At the beginning of the episode, Nick (Joe Dempsie) experiments with a dye pack in the woods with his friends. Then, we see Professor Alex Maplecroft check-in for the International Monetary Forum. As her bag is searched, she is instructed to look and play the part of a professor at a prestigious American university. Glass breaks in the background as the protestors outside try to get into the building. Nick makes eye contact with her as she is reminded that the dye pack is primed to go. Alex or Grace goes to the bathroom where she retrieves a stack of money hidden in the toilet lid. The money is used to conceal the dye pack. She is told that the image of Martin Queller (Terry O’Quinn) covered in blood will be on the cover of every newspaper in the world and everyone will know what happened to her family.

Once she leaves the bathroom, she runs into Martin who is calling himself a doctor now that John Hopkins gave him an honorary degree next year. He talks about the books that have been written about him. He also knows Alex compares his company to the Third Reich, but Alex wants to wait until they get on stage. Andy Oliver (Bella Heathcote) goes to the prison to speak to Paula Kunde (Genevieve Hegney). When she sits down with Paula, she claims she is a reporter named Anne Jefferson. Paula doesn’t want to talk about anything except her appeal. Andy offers anything from the commissary for two minutes of her time instead. Paula asks for Nike shoes, Rolos, and lotion.

Andy shows her Laura’s license and asks whether she knows her, but she doesn’t know anything. Andy doesn’t believe that since Laura said her name. Paula’s attitude changes when she sees the picture of the young girl. She asks whether she sent Andy and whether she is scared she’ll get out soon and pay her a visit. Paula grabs Andy’s arm and warns her to tell Jane to go to hell. As the guards rush in, Paula screams for Andy to tell Jane she is dead. When Laura (Toni Collette) wakes up, Charlie (Gil Birmingham) unlocks the door and enters to ask if she got some sleep. He tells her to come upstairs when she gets ready. Andy goes to the library to see what she can find about Jane.

Instead, she learns that Jasper Queller (David Wenham) is going to El Paso for his book tour. She searches the book and finds Jasper mentioning Jane several times. At one point, he says he felt he was Jane and Andrew’s protector. She gets up and looks through the book which contains a picture of Andrew and Jane together. As she begins realizing Jane is the girl in the picture, she freaks out and goes outside where she sits on a bench to collect herself. The guy from the bar watches her from a vehicle across the road. When she spots him, she gets in her car in hopes of escaping. Since he has a tracking device on her car, she can’t escape anyway. He finds her car in an alleyway so he gets out to check it.

When he does, Andy sneaks up behind him and puts her gun against his back. She demands to know who he is, but he doesn’t want to talk until she puts the gun down. He lets her take his gun before trying to prove that he is a cop. He shows her his ID and identifies himself as Michael Vargas (Jacob Scipio) and a US Marshal. Andy is surprised to learn that she and her mother are in witness protection. She leads him into a restaurant and tells him to sit down. Michael tries to convince her that he isn’t a threat so she’ll put the gun away. He explains why he was drinking and the story he told her at the bar. Andy wonders how he has been tracking her before she learns she has been in protection for her whole life.

Although he doesn’t know the details, he knows there are people out there who could hurt her. Andy tells Michael about Jasper’s fundraiser in El Paso tomorrow and she wants his help getting in. Michael knows someone who works in private security. That individual may know someone in Jasper’s detail. Meanwhile, Charlie talks to Laura about Andy and everything going on. He knows about the storage unit, suitcase full of money, and someone breaking into the house. Charlie wonders if the person who broke in was Nick Harp. Laura is introduced to Felix from DC. They’re going to relocate her immediately because it is too risky to keep her in Belle Isle.

Laura believes they only want to keep her around to be the star witness at Nick’s trial even though she suggests he is dead. Charlie admits they haven’t seen him Clara was killed. He shows her the pictures of her body and explains Nick’s DNA was found at the scene. Laura admits she has thought about Nick every day of her phony life. Felix reminds her that her life was bought and paid for by the federal government. Laura complains that she gave up everything and they let the most wanted fugitive slip through their fingers. She gets upset before suggesting this is why Charlie had that heart attack. Laura is convinced Nick is long gone because she would be dead otherwise, but Charlie says the US Attorney’s office disagrees.

She wants to see the new information before she agrees to help them. Before Charlie leaves, he says he’ll think about it. In a flashback, Laura and Gordon (Omari Hardwick) hang out at what looks like a birthday party for Andy as they agree she made it out alive. Once Gordon goes inside for candles and a beer, Charlie arrives to talk to Laura about something. He pulls her aside to say Clara was killed. They found her shot twice in an alley in Oakland. Although they’re still waiting for forensics, a witness picked out an age-progression photo of Nick. Clara’s wallet was missing meaning Nick has her home address. Charlie thinks they should move her to ensure this doesn’t come back on her.

Charlie believes they can find work for Gordon, but he won’t be able to practice law. Laura doesn’t want to mess up Gordon and Andy’s lives. In the present, Andy rides with Michael who manages to get her two tickets to Jasper’s El Paso event. Michael wants to know why she wants to talk to Jasper while Andy wants to know why he lied to her in the bar. He explains he wasn’t supposed to make contact with her, but he did because she was going to get drunk and tell everything to someone else. He claims he only knows that her mother is a valuable government witness, but Andy believes he knows more than that. Then, she learns that Charlie is the lead on Laura’s case. Michael goes on to explain that Charlie has taken care of Laura since she entered the programs and created her a new identity.

