Summary
The quirkiest but possibly best episode of Roar. The fairytale element of the episode is unusual but fascinating to watch. Whilst it would have been nice to see some characters get their “comeuppance”, it’s a nice episode that tells an unusual story.
This recap of Roar season 1, episode 3, “The Woman Who Was Kept On A Shelf” contains spoilers. You can check out our spoiler-free season review by clicking these words.
Roar season 1, episode 3 recap
Once upon a time, there was a young girl (Amelia) whose mother said that she would always choose beauty over intelligence for her. And so, as Amelia (Betty Gilpin) got older, she met a man, an extremely rich businessman Harry (Daniel Dae Kim), and moved into his mansion. It’s a fairytale, apparently.
One morning, Amelia awakes to find Harry building a shelf. He reveals he is building a shelf for her. But no, not her things, her. Yes, actually her. It has a perfect view of the pool for her. But more importantly, it allows him to watch Amelia all the time as he works. And no, he isn’t joking. He tells Amelia to quit her modeling job, and bizarrely, she accepts his request. Once Amelia gets up on the shelf, she waits as Harry cooks them both breakfast.
During the wedding, Amelia remains on the shelf as everyone else celebrates. However, before long, the gifts from Harry appear, and he starts to pay less and less attention to her. And then, he decides that to focus on work, he wants a change of scenery. Aka, he switches his desk around so that he no longer faces her.
The Ending
Three years later. Amelia remains on the shelf, and the table still faces the other way. After Harry ignores Amelia. Amelia has a little chat with her shoe before she finally gets off the shelf and heads outside. After she rides on a male’s motorbike and explores the town, Amelia takes part in a group dance on the beach. After Amelia attends a beauty salon, the sales assistant, Jordan, reminds Amelia that it’s up to her to choose how she lives her life.
Returning to the mansion, Amelia picks up a firestick and smashes the shelf into pieces. One year later. As a large number of women line up for the opening of Amelia’s store, Amelia is inside as she sits on a shelf. When a young girl asks her mother why Amelia is on the shelf and if she’ll ever end up on one, the mother remarks that there’s not a chance that she will end up on a shelf.
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