Series / Mare of Easttown

"I know what you've been through… and I know you're worth saving."

— Chief Carter to Marianne "Mare" Sheehan

Mare of Easttown is a 2021 HBO Police Procedural Mini Series that centers on a Pennsylvania detective trying to solve a murder.

Marianne "Mare" Sheehan (Kate Winslet) is a detective who lives in a small town in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, who investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

After answering a call about a neighborhood prowler, Mare shoulders her chief's directive to revive an unsolved missing person's case with county detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters) amid increased community pressure. Then a body is discovered, and the pair is moved to a new case.

Living with her mother Helen (Jean Smart), daughter Siobhan (Angourie Rice) and grandson Drew, Mare feels exasperated and hopeless with the expectation that's been placed upon her by the town following her high school championship game 25 years earlier. Annoyed about her ex-husband Frank's (David Denman) recent engagement, Mare forms a connection with an out-of-town professor named Richard (Guy Pearce).

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Tropes:

• Accidental Murder: The ultimate reveal about Erin's death. Ryan Ross confronted her on that fateful night with a gun, but only intended to scare her away from his father, John. Due to a combination of Ryan's inexperience with handling a firearm, and him and Erin getting into a struggle over the gun, he ended up accidentally shooting and killing her.
• Accidental Pun: Colin farewells Mare.
  Colin: Have a good night, Mare! (as soon as Mare is out of earshot) ..."Good night, Mare"? Why don't you have a good "nightmare."
• Actor Allusion: Guy Pearce's character drives off in the same model Jaguar convertible that his character drove in Memento.
• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • Mare tries to stifle her laughter upon seeing the vandalized image of Mrs. Carroll.
  • The reveal of Helen having an affair with Mr. Carroll reduces Mare to whipping back tears from laughter.
• Afraid of Blood: Officer Ronald Trammel. Lampshaded by Mare:
  Mare: Think maybe you should have thought of that before becoming a cop?
• Agony of the Feet: Mare injures her ankle, causing her to limp around for several episodes.
• All for Nothing: Believing that Erin is trying to steal back Dylan, Brianna stages an elaborate cat-fishing prank that lures Erin out into the woods by herself so Brianna can beat her up while her friends record it on their phones. After Erin's body is found, this incident naturally leads to Brianna being suspected of her murder, and even when she's cleared, she still faces legal consequences for assault. This stain on her record costs her a college scholarship, and Dylan ends up breaking up with her anyway.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Dylan to Brianna. Although you could argue that Brianna is just as bad as Dylan. Also extends with Erin and Dylan.
• Alone with the Psycho: Zabel and Mare at Mr. Potts' place. The girls in the basement blow his cover, after which a shootout ensues that leaves Mare unarmed with the psycho on her tail.
• An Aesop:
  • Forgiveness and mercy, especially to yourself, are needed and are necessary to move forward.
  • A mother's love and hard work is truly invaluable.
• Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: Zabel says this, after regretting not getting what Mare had for dinner.
  Zabel: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
  Mare: What?
  Zabel: It's just a bite. I was gonna... I was gonna try a bite.
  Mare: No. No. No, Zabel. About the case.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Zabel delivers one to Mare at dinner.
  Mare: I'm trying to help you out here.
  Zabel: Help me... or help yourself?
  • Zabel's mom gives Mare one:
  Zabel's Mom: How dare you come to my house? Who the hell do you think you are? Huh?!
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
  • For all their bickering to each other, it's clear that Helen, Mare and Siobhan truly love each other.
  Helen: I'm always on your side, even when it seems like I'm not.
  • Mare and Carrie share an understanding of each other in the final episode.
• Badass Boast: Mare gives one to Dylan when interrogating him about Erin:
  Mare: I'm gonna start digging through your life and I'm gonna find out everything. Everything. And if you're lying to me, it's gonna be very bad for you.
• Bait-and-Switch: When officer Trammel opens the door of the fatal single-car crash, a purse drops to the pavement and spills a handgun. We just saw Dawn Bailey with a gun in her purse, suggesting that she killed herself over failing to recover her missing daughter. In reality, the collision casualty is Betty Carrol.
