Hilde follows a lead in hopes of saving her grandfather. Matt and Bridget struggle with parenting a newly rebellious Izzy.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of AppleTV+'s Home Before Dark.
"Fighting His Ghost" was written by Garrett Lerner & Chloe Durkin and directed by David Katzenberg
The Magic Hour Chronicle reports that fish and birds are dying. The connection is an apparent toxin in the local pond. Because of that reporting, the town responds quickly enough before the pollution spreads and infects more species in the local ecosystem. Hilde calls out the citizens of Erie Harbor for not caring enough about their community. And now, this story represents an example of the town being proactive about a situation. They respond quickly. It all seemingly happens overnight. A problem is revealed. The solution arrives just as quickly. It's staggering really. It's all meant to celebrate Hilde as a heroic journalist once more. Her brave reporting will improve the lives of people in this community. She is suspicious about all of this though. She doesn't see this conclusion as the end of her story. Matt tries to persuade her off that path. She can't allow her bias to distract from the truth. He tries to teach her the way to be a responsible reporter. It's important. The people need to trust the press. The truth is too important for it to be distorted. Hilde cannot allow emotion to drive where her investigation leads. She is adamant about Richie being in town somehow. She views him as the person seemingly stalking her. She never gets a good look at his face. It's not until she captures a picture that she realizes it's not him. That's devastating to her. She got her hopes up. That story is still important to her. She also gets her hopes up about her Pop Pop being misdiagnosed. She believes his health deterioration may also be connected to the toxin in the pond. As such, all it takes is a little test to prove her theory and provide him with the treatment that will cure him completely. It's a wild stretch of the imagination. And yet, the show conditions the audience to also hope for the best. It requires us to be skeptical too. The truth isn't always what is told to the public. It may only be a convenient story to hide something much more sinister. It's up to Hilde to uncover the truth and report on it. That also means knowing when a story is just as it appears. Not everything is a conspiracy that highlights the selfish impulses of humanity. She should celebrate that there isn't something more diabolical happening within the local ecosystem. And yet, she can't shake off the feeling that her own agency is being coopting to create a convenient story by someone determined to keep the truth hidden. She can't become the story herself. However, so much has become incredibly personal to her family. They represent the disruption to the system that has long existed in this community. It's easy to place blame on them for changing everything that has always functioned just fine. And yet, that has only been the experience for a certain amount of people. Trip's authority is undermined both by the officers who serve under her and the auditor going through every detail of this department. Meanwhile, her father is being targeted both for his association to someone in power and his determination to keep his land in the family. He refuses to give in to a mysterious entity trying to change this land for good. Bridget is a powerful ally to have in his corner. She has the legal expertise to disrupt any plans Wott has. They will force this organization into the light. They need a public face to Wott. That is a luxury they need to chase because it can offer better understanding. Even then, it may be too late to change anything. Change happens quickly for Hilde. She reports on a problem. Action immediately occurs. The police don't even know it's happening until the big announcement in the end. Meanwhile, it takes action for Frank Sr. to redeem himself in his son's eyes. He can't make things right for Sam after taking years away from him. He can help Trip be seen with the respect and authority she deserves. That action is noticed and appreciated. It doesn't fully redeem him either. He just wants to be close with his son once more. That's a genuine impulse. It takes action to do that. Meanwhile, Izzy is lucky she didn't get into more trouble when she was drinking with her older friends. Jessica blacked out. They got into trouble at school. Izzy is dealing with the punishment. She is working closely with her mom now. Jessica is moving away. Izzy always believes her life is in turmoil. She is lucky to a certain extent because of the love that surrounds her in this family. She can't always relate or understand. This show wants to treat everyone with the respect they deserve no matter their age. But those adult themes and stakes can be terrifying when positioned against the younger characters who aren't fully aware of what it all means. And yet, that too showcases the growth they are all learning. It's part of growing up. Hilde has found her calling. She still needs emotional support because of all that she is willing to do and the shortcomings she faces along the way too.
The Magic Hour Chronicle reports that fish and birds are dying. The connection is an apparent toxin in the local pond. Because of that reporting, the town responds quickly enough before the pollution spreads and infects more species in the local ecosystem. Hilde calls out the citizens of Erie Harbor for not caring enough about their community. And now, this story represents an example of the town being proactive about a situation. They respond quickly. It all seemingly happens overnight. A problem is revealed. The solution arrives just as quickly. It's staggering really. It's all meant to celebrate Hilde as a heroic journalist once more. Her brave reporting will improve the lives of people in this community. She is suspicious about all of this though. She doesn't see this conclusion as the end of her story. Matt tries to persuade her off that path. She can't allow her bias to distract from the truth. He tries to teach her the way to be a responsible reporter. It's important. The people need to trust the press. The truth is too important for it to be distorted. Hilde cannot allow emotion to drive where her investigation leads. She is adamant about Richie being in town somehow. She views him as the person seemingly stalking her. She never gets a good look at his face. It's not until she captures a picture that she realizes it's not him. That's devastating to her. She got her hopes up. That story is still important to her. She also gets her hopes up about her Pop Pop being misdiagnosed. She believes his health deterioration may also be connected to the toxin in the pond. As such, all it takes is a little test to prove her theory and provide him with the treatment that will cure him completely. It's a wild stretch of the imagination. And yet, the show conditions the audience to also hope for the best. It requires us to be skeptical too. The truth isn't always what is told to the public. It may only be a convenient story to hide something much more sinister. It's up to Hilde to uncover the truth and report on it. That also means knowing when a story is just as it appears. Not everything is a conspiracy that highlights the selfish impulses of humanity. She should celebrate that there isn't something more diabolical happening within the local ecosystem. And yet, she can't shake off the feeling that her own agency is being coopting to create a convenient story by someone determined to keep the truth hidden. She can't become the story herself. However, so much has become incredibly personal to her family. They represent the disruption to the system that has long existed in this community. It's easy to place blame on them for changing everything that has always functioned just fine. And yet, that has only been the experience for a certain amount of people. Trip's authority is undermined both by the officers who serve under her and the auditor going through every detail of this department. Meanwhile, her father is being targeted both for his association to someone in power and his determination to keep his land in the family. He refuses to give in to a mysterious entity trying to change this land for good. Bridget is a powerful ally to have in his corner. She has the legal expertise to disrupt any plans Wott has. They will force this organization into the light. They need a public face to Wott. That is a luxury they need to chase because it can offer better understanding. Even then, it may be too late to change anything. Change happens quickly for Hilde. She reports on a problem. Action immediately occurs. The police don't even know it's happening until the big announcement in the end. Meanwhile, it takes action for Frank Sr. to redeem himself in his son's eyes. He can't make things right for Sam after taking years away from him. He can help Trip be seen with the respect and authority she deserves. That action is noticed and appreciated. It doesn't fully redeem him either. He just wants to be close with his son once more. That's a genuine impulse. It takes action to do that. Meanwhile, Izzy is lucky she didn't get into more trouble when she was drinking with her older friends. Jessica blacked out. They got into trouble at school. Izzy is dealing with the punishment. She is working closely with her mom now. Jessica is moving away. Izzy always believes her life is in turmoil. She is lucky to a certain extent because of the love that surrounds her in this family. She can't always relate or understand. This show wants to treat everyone with the respect they deserve no matter their age. But those adult themes and stakes can be terrifying when positioned against the younger characters who aren't fully aware of what it all means. And yet, that too showcases the growth they are all learning. It's part of growing up. Hilde has found her calling. She still needs emotional support because of all that she is willing to do and the shortcomings she faces along the way too.
