This week’s episode begins with a party scene right out of an 80s movie, complete with a dude wearing a white suit. A wild choice, and one that really shows the blood when he gets stabbed with a full on sword (a sword he was clearly intending to acquire from someone in a creepy basement hallway, pre-stabbing). What’s up with the sword? And why was everyone congratulating the victim at the party? We’ll get some answers, but not all, when our detective squad arrives on the scene.
Speaking of whom: Eddie and Citra are braver (or maybe just more desperate) than I would be, and roll up to Euro Cash’s houseboat very early in the morning. This bold choice is even more impressive once it becomes clear that their boss and Drunkie Howser had obviously been partying late into the night and are now violently hung over. And in case you thought Euro Cash had ditched his bestie, Hassell is there too (but she’s enjoying the relative comfort of the bed belowdecks… and she’s not alone). After Euro Cash sends the kids on their way, he stumbles downstairs to wake up Hassell and her mystery gal so they can go look at a crime scene. On the way, Lena calls first Euro Cash and then Hassell, but they both ignore her. Fair enough!
At the crime scene, Citra comforts the victim’s Hippy Girlfriend, Drunkie Howser reminds his friends of Hassell’s one night stand’s name (Astrid!), and then takes a stab (lol) at the murder weapon, which he knows must have been a serious blade. Through interviews, we get a bit of exposition: Yuppy Boyfriend was a museum curator, and the party was to celebrate his new exhibit on colonialism and restitution. Hippy Girlfriend works at the museum too.
Outside, Citra and Eddie interview the party guests, which, unfortunately for Citra, involves talking to one of Hippy Girlfriend’s pals, an alt/goth guy who was obviously a bit jealous of his friend’s relationship, but not jealous enough that he won’t hit on Citra. He also, bizarrely, asks if he can see Yuppy Boyfriend’s body to “pay his respects.” Citra tells him he’s being weird, but he disagrees: death is natural! Look, I agree with this guy in theory but for a person who was already on the suspect list due to his jealousy over Hippy Girlfriend (and who also turns out to be in the museum industry, so maybe there’s professional issues too) this is just not a great look!
The basement (where Yuppy Boyfriend was found) isn’t accessible from the outside, but he left the party after a phone call, so Citra and Eddie are sent to reinterview everyone at the party and check all the entrances. Euro Cash and Hassell head to the museum, where they meet another curator, who wasn’t at the party. Curator explains that most of the collection will be repatriated after the exhibit, but not all: the museum wants to retain some things for their educational programs. Was anyone opposed to the return? Yes: Yuppy Boyfriend, who focused on colonial history and would have been challenged by the loss of these items. I already didn’t like this guy because of that 80s movie villain suit, but his attitude on this really seals the deal.
Regarding repatriation, Hippy Girlfriend is on the right side of history, and Curator tells the goth besties that she actually didn’t get why her two colleagues were dating given their differences. But, per Curator, celebrating differences is what makes Amsterdam great! Also of note: when Euro Cash finds out Yuppy Boyfriend’s real full name, he makes a weird face, which tells me that he definitely knows our victim somehow. Hassell also noticed the face, and asks about it when they leave. It turns out that about 20 years ago Euro Cash worked on a case in Rotterdam, where Yuppy Boyfriend is from, involving a kid with the same name. This seems like it might be a big deal to me, but first, they’ve got bigger (or at least other) fish to fry: outside the museum, a group who supports repatriation has tagged some of the promotional billboards with the word “LIARS.” Definitely something to check out!
Meanwhile, across town, Citra and Eddie have tracked down the phone used to call Yuppy Boyfriend to the sword meeting where he was killed. Phone retrieved, Citra, who’s also very pro repatriation, volunteers to talk to the activists. And Euro Cash, checking out Yuppy Boyfriend’s next of kin’s address, confirms what he already suspected: it’s the same guy. That old case? A super messed up situation that clearly made national headlines, where a teenager killed her younger brothers by setting fire to their house while they were trapped inside. Yuppy Boyfriend was best friends with the brothers, and lived next door. His statement was a central part of the sister’s conviction. She was released a few years ago after being in various treatment/restorative justice programs over the years, and now has a new identity. She’s also, obviously, just been added to the suspect list.