• Be as Unhelpful as Possible: Erin was with several people that fateful night but all of them deny any involvement until evidence forces them to confess.
• Beauty Inversion: The exquisitely stunning Kate Winslet thoroughly changed her whole self to portray a unkempt, messy-haired, brazen detective.
• Berserker Tears: Kenny breaks down in a rage and starts to fight his cousin, before collapsing into tears, after hearing about his daughter's death.
• Best Friends-in-Law: Mare's family is very close with Frank and Faye, much to the chagrin of Mare.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family:
  • With almost everyone in Easttown related to each other, this is quite common.
  • Later, with the reveal of D.J being Erin and John's kid, and being adopted by Lori, this gets compounded significantly.
• Big Secret: Mark doesn't come forward regarding Erin's visit that night because of his history of molestation which he feared would make him the prime suspect in her murder case.
• Bittersweet Ending: The actual murderer of Erin is found in 13-year-old Ryan Ross, who's going to juvenile hall for a long time for his accidental shooting of Erin (whom he only intended to scare off). Ryan's father John will likely go to prison for his sexual relationship with the teenaged Erin, and John's brother Billy will spend some time in jail for his cover-up of Erin's murder. In the process of all this, Lori breaks down due to the loss of much of her family and breaks off her friendship with Mare for several months. And then there's Kenny, who lost a daughter and will probably do a bid for shooting Dylan. But on the bright side, Katie is reunited with Dawn and Mare's heroics stop a child kidnapper; unfortunately Colin loses his life in the process. In the end, Siobhan goes off to college, Deacon Mark is reinstated, Drew stays in Mare's custody while Carrie goes off to rehab, Lori reconciles with Mare, and Mare finally goes up to the attic where Kevin died - indicating that she has started to move on from his death.
• Blood from the Mouth: Erin and Dawn get this after being attacked.
• Blunt "Yes":
  Colin: Are you friends with these people?
  Mare: Yep.
• Book Ends: The pilot begins and ends with Mare receiving a phone call. Also, the pilot and final revolve around the Carroll's house.
• Broken-Window Warning: Tony throws a milk container through Mare's window, to warm her against interrogating Brianna about Erin.
• Bunker Woman: Mr. Potts' latest victim is thrown into a room with a mattress. Soon after she discovers she is Not the First Victim when she sees Katie Bailey hiding in the corner of the room.
• Burner Phones: The police weren't able to track the calls between Erin and John that night because they used burner phones.
• Calling the Young Man Out: Mare calls out Kevin and Siobhan, and Helen calls out Mare.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Frank takes a while to tell Mare about his engagement to Faye, causing Helen to inform Mare.
• Captain Obvious:
  Chief: Frank Sheehan isn't that baby's father. Neither is Dylan Hinchey.
  Zabel: Well, somebody is.
  Detective Hauser: No shit, kid.
• Catchphrase:
  • Chief says "Don't do it, Mare" almost once an episode.
  • Helen: "smacked ass".
• Catfishing: Brianna created a fake online profile in order to trick Erin.
• Cathartic Crying: Lori in Mare's arms in the final scene.
• Caught on Tape: Ryan is caught on the Carroll's security tape taking and returning Mr. Carroll's gun from the shed.
• Character Development: Mare becomes more understanding of Carrie, Helen, Frank, Faye and Siobhan. The ending shows her climbing up into the attic, where she had not gone to since Kevin's suicide.
• Character Tic: Kevin and Drew both shared rapid blinking tic, worrying their family that what happened to Kevin could plague Drew too.
• Chekhov's Gun: Early in the series, Mare is called to the Carroll home to a possible burglary. She finds a video recorded by the family's security system that shows a teenager breaking into the shed in the backyard. Mare erases the video, dismissing it as a prank. The finale reveals that the teenager was Ryan Ross, who was breaking into the shed to return Glen Carroll's gun.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Refreshingly averted. Richard seems this. He picks up Mare at a bar and they have a one-night stand. Throughout their relationship, Mare reveals a lot of her personal history to him, leading many viewers to be suspicious of him. Being portrayed by Guy Pearce, who frequently plays the bad guy, didn't help.
