Dhruv Trivedi
It’s all beginning to unravel as Hilde starts to realize just how deeply the ominous Strata Tech is entrenched in the small town of Erie Harbor. Her accusatory article in The Magic Hour Chronicle has caused quite a storm, and the shadowy figure leading the company is now actively working to bury the story. Season 2 episode 8 is fittingly titled ‘The Bad Guy,’ as we see a couple of good examples of it in this episode. However, Hilde’s team of core supporters also gets a welcome boost, and it looks like the gloves are coming off on both sides. Let’s take a closer look at ‘Home Before Dark’ season 2 episode 8, and see what goes down. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Home Before Dark Season 2 Episode 8 Recap
The episode opens with Hilde realizing that Strata Tech has a hand in almost everything in her hometown. From her chemistry book to the town pier, most of them have either been donated, sponsored, or made with the help of the giant corporation that she suspects of poisoning the townspeople. Shocked, she rushes home to share her discovery, only to find the head of Strata Tech in her house, waiting to be interviewed by her. The interaction doesn’t last long as the man, Mr. Williams, walks out soon after Hilde asks him why he doesn’t tell everyone the truth. Williams maintains that he and his company have always had the best intention for the town and its residents.
The next day, Hilde learns that Junior Johnson, who was being harassed by the other shadowy company, Wott Management, has finally given in and sold his ancestral farm to Strata Tech. Williams is seen on the news, sharing his plans to turn it into a new storage facility that will somehow benefit the town. Hilde, furious and egged on by her friends, embarks on an outrageous scheme to try and get dirt on the company before it can bury the story again. With Izzy’s boyfriend Ethan’s help, they manage to access Strata Tech’s confidential files through Ethan’s mother’s laptop. However, they are soon caught when a security alert goes off on Williams’ phone, telling him that company files are being accessed.
Home Before Dark Season 2 Episode 8 Ending: What is Strata Tech Guilty Of?
Though it seems like charges are not pressed against Hilde this time around (unlike the case when she was punished for trespassing on the island in the previous episode), Ethan’s mother (who works at Strata Tech) is decidedly angry and tells Matt and Bridget what their daughter has done. However, an explosive leaked video from the 1980s soon draws attention away from her transgression. On it, we see the now dead Hank Gillis and his colleague convey concern about the use of poisonous chemicals by Strata Tech. The episode closes with Hilde realizing that the age-old but as yet unsolved mystery of the kidnapping of Richie Fife (from season 1) might also be connected to the ongoing Strata Tech conspiracy.
Episode 8 begins to put pieces together that reveal just how deep Strata Tech’s crimes might actually go. Initially suspected (by Hilde) of only helping cover up a toxic leak by building a park over it, she then learns that the company also made its employees (including her grandfather) work with chemicals that gave them chronic illnesses. It then gave them hefty severance packages before the adverse health effects became too apparent. This is why many of Sylvester Lisko’s (Hilde’s grandfather) friends had untimely deaths and why he himself suffers from memory loss.
The chemical called cadmium that Strata Tech used in the 1970s is later found in the water surrounding an island owned by Wott Management. This tainted water eventually reaches the town’s water supply and is seen infecting Junior’s farm, causing the old man to finally give up his ancestral property and sell it to the company. It is also discovered whilst going through their confidential files that the same family has owned the company for many generations (which was hinted at earlier) and that they have been keeping records of members of the Lisko family and their associates.
Lastly, in the incriminating video that we see in the episode’s climax, it is hinted that Richie Fife and Hank Gillis found out about the evil corporation continuing to use the poisonous chemical even after announcing that they had stopped. This, though not expressly stated yet, begins to point a very definitive finger at Strata Tech being somehow responsible for the disappearance of young Richie Fife many years ago.
What Does Ethan Do?
Ethan becomes an unlikely and important ally to Hilde’s investigation because his mother works as the assistant to Mr. Williams, the head of Strata Tech. Despite Hilde’s break-in to steal files from his mother’s computer failing, we then see Ethan sending off the files to the Sherriff’s department. This is a major turning point in the fight against the big corporation, not only because the video and documents could be the first substantial proof against the corporation to come to light, but also because Sheriff Trip Johnson has finally decided to stand up against Strata Tech after watching her father get evicted from their family home. Therefore, Ethan could not have sent across the valuable proof to the Sherriff’s office at a better time.
Are Wott Management and Strata Tech Connected?
Though hinted at earlier, in episode 8, it becomes abundantly clear that Wott Management and Strata Tech are connected. Mr. Williams calls Wott Management a “subsidiary company” when Hilde asks him why Strata Tech chemicals were found on the island supposedly owned by Wott Management. However, Matt quickly corrects him by saying that the latter is actually a shell company created and used by Strata Tech, to which Williams remains quiet.
Read More: Is Home Before Dark Based on a True Story?
