Alice and Danny seek a connection between the two suspicious overdoses. Meanwhile, Catherine toys with her latest victim and forms an unexpected bond with a new friend.
Do people really want to know the truth? They aren't innocent if they decline. They are simply choosing to remain oblivious. They don't want to know. It's better for them that way. Then, they don't have to confront what the truth actually is. Of course, the truth isn't immediately freeing. It creates a burden all its own. That can require action. How people respond only amplifies how supportive and trustworthy they actually are. Danny believed Alice immediately when she told him Marshall was abusing her. He never knew the details. He would like to believe he was respecting her privacy. She would tell him when she was ready. He took action though. He reported Marshall. He did more to potentially hold Marshall accountable than Alice did. She left. She decided to embark on a new career with the FBI. She suddenly felt betrayed by everything she always knew. Her entire life was surrounded by cops. They informed her mentality and how she carries herself. Nora doesn't trust Alice. She's not acting like an FBI agent. She's still wired to work homicide investigations. She has yet to prove herself. Alice hates that a case doesn't become a case until she can prove it's something more. She has to go out of her way to convince others she is worth listening to.
Alice isn't the one to disclose the extent of the abuse to Danny. Her sister does that. Marshall hurt her so badly that she's terrified of taking showers. At first, it's something Danny teases her about. Her smell is noticeable. It's not professional especially when they go to interview the victim's family. She pushes and expects Danny to be her backup. They aren't in sync. He sees her differently upon learning what actually happened with Marshall. He doesn't even have to tell her that he knows. Instead, he simply has to be there for her. A shower is the goal. That's all they need to focus on right now. That allows them to be level-headed the next morning. Only then do they connect the bodega security footage to Caleb's missing car. That's enough to convince Nora that they are on the right track. It remains a chaotic mess. One that could implode at any time. That's not stopping Catherine from killing her next victim. She's already hard at work manipulating people to get exactly what she wants. Even when she encounters a complication in the arrival of Oliver's daughter, she isn't deterred. She seeks revenge against those who abused her when she was young. Nothing they have done since then can atone for that violence. None of them have really changed either despite their pleas.
Catherine developed a coping mechanism to endure the abuse she suffered. Men paid to have sex with her while she was a child. She was locked up in a room. She endured horrifying conditions. She doesn't connect with the luxuries Mira has at the same age. Yet she still sees the signs of Oliver sexualizing children. He won't let his daughter cut her hair because it would be unattractive. Catherine listens to Mira talk about debate. In doing so, Catherine believes there's a right answer to the questions posed. That's not the point. Similarly, Catherine can't just cut Mira's hair to provide her with a pleasure upon learning her father is dead. He's afraid Catherine will kill her too. Her vendetta isn't against her. It remains centered around the pain she carries. At times, the narrative is direct about what happened. Other times, it's an aloof mystery. Catherine asks Mira if she wants to know what her father did. She does. That's not revealed to the audience. It doesn't necessarily have to be either. It's all communicated through prior conversation. Mira was never going to escape this violence. That was true the moment she appeared. That may provide Alice with a witness who spent meaningful time with Catherine. That may not provide much clarity either. That's the weight of the truth. It requires the ability to listen and understand. That doesn't mean every subsequent action is inherently right.