• Christianity is Catholic: Basically everyone in Easttown seems to be Catholic; nearly all the characters are seen in the scenes with Deacon Mark's sermons. This is more or less Truth in Television for White working-class Delco, and also makes sense in-universe given the prevalence of Irish^note Sheehan, Fahey, McMenamin and (to a lesser extent) Italian^note Most prominently Delrasso and Highland Scottish^note Ross surnames among the characters.
• Cliffhanger: The penultimate episode ends just as Mare is about to confront Erin's killer, with the implication she's going to take the matter into her own hands.
• Close-Knit Community: Everyone in Easttown knows everyone else—even if they aren't related (and they often are). This is much to the detriment of its residents.
• Close to Home: Mare's investigations into the cases bring up unresolved trauma of her son.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Mare and Helen frequently use this during their arguments.
• Comically Missing the Point: After Mrs. Carroll finds her backyard vandalized, featuring a graffiti image of her, Mr. Carroll offers this comfort:
  "I don't know what the big deal is. They don't even look like yours."
• Commonality Connection: Mare and Richard both suffer from peaking too early in life, and suffer to reconcile their current selves in the face of people's expectations.
• Convenient Photograph: Erin took a photograph of herself and John in bed which she kept in her diary. It eventually proves John guilty of having a sexual relationship with a teenager.
• Cry into Chest: After bottling up her grief of Zabel's death, Mare cries into Helen's arms.
  • Mare has this occur to her twice: with Siobhan and Lori.
• Cut Himself Shaving:
  • When asked by Da Chief about the bruises on his face, Mark tells him he fell (while he actually took a beating by some youngsters).
  • Dawn blames her injuries on an accident caused by chemotherapy dizziness.
• Daddy DNA Test: Jess knows from Erin that Dylan may not be the father of DJ, and that it may be Frank's. It's actually John's.
• Damned by Faint Praise: Helen to Mare, after she says that she feels like a fool.
  Helen: You're a lot of things I don't like, but you're not a fool.
• Danger Takes a Backseat: Kenny waits for Dylan in the back of his SUV. He then forces Dylan at gunpoint to drive out in the woods where he plans to kill him.
• Death by Origin Story: Kevin's suicide is a formative influence on Mare and her family.
• Death Notification: When Mare comes to notify Kenny about Erin.
• Destroy the Evidence: Mark tries to get rid of Erin's bike by throwing it from a bridge into a river. However, it gets discovered there soon after.
• Dies Wide Open: The final shot of the first episode is a close-up of Erin's face, with vacant eyes.
• Discreet Dining Disposal: After tasting duck liver paté, Mare spits it into a napkin and buries it in the couch.
• Disposable Sex Worker: Mr. Potts is in the habit of capturing young prostitutes for his own demented purposess.
• Disposing of a Body: As finally revealed, Billy took Erin's body and drove her from the park out to Sharp's Woods to dump her close to where she was seen having a fight earlier that night.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: Although John Ross is arrested for and confesses to Erin's murder early in the final episode, he didn't kill her. He did have a sexual relationship with her and is DJ's real father, but Erin's killing was really an Accidental Murder by the Ross' teenage son Ryan, and John tried to take the blame to protect him.
• Drink-Based Characterization: For most of the town it’s usually Philly-area favorite Yuengling, but Mare stands out as a fan of Rolling Rock (which is also from PA, but from a tiny town outside Pittsburgh rather than a tiny town outside Philadelphia). It serves to emphasize Mare's alienation and sometimes hostile relationship with her neighbors.
• Drop Dead Gorgeous: Erin is dumped in the river wearing only a pair of red panties, causing the detectives to consider whether the crime was sexual in nature.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Mare and Colin hit the bar to escape their tormented lives.
• Dysfunction Junction: Easttown is filled with tragic characters. It's a rare realistic case, as rural towns surrounded by drug issues will have a magnitude of tragedy.
• Epiphany Therapy: Through therapy, Mare is able to process her layers of grief.