Euro Cash calls up an old colleague to set up a meeting (probably to talk about the old case) and then pops into Big Cheese’s office and pretends to act casual, which she obviously immediately clocks as suspicious. He explains the connection to the old case, and tells Big Cheese that he needs to know the sister’s new identity so he can talk to her. This is kind of a big deal for numerous reasons, but I bet Big Cheese gets it done. He also tells Big Cheese about his plans to meet up with that old colleague, which goes over like a lead balloon: there’s obviously some bad blood between the two.
Meanwhile, Eddie asks Citra why she’s so into restitution. She, again, decides to be super cagey about her personal life, and then asks if he’s assuming she cares because she’s Indonesian (he says no, btw). I’m starting to wonder if Citra just likes trolling Eddie by making him feel behind the times on various social issues; boy do I wish we'd get even one scene where she does this to Brad from seasons 1 and 2. Anyway, Citra and Eddie meet the head of the activist group, the RAA, who kind of turns out to be the entire group (aside from her online following, at any rate). The RAA head is passionate about her cause and really doesn’t like Yuppy Boyfriend for all the reasons you’d expect. She proudly tells Citra and Eddie that she did indeed spray paint graffiti on the museum posters, but based on her reaction to hearing that Yuppy Boyfriend got murdered, I’m fairly certain she didn’t kill him, even though she doesn’t have a great alibi.
Across town, Euro Cash enjoys an ice cream cone while he waits to meet up with his old friend Jan. They clearly haven’t talked in a while, because Jan asks if Euro Cash has a family (beyond coworkers), before they get down to reminiscing about the old case. Jan has followed the sister’s progress closely; he never was able to let go of the case, and doesn’t seem to believe she’s actually reformed. From their conversation, it becomes clear that Euro Cash still harbors doubt about her guilt. Another fun fact? Jan asks about Big Cheese in a way that makes me think the bad blood I mentioned earlier might have a... romantic component.
Next stop: the autopsy, where Drunkie Howser has a good lead on the sword (wood handle, silver, probably something that would be in a museum). The goth besties head back to the museum, where they’re surprised to find Hippie Girlfriend at work. I dunno, makes sense: her house is a crime scene and she seems to want to distract herself from the murder. Our pals ask some questions about RAA Activist (most of the museum people were on her side) and then inquire into swords. Hippie Girlfriend explains that there was one artifact Yuppy Boyfriend wanted for the exhibit, but couldn’t get: it was privately owned by a museum board director who declined to lend it because it’s his “prize possession.”
Before they can go investigate the board member, Euro Cash gets a call from Big Cheese: she’s been able to arrange a meeting with the murder sister’s team. Big Cheese asks after Jan (again… romantic backstory vibes) and the two head inside to speak to the handler. Handler’s first priority is confidentiality (makes sense, given that her job is to keep murder sister safe). But Euro Cash wants justice, and isn’t about to back down, so Handler tells them what they need to know: murder sister lives here in Amsterdam, and has been here for a few years. Handler's not interested in sharing more, even after they tell her who their victim is. She's convinced that her charge can’t have killed Yuppy Boyfriend and is kinda snotty about it; Euro Cash threatens to use office gossip to find murder sister. Just a normal fun conversation between colleagues! Handler also reveals that she knows Euro Cash worked the case back in the day, and questions his objectivity. His response, for some reason, convinces her, and she divulges murder sister’s new name: Lauren. Lauren is doing well, and Handler won’t let Euro Cash talk to her unless Lauren agrees. Really looking forward to watching Euro Cash and Handler be rude to each other for the next two episodes!
