Coroner Review: Fire Part 2 (Season 2 Episode 8)
Coroner Season 2 Episode 8, “Fire Part 2,” is a non-stop emotionally intense episode of television for a plethora of reasons.
Still, I have to begin with a question about something that’s happening off-screen — where is Liam going?
It’s nearly a foolproof guess to say he’s going to get treatment for his PTSD, but that’s still a guess.
After Jenny says she wants to fight for them, he says, “I don’t know how to get better while I’m here.” He never actually says that he’s going to get help. There is a perfect opening to tell us the details we need to know because we certainly see enough.
Speaking of the sex scene, it’s intense enough to be goodbye sex, so maybe our guess isn’t quite foolproof. Why would Liam going to get help justify a breakup? A break, maybe.
It’s possible for two people to remain emotionally committed while taking time to sort themselves out. Liam should not be having sex with anyone else anyway.
Then again, there is a point during the episode where Gordon — the man with dementia — seems like the most sane member of that household.
So, I can’t deny that maybe a complete break is the way to go while all parties get the help they need.
Before we move on, though, it must be said that the way the breakup sex scene plays out chronologically is brilliant.
Flashing back and forth between the sex and their conversation adds frantic energy to the scene. Plus, it’s an effective way to cut down on maudlin dialogue whilst still conveying intensity.
Even a first-time viewer of Coroner knows to scream at their screen as he leaves. Not out of sadness, but to save Jenny’s life. We are clued in as soon as Gordon and Ross leave the house to go gamble.
Kelly is an extreme villain, yet more believable as Jenny’s foe than the serial killer of Season 1. Plus, though we haven’t been drugged with ketamine, it’s easy to fall into a trance with Jenny.
The vibe of the scene is as mellow as Jenny is.
Kelly got away with murder via fire once. It makes sense that she would try again.
We also know Jenny’s history with Katie enough that it’s completely plausible and almost sweet that Jenny has Third Man Syndrome and it’s Katie who saves her life by helping her out of the house.
What doesn’t make sense is that immediately after the house fire that nearly kills her and being drugged with ketamine, Jenny goes into work.
I know she’s a victim in the case she’s trying to solve. But this is a lot to ask viewers to suspend disbelief about, especially because cell phones exist. She could use one in the hospital.
The baby-swapping insurance fraud scheme that Kelly cooks up in order to get rich and protect Noor is more than a little bit confusing.
Where is Kelly’s living baby when she’s taking care of Gordon? She’s killed her husband and has no friends. The more I think about it, the harder it is to understand why she chooses to prey on the Coopers.
Before setting the fire she says she resents that Jenny takes her family for granted. But if you’ve just gotten away with murder wouldn’t you want to get as far away from the coroner investigating your victim’s cause of death as possible?
Questions about Kelly aside, it’s at least comforting that Noor isn’t a murderer.
Let’s be clear, she probably agreed to help trap Kelly in exchange for some kind of plea deal. I can’t exactly name her charges, but she did knowingly commit some lesser crime.
It’s also very convenient that Jenny tells us her sleepwalking problem will now just disappear.
Nonetheless, all of our characters deserve their relatively happy (or at least content) endings — for now.
Autopsy Notes:
- What is Ross doing with his life these days?
- I need to see more of Alison and Sabina’s homelife in Season 3.
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What did you think of the Season 2 finale of Coroner? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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You can watch episodes of Coroner on The CW’s website now.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.