Coroner Review: Monster in the House (Season 2 Episode 7)

The title of Coroner Season 2 Episode 7, “Monster in the House,” refers to Kelly. But there are a few minutes throughout the episode where this could be referring to others, most notably Jenny and Liam for separate reasons.  

I really wish we understood the connection that Jenny mentions in her therapy session between meeting Kelly and her sleepwalking getting better. 

Perhaps it’s her sixth sense. Jenny’s body might be warning her that she’s let someone dangerous into her life.

Then again, we can remember the comment that Kelly makes to Jenny on Coroner Season 2 Episode 6, “The Flipside,” about needing a goodnight’s sleep to cure the sleepwalking. 

Kelly hasn’t worked for Jenny the entire time she’s been sleepwalking. So, I doubt Kelly is intentionally causing the episodes by tampering with medication or something similar. But there is a piece missing from this puzzle that we don’t have yet. 

Even though it’s probably true that Jenny isn’t the person who gives her father the incorrect medicine while sleepwalking, we believe for a split second she could be. 

As evidence mounts against Kelly, it’s still hard to rule out Jenny completely.

The most important answer Jenny has right now is that Kelly’s evil. And next, of course, her hunch that the caretaker has been putting Jenny’s medication into Gordon’s smoothies. 

Frankly, she’s damn lucky. We’ve just recently realized that the fire cases, particularly baby Robbie’s, aren’t closed. 

We understand Coroner is a manufactured drama, but Jenny is a smart woman. I need to reiterate that in reality, if not common sense, something else would prevent a coroner from hiring a victim in an open case privately.

At least, I really hope a law exists somewhere.

Still, this conundrum is working better than the serial killer issue on Coroner Season 1, because whether we ever liked Kelly or not, we have a stronger connection to her. Therefore, the stakes automatically have more depth. 

I suppose it’s all right to suspend disbelief about the origin of their relationship and move on. We have no choice. 

I’m now also very suspicious of Noor, although she could very well just be another one of Kelly’s manipulated victims. But the fact that the two women appear to be conspiring together raises the stakes even higher. 

There’s also the added twist that Donovan now has the responsibility of chasing down a woman who has hurt him, apparently. (For the record, it suddenly seems ethically questionable that those two have been getting close.) 

We have so many questions that may not even be answered on the season finale about Kelly, Noor, and the fire. But there is no use going around in circles about them right now. 

We need to talk about Liam. It’s been clear throughout all of Season 2 (and perhaps longer) that he has unresolved anger issues and trauma that he’s been trying to avoid.

Still, my jaw falls wide open when Liam coaxes Mal out of his wheelchair and begins to beat the crap out of him. It’s not necessarily that I feel bad for Mal. The men were having a very intense conversation before the fight began. Liam cannot help his rage. 

The conversation and fight that follows is just a wonderful example of the complex issues veterans face, whether it’s because of seeing trauma in combat, the injuries they face, or the uphill battle they face to rebuild their lives when they come back home. 

So, I don’t think Liam is a horrible person for beating up his best friend. He’s avoided Mal until now for a reason.

At the very least, he’s told Jenny the truth about where he’s been spending his time and his newfound dependency on alcohol. But his timing definitely sucks. 

We have no idea what challenges lay ahead for Jenny. We’re just hoping that both she and Liam see the value in their relationship that we do.

They have an uphill climb. But if they’d just communicate better they could be one of the strongest couples we’ve ever seen on TV. 

Communication is a gripe that fans have with many TV couples. But there is no doubt in my mind that Jenny and Liam would not have a difficult and dramatic life if they just talked about their feelings. 

Autopsy Notes 

• Is it bad that I haven’t noticed in a very long time that there was much tension between Jenny and Gordon because of Katie? Jenny just has so many other things going on. 
• The cinematography on Coroner is gorgeous. Sometimes we forget that it’s a network show in Canada. It has some premium moments. 

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Coroner airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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