He says the goal is to create trust so that convinces Andy he is trying to get her trust. Laura learns that the NSA picked up chatter about a fugitive crossing the Canadian border. She is shown pictures of people near the border. As she looks through the pictures, she remembers Nick threatening to scorch the earth to find her if she ever left him. She denies knowing anyone in the pictures. Then, Laura reveals she wants to leave the program, but Charlie believes that would put Andy’s life at risk. Still, Laura remains convinced that Nick is dead. She demands the papers to sign out of the program. Michael and Andy check into a motel room. Michael tells her they’re a couple of hours away from El Paso so they’ll sleep a bit and get up early.

He offers to sleep on the couch. He asks for his gun back. Andy refuses a shower. Michael checks the room and looks out of the window as Andy says it is like he isn’t even a person. They talk about her being an artist and edgy. He admits the Atlanta office gave him info on her recent activity. Michael asks her about hooking up with her mom’s nurse named Bobby. He asks whether Laura gave her any instructions since she knew about the storage unit. Andy questions what she would be doing for her. He thinks she should work that out with her mother. Andy isn’t sure whether her mother is the daughter of a billionaire who has lied to her forever or someone else. She isn’t going to talk it out with her since Laura was willing to take the truth to her grave.

In the middle of the night, Michael gets up to look around. He calls someone to say he is with her. He asks what they want him to do with her. Someone enters the motel room and begins attacking Andy. Michael comes in and struggles with the attacker while Andy escapes the room. As she runs outside, she thinks a car is following her so she runs toward a fence and begins climbing it. Michael catches up with her and pulls her down from the fence. Once he calms her, she kisses him. She begins talking about the dream she keeps having where she is somewhere dark and cold. It is snowing and it smells like earth. She is small, alone, and someone is coming for her.

In the morning, Charlie joins Laura outside for a cigarette. He admits he quit smoking after the heart attack he deserved. She asks about the house and who owned it before they took it. Charlie says he is still alive and still in the program. He encourages her to trust him. If she is done with Laura Oliver, she can be whoever she wants and move wherever she wants. He admits he brought her here because she is stubborn and he wanted to keep her alive. He spent more of his life with her than he has his own family. Regardless, Laura doesn’t think it worked. Instead, it messed up her marriage, turned her daughter into a mess, and she is disappearing. Laura’s mother lived in a very beautiful place, but she only wanted to get out.

She asks him to let her go. Charlie tells her the paperwork won’t be here for a while and she should ask Felix if she needs anything. Then, we see a flashback of Jane (Jessica Barden) being invited to live with her brother Andrew. She learns more about the new roommate named Nick Harp. Once she asks whether Nick is more than a roommate, he says no although he is different. Unlike the others at Stanford, he is not spending a trust fund, joining the Hitler Youth, or joining the Young Republicans. Although dad will hate him, Jane wants to see Nick anyway. She has dinner with Nick, Andrew, and Jasper. During Jasper’s speech at a Democratic party fundraiser, he says he often told his father about the things he didn’t agree with. He misses his father and would do anything to bring him back. The corporate greed his father espoused is a different matter.

He wishes that was struck down in Oslo instead of his father. Jasper changed what the family stood for by creating the Queller Foundation to help people who couldn’t afford vital medications. He claims they’ll take care of all Americans when they take the White House because it is the right thing to do. After the speech, Andy approaches Jasper to see if he’ll sign her book. She asks him to make it out to Jane Queller. It takes a second before Jasper realizes who he is talking to and admits she looks like her. Jasper asks Cynthia (Melissa Bonne) to escort her to another room as Michael follows them. Once she is taken to the meeting room, they refuse to let Michael pass. Andy looks at the picture of Jane and Andrew once more before Jasper enters. He learns that her mother named her Andrea or Andy for short.

He admits it is for their brother Andrew. Once Jasper asks about Jane, Andy says she is okay. He can’t imagine what they’ve been through. Jasper asks for a hug while questioning where she has been for all these years. While Michael waits, he sees the guy he fought with in the motel room. He goes after him as a long chase ensues, but he loses the guy and has to run back to Andy. He enters the room only to find it empty besides a cellphone sitting on the sofa nearby. Then, we see evidence photos being taken of Jane. Laura goes through the paperwork and signs it using the name Jane Queller. Charlie tries to convince her this is a mistake, but Laura goes through with it anyway.

She is given her old California driver’s license back. In a flashback, Jane is introduced to Charlie Bass who takes her identification documents. He tells her how she’ll have to give up all her friends and family. Back in the present, Jasper tells Andy he is glad she took him up on his offer. Jane tells Charlie that her family has never kept her safe.

 

Pieces Of Her Review

There is still plenty of time for Pieces of Her to unravel the mystery and transform into a gripping drama, but the first half has been less than spectacular. It is watchable as long as the viewer is willing to ignore some of its many flaws, including bad accents, unrealistic characters, and boring dialogue. I generally love David Wenham, but even he seems miscast to me. The American accents from most of the characters just don’t work although some are worth than others.

The editing and production could be better. For instance, it was often difficult to know exactly when you’re seeing a flashback until you’ve familiarized yourself with the characters. Another issue is the space of the show. It feels like it is tucked into a little box despite Andy driving all over the United States. There is no authenticity here because nothing can differentiate one scene from the next. Again, there are still enough episodes to make this a worthwhile series.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Pieces of Her can be found on Reel Mockery here. Support the Reel Mockery project by following this link.