Red Rose – Season 1 Episode 3 “Scapegoat” Recap & Review

Scapegoat

Wren is desperate to get her friendship back with Roche as Red Rose episode 3 starts. She writes the same in the mirror, hoping it will come true… but Roche is long gone.

Wren gets a shock when she uses her phone and follows the instructions to download the app. Roche appears on the screen, and the two friends talk. Noah warns Wren to be careful about the app. He and Antony both are convinced that the app is dangerous. Rachel and the internet are able to see the mirror with the writing. Wren is now going through the same weird incidents as Roche. Someone calls her name when she is sleeping but she can’t see who.

Antony is still upset over his ruined friendship with Wren. Ashley advises him to settle but he is sceptical. He is more concerned about his mother when she falls down in the house. Antony uses an app to track down who is behind him. The police are now involved and want to check Wren’s phone. Roche’s cell phone has not been able to start. No substantial information has been retrieved as of now. Outside her house, she hears a ring. When Wren goes outside, she finds that the garden has been littered with garbage and there is a pool of blood by her doorstep.

“It sucks when no one believes you, but I’m listening” flashes on Wren’s phone as she begins the cleanup. She is surprised but not as much as we thought she would. The group has reached Vinny’s house to give him moral support. He has been incredibly sad after Roche’s death. Still, he offers to make tea but finds that there is no milk. When he goes to answer the door, Antony warns Wren to stop her shenanigans online. But this time, Wren puts her foot down and reveals the strangeness she is going through. Another incident happens in the bathroom when someone calls Wren’s name out of nowhere.

Wren’s isolation from her friends is gradually starting. She believes that the app is now firmly in control of her phone and using her camera. Noah requests her to give the impression to the other people that they are together. But Wren is hesitant and tells him about Little Jenna and Big Jenna’s debauchery. People now believe that Roche committed suicide because of Wren and Noah’s closeness. Hence, she asks him to maintain his distance. Noah tries to convince Wren he will handle it but she knows better by now.

Taz has now decided to look for the person behind the app. The friends are now determined to beat this thing and Ashley suggests that they should not spend too much time alone now. Noah’s chat with the Jennas does not according to plan. They laugh off his suggestion to delete the post they put up online. Antony is still online with someone from the KRSH app, as Taz tries to find the origins of RR.

Wren takes out the twins for milkshakes. They inform her that Roche faced similar issues like Wren is doing at the moment when they see her phone light up with the notification. They suggest she throw her phone away. She says it gives her access to her friends. While dropping the girls, Wren notices the writing that Roche did on the mirror with lipstick. Antony’s crush was Andrea, who smelled like vodka and he did not take an interest in her. He sets up another meeting on the app with someone else.

She has a prompt on the phone where Roche asks to meet at the graveyard. The conversation is awkward and Roche is finally able to break through. Rick also comforts Wren about what happened to Roche. She breaks down with guilt, saying she was not in touch with her best friend and did not care for her. Roche needed Wren to be on her side. Instead, she hurt Roche and was responsible for her death in some way. She then goes away to the Fudge Factory to make amends with the Jennas.

The person waiting for Antony is actually a boy. He rushes outside the place to escape. They all accompany Wren to the factory. Noah talks to the duo about Wren again after agreeing in the last meeting. Their intrusive line of questioning does not deter Noah too much. He makes it clear that Wren and he have not done anything in their relationship. Roche was just a friend who was perturbed by something. As things start to head towards normalcy, Wren’s video at the cemetery is leaked online by the app. Big Jenna accuses her of utilizing her death to get likes and a fight breaks out.

Wren comes to blows with Little Jenna after the group led by her chases Wren and Antony outside. The allegation from the Jennas is that Wren’s father murdered someone. And she implies Wren has the same DNA. She also has a run-in with Noah, who walks away in disappointment.

Taz finds out about Alyssa and Wren informs the group that Roche is talking to her as well. Wren receives a text that reads, “Come with me if you want to live tomorrow at 12pm.” But the location comes out to be in Manchester, confirming that there is a person behind the app.

The Episode Review

The writers have now firmly decided to position the story in a revealing way. We can finally think of learning the truth about the app and how it operates. But the jostling between the groups, especially the Dickheads and the Jenna group, remains too unrealistic to believe. There is still no urgency in how fights break out, except the one at the end where Wren punches Little Jenna.

The acting has drastically improved and with this new information about Manchester, perhaps things are set for a change in season 1 of Red Rose. Each character is getting their own time on the screen and they are all playing a part in moving the story along. The horror parts in this episode were marginally better but there remains a lot of room for improvement.