Blue Tongues Don’t Lie – As the third episode of Paper Girls begins, Larry Radakowski (Nate Corddry) warns Juniper Plimpton (Celeste Arias) that something is wrong over the radio. He says it won’t stay open for much longer, but Juniper argues they still have time. Juniper sees members of the watch nearby. He warns her to get out of there even though she thinks it is okay. When the sky turns pink, Larry begins freaking out. Larry creates a recording with his name and date of birth. He also mentions that he is a member of the STF Underground. His mission is to protect the asset which is in father’s office. He says today’s date is June 23, 2019. After saying blue tongues don’t lie, he sticks the device in the freezer before hiding in the corner. Next, Larry goes to Juniper’s place to ask where they are. She is more interested in her food.

He admits he isn’t from Uber Eats before saying he needs her to listen to something. He pulls out the tape recorder so she can listen to the recording that tells her she is a member of the STF Underground. He insists she knows him and he is important to her, but Juniper isn’t listening. She tells him he shouldn’t be here so he waits in his vehicle. Before long, Larry’s pager goes off letting him know that the system has been armed. Adult Erin (Ali Wong) continues driving around in hopes of finding the young girls. Larry ends up behind her and starts following her. Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Tiffany (Camryn Jones), and KJ (Fina Strazza) discuss Mac while walking down the street. Their conversation is interrupted when adult Erin stops her car in front of them. Erin pleads with them to get in the car, tells them about the device, and learns that one of them is gone.

After KJ and Tiffany get in the car, Erin has no choice but to join them. At the hospital, Mac (Sofia Rosinsky) listens to Danzig while waiting for her brother. She tries to steal from the vending machine until Dylan (Cliff Chamberlain) arrives. They’re surprised to see one another. They sit down so Mac can tell him about everything that has happened. Mac believes she has to be out there killing it if her brother turned into a doctor. She asks about their father and other things. Dylan eventually says his sister is dead because she died of cerebral lymphoma when she was 16. By the time Donna Metcalfe (Jacqueline Williams) arrives, Dylan is saying she isn’t his sister. Donna is the social worker at the hospital and wants to ask Mac some questions. Dylan believes she is a very troubled kid.

After Donna takes Mac away, Dylan looks at the Walkman and notices his name on the back. Donna learns that Mac is 43 years old. Mac calls herself a dead time traveler and technically a ghost. After their conversation, Donna tells Dylan she is concerned because she is a runaway with delusional tendencies. Dylan claims he took a DNA sample from the glass she was using and it proved she is his kid. He asks Donna to get rid of her file because he has a wife and family. Once Donna reluctantly agrees, Dylan takes Mac to his vehicle. After she asks how long she was sick for, Dylan says a while before changing his mind. She asks again and learns that she was sick for too long. She was brave as heck though. He got his crap together and became a doctor because he knew Mac wanted better for him. He uses his voice to make Danzig’s Mother play before reminding his sister he told her not to take the Walmart every day for like three years.

She told him she’d bring it back. Dylan laughs and wonders what the heck is happening right now. Erin tries to apologize to adult Erin who insists it is fine. Adult Erin leaves to see if she can track Mac’s brother down. As she walks toward the hospital, Larry uses a taser on her and begins putting her in the back of his van. Once the girls find out what is going on, Tiffany tries to put the car in drive so they can follow the van. As adult Erin wakes up, she tries to find out what is going on. Larry asks who is following them. He asks Erin if they’re using child soldiers now before asking about Heck and Naldo. He tells her to shut up before pressing a button to raise spikes on the road.

