Mare of Easttown Review: Illusions (Season 1 Episode 5)
Mare of Easttown Season 1 Episode 5, “Illusions,” solves one of the series’ biggest mysteries on a riveting and tragic fifth episode.
There’s no shortage of topics to discuss with “Illusions,” but the big one — the thing that caused the collective gasp of viewers watching live and blew up countless fan theories– is the death of Detective Colin Zabel.
Even if longstanding crime drama tropes mean Zabel’s nice moment Mare just before the confrontation that leads to his death is a hint about his fate, Zabel getting shot is still the most shocking twist the series has thrown at viewers thus far.
Adding to the shock of seeing such a central character killed off with two episodes left is the fact that it all happens so suddenly. The entire series has moved at a slow pace. Even the best end-of-episode twists from earlier episodes don’t deviate from that deliberate pacing.
The abrupt change when the kidnapper shoots Zabel and the pursuit that follows are jarring in the most effective way. We don’t have time to process what happens to Zabel as Mare scrambles to survive and save Katie and Missy.
Viewers have to race to catch up and reorient themselves, and that feeling brings viewers into the same emotional space as Mare. We feel all the chaos and danger she is experiencing more acutely because of the shocking way the sequence begins.
Logically, it’s obvious Mare is going to survive the episode. Still, Zabel’s death is so unexpected that in the moment it creates a kernel of doubt about whether the one truth we absolutely know — that the lead of the show will survive at least until the end — is actually true.
It manages to make viewers genuinely fear for Mare’s safety in a way that wouldn’t be possible if it didn’t spring that emotional blow on us the way it does.
It’s an excellent example of using a shock value not just for the sake of spectacle, which is done so often on TV it’s become boring, but as a real narrative tool that intensifies the emotional experience for viewers beyond the specific moment of shock.
Another surprising aspect of the end of “Illusions” is the way it solves the mystery of the disappearance of Katie and Missy. First, it goes against expectations that the kidnapper is someone close to Mare.
For all Mare’s personal investment in the victims, the kidnapper appears to be some random guy, and they find him through straightforward detective work.
After weeks of viewers spinning theories and dissecting details for clues that could have been an anti-climactic conclusion to one of the biggest story threads, but because of the excellently executed final sequence and the still looming mystery of who killed Erin McMenamin, it isn’t.
It feels right to have Mare solve this purely through her own talent and not her personal connections to the community.
It’s also interesting that they resolve the disappearance of the two girls with two episodes left. In another story, finding Katie and Missy might be a climactic moment for the end of the series that delivers some kind of emotional closure but where viewers don’t get to see what happens next.
Instead, Mare of Easttown has two more episodes to show viewers the fall out from the events on “Illusions” and how it changes things — or doesn’t — for Mare.
Mare’s reaction to her high school glory days and her conversation with Zabel about doing something great likely mean she won’t handle being seen as a hero again particularly well. It will be fascinating to see what Mare’s new hero status brings up for her as the pressure to catch Erin’s murderer grows.
“Illusion” is the best episode of the series since Mare of Easttown Season 1 Episode 2, “Fathers.” It also marks the end of Mare of Easttown as a slow burn. With only two episodes left and a lot of ground to cover, we can expect an intense final two hours that will hopefully be as gripping as “Illusions.”
Stray Thoughts
- The scene with Mare and her grief counselor is another fantastic emotional scene and example of what a brilliant performance Kate Winslet has given throughout the series. I hope we get more scenes with the counselor because we definitely didn’t get enough on “Illusions.”
- Only Dylan being as terrible as he is could make me have sympathy for Brianna. Also, if your alibi depends on your girlfriend saying you were with her, maybe don’t treat her like crap—just a thought.
- Speaking of Dylan, he isn’t quite the red herring we thought he was early on. I’m still not convinced he’s the killer, but the odds he is are certainly higher by the end of the episode than they were at the beginning.
- Thank goodness for Helen Sheehan and the incomparable Jean Smart. Everything about the funeral scene and the drive home with Mare is simply delightful.
- Who else thought the secret Lori’s husband asks his son to keep was going to be a lot worse?
What did you think of this episode of Mare of Easttown? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Mare of Easttown airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.