The Gloaming Review: Heathen Dogs (Season 1 Episode 6)
Weird goings-on with the Star of the Forest Church begin shedding light on the dark, decades-spanning case on The Gloaming Season 1 Episode 6, “Heathen Dogs,” but the mystery is still shrouded in that veil from Season 1 Episode 5, “Beyond the Veil.”
Alex O’Connell (Ewen Leslie) starts getting recurring images of a blue door “with something horrible behind it” from his suppressed memories. He and Molly (Emma Booth) grow closer as they lean on each other more and more.
Alex: There’s much more to this case than Freddie Hopkins. We keep pushing this case til the end. Agreed?
Molly: Agreed.
Then he crashes at her place, getting into bed with her like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Wish me bon voyage because I am sailing away on this ship! There are really great moments between these two and I want to know more about their shared past as much as I want the case to be solved.
And I need to know why he named his cat Molly!
Alex: It’s just a name.
Molly: Sure. Could’ve been worse, I guess, could’ve been a pet snake.
Leslie and Booth play off each other well, and that chemistry adds a whole lot to this pair—tension, longing, and an unspoken language between them.
They are pretty much on their own in this investigation so it’s good that they are moving to a place where they can trust one another. Besides a few of those assisting on the case, everyone has ulterior motives or is acting very shady.
Grace (Rena Owen) and her church claim Dorothy Moxley’s body and perform some sort of ritual. “Leave the dead to bury the dead.” Lewis Grimshaw (Aaron Pedersen) watches in the shadows, suspiciously not suspicious about the dark magic happening before him.
That is the last shot of the episode and the suspenseful music ramps up, leading the viewer to believe that this is something of significance, something that will be explained and maybe even seem obvious towards the end.
I’ve been wary of Lewis since The Gloaming Season 1 Episode 3, “Casting the Bones,” when he is taunted by something ghostly. On this episode, there is a link through that with Gareth McAvaney (Martin Henderson) who experiences a similar phenomenon.
It’s not a good thing to have things in common with Gareth because he is a bad dude. Hopefully, the blood found on Jacinta Clunes’ car matches his so they can have the proof they need to expose him, and, in turn, expose this church and whatever diablerie they are involved in.
The Gloaming Season 1 Episode 6, “Heathen Dogs,” gives off an unsettling feeling, a foreboding, but is entirely engaging and absorbing. The clues come fast and furious while connections become clearer but still don’t quite add up yet.
What did you think of this episode of The Gloaming? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Gloaming airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.