• Everyone Is a Suspect: Erin had a lot of awful people around her. Easttown is filled with major shady people:
  • The Katie Bailey disappearance and the Erin McMenamin murder look as though they might be connected as both cases happened to teen girls and happened only a year apart. Episode 5 reveals that it was a completely different man altogether.
  • Both Brianna Del Rasso for assaulting Erin prior to her death and Dylan Hinchey for threatening Jess and being discovered missing the night of the murder by Brianna and, much later, burning Erin's journals, which break the case wide open. While both are terrible people, neither had anything to do with Erin's murder.
  • Frank Sheehan. Jess tells Lori that she believes that he was the actual father of Erin's son DJ. He isn't, nor did he have a sexual relationship with Erin.
  • Deacon Mark Burton, who was accused of sexual misconduct with a teenaged girl at his prior parish and had thrown Erin's bike into the river. No, he just gave Erin a ride to Brandywine Park and when she didn't come back, he discarded the bike to avoid being connected.
  • Billy Ross, who mentions that Erin briefly lived with him (around the same time DJ would've been conceived) when she was having problems with her dad. Episode 6 ends with him confessing to her murder. However, the following episode reveals he lied to protect the following red herring...
  • ...his brother John Ross, who is revealed to have had a sexual relationship with the teenaged Erin and is the actual father of DJ, and left Frank and Faye's engagement party the night of Erin's murder. But halfway through the finale, it turns out he didn't kill Erin either.
• Everyone Is Related: Every resident in Easttown is either related to one another or knows each other.
  Colin: Is there anybody you're not related to?
  Mare: No.
• Everytown, America: Though there is a real Easttown in Pennsylvania, creator Brad Ingelsby wanted the fictitious Easttown to be "an amalgam of some of the towns in the area."
• Expository Hairstyle Change: It becomes obvious that one scene is a flashback when we see that much more of Mare's hair is dyed blonde, while in the present her brown roots are pretty conspicuous.
• Fanservice: Mare and Richard have a one-night stand, which features some shots of the two of them half-naked. Though this is pretty much guaranteed with Kate Winslet and Guy Pearce.
• Fiery Cover-Up: Dylan and his friends burning Erin's diaries.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Mare's comment: "You'll be surprised what people do and don't confess to."
  • Betty Carroll says to her husband in the first episode: "The whole case would've been solved if you had been able to figure out how to set up the security camera."
• Frame-Up: John pressures his brother Billy into taking the fall for Ryan, and eventually outright to tries to pull Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit on him, though in the end he cannot work up the nerve to actually go through with it.
• From Bad to Worse: Jess's suggestion that Dylan isn't DJ's real father prompts a DNA test, which ultimately proves that John is DJ's father.
  • Mr. Carroll reporting to Mare of his missing items leads to Mare figuring out that Ryan committed the crime, causing Lori's family to be torn up.
• Funny Background Event: In "Fathers," when a restaurant owner asks if Mare and Colin are after a table for two, Colin's face lights up. When Mare says no, his face promptly falls.
• Gloomy Gray: Due to the dark material and the cold winters, the landscape is filled with a grey palette.
• Glory Days: Mare is constantly in the shadows of her glory 25 years ago and finds it impossible to live up to people's expectations of her.
• Gun Struggle:
  • A flashback shows Ryan and Erin fighting over the handgun which eventually leads to her death by Accidental Murder.
  • John and Billy fight over a gun by the river. Luckily Mare arrives to overpower John and save the day for Billy.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Kenny and Tony both show aggression when they become easily angered.
• Hallucinations: When Mare is lying in bed with her grandson, Drew, she has a vision of her late son, Kevin.
• Handshake Refusal: Colin first greets Mare with a handshake. She ignores it.
• Happily Married: Frank and Faye in the end. Lori and John, at least, initially.
• Hated Hometown: Easttown isn't well-liked by anyone there, much less Mare.
