Pieces Of Her season 1 – what are the many secrets in Laura Oliver’s past?

By Adam Lock - March 4, 2022 (Last updated: September 28, 2024)
What are the many secrets in Laura Olivers past in Pieces Of Her season 1 - netflix series
By Adam Lock - March 4, 2022 (Last updated: September 28, 2024)

This article, “What are the many secrets in Laura Oliver’s past” contains spoilers regarding Netflix’s Pieces Of Her season 1.

Access the archive of recaps, reviews, and features for Pieces Of Her.

The main draw of this series is uncovering who Laura Oliver actually is and just what are the many secrets from her past. Part one lays the foundations for these questions by tantalizing viewers with a seemingly ordinary woman who appears to harbor a hidden killer instinct. Laura saves many lives when she unarms the gunman, acting like a trained operative. In that diner shooting, Laura reveals a secretive side to herself, one that sets Andy off on a journey of discovery. So what exactly are the many secrets from Laura Oliver’s past?

What are the many secrets in Laura Oliver’s past in Pieces Of Her season 1?

Through vivid flashbacks, the filmmakers slowly unveil Laura’s past and eventually disclose every secret. Laura’s murky past is kept under wraps due to her involvement in the Witness Protection Program. She has had to keep her previous life a secret for her own safety and to protect her daughter Andy. If she was to be discovered it would put Laura and Andy in imminent danger. The viral footage of Laura saving the day does just that, it allows her enemies a precise location of her whereabouts and a new identity. It becomes obvious why Laura was so shifty in the hospital and then enraged by the media. In the end, she decides to face this dilemma head-on and accepts an interview with the news channel camping outside her house.

This double life she leads is further exposed when Andy finds Laura’s getaway car filled with a suitcase overflowing with money, multiple fake IDs, and a loaded gun. Later Andy discovers Laura’s true identity, she is Jane Queller. Laura is in fact the daughter of billionaire Martin Queller and an expert pianist. Jane is caught up in a vigilante group, led by her lover Nick Harp. They plan to scare Martin on the world stage with their protests, but a rogue member in the group shoots Martin instead. The gang must then live on the run from the FBI as fugitives. Jane becomes pregnant with Nick’s child and her brother Andrew is shot.

Jane decides to go to the police after Nick beats her and allows Andrew to die without medical attention. She is placed in the Witness Protection Program under the supervision of Charlie Bass. Jane is given a new identity, told she cannot play the piano ever again and must keep a low profile. Laura and Andy move to Belle Isle, whilst Nick continues to live as a fugitive. She succeeds in remaining unnoticed for decades, fooling everyone. Andy knows there is something suspicious surrounding her father but doesn’t pry. It is only when Laura struggles with a bout of cancer that she vocalizes her pains. Alone with a dying cancer patient she explains the strains of living a lie, being a prisoner in your own skin.

Laura/Jane has many secrets to keep, all with the sole aim of protecting their family. These secrets do untold damages to Laura on the inside, mentally weakening her with every passing year. It is only through Andy that she battles cancer and these problems head-on, for her daughter’s sake. Laura is a brave, resilient woman who would do anything for her daughter, and the secrets she keeps almost destroy this relationship she holds so dearly. By the end she is finally free of the past and vows never to live a lie again.

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