Mare of Easttown prime suspects, explained

Abby Robinson
·4 min read
Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Mare of Easttown spoilers follow.

Mare of Easttown's premiere ended in tragedy when Erin was found dead in Sharp's Woods. Her clothing was missing and she had probably died from a blunt force trauma to the head.

But who delivered that fatal blow? And why?

Here are the prime suspects:

Dylan – the father of Erin's baby

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

If Dylan ever loved Erin or had once shown any affection towards her, you wouldn't know it. When he arrives at her house to collect their child, Dylan is unable to muster a smile, and he makes it clear that he wants to get out of there as soon as possible, her very presence a burden.

The pair have a dispute about the cost of their son's ear surgery, and it's certainly not the first time that they have locked horns over financial issues.

Dylan also stands back and watches as a helpless Erin is attacked in the woods. He knew all about Brianna's planned humiliation of the mother of his baby, and was more than happy to enjoy the spectacle.

He has a cruel streak, but is he a murderer? Could their arguments over money have driven him to breaking point?

Brianna – Dylan's new girlfriend

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

The first time we meet Brianna, she tells Erin that she's "gonna get it". Dylan's new girlfriend is furious that she has been texting him, and Brianna is determined to make sure that Erin feels the full weight of her loathing.

"Trust me, when you least expect it, you dumb bitch," she adds.

When Erin goes to the woods to meet the man she's been messaging, she's accosted by Brianna, who reveals that she has been catfishing her.

"I made him up," she says gleefully. "I told you I was gonna get your ugly ass."

Brianna then punches her a number of times, before pushing Erin to the ground and kicking her. Erin scampers off into the woods and that's the last we see of her.

It feels too obvious to lay the blame at Brianna's feet, and according to her own words, that was her grand master plan. But she certainly has motive, and a toxic temper to boot. Could she have paid Erin another visit away from prying eyes and finished the job?

Kenny – Erin's dad

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Kenny displays zero warmth towards his daughter. Like Dylan, he's irritated by the cost of childcare, and when he looks at Erin, it's like her very existence is a burden.

Erin is also evidently intimidated by her father, who has a drinking problem. When Kenny burns his mouth eating the food she has prepared for him, he approaches her, his body tense with a rage that is never too far away, always bubbling beneath the surface. He towers above her, Erin appearing even smaller than she normally does, and utterly powerless in the face of his wrath.

We should note that it's just the two of them, which begs the question: what happened to Erin's mother? Does Kenny hold her responsible for her absence?

At the end of the first episode, we also see him smoking a cigarette outside, fully clothed, and drunk. Was he coming back from the woods after killing his own daughter in a blind rage?

The prowler

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Mare is called to a local property regarding a hooded man who was caught watching a young girl as she was getting undressed. We don't find out the identity of the peeping Tom in the premiere, although Mare does spot someone who matches that description lurking in the shadows later on in the episode.

Is the peeper someone from Easttown? And are they behind Erin's murder?

Katie Bailey's disappearance

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

The police have yet to solve the disappearance of Katie Bailey, the daughter of one of Mare's former high school basketball teammates. The "known drug abuser with a history of prostitution" went missing a year ago and no one knows what happened to her, although Mare believes that she's lying at the bottom of the Delaware River.

They could be entirely unrelated, but there's also a chance that someone is preying on vulnerable women, and both Katie and Erin fit the bill.

Mystery man or woman

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

The guilty party could also be someone we haven't yet met, or someone we have, but they haven't given us reason to suspect them at the moment. Could the local vicar, who is also Mare's cousin, be responsible? Or Frank, Mare's ex-husband?

Mare of Easttown continues on Monday, April 26 on Sky Atlantic at 9pm. It's also available to stream on NOW.

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