Dhruv Trivedi
The 9-year old ace reported Hilde continues her quest for answers after witnessing a surreal mass bird death the previous night. However, a power outage brings the small town of Erie Harbor to a standstill, forcing her to focus on other things. Mysterious events are afoot, and the episode leaves us on a cliffhanger that builds on the first one and hints at something truly sinister in the offing. Let’s take a closer look at ‘Home Before Dark’ season 2 episode 2, titled ‘I Believe You,’ and see what clues we can find. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Home Before Dark Season 2 Episode 2 Recap
Episode 2 opens at night in a storm, with Hilde discussing the strange phenomenon of the dead birds with her sister Izzy. She mentions how strange it is that the townspeople are not discussing the occurrence. Both sisters are then startled by the loud crash of a tree falling in their backyard, from which Hilde rescues a small bird. Soon, there is a massive power outage that leaves the entire town dark, and Hilde, frustrated that she can’t publish her report on the dead birds, turns to spending time feeding her small rescued bird that seems to be injured.
The next day, principal Kim faces backlash from parents who are angry at her because of the actions of her mother (who helped kidnap Sam, from season 1). Hilde’s mother Bridget comes to her rescue and helps her by drafting cease and desist letters to all those threatening her. Bridget then joins Matt, who seems to have discovered the location of the mysterious organization called Watt Management, along with some of their financial records. They go to the office building but find it empty and abandoned, save for a dusty red phone that rings when the company’s only contact number is called.
Home Before Dark Season 2 Episode 2 Ending: Who is Following Hilde?
Hilde attempts to get information about Watt Management from her father, but Matt refuses to give her any concrete details and tells her to focus on her studies. When Hilde tearfully blames him for not believing her, he concedes and agrees to help her continue examining the case. Hilde then enlists the help of the town’s eccentric bird specialist who leads her and her accomplices Spoon and Donny to a swamp where one of the dead bird’s feathers came from. There they notice dozens of dead fish floating on the surface of the murky water, and run away in panic. However, before they leave, Hilde notices a bearded man watching her who runs away when she tries to take a picture of him.
The young investigative reporter had earlier suspected that somebody was following her and those suspicions seem to have been confirmed. Since the man is not someone she knows, he is most likely there because of Hilde’s widely circulated articles and fame for (partly) solving Richie Fife’s murder. The man could therefore be associated with Richie’s mysterious kidnappers, who have been hinted as living in Portland. The man could also be part of the shadowy organization Watt Management which seems to have a particular interest in the small town.
It might not be all bad, though. Hilde’s mysterious follower could be someone who is there to give the young sleuth additional information about the Richie Fife case. As has happened before with Sam, Hilde’s articles could have been read by someone who had been holding secrets about the unsolved case which they had still not divulged. In season 1, once her article is published, Hilde is contacted by Sam who gives her additional information about the case that eventually leads to her solving it. Hence, her as-yet-unknown follower could be somebody who is there to secretly give her additional information about her case.
How are the Dead Fish Connected to the Dead Birds?
Season 2 episode 1 ended with dozens of dead birds falling from the sky, and the subsequent episode now ends with a similar number of dead fish found floating in a swamp. Both of these highly peculiar phenomena seem to be connected, as they take place only a day apart and involve the mysterious death of animals. The bird specialist also helps uncover a crucial connection between the two, when he realizes that the spores stuck to one of the dead bird’s feathers come from the particular swamp where they found the dead fishes.
It is also interesting that both the incidents seem to be connected to power outages. The dead birds start falling from the sky soon after Hilde notices the fuse box at the mansion damaged. The dead fish subsequently show up during a town-wide power outage. This also connects to the larger theme of the mystery that Hilde seems to be grappling with in season 2, which started with the mysterious explosion of a transformer in the Johnson property.
Read More: Is Home Before Dark Based on a True Story?
