The premiere of Hulu’s limited series Under the Bridge introduced viewers to the shocking true story of Reena Virk, a fourteen-year-old who was murdered by seven of her peers in 1997. In Episode 3, the police will finally — though much too late — take the case seriously after Reena’s body washed up in Episode 2.
Based on the book by Rebecca Godfrey, we can expect subsequent episodes to follow the case closely. However, some details have been changed already, such as the names of the perpetrators (presumably for legal reasons), and it’ll be interesting to consider whether some more details are changed for dramatic purposes.
Who Killed Reena Virk?
The Hulu series is clearly pushing Jo as Reena’s murderer, and she has admitted this herself to Becca. However, this doesn’t exactly line up with the real case.
During the real-life incident, Reena’s face was burned with a cigarette, as Jo claims she did, an action perpetrated by Nicole Cook. Cook is clearly the basis for Jo, having been raised in the local group home and exhibiting many similar traits to Jo. She participated in the beating of Reena and, after the murder, retrieved some of her clothing with another of the girls and took them to the group home, forcing another girl there to hide them.
However, it wasn’t Nicole Cook who actually killed Reena — that was Kelly Marie Ellard and Warren Paul Glowatski. This implies that Jo did not kill Reena, despite her claims to Becca.
Why Would Jo Lie About What Happened?
Nicole is clearly damaged and perhaps a little bit psychopathic. She is obsessed with John Gotti and fantasizes about being an employee of the mob boss. She is deeply concerned with her reputation, and it is likely that the story she has relayed to Becca is intended to make her look dangerous and improve her reputation.
It’ll be interesting to see how Becca deals with this. Since she’s nursing her own trauma, it’s clear she sees something of herself in Jo, and if she discovers that Jo has not been honest about what happened, she could be inclined to protect her. This would likely cause friction between Becca and Cam.
Flashbacks Will Dig Further Into Reena’s Home Life
Reena was deeply unsatisfied with her home life, especially the religious conservatism of her parents. Flashbacks will likely dig into this relationship and explore Reena’s desire to fit in and how her efforts to do so caused issues at home.
In real life, Reena falsely accused her father of sexual assault in an effort to get herself relocated to a foster home. She thought this would give her more freedom. I’m unsure if the Hulu series will decide to depict this exactly, but it’s a likely angle for the flashbacks to take.
Under the Bridge Episode 3 Release Date and Where to Watch
Under the Bridge Episode 3, “Blood Oath”, will be released on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The show is exclusive to Hulu, which is only available with a subscription.
