Stalker - Lost and Found/Salvation - Review: "Ray closes in on Beth"

As promised, here are my reviews of the latest two Stalker episodes. Episode 15 aired last week so that review is a bit late, and I'm again sorry for that. Episode 16 aired this past Wednesday.

Episode 1.15 "Lost and Found"

The case of the week has a real snowball effect: one incident leads to another. It all starts with high school coach Baker being nearly killed by moving bleachers. He accuses Jenny, a high school girl he has been getting unwanted attention from. Jenny claims she's innocent and is backed by her mother and her best friend Alexis. Jenny also reveals she is dating a boy named Emmet, but later that day she finds him sleeping with another girl named Dee. She storms out and Emmet races after her, but he is attacked and breaks his collarbone. The entire high school now thinks Jenny tried to kill him, and she is subsequently suspended. Later, a video is uploaded of Jenny having sex with the gym coach, even though her face invisible so she denies she had sex with him. The coach in turn gets mad at Jenny and attacks her at her house. He too says he hasn't had sex with Jenny, and that it was another Jenny whom he had sex with. However, the entire high school now looks at Jenny like a slut so she wants to move away with her mother. When her mother refuses, Jenny runs away.

And then the truth slowly starts to unravel. The thing is, Jenny is an adopted girl, but a few years before Jenny's mother adopted her, she gave birth to another child named Rheanna. Since she was too young to take care of her, she gave Rheanna up for adoption. However, the TAU learns that Rheanna is in fact Jenny's best friend Alexis. She has been getting close to Jenny to get to know her mother. After Jenny's gone, Alexis confronts her mother and talks about how they are now back together after having been separated for years. Sadly, mom tells her that she gave her up because she was too young to have her. Alexis/Rheanna is mad that her mother tried to replace her with Jenny, and when Jenny shows up at the house because she couldn't run away, Alexis gets crazy mad. A fight ensues and both Alexis and Jenny fall from the stairs, but they are still alive. In the end, Alexis is admitted to a psychiatric facility because she has some type of disorder (speculated to be borderline), while her mother and Jenny are willing to visit her despite the terrible things she has done.

Meanwhile, Ray and Perry are laying low in a hotel and argue over their strategies to get to Beth. Perry thinks it's best to stay there for a couple of weeks to come up with a plan. However, Ray disagrees and leaves the hotel to get some stuff. This upsets Perry, but Ray gives him a smack. He says they need to work together instead of Ray working for Perry. Later, Ray is seen at Jenny's house, taking pictures of the entire team. When he returns to the hotel, he tells Perry that they should hurt Beth by hurting her family, a.k.a. her co-workers.

This was a bit of a slower episode compared to the previous ones. The case was OK, but we have seen better ones this season. The culprit was predictable, I thought it would be either the mother or the best friend. In that aspect, the case had nothing new to offer. I did like the setting at a high school and all the problems that occur there (like gossip and rumors becoming truth), but boy, the teens were so stereotypical. The part with Beth's stalkers felt like a bit of filler that sets up the big confrontation between the team and the stalkers. I did like Perry getting a hit from Ray, although I wouldn't have minded if Ray just straight out killed him. I'm betting Ray is scary enough on his own, so he doesn't really need Perry. My guess is Ray will kill someone close to Beth, probably her friend Tracy. It's possible that one of the team members will die, in which case it will very likely be either Ben or Janice. My prime suspect would be Ben, and it would be a shame if he were to die because he has been terribly underdeveloped.

By the way, did anyone else miss the music in this episode?


