Summary
After a slow start, “Suffer the Little Children” delivers rather intriguing pieces to ensure our investment in The Clearing.
After laying the groundwork for what is ahead in the first two episodes, The Clearing delves more into the story of who Freya is and how she played a pivotal role in The Kindred as a kid. However, a surprise visit from her daughter throws things for a loop in the present day.
The Clearing Season 1 Episode 3 recap
The episode begins with a baby crying in a car and a younger Freya getting so frustrated it wouldn’t stop crying that she leaves the vehicle. In the present day, the people that bought the house that Freya’s living in arrive to measure the second bedroom, but she freaks out on them, telling them to leave. We see her confront her mother about the sale, but she doesn’t want to hear it.
Freya arrives at The Kindred household looking for Dr. Lathan. When nobody answers, she sees herself, and her memories of her time in the house are voiced in her head. After lurking around, Dr. Lathan arrives to say it’s a surprise to see her. Freya asks why Dr. Lathan sold the house from under her, and he thinks she must not have possessions. He said she should’ve seen this coming, and she can’t suck on Mommy’s tit forever.
Why does Amy get in trouble at dinner?
While everyone is eating, Amy mentions that Sara eats whatever she wants at home. She followed this up by saying she could go into the fridge and make a sandwich whenever she liked. This pisses off Tamsin and Hannah, leading to her getting thrown out of the house.
Dr. Lathan comes outside to talk to Amy, who asks how Sara was when he dropped her off, and he says they left her asleep on the doorstep. We see Joe trying to talk his bosses into giving him the warrant to go into The Kindred household to get the kid out.
Who tips off Matriah?
After Joe pushes his boss for the warrant, we see a detective eavesdropping to hear what is being said. Now this detective arrives at the house to talk to Matriah, informing her about Joe’s suspicion of them having her. He asks if they have the kid, and all she says is, “You made the right move,” and rolls up her window.
When Freya arrives at the playground to look after Billy, she sees a white van outside, forcing her to pick him up early from school. After this, she begins to chase down the van, and a car is following her and blinks her lights to tell her to get out. Wayne confronts her about their kid Max, who ran away, and wonders if Freya has been in contact with her. However, he asks about Billy, and she says he will not get him and leaves.
Matriah arrives to take the kids outside, where she sings and lets them play. We see Dr. Latham going through some of the belongings inside the house to get rid of the evidence before the cops arrive. Back outside, Amy has gone missing, and everyone is freaking out. While on the run, a man stumbles across Amy who recognizes her from the haircut and brings her with him in the truck. As she is eating at this man’s house, the cops arrive, leading to Amy going on the run, but she runs into a tree knocking her out.
Who is driving the white van?
Freya calls Joe to tell him she believes that it is Max that was driving the white van. When Billy and Freya get home, Max is waiting for them. Max confirms her suspicion by confronting her mom, saying that her dad told her she left cause she didn’t know how to be a mother, but she had been watching her for weeks being a mother. Wayne arrives to pick up Max, demanding she introduce him to Billy, but she refuses.
The Clearing Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
The cops arrive to raid The Kindred household, and they take all of the kids. Inside, Joe is lurking around, trying to find Sara, who is not around. He found an underground tunnel area but was unable to find her. As Henrik and Hannah are being put into the cop cars, Joe confronts them, asking where Matriah is, and none speak a single word. We see Matriah at the airport, dropping a piece of mail off, while Tamsin runs in the woods. The episode ends with Anton arriving at present-day Matriah’s house.
What did you think of The Clearing Season 1 Episode 3? Comment below.
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Season 1 Episode 3: What song (classical/aria?) is being played at the picnic? “Mother” sings along while sitting on a blanket. Starts aboutv25 min, 17 seconds into the episode.
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