Episode 8, “Past Perfect”, finds us reeling from Alan’s death at the hands of Ruth Deaver. Ruth is of course confused, as she thinks she has killed her dead husband, Matthew. Previous episode, “The Queen”, indicates that she is experiencing some sort of time dilation/shift that creates paradoxes in her home.
Molly saved Henry from the clutches of “The Filter”, and helps him home. The man, Odin Branch, is seen dead. But is he really? And where the hell is young Willie? Did Molly kill Odin? Could Willie have done it? Not sure, but I do know that Odin was hoping to “correct” Willie using the hot poker. The same poker that was inserted in his eye. Maybe Willie wasn’t having that, and killed Odin.
Henry seems to be just as confused as his mother, but wants to make sure his son isn’t affected. Wendell is placed on a bus to Boston but ends up coming back near the conclusion of the episode.
The central story of this episode is about Gordon and his wife, who’ve set up a murder themed bed and breakfast in town. Gordon is mesmerized by the Lacy home, and even more so with the pictures of The Kid. Eventually a couple comes to stay the night, but is not really impressed by Gordon’s setup. So, while the couple was having some very loud sex, Gordon loses control and murders them both. This is a point of no return for me, because the couple would have to end up dead. It was just a matter of how.
It’s worth noting that Jackie Torrance is really keen on what’s going on in the town. She saves Henry from death just because she notices a bloody bracelet on the ground earlier that day.
Let’s back up. I want to touch on something important.
Death, as the lady cop pointed out, follows Henry. The kids used to call him “The Black Death” when he was younger. Henry is taken aback by this, but relents and gathers his son. Once on the bus and after Henry has left, a black bird slams into the windshield, kamikaze style. Wendell begins to hear the sound of the schisma, which makes it clear that he’s inherited his father’s gift. It’s also scary because we aren’t sure what will happen to Wendell and from his look, he is not aware either. One thing is for sure, the schisma needs to be heard.
We get confirmation that The Kid is really as old as we think via the canvases in Warden Lacy’s home. They all show The Kid in various poses and in various years. One piece of evidence that’s particularly damning is the the picture of the sweater that Henry is wearing in his Lost Child photo. The sweater looks just like the one The Kid is wearing in one of the paintings. Henry appears to connect the dots.
Gordon finds Henry in the picture room, and Henry tries to get past him. Instead he’s met by Gordon’s wife and a blade in the back. In the scuffle, Gordon’s wife is also stabbed in the neck and dies quickly. This enrages Gordon, and outside he pulls Henry out of his car. The knife is dangerously close before Jackie delivers an axe to Gordon’s head, mirroring the damage on the mannequin.
In the end, Molly and the Kid meet. He explains that he has seen her die. It just further implies that The Kid is supernatural.