We’re back right where we left off, bird fans: in the middle of the street, whilst the crime scene techs collect evidence from the body of Meatball. While they do their thing, Piet and Hassell speculate on who would want to kill Meatball anyway: he ostensibly did his part of the job, having delivered that giant bag of money. Was it retribution for killing Gerda? Or maybe it was the fact that he saw someone else at the scene and thus could rat out the murderer. Either way, Eddie rocks up to share an interesting tidbit: the car that ran Meatball down was registered to Gerda’s boyfriend Flinn.
Obviously Flinn claims he has no idea who stole his car, and that he didn’t kill Meatball. He also says he’s NOT into trafficking birds with Jay, which feels improbable given the number of calls between Flinn and Jay following Gerda’s death.
Piet: I kind of think that money was supposed to go to whoever it was that trashed your place… and I bet they’re pretty angry that they still don’t have that money, ya know?
The goth besties leave Flinn in the interrogation room to stew while they talk over the case. Piet is inclined to think that Flinn is telling the truth about his car (it’d be extremely silly to use your own vehicle as a murder weapon, after all), and then drops enough insightful observations about Flinn’s state of mind that Hassell makes a crack about Piet looking into parenting. He shuts that down quick… too quick, perhaps? Methinks the grump may protest too much, is what I’m saying.
Later, the crew hunkers down at Cliff’s bar to work. Eddie finds an interesting chatroom character who’s been messaging Gerda to pick fights, specifically regarding the ethics of caging pet birds. Gerda was against cages, but her interlocutor thought confinement could lead to release, passion, and beauty. Eddie says that’s notable because the phrasing sounds like a lyric from one of missing singer Cobie’s songs. Even more notable? The last message is along the lines of “you’re right: I’m scared, but maybe it’s time to be free.” Hassell has also found something interesting: a conversation between Gerda and Cobie’s old friend/neighbor Jesse setting up a meeting. Piet has the final interesting clue of the night, but it’s not about the case: it’s about Hendrik, who’s gone home early. Finally, it seems, our pals may have noticed that something is seriously amiss with our favorite saxophone-playing medical examiner.
While we get a lovely interlude of Cobie walking through the woods with a caged songbird, Piet tells Lena he thinks there’s something wrong with Hendrik. He doesn’t have any details to share, so there isn’t much to say, which is probably why Piet creepily ambushes Hendrik’s breakfast the next day to force his friend to spill the beans. Hendrik, who is used to Piet, counters with a gloomy soliloquy. Piet calls him a drama queen.
Hendrik: Well, I had a cough.
Piet: I saw. But it’s gone away, and you’re not on your usual drugs. You taking morphine to help with the cough?
Hendrik: Well spotted, Sherlock. I have throat cancer.
Piet, freaking out: Uh. Ok? How do you feel about that?
Hendrik: LMAO, you want to talk about feelings? That’s new. Look, I feel worried and alone. Is this all there is?
That’s kind of a big question, which Piet obviously doesn’t have the answer to, so he tries his best to comfort his friend and then leaves to meet up with Hassell. She immediately notices that he’s in a weird state, and, classic Piet, he handles this terribly, telling her about Hendrik’s diagnosis just as Jesse, who they’re here to see, opens the door, so there’s no time for Hassell to respond and/or process what she’s just learned. Cool move, Piet!
Inside Jesse’s place, a few things are immediately clear:
1: my man has a LOT of pictures of birds around.
2: he’s also got a lot of pictures of COBIE, for someone who was just her childhood friend and neighbor.
He confirms that yes, he had gotten an email from Gerda, but he didn’t respond because he didn’t know her. He also repeats what he said earlier about Cobie: she couldn’t cope with the idea of touring, and died by suicide. They talk about how Cobie was bullied as a child, and Jesse tells them that when she was teased she sometimes reacted violently.
After the interview, Hassell finally gets a chance to grill Piet about Hendrik. Unfortunately for her, Piet’s short on answers: Hendrik seemed ok when he shared the news, and he self diagnosed, so no, it’s technically not official (although as we all know, Hendrik is good at his job). Before Hassell can reply, they arrive at Cobie’s dad Marcus’ place, where they ask for any old writing of Cobie’s, and inquire about why he doesn’t have any images of his daughter up in his home. Marcus says it’s because that would be too sentimental, and too like admitting she’s gone, which… is a little sus. Also kinda sus? All of Cobie’s stuff lives with Marcus’ neighbor, Jesse’s mum Anki, who seems to genuinely care about Cobie.
Piet: Jesse seems to be very NOT over Cobie — were they together?
Anki: No, but I think they might have ended up together. There’s been no one else for him. He fell apart when she disappeared.
Piet: What about you and Cobie’s dad — are you together?
Anki, annoyed: We’re just friends.
After they leave, Piet tells Hassell that he thinks there’s something weird about the neighbors… something about them just feels kind of incestuous. The goth besties arrive at the office and hand over all of Cobie’s old papers to Eddie for analysis. In return, Eddie tells them that they had Flinn tailed last night, and instead of going home, he visited Jesse. Jesse, who just claimed he didn’t know Gerda, but has apparently been hanging out with her partner. Eddie also shares that tech gave them a potential area where Gerda’s correspondent (the one who might be Cobie) could be. So while Eddie starts looking into Cobie’s papers, Hassell and Piet head out into the countryside to try and find Cobie.
There’s NOTHING at the spot where tech indicated. Nothing but an internet signal, which implies that Cobie might be living even further into the wilderness, off the grid. Returning to the office, Hassell says hi to Hendrik in a way that immediately clues him in to the fact that his secret is out.
