The Last Thing He Told Me – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

The Day After

As the news coverage about The Shop becomes more intense, episode 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me sees Hannah think back to the time she and Owen wanted to take a vacation in Austin. She had pledged her loyalty to Owen; no matter what she learns about him, it would not change her opinion of him. Austin is important here as it takes on significance later in the episode.

For now though, Carl, the couple’s lawyer friend, has been avoiding Hannah’s calls. Bailey is getting bullied by her peers about Owen’s alleged wrongdoings while Lynne Williams is at its centre. She does not want to go to school but Hannah thinks she should get her mind off it.

On their way to school, Hannah notices someone following them. She loses the tail by making an abrupt turn while Max, Jules’ partner who is also a reporter, says the SEC think Owen is a material witness. If he does not show up soon, they will start investigating him. Hannah eventually goes through Owen’s work computer, trying to access his new Will but noticing that it’s password protected. Agents Wu and O’Mackey show up at her workshop and confiscate the laptop. They also say that the State would get involved with Bailey if Owen does not show up for another day.

Bailey might have to go to CPS. They also find it weird that a US Marshal is involved with the case as the Marshal’s Office does not deal with financial crimes. Hannah goes to Carl’s house. His wife, Patty, emerges and instantly berates Hannah for destroying their family. Owen asked Carl to invest in The Shop’s IPO and now they have lost most of their life savings. She also calls Hannah “the fool” in the marriage.

Grady Bradford, the US Marshal, is seen following Hannah in his car… but why is he involved at all? Is Grady lying about his identity?

Bailey is the talk of the town at school. She finds peace in Bobby until she learns that he has accepted admission into Duke University. They had initially planned to go to Stanford together but Duke offered him a full scholarship. Bailey walks away disappointed while Hannah remembers the past when she and Owen were discussing their partners before them.

Olivia, Bailey’s biological mother, had died in a hit-and-run when Bailey was four. Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Jake Davis is a successful lawyer, whom Hannah is thinking of contacting in the present. Jake is condescending in his tone but has some honest truths for Hannah. He feels Owen has run off because he is involved in the crime. Bailey comes back home early from school and notices someone exiting their house. She goes to Hannah, who calls the cops from the workshop.

Quite unsurprisingly, nothing is missing from the house. Jules and Max show up later though to give emotional support. Jules talks to Bailey as she has known her longer, while Max enquires more about the case from Hannah. She is sceptical to talk about it though as Max is a reporter. Max tries to allay her hesitance before Bailey eventually concedes that she cannot understand how Owen would leave her like this. Interestingly, he actually got super angry when she asked him the previous week to go with Bobby’s parents to a retreat because he did not want to be far from her.

Hannah is angry with herself for missing the signs and feels something else is going on. She tells Max about Grady, who’s surprised to find that he did not show Hannah an official ID and the fact that his number is an Austin extension. Hannah is hooked on the idea that Austin has relevance to ascertaining Owen’s location, so she meets with Carl, who comes clean about where the savings have gone. They did not go into the IPO but to sports gambling, something he did not tell Patty. He intends to correct his mistake and tell her soon.

He also remembers an anecdote when Owen obsessively tried to distance himself from the city of Austin and a bar called Antone’s. Hannah calls the Marshal’s office but cuts off the call when she notices the same bald man wandering around the house. Hannah asks Bailey about Austin, feeling “what really matters” in Owen’s letter to Bailey might mean something else.

Bailey remembers a football game in Austin, but Owen never watched football. It could well be that Owen has relatives or friends in Austin but the next moment, Bailey retracts her word as she is not clear on the details.

Jake calls Hannah and says he has no information from the private investigator he has put on Owen’s case. Hannah confirms from Jake about the Austin stadium, telling him about Grady and that the FBI were not aware of him. Hannah feels Owen is running away from something else, so Jake asks her to stay aloof and let the professionals handle it. Hannah announces to Bailey that they are leaving for Austin the next morning, as the episode comes to a close.

The Episode Review

Our attention moves towards Austin as Owen’s past connection to the city surfaces. There is a new angle in the story that he might be running away from something else. Why would the Marshal’s office be after him otherwise? Owen’s past is an interesting subplot that will keep things intriguing across the upcoming chapters. It can also completely change the complexion of our impressions of the characters, and where and how the story ends.

Right now, The Last Thing has more questions for us with the possibility of even more before we get answers. All that we ask the makers is to remember to give us the answers and not leave us in the lurches. I like how mobile the story is given Hannah’s established status. It opens up the narrative for even more possibilities and unresolved issues about the past, giving material weight to the exposition.