Red Rose Season 1 Episode 8 Recap

The Gardener – Manchester, St. Augustines 10 months ago – The show begins with Jacob Taylor (Charlie Hiscock) telling social media that he was inspired by Alyssa Penrose (Robyn Cara). He says his new app will help him really get to know her. He refers to her as his “muse.” While secretly watching her from a window, he sends her a text with a link. She clicks on the link.

Jacob “R3R0” receives an alert that the app works. Red Rose continues to taunt him. Alyssa removes her clothes when he gains access to a live camera feed of her home and her files. Shocked, he only briefly logs out of the app. When she starts to remove her bra, he closes the camera feed.

Jacob approaches Alyssa in the library. He asks why she’s there. She tells him that she’s working on her coursework. He claims to visit the library frequently. She tells him that she’s never seen him there. He confesses to liking her a lot. She admits to liking him but not in the same manner.

Jacob tells Red Rose that Alyssa doesn’t share his feelings. He asks what he did wrong. Red Rose says he “bombed it.” The voices continue to taunt him until he exits the room. The Gardener asks if he’s all right. Jacob says yes but immediately changes his answer. The Gardener assures him that everyone has been rejected. Jacob accuses them of pushing him to ask Alyssa out when he wasn’t ready. After describing Red Rose as a “beautiful tool,” the Gardener offers to eliminate white noise so Alyssa only sees him if he’s an admin. Jacob makes the Gardener an admin.

Jacob sees Alyssa staring at a Red Rose message, “Don’t turn me off again.” He’s watching a camera feed of a frightened Alyssa. He accuses the Gardener of torturing her. The Gardener reminds him that he has the master access. Frantic, Jacob calls her phone but it goes directly to voicemail before running out the door. He arrives at her house as she falls to her death.

Jacob accuses the Gardener of killing Alyssa. The Gardener says it’s her fault for complying with Red Rose. He threatens to report him to the police when his cellphone rings. The Gardener warns him to tread carefully when threatening him again.

An unknown man tosses a red rose into Jacob’s grave.

Davis (Amelia Clarkson) passes three men in a hallway. She turns around to see them standing behind her. When they clap, she flees.

Jaya Mahajan (Ashna Rabheru) claims Red Rose shares everything on the black web. Antony Longwell (Ellis Howard) asks why. She warns them that the people watching them have arrived in Bolton. Ashley Banister (Natalie Blaire) says she figured Simon was the Gardener. Jaya tells them that Simon committed suicide after someone downloaded child porn on his computer. Ashley describes the act as “sick.” Jaya says cameras were monitoring them inside the hospital. Noah Royston (Harry Redding) asks if there’s a camera on Wren. After saying the camera feed is disabled, she says the people inside the hospital are leaving. Tariq “Taz” Sadiq (Ali Khan) asks if she knows where they are going. She promises to get back in touch shortly.

Noah is at the vending machine when I Heart BLTN (Harrie Hayes) tells him that she’s interested in becoming a Dickhead to help him. He asks her where Wren is at. She asks, “Has Red Rose changed the way you see the world.” Noah acknowledges having a different perception of the world. She buys him something from the vending machine before leaving. Noah tells the others that he has an idea of where she’s heading. They take off running.

Jaya alerts the others that Wrens is alive. Wren enters the facility and the door locks behind her. Jaya warns them of cameras up ahead. Ashley suggests they utilize the old tunnels that link multiple buildings together. Wren enters a room and the door locks behind her. Rick Bennett (Adam Nagaitis) says her coming means a lot. He warns her that his fate is to kill her. She tells him that he isn’t her father. The voice (Walles Hamonde) says they share something in common, they both killed. She denies killing Rochelle Mason (Isis Hainsworth). The man says, “Psycho dad kills psycho daughter.” Raising her voice, she tells him that people won’t believe it. He accuses her of screwing up Vinny Mason’s (Samuel Anderson) life. A projection on the wall shows a man kill Rochelle.

Noah and the others enter the tunnel. Jaya orders them to run because they’re being followed. They enter a room and lock the doors behind them. P1gfuck3r (Gary Fannin) receives a text, “Smile, you twat. Leave now or we will make you famous” while trying to break down the door. He makes his exit.

After telling the others that Rochelle was killed, Jaya orders them to find Wren now. They climb up the fire escape. Wren finds Rick restrained to a chair when a man approaches. He tells her that they’ve been in communication for several months. She calls him the Gardner. He asks how she knew his name. Rick suggests she go. She asks why he’s doing all this. He says she’s great and the audience chants her name. The Gardener pulls his knife.

Noah looks through a skylight to see Wren, Rick, and the Gardener in the room below. He asks Jaya if there is any way to delete the Red Rose app. She warns him that deleting it would get rid of all evidence. He orders her to delete it to make the Gardener’s audience disappear.

Rick demands Wren leave now. The Gardener stabs Rick in the leg. The audience’s chants stop. Noah busts the skylight. Wren hits the Gardener with a rod. Rick pleads with her to not do it but she doesn’t listen.

Noah informs the others that Wren is okay.

Rick tells Wren to give him the rod before she leaves. Police sirens can be heard in the background. She joins up with the others.

I Heart BLTN approaches Jaya as she walks down the sidewalk. Jaya informs her of the Gardener’s death. She asks if she’s really dead. Jaya asks if she’s Red Rose. The girl asks if Wren has killed. Jaya tells her that Red Rose is deleted. She tells her that an idea cannot be deleted before turning to walk away. Jaya asks if it’s over. She shrugs. The Dickheads get in a group hug. A police officer prevents Rachel Davis (Natalie Gavin) from accessing the crime scene. Wren watches as an injured Rick is escorted out of the facility.

The Dickheads visit Rochelle’s gravesite. Wren tells her that they “fu**ing love her.

Tokyo – A Japanese student (Hiroki Berrecloth) says he’s contemplating relocating to America. A girl asks how he will pay for it. He tells her that he’ll get an OnlyFans account. The guy receives a message that reads, “Do you want to really live.” He clicks the link and a white rose and Download button appear when the episode comes to an end.

 

Red Rose Finale Review

I don’t really know what to think of the finale. I am somewhat disappointed as it seemed to miss some of the most vital points. The scenes with Jacob were interesting enough but drug out beyond belief. They could’ve gotten the point across in no more than three scenes. The rest was empty, useless fluff.

The manner in which Wren killed the Gardener was shallow. She whacks him a few times with a flimsy rod. The worst part, he didn’t fight back, very unrealistic. It was heartwarming to see Rick accept the blame for his death.

The ending was a bit confusing. It’s unclear if the Gardener lead the attack on the Dickheads. I Heart BLTN never acknowledged she was the Gardener. However, she did warn Jaya that Red Rose couldn’t be deleted, which proved true when the Japanese student received a white rose. Is this sign of a second season in the making?

The poor cinematography made the ending even more confusing. Overuse of close-ups, poor lighting, dull coloring, messy action scenes, and bad camera angles heavily impacted visibility. I couldn’t even capture good snippets.

The show lacked suspense. At times, I became disengaged and bored. I was expecting so much more.

The finale deserves a 5.5. Get more Red Rose recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.