The expectation that things were always going to come to a head between the Garveys and the Murphys was there from the moment the former bought their house in Jarden. While that will inevitably come down to a confrontation between Kevin and John—likely when the source of the handprint on the car Evie disappeared in is revealed—for tonight, it came down to an amazing and tense standoff between their partners.
Nora finds herself back in her former role of interrogator, after pilfering a new questionnaire about departures from an investigator (the always welcome Joel Murray), there to suss out whether the three missing teens were departures or not. Erika has been avoiding the discussion up until that point, but on this night—she has reached her breaking point. At a fundraiser earlier in the evening, she lashed out at the community for holding on to these rituals (the slaying of a goat, a woman who keeps wearing the wedding dress she tried on), thinking that they are keeping the town safe. Now that Evie and the other girls are gone, the miraculous feeling about the town is no more, at least in Erika’s mind.
As the two women work through the questionnaire, Erika reveals how tightly she’s holding on to her religious faith. She tells the story of how her grandmother claimed that God anointed Jarden His most special place, that included a strange folk tale that involves burying a live bird in a box for three days. Apparently, if you make a wish, it will come true if the creature is somehow still alive, This is what Erika was up to in the first episode, with the little sparrow inside surviving. Because her wish was to make sure that her daughter was okay after she left her husband, she’s convinced it was her hand that caused Evie to vanish.
For as much as I questioned Matt’s decision to prostrate himself in front of the bohemian masses outside of Jarden, seeking enlightenment through suffering, it’s a move that illustrates how inflexible people can be as they move through life. Like almost all the main characters in the show, he has a belief system that is hardwired into his system and nothing is going to shift it. Not even the miraculous awakening of his wife. It instead became a proof in his mind of his already strong faith. So, too, is Erika now firm in her feelings about God’s hand in sparing the people of Jarden during The Departure. Anyone that questions it is going to face her wrath. In this case, it was a rock sent through her neighbors’ window.