Abhiroop Das
Created by Ian Weir, the second season of Fox’s ‘Murder in a Small Town’ expands on Karl’s adventures in the quaint seaside town of Gibsons. What originally started out as his way to leave the city’s noise and grind behind opens him to several new emotional avenues. Alongside his romantic relationship with Cassandra Lee, Karl also finds his place in the tight-knit Gibsons’ community, especially with his team of police officers. Despite being short-staffed on a daily basis, everyone brings their A-game to the job, even when that means sacrificing their personal lives. Laila Jackson, who is introduced in season 2 episode 1, quickly becomes one of the most beloved characters in the show, despite much of her past being shrouded in history. Her relationship with Vanessa helps unfold her complexities layer by layer, but that process is directly affected by the new directions their relationship takes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Laila and Vanessa Break Up After Many Ups and Downs
Towards the end of episode 9 of ‘Murder in a Small Town,’ Laila seemingly breaks up with Vanessa after weeks of an on-and-off relationship. While things have been bumpy between the two ever since Vanessa learnt of Laila being a police officer, things come to a boil when news about Laila killing a person comes to light. Vanessa, who is a staunch critic of police brutality, refuses to see eye to eye with her partner on the subject, and the lack of genuine connection slowly eats away at Laila. For the past two episodes, she has visibly been struggling with the toll of taking a life, as well as nearly losing Sid to an accident. As such, Vanessa doubles down on her criticisms in this episode, pushing Laila to the brink, following which she declares that the two are better off not seeing each other anymore, neither as romantic partners nor as friends.
The disconnect between Laila and Vanessa begins early on in their relationship, with the latter coming upon the former in a police uniform. Notably, a huge chunk of their meaningful interactions from hereon out takes place in or around Molly’s Reach, which speaks to the growing lack of emotional intimacy between the two. Their meeting in episode 9 occupies a similar space, coming fresh off the allegations that Laila used more force than necessary. Although she desperately tries to explain the do-or-die nature of that scenario, those descriptions seemingly do not convince Vanessa, whose ideological stance is against the police and figures of authority in general. As such, their relationship starts on shaky ground, and Laila’s transformative climax only serves as a turning point for many new possibilities, for better or for worse.
Laila and Vanessa Might Reconcile Their Differences
Some time after breaking up, Laila is seen trying to get into her car, troublingly inebriated. To pull off something like this mere days after Sid’s road accident speaks to how deep she is in a self-destructive circle. While Vanessa quickly comes to the rescue, the conversation only sours further from that point onwards. Although it initially appears that Vanessa is here to pick up her ex-partner and drive her to safety, in reality, she explains her real plan was to get a taxi, which only infuriates Laila even further. Here, she drops another bombshell, revealing that she is an alcohol addict who had been sober for three years, until now. By flinging her sobriety chip towards Vanessa, she makes a very direct correlation, further adding to her ex-partner’s guilt about her complex feelings. It is possible that Laila’s downhill streak might continue, as the hopes of returning to her original dynamic with Vanessa seem to dwindle by the minute.
Although Vanessa and Laila have their share of ideological and emotional differences, the possibility of them getting back together is not completely out of the window just yet. Despite her disagreements with the police force and their methods, Vanessa deeply cares for Laila, and that is reflected in her standing as a support system even after their relationship ends. For Laila, her reaction to this event is indicative of how strongly she feels about her ex-partner, which means there might still be some hope for their love story. If Vanessa gets a better perspective on what Laila has had to endure because of the shooting, she might open up to new ways of understanding the police force. Similarly, in order to have clarity in their relationship, Laila must be honest at every turn, especially about her complicated past as a recovering addict. Thus, despite the couple’s time coming to a bitter end for now, there is always the potential for new beginnings in their relationship.
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