Back at the station, the team reviews CCTV footage from Hippy Girlfriend’s neighborhood which shows two people leaving the building right around the time of death. Hippy Girlfriend doesn’t know them, but it was a big party. That alt/goth guy? Eddie definitely thinks he’s a suspect due to his profession and vibes. It also doesn’t help that the guy runs a true crime museum. Citra and Eddie head over to investigate, and the place is delightfully macabre. Alt/Goth Guy is literally napping in a coffin when they get there! He’s weird, but that’s funny, ok? Anyway, yes, he knew about Yuppy Boyfriend’s childhood, but only because Yuppy Boyfriend sought him out: apparently, he was fascinated by the idea of evil and knew Alt/Goth Guy would sympathize.
While Eddie and Citra keep researching, Euro Cash and Hassell head to the museum board member/collector’s place to ask about his sword. They bring Drunkie Howswer along on the field trip, presumably so he can tell them if the sword is the murder weapon. A good idea, but not one that endears them to Collector, who’s not thrilled that they clearly think his sword was involved in a murder. They all barge in and immediately zero in on the sword, which Collector agrees to let Drunkie Howser examine. The sword, it turns out, belonged to a legendary female Indonesian freedom fighter, who we all obviously stan. Collector acknowledges that he’s not Indonesian, and that the sword is an important cultural artifact, but clearly doesn’t feel bad about having used his power to procure the sword. Gross. He then insists the sword can’t have left the house without him knowing (he’s got security) and explains that while there are other swords out there, this one is unique. Unfortunately for him, Drunkie Howser finds another reason the weapon is unique: there’s blood on the sword. Fresh blood. My take? This guy’s a jerk, but he’s so obviously villainous he can’t be the murderer. I guess time will tell.
Meanwhile, Handler talks to Lauren and her husband, who really does not want to talk to Euro Cash. Handler explains that if they say yes, she can at least help them control the process, which makes sense, and Lauren agrees: she’s got nothing to hide. They head straight to a meeting with Hassell and Euro Cash, who asks Lauren for her alibi for the murder (at home with her kids), and when she last saw Yuppy Boyfriend (he wrote to her in prison asking for answers; she replied, but the letter was intercepted). They all kind of gloss over that, but I for one would like some clarification on that mail situation! What the heck? Lauren agrees to be contacted in the future if needed, and then Handler pulls her away, saying that all contact goes through her. Obviously, Euro Cash isn’t about to follow that directive, and tells Citra and Eddie to tail the pair.
Later, at the bar, Hassell asks Big Cheese about Lauren’s case: did she work it? No, but she was “involved” which is annoyingly vague. Big Cheese explains that a lot of people wanted to reinstate the death penalty because of the case, but Euro Cash didn’t agree. It was a weird one: no one could explain why Lauren killed her brothers, and the details were horrifying (per Yuppy Boyfriend, she laughed while her brothers screamed as they were dying). Her DNA was everywhere on the scene (which it would be), so the prosecution focused on her confession: she was blackout drunk and couldn’t remember the crime, but never claimed she didn’t do it, and that was enough for the jury. Everyone agrees they need to learn more about Yuppy Boyfriend’s life after the trial, and look into Collector and Alt/Goth Guy, but before they can start work, Euro Cash gets a call from Jan, asking to meet. Urgently.
He heads out, followed by Big Cheese, who gets into his car and comes along. On the way, they get another call from Jan, who says he needs to talk things through: he thinks someone is after him. But before he can say anything more, a person wielding a gun forces Jan over a balcony, pushing him to the ground. Arriving at the scene, Big Cheese rushes over, holds his hands, and asks him who did this, but he doesn’t answer, instead telling Euro Cash to look after his boss. Look, I get the sentiment, but if you’ve got a couple of words left, give us a proper clue, guy! Anyway, with that intense deathbed moment, this episode is over. Who killed Jan? Was it the same person who took out Yuppy Boyfriend? And is Lauren innocent? Answers, hopefully, next time!