• Hate Sink: Dylan, the father of Erin's son and his new girlfriend Brianna are a solid one-two of repulsive human beings. Dylan regularly berates Erin over matters regarding their son and Brianna is a psycho who catfishes and beats Erin for "texting her man" while Dylan watches and their friends film it. This ultimately leads to the poor girl being brutally murdered after she runs off alone
• Headphones Equal Isolation: Siobhan's Disposable Love Interest lies in the basement on a couch with her headphones on, not noticing Siobhan and her new lover entering. Soon after she hears some sounds and gets up to see the two making out on a table. Cue The Scream.
• Hereditary Suicide: Mare's father Ate His Gun when she was a teenager and her son Kevin hanged himself in the attic. Given her own problems with depression, she worries that her grandson Drew's tics (similar to his father's) are a sign of similar issues to come.
• Hypocritical Humor: After Mare and Helen scream "fuck you" at each other, Siobhan, a scene later, says the same to Mare. Mare responds with "Don't talk to me that way!"
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: During his confession, Ryan affirms that he never meant to kill Erin.
• In the Back: Kenny lets Dylan run and then shoots him in the back.
• It Runs in the Family: Teen pregnancy, with Mare then Kevin.
  • Snarking is also a common trait, as evident with Helen, Mare and Siobhan.
• Joggers Find Death: Da Chief tells Mare that a jogger found Erin's body in the woods.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Brianna and her friends kick Erin while she is lying on the ground.
• Kissing Cousins: Well, sorta. One of bigger reveals is that Erin had a sexual relationship with John, her father's cousin, i.e. her first cousin once removed..
• Knight Templar Parent: A theme heavily explored in the series. Each parent's love is so strong that they're willing to do unspeakable things to protect their child.
  • Mare is so fiercely protective of Drew and ensuring that he receives the best possible care that she plants drugs on Carrie to ensure that she can never get custody of Drew.
  • Dawn is so desperate to see her daughter Katie after her disappearance that she follows a call to an abandoned house. Even after suspecting that it's a scam, she ignores her gut and ventures toward it.
  • John and Lori are willing to let John's brother take the fall for their son.
• Leaning on the Furniture: Mare does a variation of this pose when she stuffs food into a chair. Helen also does this when she is first introduced to Richard.
• Literary Allusion Title:
  • "Enter Number Two" is a song lyric, which refers to the female getting a second love interest.
  • "Sore Must Be The Storm" is a reference to an Emily Dickinson poem.
• Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: After it's revealed that Dylan was not the baby's father, a couple of potential fathers emerge throughout the investigation.
• Media Scrum: A crazy crowd of reporters await Mare in front of her house after her heroic rescue of Katie Bailey made the news.
• Misplaced Retribution: Kenny attempts to kill Dylan because he thinks he is Erin's murderer. Luckily, the innocent boy survives.
• Montage Out: The second to last scene of the first episode shows the whereabouts of every major character.
• Mood Whiplash: Done intentionally. Needing lightness to break up the seriousness of the situation, bits of comedy were sprinkled in.
• Must Have Caffeine: Wawa coffee is frequently drunk by the characters.
• Officer O'Hara: Of the "of Irish descent" variety: Mare (Sheehan, née Fahey) and her father both count, as does Mr. Carroll (retired from the Ridley Township Police).
• Oh, Crap!: Brianna's face when Mare arrests her.
• Older and Wiser: Mare chalks up her changed view of Carrie on this.
  Mare: We have to give her a chance to be his mother.
  Frank: Since when did you get so philosophical about all this?
  Mare: I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting old.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Everyone in the community knows of Kevin's suicide, and frequently some will blame Mare for it.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Mare, Frank and Helen outlive Kevin, as the latter committed suicide. Kenny McMenamin outlives his only daughter Erin. Judy Zabel outlives Colin.
• Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: Lori overhears John and Ryan talk about a secret they have to keep, which makes her believe it's about another case of adultery John committed.
• The Peeping Tom: Mrs. Carroll calls Mare about a peeping tom at their place that looked into their house as their grandaughter was showering.
• Perpetual Poverty: Easttown is a small town in an opioid district, so this is inevitable.
• Perp Walk: John in his orange jumpsuit walking up the stairs to the courtroom with a crowd of reporters swarming around him.
