their unborn baby be a lady, and sure, for certain, gleefully ransacking Benji and Amelia’s wedding ceremony presents with zero hesitation. Even the way in which she calls Merritt “such a cool lady” sounds scathing.

• Shooter Dival has shot up on the suspect checklist. (Though it’s so early within the season, I doubt it may very well be him.) Like Abby, he will get somewhat jumpy after seeing all of the police round Summerland and so he grabs his passport and tries to take the ferry off Nantucket — Carter and Henry seize him earlier than he can. They need to query him as a result of his prints had been discovered on her telephone, however we noticed him take that picture of Merritt and Will in episode one, so it may very well be nothing.

• Gosia doesn’t belief Shooter as a result of “he makes his mattress, like a poor individual.”

• One other piece of proof that washes up on shore: A person’s go well with jacket. That, paired with the bruising on her wrists and the gash on her foot along with her drowning makes it seem like Merritt wasn’t alone on the market — this was greater than seemingly a homicide.

• Greer ignores one other name from Broderick Graham — who is that this man?

• An ideal character second: Greer rolling calls in regards to the canceled wedding ceremony. Yeah, she appears to be like actually torn up about what’s happening as she apathetically reapplies her lip gloss and will get aggravated that she has to discipline a name from Oprah Winfrey.

• “Frankly, I’d fairly be spending the weekend with my youngsters, which is saying lots as a result of now we have passes to Water Wizz, which, because it seems, is a really correct title.” Donna Lynne Champlin is so good on this position.