Freaks & Geeks - Recap

The scene opens with two men tying a girl to a chair and inserting a needle in her arm. Next we see that the team is examining the body of a girl whose body is pierced with dozens of needles. It’s the same girl we see in the beginning of the episode. Catherine observes that there is no blood on the girl’s body. Russell notices that since the road is concrete, there would be no footprints. Russell says there is some expertise displayed here where the hemorrhaging is less with maximum pain. For the killer it was about watching her suffer. They take the body for an examination to the lab. Morgan is back and is helping Catherine with the body. Catherine tells her that the needles used to kill the girl are the ones used for the bone marrow transplant. The pattern in which the needles are inserted show a ritualistic pattern. Out of all the needles, one was a skewer.

Henry is examining a canvas which was used to wrap the body; on which there are a lot of layers of paint. This is done by the artist to hide the flaws in the painting. The thickness of the paint layer and the base would lead them to the killer. Nick takes over. Meanwhile Robbins educates Russell and Catherine that the victim had undergone a knee plate replacement surgery. With the number on the plate, they trace the doctor. The doctor is Jennifer Grier and the victim is her sister Rachael. Catherine meets the doctor. She tells Catherine that she hasn’t seen her sister in years and that she was a wild child. She also tells her that Rachael called her a few months ago and need some money for the medical bills. Catherine tells her that she was taken against her will several weeks ago. Jennifer’s daughter Sylvia says that it cannot be possible, because she had lunch with her aunt last Monday.

Her aunt needed to talk and not let Jennifer know that she was in town. Sylvia says that Rachael wanted to come back home. The hotel that Sylvia says Rachael was staying did not have a room registered under her name. Henry gives Greg the toxicology report which is inconclusive and confusing. There were traces of anesthetics in the blood. Now the question is; what kind of a sadist would use anesthetics before torturing the victim. Nick got together some images using optical microscopy; and he put together the picture of candelabra, which displays the exact pattern in which the needles were pierced in the body and there were wax residue found on the skewer. Morgan searches the system and comes up with a show that’s playing in town. So now its time for a road trip!

They reach to watch the show of the Rambling Carnival. It’s a freak show. The owner of the freak show is Major Willy. Catherine asks him whether he recognizes Rachael; and he does. Catherine tells him that she is dead. He is not too surprised that she is dead. Moreover she had a thing for drugs and the wrong kind of men. Russell goes inside the tent to check and Nick and Catherine go to keep a watch on Willy. Later we see that Russell and Nick are examining the chair that has a lot of blood on it. On top of it there is a contraption that could also act as a source. They are accompanied by Zodiac; a really freaky participant from the show. They also find skewers in the drawers. They then go to check her dressing room. Russell tells Catherine that he found a whole pharmacy in Rachael’s room, including Licodine. Russell tells Catherine that Willy reminded him of his father; someone who could make people do anything.

He tells her that his parents were performers as well and that their troop owner did not appreciate them leaving. Well, he doesn’t continue further and shifts his focus to Rachael. He feels that she too wanted to leave and Willy might have not liked the idea. Just then Henry walks in and gives them an update; tells them that he knows what killed the victim and who. Willy aka Steven Watt is being interrogated by Russell and Nick. Willy pulls off a small stunt; pretty flaky; the same one which needs the pin to be pierced across the skin. Russell tells Willy that Rachael was killed due to high amount of Propofol; which paralyzes the diaphragm; which also means she suffocated to death. Nick tells him that he knows that he had access to anesthetic drugs. Willy explains the difference between a freak and a geek.

For instance a guy like Zodiac was a freak because he was born with a quality that he did not feel pain; but with Rachael and him; they need pharmacological help to endure the pain and enhance the performance. He tells them that she would never leave him. There was no Propofol found in her tent; so they cannot arrest Willy. Meanwhile, Morgan tells Catherine that he blood found on the chair was Rachael’s but it also shows that she was pregnant. Nick also found traces of semen and blood on Rachael’s bed. It showed a particular abnormality; and it belonged to the Elephant Man from the show. His name is Joshua. He tells them that Rachael wanted to have a normal life; but he tells her that he cannot because of his deformity.

She had lost the child and wanted to try again. Catherine tells him that he is making up a story and does not believe him. She tells him that he killed her ‘cause she wanted her life back. Next, Nick gets a call and there is an epiphany. Willy is found in his tent; dead. When the team reaches the crime scene, they see him hanging by a rope. There was no rigor mortis that had set it; which means the death happened less than two hours ago. But they deduce that he was dead before he was hung ad the scene is staged. The cops have a suspect in custody and she is Sylvia Grier; Rachael’s niece. Jennifer arrives and tells Catherine that her daughter could never hurt anyone. On being questioned; Sylvia tells Catherine that she wanted to see who her aunt really was, the kind of life she led. She says that she found her aunt very inspiring and she admired her. She also adds that she did not kill Willy. She says that she just wanted to see how her aunt has been living and she got lost and wandered into that tent, where she saw Willy dead. The freaks thought that she did it. She ran and hid and the officers found her.

Russell feels he made a mistake by judging Willy and Catherine believes Sylvia. She feels that Joshua killed Rachael. At the lab, Robbins collects a lot of things from Willy’s stomach; he swallowed quite a bit of metal!! And they find something…the sign of the Zodiac! And when he is called in for inspection they don’t find any piercing along with a bit of flesh missing from his body. So they line up all the freaks. They find the guy. His name is Seth and he was Joshua’s fraternal twin. He tells them that people never treated them well; but Willy was more than nice to them; especially Josh with his deformity. But one day while he walks into the tent; he finds Willy kneeling next to a dead Rachael. He wants to dispose the body. He could not call the cops as they would shut them down and he did what Willy asked him to do.

He knows that his brother is innocent; because Seth killed Willy and if his death looked like an accident then the cops would no more bother his brother about Rachael’s death. He brings out a small bottle from his mouth, actually stomach and that is the evidence; Willy killed Rachael. Russell tells Catherine that when Seth found out about Willy’s intentions; he held on to the bottle of Propofol by swallowing it. But Russell doesn’t believe Willy did it nor did Joshua. And he finds out who is the real perpetrator. And it is Rachael’s sister Jennifer. She did not like that her daughter worshiped her aunt and thought that she was a monster; a freak. And when she found out that Rachael wanted to come home; she killed her. She says that she did what she had to do; to save her from the monsters in this world. But who exactly are turned out to be monstrous; the freaks; or the people from the real world? The episode ends.

Written By David Sibert

Share this article with your friends