• Plot-Triggering Death: More like anniversary of disappearance. Katie's one-year anniversary of her disappearance triggers Colin's entrance to the department. When Erin's body is discovered at the end of the first episode, it kickstarts the idea of a serial killer.
• Police Procedural: Presents a realistic portrayal of policing in a rural, drug-affected town.
• Post-Victory Collapse: After Mare successfully kills Mr. Potts, she breathes heavily, with the shot ending on her closing her eyes.
• Precision F-Strike: When Becca is asked to describe Brianna:
  Becca: Total fucking bitch. (covers her mouth) Sorry um...She's like a... like a really... like... bad person.
• Previously on…: Each episode starts with a recap of the previous episode.
• Product Placement: Whenever Mare is drinking, it's a bottle of Rolling Rock. When Richard buys her a gift basket, he says it includes "Rolling Rock, of course!"
• Pseudo-Crisis: Episode 2 ends with a shocking scene of Kenny apparently shooting Dylan from behind. Early in the next episode, it's revealed that Dylan survived with no lasting damage.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mare delivers a pretty epic one to Brianna, detailing the injuries she inflicted on Erin:
  Mare: So, we saw the video, Brianna. The fight in the woods. You remember that, right? Oh, look. That's you. Yeah, you smash her in the face, then... there's a part coming up where she's lying on the ground and you kick her in the head. I think she's concussed. Right, detective? I mean, I'll have the medical examiner confirm it, but if that's the case, I'll recommend aggravated assault.
  Brianna: Lawyer.
  Mare: A felony of the first degree.
  Brianna: Lawyer.
  Mare: So you could spend between two and ten years in prison.
  Brianna: Lawyer. Lawyer.
  Colin: Hey, okay. All right.
  Brianna: Lawyer, lawyer, lawyer. I said I want a fucking lawyer! Are you deaf?
  Mare: It'll go on your permanent record, so...
  Colin: Hey, Sarge. Sarge!
  Mare: ...anytime you apply for a job...
• Red Herring:
  • For a moment, it looks like Frank had an affair with Erin and might have killed her to cover it up, but all he did was buy some baby supplies for her and lie about it. He was not involved in her death in any way.
  • Dylan lies about what he did on the night of Erin's death, burns her diaries, and brandishes a gun, but he was just trying to protect his custody of his son. He wasn't involved in Erin's death.
  • The deacon was accused of molesting a minor, had Erin's bike in his trunk, and was with Erin on the night of her death, but he was ultimately not responsible for Erin's death or the cover-up.
  • Subverted by John telling Ryan that they will keep a secret, a classic tactic of child molesters. Later, when John mentions adopting DJ, a reaction shot shows Ryan looking alarmed, further selling the idea that John is a child molester. Then Ryan admits that the secret is that John is having an affair, making this plot point seem like a red herring. But that's actually a lie. The secret was that Ryan is the killer, and John is covering it up.
• Rewatch Bonus: It looks as though Ryan Ross is troubled at his father's recently restarted affair with Sandra Elliott. Or at least this is what his mother Lori believes. In reality, Ryan is troubled over his murder of Erin McMenamin, which makes rewatching these scenes a clue to the overall mystery.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Mare ignores proper police protocol and arrests Brianna in front of everyone at the restaurant where she works.
  Colin: Should we maybe do this outside, or away from the staff and the guests watching?
  Mare: She beat the shit out of Erin in a forest full of kids. Let 'em watch.
• Sex Slave: Katie, Missy and Hillary were kidnapped to be this for Mr Potts.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Whenever Mare puts on make-up. The transformation is so insane that when Colin sees Mare, his breath is taken away.
  Colin: Holy shit!
• Show, Don't Tell: No one actually says that Dawn Bailey has cancer, but she wears a headscarf through most of the series, has an unhealthy pallor, and mentions the effects of chemotherapy. In the final episode, eight months later, she no longer has the headscarf and has a healthy complexion, showing that she's gone into remission.
• Small Role, Big Impact: If the prostitute they met with in episode 5 hadn't given them the information she did, Katie Bailey's case would probably still be unsolved.
