THEM: The Scare – Season 2 Episode 1 “Are You Scared?” Recap & Review

Are You Scared?

Episode 1 of THEM: The Scare begins with someone being held captive while a retro tune plays.

At present, Dawn Reeve is an LAPD detective with a teenage son, Kelvin and a loving mother, Athena. Dawn heads to the newest crime scene – a foster home. The foster mother, Bernice Mott is the victim and she is found bent and shoved under the sink cabinet. There are other peculiarities at the scene such as cracked glass, a broken clock and cleaning supplies out in the hallway. 

Dawn gets the case but due to a mistake in a past case – physical assault in the Southside Slayer case, McKinney is the lead. He is not thorough and closes cases too quickly which annoys Dawn.

McKinney goes too hard on Malcolm, the boy who reported the murder. The detective suggests that since Mott was abusive, Malcolm must have killed her. Dawn sees Malcolm breaking down and she suggests an attorney.

Meanwhile, Edmund Gaines works at an arcade and is a struggling actor. At his next audition, he is supposed to play a gangster but his soft-spoken nature makes the cameraman laugh. Edmund also likes the agency’s secretary, Rhonda who has a good rapport with him. But we see him wait all night and read his line of beating someone up as he watches the cameraman hug Rhonda goodbye.

It is Dawn’s birthday and the Reeves have a birthday dinner. It seems that Athena’s motor skills are deteriorating while Dawn’s ex still contacts her. While they eat, the lights in the kitchen and the garage flicker.

Elsewhere, Rhonda brings her son, Kenny to the arcade and Edmund bonds with them. She is touched and offers to look through scripts to find a good role for him. They exchange numbers and he is happy.

As for Dawn, she visits Malcolm’s sister, Kia who is scared of Bernice. A flashback shows Bernice being scared of a man and she gathers all the foster children and makes them watch TV so they don’t fall asleep. However, they do, including Malcolm. But Kia is awake when the man comes for Bernice and she hears bone breaking.

At the Reeves’, lights again flicker in the garage but Kelvin is busy with his drums. Upstairs, Athena is cutting carrots when she hears Bernice scream and her hand shakes. Dawn arrives home to see both asleep and she studies the case. She gets into the cabinet under the sink and recreates the victim’s position. While she listens to the recording of her comments on the crime scene, it distorts and someone asks if she is scared at the end of THEM: The Scare Episode 1.

The Episode Review

THEM: The Scare Episode 1 is off to a pretty good start. We have LAPD detective, Dawn taking over a gruesome case. Unfortunately for her, she is teamed up with the pompous McKinney which leads to a strained dynamic. And like season 1, the mystery, bad people and paranormal events are all tied up intrinsically which makes viewers wonder what is the truth. 

As for Edmund’s storyline, so far, it is completely independent from Dawn’s. He is unable to get a role since he doesn’t fit the stereotype. But there is more than what meets the eye as his sweet demeanour changes when he watches the cameraman who laughed at him. The premiere is yet to give us some answers but it definitely has us hooked. But it seems that it will maintain the gore factor of Season 1, so beware!