Tiffany drives Erin’s car over the spikes causing the tires to rapidly deflate. When the girls run from the car, Larry shoots his gun and yells for them to stop. He takes them inside and tells them to stay quiet before locking them in. He comes back to say they’ll talk in the morning. Dylan makes up a story about Mac’s mom being his cousin Penny so his wife Jennifer will be okay with her staying there. He claims she showed up out of the blue and was going to check herself into rehab. Dylan was proud of her and wanted to be as supportive as possible. He knew his wife wouldn’t want Kimberley staying with strangers so he thought they could let her use the spare room. He tells Jennifer that it won’t be for long and will only be while Penny is inpatient. Mac tells Jennifer that her friends call her Jo because she likes it better. Erin talks to her adult self while Tiffany and KJ try to find a way to escape.

Erin says her mother was right about not taking that stupid job, but adult Erin reminds her they fought for the job. Adult Erin will never forget the look her mother gave her when she got home. Larry interrupts to tell them they should have breakfast. Once they go upstairs, he asks who they work for. Adult Erin sits down before saying she is freelancing right now, but she was working for the patent attorneys Callum & Fields. When he asks about the device, Tiffany says it was given to her. She knows it is important although she doesn’t know what it is. Erin reveals she sees a screen in front of her face when she is near that thing. He asks again so Tiffany explains that one of the guys who brought them here gave it to her. He asks if they’re STF. KJ says they deliver newspapers for the Cleveland Preserver which has been shut down for 20 years. He realizes that they traveled somehow.

Erin admits they’re not sure although they had a capsule and they brought them here. When he asks who it was, Erin says they weren’t much older and their faces were scarred. He learns they were shot in some kind of ambush and killed. KJ tells him about the soldiers wearing white armor. Mac comes down in the morning, looks at the picture of Dylan’s family, and suggests everything went right for him after she died. He reminds her that she isn’t dead since she is standing right in front of him. She wants some smokes and donuts before going to the metal yard to break some stuff. He won’t buy her cigarettes, there is a good donut place nearby, and the scrap metal yard has closed. Dylan wants to take her to the hospital to get some blood drawn and ensure she never gets sick. Prioress (Adina Porter) talks to Glen to find out more about Mac’s hospital records.

When she learns nothing, she asks for the name of the person who took the statement. She tortures him until he tells her about Donna. Adult Erin and the girls try to leave but realize they can’t because the tires are flat. Erin reminds them that those people were Larry’s friends. She goes over to Larry to say his friend saved her life. He says the same. Everyone gathers as Larry explains they’re in a middle of a war and those people were members of the STF, Standard Time Fighters. Its mission is to combat the Old Watch. They’re from the future, but earlier than the STF. He reveals that the Old Watch is adamant about keeping things exactly the way they are and that will keep them in power. As for the STF, it is working to course correct the moments in history when mankind lost its way. Tiffany says that doesn’t make sense because they’d disrupt things.

Larry claims you wouldn’t know if it did or not and that is a talking point of the Old Watch which has outlawed time travel because it threatens the future they thrive in. He argues that future should’ve never been allowed to happen since it has depleting resources and indefensible income disparities. Larry believes all the sacrifice is worth it before saying they go by the Underground. He knows the Old Watch is closing in on them, but he is going to be ready this time. The girls are targets now because they committed the capital offense of traveling out of their time.

Larry looks at a picture of himself with Juniper. Their tongues are blue. As they walk toward the barn, KJ tells him about Mac and how they got separated. He believes she is probably already dead. He asks if he can trust them because he needs to show them something. Larry believes it might be a solution to their current problems. He shows them what looks like a robot before the episode ends.

 

Paper Girls Review

The third episode of Paper Girls was easily the best episode yet even though there were still some cheesy moments throughout. Mac is quickly taking over the spotlight because her storyline is more complex and interesting so far. The scenes with Mac and Dylan were very good and highlighted how the series can combine the past and present to create emotionally magical moments.

We can only hope that Larry’s disclosures will lead to more intense scenes between the STF and Old Watch. I am interested in seeing whether the show can carry the momentum into the next few episodes. With a little more character development and action, the series could be an enjoyable ride oozing nostalgic moments. The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Paper Girls are available on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support us at this link.