Red Rose – Season 1 Episode 2 “The Garden” Recap & Review

The Garden

Roche rushes back to her house to check on the twins as Red Rose episode 2 starts. Since there is no electricity, she uses the flash on her phone to navigate the outline of the house. She frenetically calls out for the twins and finds them hidden in a cabinet. They report someone was there in the garden, which Roche knows to be Gloria. Roche checks upstairs in her room and finds that song “Gloria” is blaring on the speakers. She cannot see anyone with the naked eye. But when she uses her phone to see, Roche finds the faceless image of her dead mother right next to her. Roche sleeps with the twins that night.

The next day, she talks with her father about Gloria. Vinny tells her that Gloria was a great lady and that she did not fit in with the rest of the world. He says Gloria’s unique personality was admonished and suffocated by people around her. She assures him it will be okay when a video bearing the message, “Welcome to the new you,” followed by a Red Rose message, “somebody wants to talk to you” pops up on her phone. When she selects “yes,” Gloria announces she is back to be with her.

Wren discusses her deteriorating relationship with Rochelle with her mother Rachel. Antony tries to relay to Roche how her message keeps sending out these weird texts but there is too much confusion and anger. The group discusses what has happened to her and is of the opinion that a serious intervention is not needed. But they cannot reconcile the behaviour and sense something is wrong. Antony helps out her mother, who seems to be recovering from an ailment. Roche delivers a handwritten note to Wren and she gets permission to go over to Roche’s.

They talk but Roche gets angry when Wren mentions that a priest should be brought for a cleansing. They are not able to make amends. Rochelle receives an alert that the video of her fight with Wren was posted. A female voice warns her that everyone believes she posted the video. She denies the allegations.

Vinny and the twins are leaving town to go to their aunt’s. Roche is let alone at home. Gloria reveals that she can manifest when Roche visits the graveyard. She gives it to her like a challenge. Ashley is worried and tries to persuade others to talk with Roche and get everything settled. She has meanwhile gone to a church and started performing an exorcism. We see that someone starts appearing in the live stream that started while she was in church. That very being has now taken the shape of Gloria, who reassures Roche that she will be with her. Roche is panicky as the screen of the phone goes black.

Wren is still of the opinion that Roche is doing it intentionally. She is not able to handle her problems and takes it out on her friends. Even though they believe that Red Rose might be a factor in the change in behaviour, they are mad at Roche. While she is bathing,  The Dickheads run toward Rochelle’s house. They bang on the doors and windows to no avail. A neighbour gives them Vinny’s phone number. Rochelle sends them a text advertising for new friends.

When the trio returns, they find Roche’s lifeless body in the bathtub. She is dead and all her friends are in shock. Wren is now convinced that Roche did not commit suicide and goes to the congregation to announce her belief. Roche is lowered into the ground and the friends realize that they had to support their friend when they ignored Roche’s condition. But were the Dickheads responsible for the death?

Taz thinks so but Ashley rightly pointed out that they had no idea who Roche was.  Wren assures them that she didn’t take her life when Rochelle sends her a message, “Roses are red, violets are blue, here in The Garden, I’m waiting for you.”  She installs the Red Rose app as the episode comes to an end.

The Episode Review

One thing that is slightly bothering in the show is that we still do not know who is behind the app. Red Rose remains a mystery that has many possibilities. It can be something that is supernatural induced, or perhaps by a hacker group.

Wren now floats in the same boat too. She is the third person we see get inflicted with the curse of Red Rose. But now that the others have a better understanding of it, they might be more sympathetic to her cause.

I feel Wren’s situation will lead them to the root cause behind Red Rose. Roche’s suicide was a huge shock that none of us saw coming, but in comparison Wren did not come as the person who would be in the background. This episode was a slight improvement over the previous one but there is a long way to go yet.