Sumith Prasad
In the third episode of FX on Hulu’s psychological thriller series ‘A Murder at the End of the World,’ Darby Hart’s investigation into her estranged companion Bill Farrah’s death leads her to Rohan, an infamous climatologist and the artist’s friend. Although Rohan tries his best to stay away from Darby, their lives interconnect while the latter tries to unravel the identity of the masked man who was present around Bill’s room around the time he got killed. Rohan then details how Bill helped him become sober to Darby, who eventually learns that the masked man is none other than the climatologist! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Masked Man
When Bill gets killed, Darby checks the security camera footage to find out who entered his room before his demise, only to see a masked person in the same. While trying to figure out who it is, she sees the person once again. Darby then follows the masked individual to a summit, from where the latter sends the message, “One down, still a go,” to an unknown person using Morse code. The message convinces Darby that the same person killed her companion and she notices the latter’s shoes with red laces. After a hiking trip, Darby sees the shoes again and eventually witnesses Rohan wearing them.
It doesn’t take long for Darby to figure out that Rohan is the masked man. The climatologist doesn’t even deny that he is the man she is looking for when the amateur sleuth utters the message out loud sitting beside him. At the end of the episode, Rohan confesses that he indeed is the masked man. But he adds that he didn’t kill Bill, whom he still loves. Rohan’s confession can be connected with Andy Ronson’s revelation that Bill had an overdose minutes before the masked man appeared on the security camera footage, which makes the climatologist innocent.
To believe Rohan’s words, it is important to confirm that he and Ronson are not a team formed to kill Bill. It is Ronson’s unverified claim that Bill overdosed before the masked man ever came into the picture. Considering Bill’s history with the tech mogul’s wife Lee Andersen, it is not hard to establish a motive as well. Lee’s reconnection with Bill could have ignited jealousy in the businessman, leading the latter to Rohan to kill the artist. Ronson might have wanted someone Bill trusted to commit the crime, which explains Rohan’s selection. But if that’s the case, Rohan wouldn’t need to climb a hill and send a message to someone regarding Bill’s murder.
If Ronson is really one of the killers, it is unlikely that he will try to murder Bill after inviting Darby, a detective he admires. If he wanted to challenge the detective, he wouldn’t have asked her to leave as well. Thus, Rohan and Ronson are seemingly innocent. But why does the climatologist send the message?
Rohan Can be a Sleuth
Rohan can be investigating Bill’s murder just like Darby. Right before his death, the climatologist calls Darby to reveal that their mutual friend “uncovered” something immensely significant, indicating that the same played a part in his death. Since Rohan knows what it is, he must have been conducting an investigation on his own. He may have decided to pretend to be the killer to expose the real murderer, which explains why he sends the message despite not killing his friend. The climatologist must have hoped that the mask would lead him to the team behind the murder.
The person who responds to Rohan’s message can be a part of the same team, who possibly mistakes the former for someone else. By establishing a connection with the same anonymous individual, Rohan would have identified the killer if he hadn’t gotten killed. Rohan must have wanted Darby to not get involved in the same to protect her. From Bill, the climatologist learns all about the sleuth and how much she meant to the artist. Since Rohan and Darby love Bill, the former may have wanted to ensure the detective’s safety for their deceased friend. That can be the reason why he tries to dissuade Darby from digging deep into Bill’s murder.
Therefore, Rohan seemingly isn’t the one who killed Bill. If we believe that Ronson is telling the truth about the time of the artist’s overdose, the climatologist doesn’t have anything to do with Bill’s murder. The real killer may have figured out that Rohan knows who the person is, which leads to his murder. The killer may have even tapped Rohan and Darby’s phones to listen to their conversation, which allows the person to murder the climatologist before he reveals the secret unearthed by Bill. If the killer has the means to do the same inside Ronson’s establishment, the individual must be someone close to him, which makes us suspect his wife Lee and Ronson Industries’ Sian.
Read More: A Murder at the End of the World: How Much of it is Real?
