Sumith Prasad
Created by Laura Dave and Josh Singer, Apple TV+’s thriller series ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ revolves around the disappearance of Owen Michaels, a software engineer who vanishes from his family which consists of his wife Hannah and daughter Bailey. The first two episodes of the series, titled ‘Protect Her’ and ‘The Day After’ respectively, follow the events that lead to Owen’s disappearance and the aftermath of the same. Hannah and her stepdaughter set out to unravel the mystery behind their loved one’s absence, as the ending of the second episode depicts. If you are intrigued to know more about the same, you are at the right place! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Last Thing He Told Me Episode 1 and 2 Recap
‘Protect Her’ begins with Hannah searching for Bailey after partially destroying her phone at a big hotel. A few days before the incident, Hannah and her husband Owen are cherishing an endearing togetherness in San Francisco. Owen leaves for work as usual after dropping his daughter Bailey at school. Hannah, an artist, goes to the city to drop her works off at the store which sells the same for her. A while after she returned home, a girl arrives at the place and gives Hannah a note from Owen which reads, “Protect Her.” Hannah calls her husband but fails to reach him. She calls one of his colleagues at The Shop, the software startup company where her husband has been working.
Hannah rushes to Owen’s company, only to witness the CEO Avett getting arrested by the FBI for fraud. From her friend Jules, Hannah comes to know that Avett has been tampering with the account books of the company to mislead the shareholders. Jules also adds that she talked with Owen before his disappearance and implies that the latter must have known and had a part to play in the fraud committed by his boss. Bailey discovers a note attached to her bag and reads it to find out that it is from her missing father. She also discovers a bag full of cash, seemingly from her father. Hannah picks up Bailey from her school and hides the cash under a bed at their home.
‘The Day After’ begins with the aftermath of Owen’s disappearance. Due to the absence of the same, Bailey gets forced to connect with Hannah. A US marshal named Grady Bradford shows up at Hannah’s house and lets her know that her husband is not who she thinks he is. He gives her his phone number while adding that he may be able to help them both. Bailey’s schoolmates isolate her at school, only for her to seek comfort from her boyfriend Bobby. She eventually learns that Bobby is joining Duke University without letting her know instead of Stanford University as they originally planned. They end up fighting, only for Bailey to walk away from him.
Hannah seeks the help of her ex-partner, a distinguished lawyer, to find Owen and assist her legally as FBI officers start asking her questions. He hires a private investigator to dig deep into Owen’s life to find him and help Hannah discover why her husband ran away from his family.
The Last Thing He Told Me Episode 2 Ending: Had Owen Been to Austin? Is Grady Bradford a Real US Marshal?
When Grady Bradford talks to Hannah, she initially thinks that the same is a part of the routine investigation, only for the FBI agents in charge to reveal that the Bureau hasn’t contacted the US Marshal Services to collaborate on the case. Since Grady didn’t show his ID card or a personal card, her suspicions grow as well. In addition, Grady’s number is registered in Austin, making her wonder why a marshal from Texas is involved in Owen’s case. Hannah then talks to one of her husband’s friends, only for him to tell her that Owen once tried his best to convince him that he had never been to Austin without any need for the same.
Bailey, on the other hand, lets Hannah know that Owen took her for a college football game in a stadium filled with orange color when she was a child. Hannah discovers that the game was played in Austin, which confirms that her husband had been to the city before. Since Owen had tried his best to convince others that he had never been to Austin, it is clear that he was in the city and whatever he was doing at the place, he wants the same to remain a secret. Considering that Bailey has distinct memories of Austin, it is safe to assume that Owen has considerable roots in the city.
Austin can be where Owen lived with his first wife Olivia and their daughter Bailey when the latter was a child, which explains her memories of the city. He must have had troubles in the Texan city, which can be the reason why he possibly relocated to California, likely to protect his wife and daughter. Owen might have wanted to cut all his ties with the city to avoid getting traced back to the same troubles, which explains why he tried to convince his friend that he had never been to the city. Owen and his family must have moved to California when Bailey was a child, which can be why she doesn’t remember much of her Austin days well.
If that’s the case, it isn’t a coincidence that Grady is based in Austin. Since his number is directed to the Austin office of US Marshal Services, it is unlikely that he is pretending to be an officer. But he may not be getting involved in Owen’s case in an official capacity. Grady can be working for Owen’s possible enemies in the city to unofficially find him. That can be the reason why he uses a napkin to give his number to Hannah rather than an official card. Grady must be fearing that whatever he leaves behind can be traced back to him, which would make the authorities possibly connect him to Owen’s enemies.
Who is Spying on Hannah and Bailey?
Even before Owen’s disappearance from his family and company, certain individuals started to keep an eye on the family. After her husband vanishes, Hannah notices that several such individuals are spying on her and her stepdaughter Bailey. Considering the fraud case Owen is possibly a part of, the spies could be hired by the shareholders of The Shop to find Owen. Avett and possibly Owen’s actions resulted in the loss of the shareholders’ hundreds of millions and they may want the head software engineer to explain what really happened at the company. Considering the same, the shareholders might have relied on “spies” to find Owen.
Considering Owen’s possible Austin connection, the spies can be from Texas well. Owen’s enemies in the city might have known about his new life lately, which can be why they likely hired spies to watch him and his family. If that’s the case, the spies may not have any connection with the fraud committed at The Shop. They may want to take Owen back to the Texan city without letting the FBI capture him so that the latter’s possible enemies can confront him after years.
Read More: Is The Last Thing He Told Me Based on a True Story?