• Spit Take:
  Mr. Carroll I had an affair... with Helen Fahey.
  (Mare and Helen choke on their food)
• Stock "Yuck!": Dawn's granddaughter doesn't like broccoli.
• Stunned Silence: After Brianna has mentioned Kevin to Mare, Mare is so shocked and blindsided that her whole demeanor changes, and her brutal interrogation is replaced by silence. Colin is so stunned that he gets in another police officer to come in.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: Colin getting shot in the head by Mr. Potts is quite unexpected.
• Teen Pregnancy: Apparently a recurring issue in the area. Besides Erin, there is also Mare, Kevin with Carrie as well as the disappeared Katie Bailey.
• Teens Are Monsters: Brianna physically assaults Erin for sending a text to Dylan reminiscing about their prior relationship (out of boredom), while Dylan does nothing to stop the attack. Later, Dylan threatens Jess with a gun and forces her to burn Erin's journals.
• That One Case: Mare believes that the case of Katie is a simple drug overdose. Then Erin dies, leading people to speculate that it's the work of a serial killer.
• Thicker Than Water: Time and again characters try to protect their loved ones from harm even if it means putting themselves in the front line.
• This Is the Part Where...: Zabel when it dawns on him that Mare had ulterior motives when agreeing to go out on a date with him:
  "You know what my mom said to me when I was leaving tonight to pick you up? She said, 'Mare's only going out with you 'cause she wants to stay close to the case.'" — Beat — "This is the part where you tell me she was wrong."
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Carrie not giving a damn about Drew's tics.
  • In that same conversation, Carrie brings up how much Kevin hated Mare.
• Trash Talk: Brianna delivers some seriously cruel taunts to Erin.
• Trauma Button: Mare when Brianna mentions Kevin's suicide.
• Trauma Conga Line: Mare has to deal with her son committing suicide, her husband divorcing her and quickly getting engaged, figuring out what happened to Katie Bailey, dealing with the public backlash from her inability to solve the case, then Erin McMenamin's body is discovered. Then, she solves Katie's disappearance but her partner/friend is shot and Mare is nearly killed in the process. She finds her friend's brother dead from an overdose. Then, she witnesses her best friend's husband, who got Erin pregnant, almost kill his own brother. And after that she figures out that John didn't kill Erin but his 13-year-old son did. She arrests the boy, infuriating her best friend.
• Turn in Your Badge: Da Chief demands Mare's gun and badge after her failed coup with the drug planting.
• Ungrateful Townsfolk: Almost all of the town has turned their back on Mare after she hasn't solved Katie's disappearance.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When a milk carton is thrown through Mare's window, she dusts off the glass from herself and goes back to eating her hoagie.
• Vorpal Pillow: Subverted. After learning that he wasn't the father of Erin's boy, Dylan picks up a pillow at the hospital and walks over to the baby in his playpen but ultimately can't bring himself to go through with the murder.
• We Named the Monkey "Jack": Drew names his pet turtle Kevin after his father and Mare's son.
• Wham Line: Brianna to Mare: "No wonder your son fucking killed himself!!"
  • In Episode 2, "I think it's Frank Sheehan's.
  • "Dylan Hinchey's alive."
  • "I'm not afraid of the tests, just like I'm not afraid to talk about our son!
  • Colin asks Deacon Mark about his transfer to St Michaael's: "More specifically about the sexual misconduct complaint filed against you at your previous parish by, uh, the parents of a 14-year-old girl."
  • "It's been three days since we last saw Missy."
  • "Who are you?" — "I'm Katie. Katie Bailey."
  • "Okay, what kind of gun is it?" "A Colt Detective Special."
  • "Who cuts the lawn?" "Ryan Ross."
• Wham Shot:
  • The shot of Erin dead and naked, lying in a river.
  • Kenny shooting Dylan, leaving him for dead.
  • Mare taking two packets of heroin from the evidence closet.
  • Deacon Mark tossing Erin's bike over the bridge.
  • Erin's profile on a prostitution website.
  • Erin pictured in bed with a sleeping John Ross.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Zabel calls out Mare when she confides in him about planting drugs on Carrie.

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