Episode 1.16 "Salvation"

"When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother, "What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?"
Here's what she said to me

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera
What will be, will be"
- Que sera, sera - Doris Day

A woman named Isabel is confronted by a man in her apartment buiding, who says Oscar misses her very much. Isabel runs away from the creep, and she starts screaming until she is let in the house by her neighbor Lucy. She later tells the TAU that Oscar is her ex-boyfriend and that he was violent. Jack and Ben interrogate Oscar and make it clear he needs to stay away from Isabel. That evening, Isabel gets food from a truck and is intimidated by several people. When she gets into her car, she finds herself surrounded by an entire group and she quickly drives away. After reporting this to the TAU, Ben identifies the man who scared her in her apartment building as Clark Jennings. Jack and Beth head to his house, but are surprised to find 32 people living there. Apparently they are part of some modern day cult called the Celestial Fellowship, and according to their leader Abraham, Jennings hasn't been there in weeks. A member, Skye (played by former Nikita cast member Tiffany Hines), tells them their beliefs are rooted in astronomy. The team suspects that Abraham is recruiting Isabel for her money. Since she has no family in LA, it makes her vulnerable to the cult. The question is: how did Abraham know about Oscar? That is quickly answered as they learn that Lucy is also part of the Fellowship.

Lucy has taken Isabel to the cult house and introduces her to Abraham. Isabel actually recognizes Abraham, but he drugged her so she passes out. Lucy says Abraham didn't have to drug Isabel because she came willingly, but Abraham tells her that Isabel is the one they've been waiting for and that she is the highest point of their constellation. He knocks Lucy out and gathers the cult to baptize Isabel. The TAU learns that Abraham is in fact Robert Foster, and that he lived in the same small town as Isabel. They show up at the house but find it empty except for Lucy. Ben finds out that the cult has another property in the woods, and they can use the lake for baptizing. With Skye's help, Abraham is already baptizing Isabel when the cops show up. It turns out Abraham/Robert build the entire cult just for Isabel, and that he is suffering from erotomania. After the case, Beth checks on Isabel and tells her she will eventually find friends in LA. Isabel subsequently invites her to come in, to which Beth agrees.

Elsewhere, as Janice and Ben discuss whether Jack and Beth would hook up, and Amanda agrees to let Ethan sleep over at Jack's, Perry and Ray further discuss their game plan. They are focussing on scaring Beth's loved ones, which includes Tracy (who's MIA), Ben, Janice, Jack and Amanda, so Beth will push them away and turn to them instead. As they consider which one of them to target first, Ray comes up with a gun. Perry doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but Ray tells him that the gun is just meant to scare them. At the end of the episode, Ray makes a move on the first target. After Amanda drops Ethan at Jack's place, Ray sneaks up on her and knocks her head on her car. As she falls down and her head starts bleeding, Ray takes her bag. Whether Amanda is the intended target, or a means to get to Jack remains to be seen.

Again, this wasn't the series' best episode. The group stalking case was an interesting one, but it was way too far-fetched. I understand Abraham is crazy, but building an entire cult just for Isabel? It would have been more believable if Isabel was a former member of the cult and the cult was now stalking her. Also, it was the third case in a row where the best friend was involved so perhaps they could step away from that now. The story with Perry and especially Ray is now getting very interesting and I am so looking forward to next week's episode after that cliffhanger. I think Amanda will survive, but again it's not off the table that the show will kill one of its main characters (that is Ben, Janice or Amanda). Something I do hate and think needs to stop right away, is the pushing of a hook-up between Beth and Jack. I get that Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott are engaged and I'm really happy for them, but I don't need their off-screen romance to translate into an on-screen one. That first scene between them in specifically, it looked they just had sex. Don't ruin the few episodes that the show has left by hooking up the two lead characters.

What did you think of "Lost and Found" and "Salvation"? How do you feel about the high school stalking case and the group stalking? Do you think Amanda is still alive? If so, what would Ray want with her? Who will be his next target? And lastly, do you think anyone will die next week? Fire away with your thoughts and theories in the comments below.

The next episode, "Fun and Games", airs next Wednesday at 10/9c. It seems that this episode will solely focus on the story of Beth and her stalkers. Sadly, it is also the last scheduled episode so be sure to watch it! Here is a promo:

About the Author - Daniel van der Veer

Daniel van der Veer is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, The 100, Stalker, Madam Secretary and the upcoming shows Battle Creek and Odyssey. He also enjoys LOST, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Nikita, The Blacklist, Scorpion and How To Get Away With Murder.

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