Kate Winslet's career hasn't slowed down since her breakout role in Titantic, and she's been showcasing some of her best work in recent years. While she’s still giving award-worthy performances in films like Lee, the Oscar-winning actor has also made the foray into television, and one of my favorites is her role as Detective Mare Sheehan in Mare of Easttown's ending revealed the killer to be none other than 13-year-old Ryan Ross.
In Mare of Easttown, Mare is put on the case of Erin McMenamin, a teen mom who was tragically murdered. The question arises as to not only who killed her, but who actually fathered her son, DJ, and Mare will do whatever it takes to track down the murderer. Learning that the killer was in fact the son of her best friend came as a shock not only to Mare, but to viewers as well. Yet after rewatching the series, I realized that there are clues hidden throughout the series that point to Ryan Ross as the guilty party.
5 Ryan Might Have Been Crying The Morning After Erin’s Murder
Episode 2: “Fathers”
The second episode of Mare of Easttown begins with Mare going to the crime scene where Erin's body was found. Knowing she will have to tell Erin's father, Kenny, she calls Lori and asks her to have John help her deliver the bad news to his cousin.
After getting off the phone with Mare, Lori checks in on Ryan in his room. She tells him to get ready, since someone is coming to pick him up in a few minutes. Ryan rubs his eyes — possibly because he is still groggy from just waking up, as many teens are. However, if you look carefully, Ryan’s cheek seems to be a little wet. It’s possible that he may have been crying, and for good reason — he had just shot and killed Erin the night before.
4 Ryan Looks Nervous At The Church
Episode 2: "Fathers"
In the same episode, the residents of Easttown attend church for a service, where the deacon begins speaking about Erin’s death. As he speaks, the camera pans over the congregation, noting their various reactions. For a moment, we get a shot of Ryan sitting next to his sister, Moira, and his mother, Lori, in the pews. There is a tic in Ryan’s jaw as he clenches it — then he blinks, looks down, and gives a light shake of his head.
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The moment es by so quickly that it's easy to miss, but with a second viewing, the context is much clearer. Ryan is not only disturbed at hearing Deacon Mark talk about Erin, but he also knows that Mark was there with Erin on the night she died. After making his pained facial expression, Ryan quickly steels himself mentally so as not to arouse suspicion.
3 Ryan Watching The News About The Missing Girls
Episode 4: Poor Sisyphus
Misdirection is a classic trope of the murder mystery genre, and Mare of Easttown uses it in the smartest way possible. The show begins with an unsolved case: the disappearance of a young girl, Katie Bailey. In episode 4, another girl, Missy Sager, is in the truck of an unseen stranger, who then attacks her. We are led to believe that the abductions and Erin's death are connected when, in fact, they aren't.
While John and Lori Ross watch the news in their bedroom about Missy’s disappearance, Ryan walks in and asks, “What are they saying now?” He appears perfectly casual as his eyes are glued to the screen, but looking back at this moment, we can deduce that he is worried that new information may have come up about Erin’s death — which could implicate him, or his father.
2 Lori Overhears John And Ryan’s Conversation
Episode 5: Illusions
Ryan may have been guilty of killing Erin, but he was also a victim as well. Upon the first discovery that John had had an affair, it nearly tore their family apart, and was a traumatic experience for Ryan. In episode 5, during a late-night power outage, Lori helps her daughter Moira find her way to her bedroom. She then stops outside of Ryan’s room, where John is speaking to him. Lori overhears John say, “It’s going to be okay, Ryan. It’s our secret, right? Only us.” Ryan clearly looks upset, but mumbles his understanding to his dad.
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Later in the episode, Lori has a chat with Ryan, asking him about the conversation with his dad the night before. John jumps out of the car, and Lori finds him crying nearby. When Lori asks if John is “doing it again,” and “with the same woman as before,” Ryan tearfully nods in the affirmative, confirming that John is seeing someone else — although not the woman that Lori suspects. We’re led to believe that Ryan’s knowledge of John’s affair is the only secret he’s keeping, but the truth is far more complicated.
1 Ryan Has A Serious Anger Problem
Episode 5: Illusions
The day after John and Ryan have their talk, Ryan sees his sister, Moira, being bullied in the cafeteria at school. A boy repeatedly throws food at Moira, while he and his friends all laugh. As his rage boils up, Ryan responds by smacking the boy with a food tray, knocking him out of his seat, and then continues hitting him while on the ground. A teacher comes by and pulls Ryan off the boy, while Ryan thrashes and yells wildly.
Although Ryan’s anger was justified, seeing him have such a violent reaction was concerning, to say the least. Then we learn about Ryan keeping his dad’s secret, which explains why he was so triggered by the bully at school. Even so, Ryan’s rage issues would later come into play further when we learn how he was involved in Erin’s death.
Learning that Erin had tried to meet up with John the night of the engagement party, Ryan was furious, and got scared that she was going to break up his family. His anger and fear led him to extremes, stealing the gun from his neighbor to frighten off Erin. Unfortunately, things got out of hand and Ryan shot her instead. It was an explosive ending to an amazing series, and although the chances of a second season of Mare of Easttown may be dimming as time goes on, I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed.
Mare of Easttown
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2021-00-00
- Network
- HBO Max
- Showrunner
- Brad Ingelsby
Cast
Angourie Rice
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Writers
- Brad Ingelsby
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