In episode 6 of The Clearing, Freya finds out that Adrienne and her followers met at The Lodge. Recently, she had been suspicious about Adrienne’s activities, especially with the news of the missing girl doing the rounds. She could not trust Anton, and the fact that he brought his family along made her doubt him all the more. In The Clearing episode 7, we learn why Freya chose to work for Adrienne and how carefully Adrienne bought her loyalty. We have yet to find out what Freya will choose in the end. She can either risk her life and family for a greater cause or continue to remain silent to protect her loved ones.
Spoilers Alert
How Did Adrienne Win Back Freya’s Trust?
After Freya left Max inside a locked car, Wayne fought for his daughter’s custody in court. Freya was in a state of complete haze during the court proceeding. The guilt of risking her daughter’s life and the fear of losing custody overwhelmed her. The court deemed Freya unfit to look after Max, and she was granted weekly supervised visitations after clearing her psychiatric assessment and counseling.
Freya was admitted to a psychiatric facility, and she was gradually giving up on herself. Adrienne came to Freya’s rescue, and she offered to help her leave the facility. An influential doctor was one of Adrienne’s followers, and he helped in providing documents to overturn her involuntary admission to the facility. Freya was forever indebted to Adrienne for rescuing her in the lowest phase of her life. Therefore, even after knowing that Adrienne was restarting her experimental society, she could not risk her life by informing the police. When she confronted Adrienne about it, she reminded Freya how her life could be destroyed if she took any action. Using her influence, Adrienne could put Freya back in the facility, and she would lose the life she had carefully built over the years. Freya worked for Adrienne to repay her debt, and double-crossing her was not an option.
The nurse, Mo, noticed that Adrienne had been reading a book, and he informed Freya about it. Mo doubted Adrienne was faking her dementia, but Freya did not show any interest in helping him find out the truth. Instead, she shamed him for doubting someone with dementia and questioned his qualifications. Freya had to choose her steps wisely; she could not afford to be foolish.
What Happened At Abigail’s Wedding? How Did Joe Find Out The Truth?
Abigail was one of Adrienne’s children, and she invited her Kindred family to her wedding. No one expected Adrienne to show up, considering the harm she inflicted on the children, yet she decided to attend the wedding. Abigail had moved past the traumatic history they shared and wanted Adrienne to be present. Annabelle was particularly disturbed to see Maitreya. She was the youngest member of the experiment, and due to a lack of proper meals, she was extremely malnourished. She suffered from anorexia, bulimia, and kidney failure, and she blamed Adrienne for ruining her life. She was shocked when Abigail insensitively introduced her to Adrienne. She trembled with fear and left the party in haste. Adam, who was also a part of the experimental society, did not share any warm regard for Adrienne. He was disgusted to see her shamelessly attend the wedding, and the fact that some of them had forgiven her even after she destroyed their lives was shocking for him. He blamed Adrienne for Aaron’s death. Adam lived with Aaron (another member of the family) for a while after school, and he was the one who found him dead in the garage. He remembered how horrific the entire incident was, and he knew it was all rooted in his childhood trauma.
Joe was at the party as well, and the more he heard about the harm Adrienne caused, the more he wondered how badly he had failed them. Joe was dismissed from service after he tried to illegally fit recording devices in the Beaufort residency with Colin’s help. We do not know for sure if Colin informed Adrienne and Bryce about it, but they returned to find Joe fixing surveillance devices in the house. After all these years, Joe was all the more surprised to learn that Freya had been keeping a huge secret from him. After realizing how limited her options were, Freya contacted Joe to investigate The Lodge. When Joe accused her of imagining the meeting, she confessed that she worked for Adrienne, and that was how she knew something was going on. She further added that Adrienne was not suffering from dementia and was completely capable of restarting a cult. Joe was shocked, to say the least. Freya went on to reveal that she had signed a medical power of attorney, using which they could put her back in Green Haven at any given time, and she would lose Billy.
As frustrating as it had been for Freya, her hands were tied. Joe was no longer in the police force; he did not have any power per se, and the information he received could not be used because it could risk Freya’s life. Joe knew the truth, yet he could not do much about it. At the wedding, after getting drunk, Joe got hold of a microphone and yelled the truth. He had to get it out of his system, and at that moment, he did not think about how his actions could affect Freya. Adrienne noticed Freya act awkwardly, and she knew that it was Freya who had confided in Joe the truth.
Who Took Billy Away?
Freya left the wedding party as soon as Joe and Anton got into a brawl. As she walked up to her car, she noticed Anton’s partner, Ebonie, and their son seated in the adjacent car. Ebonie introduced herself and added that they were part of the Initiates. Freya froze for a second. Her hunch was right; Adrienne was starting another cult. But before she could ask any questions, Anton intervened. Freya returned home, but she was unaware that Henrik was staying at her tree house. Henrik was not interested in reconnecting with the Kindred, but he met Bryce to get Amy’s tape back. Bryce informed him that all the tapes were destroyed, though in reality, all the recordings were kept intact. Henrik’s interest in staying close to Amy (Freya) and watching over her house when she is absent indicates that he is protecting his daughter from a distance. After losing Hannah, Amy was all that Henrik had, and maybe he was trying to find a way to reunite with his daughter.
The Clearing episode 7’s reveals that Billy has gone missing. Freya was underwater when someone approached Billy. By the time she resurfaced, Billy was gone. Since Henrik was watching over Freya and Billy, he was the only one who now knew the truth. We can assume that after the incident at the wedding, Adrienne wanted to teach Freya a lesson and kidnapped her son. It is also possible that Billy was not kidnapped; he simply walked to the tree house where Henrik is hiding after hearing Leo bark at him. With just one episode left, we are eagerly waiting to find out how the creators of The Clearing bring it all together in the end.