Hassell: Are you getting a second opinion?
Hendrik: I went to the doctor. I don’t want to talk about it. Thanks!
Piet: Well I’ve decided you’re not going to die, so. Hope that helps.
Hendrik: Cool. This conversation been horrendous! Let’s get back to the case, because Eddie found some messed up stuff in Cobie’s early work.
Eddie, joining the convo: Yeah, there are a LOT of references here to being oppressed by “the man in black” and I don’t think she means Johnny Cash or Piet here.
Hassell: Her dad always wears all black, maybe it’s him?
Hendrik: Maybe his site is all a front; he’s found her, and wants to keep her all for himself.
Hassell: Dark, dude.
Hendrik: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Piet: To pull that off he’d have to be extremely controlling.
Next stop? Anki’s place, where the goth besties start by asking her if she’s always done all of Marcus’ housework, and then nudge at her to see if they can get her to say anything about his parenting style. While they’re there, it becomes clear that yes, Marcus IS kind of intense. For example, he’s rigged up a bell in the next door boat so that he can tell Anki when he’s ready for lunch. She describes this as cute, but Hassell and Piet are not so amused. Anki also confirms that her neighbor only wears black, and hilariously tells Piet that he too should try to wear color some time… like Marcus used to. See, it turns out that Marcus actually did wear a lot of color back in the day. He switched when his daughter went missing in a symbolic gesture of mourning. He can’t be the man in black.
Back at the office, Eddie’s been more successful: it turns out that Jesse has a shocking amount of debt. Eddie thinks he might therefore have a side hustle, one that necessitates a lot of travel. Something like… bird trafficking? Also notable? Young Jesse had a goth phase. Obviously, everyone heads right over to Jesse’s place, where they also find Flinn. The guys seem aware that they’re about to be busted for trafficking, but Jesse seems genuinely surprised when Piet tells him that they think Cobie is still alive. Jesse says that Meatball blackmailed him into smuggling. Flinn adds that they got in over their heads; they’d had to hide out at Anki’s place a few times.
Piet: Wait, tell us more about that. Was your mom a parent figure to Cobie?
Jesse: Yeah. She helped guide Cobie, gave her direction.
Piet: How did she handle it when Cobie disappeared?
Jesse: She was angry. We all were.
They take the guys to the station, before meeting up with Gerda’s colleague Danielle, who confirms people did occasionally approach Gerda in person about bird issues. Including, as it happens, Anki, who told Gerda that a friend wanted to get in touch, but it had to be strictly confidential. With this confirmed, Hassell and Piet talk over a new theory: Anki had gone to kill Gerda, and while she was there, she and Meatball saw each other. Meatball was now a liability, so she killed him too. They also agree that if Anki introduced Cobie and Gerda, she must know where Cobie is. So they stake out her home, waiting for her to lead them to Cobie.
When she leaves, they take the theorizing on the road. Was Anki so jealous of Cobie that she forced her into hiding so that she’d have Jesse and Marcus all to herself? Unfortunately, in the midst of tailing Anki, Piet’s car, which we may remember Hassell suggested needed a service visit last week, gives up the ghost. So the goth besties are left by the side of the road while Anki makes her way to Cobie’s hidden home. After some quick repair work by Hassell, they continue to follow. But interestingly enough, when Anki arrives at the cabin, she finds Cobie gone: she’s flown the coop! Normally I’d be all about this, but right now I’m finding it worrying because rather than just looking for Cobie like a normal person, Anki has chased after her with an ax. Cobie frees her caged songbird (symbolism!) and then walks toward the road, pursued by Anki. Thankfully, the goth besties show up soon after, but Cobie, who’s been controlled by the other woman for so long, struggles to trust them. Anki still has that ax, unseen by Cobie, so Hassell tries to draw the younger woman out so that they can get a clean shot at Anki if needed.
Hassell: Tell us about Gerda!
Cobie: Gerda’s my friend! Anki introduced us.
Piet: Why did you allow that, Anki?
Cobie: Because I asked. I was lonely.
Anki: And I always do what’s best for you.
Piet: What did Gerda say to you two nights ago?
Cobie: That I should go home.
Anki: So come with me now! Gerda’s with your dad, they’re all waiting for you.
Piet and Hassell tell Cobie that Anki lied, but Cobie doesn’t believe them. She gets in the car with Anki, who drives off, ignoring Cobie’s questions. After a short pursuit, which ends when Piet’s car breaks down and Hassell jumps out and shoots out Anki’s tires, Anki holds Cobie hostage using the ax. The whole messy story comes out: Anki blames Cobie for ruining Jesse and Marcus’ lives. When Cobie, tired of living in hiding, asked Anki for advice, Anki essentially held her hostage in an attempt to keep Marcus to herself. When Piet tells Cobie that her father never forgot her, Cobie backs away from Anki long enough for Piet to get a clear shot at the older woman. She drops the ax, and Cobie runs to safety.
After they arrest Anki, Piet takes Cobie to see her father, which is as lovely as you’d want it to be. And the crew meets up at the bar for a post-solve drink, where everyone (even Hendrik) is in pretty high spirits… even though Hendrik is rightly peeved at Piet for sharing his private medical news with everyone else. Piet walks Lena out, and on the way she tells him that the doctor Hendrik supposedly went to for a second opinion hasn’t seen our friend in years. She thinks Hendrik’s scared to have his suspicions confirmed but emphasizes that early treatment is critical. Will Piet be able to get his friend to accept help? We’ll just have to wait for next week’s episode to find out.
