Found Season 1 Episode 13 Review: Missing While Forgotten

Though one case comes full circle on Found Season 1 Episode 13, “Missing While Forgotten,” this season finale leaves the audience with one heck of a cliffhanger.

Just as Gabi is preparing herself to reveal her secret about Sir, Lacy calls her with news that puts all of that on pause. She’s received an anonymous tip about a cold case — the one that Gabi mentioned on the first episode of the series. A young girl named Tasheka had been missing for two weeks at that point. Now, the team has a chance to find her. 

Bringing back that case from the beginning is really the perfect way to round out the season. It shows that no detail in this series is a throwaway. Everything has a purpose, keeping the writing focused and thoughtful in a way that provides satisfying payoffs for the audience.

Gabi already has a connection to Tasheka’s case. Just before Tasheka was kidnapped, Gabi had met her at her school during career day — and Tasheka told her she wanted to be just like her. 

The circumstances of her kidnapping, however, also turn out to be somewhat similar to Gabi’s. When Gabi finds her in that tiny closet, it reminds her how Sir had kept her locked away. Even the reasoning matches up — that the kidnapper believed they were protecting their victim. 

In Tasheka’s case, that’s a bit more true, but with Gabi, it’s clear that Sir believed he was doing what was best for her. Through flashbacks, we discover he’s been “helping” her since the day he met her. In that case, he’d poisoned another student for making fun of Gabi. 

Now he’s going after Lacey in a similar way.

This is where the finale leaves off, but not before giving us a few more clues and once again proving that no detail is without purpose. Lacey’s sick dog? It turns out that he’s been poisoned. And that anonymous tip? It came from Sir.

Sir would rather risk prison than lose his connection with Gabi. That same obsession that makes him dangerous is also what makes him vulnerable. 

On Found Season 1 Episode 12, we saw his visceral reaction to the news that Gabi was missing. We saw his desperation and the way he thrashed about, so it’s not surprising to learn that he managed to escape. In fact, it was perhaps the first time he was actually motivated to try.

Gabi realized earlier in the season that Sir was likely glad to be held prisoner by her, because at least it meant being with her. Plus, helping her with her cases gave him purpose and allowed that connection to continue. 

It’s a simple bloody fingerprint that makes Gabi realize Sir was the one to leave the tip for Tasheka’s case. The fact that no one paid attention to that detail sooner is a bit unrealistic, but if you overlook that flaw, it makes for an interesting new direction to take this story in. 

Sir can’t resist helping Gabi, even if it means putting escape plans on hold. His motivation is two-fold, though, because now he’s going after Lacey just as he said he would. 

And the way he watches her through the crack in the door is the stuff of nightmares. Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s performance as this complicated villain just keeps getting better. 

There’s another deeply emotional layer to this episode, though. Gabi finally comes clean to her team about Sir. We don’t get to hear this dialogue, and that choice makes the scene that much more impactful.

The reactions from each member of the team and how, one by one, they all walk away, leaving Gabi to crumble in a puddle on the floor, is heartwrenching. Dhan remains, though he seems nearly as detached. 

While it’s an emotional performance from Shanola Hampton, something is missing from Gabi in this episode. 13 episodes don’t feel like enough to tackle everything that the series is trying to accomplish in its first season, at least when it comes to her dealing with so many conflicting emotions. 

There is a subtle nuance when Dhan tells her she’s free of Sir — a glimmer of disappointment along with some genuine relief. That doesn’t last long because of the realization she has moments later, but it’s an important detail. I expect moving into the second season, this will be explored further. I hope so, anyway. 

I’m also not entirely sure I buy that Gabi’s team would abandon her so easily. Yes, what she’s been doing is shocking and horrific, but the loyalty of that group doesn’t seem like it should fall apart like that. I’d believe Lacey storming out, but Margaret and Zeke… I’m not so sure. 

Again, we don’t hear that dialogue, and perhaps another benefit of that is to help make those reactions feel a bit more real. And, perhaps, to make it easier for everyone to return to the fold and help later on. 

What did you think of this episode of Found? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Found returns next season on NBC. Found Season 1 is available to stream on Peacock. 

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