‘The Watchful Eye’ Episodes 1 And 2: Recap And Ending, Explained: What Did Elena Find In The Basement?

Published

“The Watchful Eye” is a drama thriller meets spooky supernatural television series that is centered around the Greybourne building located in New York City. A classic, extravagant building inherited by the Greybourne family and those related to them has a mysterious charm. The aristocratic residents are usually suspicious of any stranger entering the building. Along with the creaking sound in the elevator and the empty hallways, the green attic further complements the supernatural aura of the building. Episode one of “The Watchful Eye” begins with the suicide of Allie Ward, a descendant of the Greybournes. Allie left behind her little boy, Jasper, and her husband, Matthew. The Ward family was on the lookout for a nanny to take care of Jasper, and we were soon introduced to Elena Santos.

Spoilers Ahead


Introduction To Elena Santos

A Boston graduate in desperate need of a job, Elena Santos agreed to all the terms and conditions of the nanny job. She was eager to go above and beyond to fulfill her job role. While Matthew was impressed by her passion, Tory, Allie’s sister, did not consider her the right fit for the job. Elena lacked childcare experience, and that was when she shared how she had lost her mother at a young age and raised her brother all by herself. Matthew was tired of Tory’s interference in matters concerning his child; he decided to follow his instincts, and Elena was hired. As soon as she reaches home, we get to know that Elena is far from innocent and honest. The job was her way of entering the building and stealing a ruby. She conspired to execute the plan with detective Scott Macedo. Macedo’s informant had tipped him off about a ruby that was hidden in the building. The couple decided to work together to find the ruby, run away from the United States, and live a carefree life.

Elena’s job was to snoop around the building to find the precious stone, but without any particular location, it was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. While searching for the stone, she came across the blueprint of the building and learned that the basement had plenty of storage rooms, making it the perfect place to hide a valuable gem. Meanwhile, during her conversation with Matthew, he brought up her association with Boston College, and her awkward reply made him suspicious. He later found out that Elena was not a Boston graduate, as she claimed to be. He confronted her, and she confidently stated how she was admitted to Boston, but when her mother passed away, she was forced to drop out and find a job. Circumstances did not leave her with another choice, and she did not regret her decision. Matthew felt sympathetic; he had witnessed how well Elena bonded with Jasper, and he did not wish to take that friendship away from his little one. He allowed her to stay, but on the condition that she would never lie again. Elena gladly accepted his condition.

Tory did not trust Elena. Even though Elena proved to be helpful during her dinner party, she continued to be suspicious of her. Elena, with her quick wit and confidence, overcame each of Tory’s hurdles. One night, Elena found a joint kept at her door; she assumed it was left by her new friend Elliot Schwartz. She later thanked him for it and was shocked to learn that he was not the one to have kept it there. Elena realized that it must have been Tory who left the weed to make her fail the drug test that she conducted immediately after. Elena was lucky to have found Ginny Welles, another nanny living in the attic, to take the test on her behalf. No matter how strange the families seemed to be, Ginny gave her confidence that as long as she was by her side, nobody could harm Elena. Tory fantasized about Matthew, and her behavior with Elena was purely out of jealousy. She was known for not allowing anyone else to win what she desired, and she surely could not let Elena develop a friendship with Matthew. Was Tory in any way involved in Allie’s decision to commit suicide? Was it a suicide or a murder?


Elena and Scott

Scott Macedo was a detective, and he caught Elena shoplifting. She was only 22 when he decided to make use of her natural talent. Since she was an expert shoplifter, he orchestrated a plan to get her inside the Greybourne household and find the ruby. He wanted to leave his life in New York, while she hoped to live a life of comfort, and the ruby could be their way to escape their current situations. He learned about the ruby from a source, and even though the source was not completely sane, he trusted the knowledge. Scott did not feel guilty about his plan. He believed that the Greybournes would not even notice the absence of one precious stone. They were inherently wealthy, and their little plan would not ruin their lives. Scott’s conscience is not clean, and while he seems interested in the ruby, there might be other secrets that he wants to unfold by using Elena. He might be hoping to investigate the reason for the consecutive deaths. Or, possibly, his source is a family member who was betrayed by the Greybournes. Does Scott have a personal vendetta? Scott’s motivation remains a mystery after the first two episodes of “The Watchful Eye.” Meanwhile, we get to know that Elena lied about her mother to Matthew and Tory. She was not dead; her mother was in prison and was up for parole. The news was a surprise for her, knowing how their entire plan could be ruined if they once found out that she lied about her mother. Scott believed that their plan would succeed before her mother’s release.


‘The Watchful Eye’ Episode 2: Ending Explained: What Did Elena Find In The Basement? Who Was Jocelyn?

The basement was mostly kept locked and watched over by the building guards. After going through the blueprint of the building, Elena wanted to know more about the basement. Elliot disclosed that there had been too many mysterious deaths in the building; some were suicides, some were murders, and some remained a mystery. The basement was said to be haunted, and many felt the presence of the man who built the place, Alistair Greybourne.

Elena walked down the basement; not only was the rattling sound of the old pipes haunting, but the overall grimness of the place was eerie. Elena bravely walked further down the basement and checked the storage rooms, hoping to find some clues. She entered an old, dusty dining hall that had a wooden safe. But before she could figure out a way to find the keys to it, she heard a noise. As she made her way out, she found one of the guards lying dead in the basement. No one knew what led to the guard’s death. “The Watchful Eye” Episode 1 ended with the mysterious death in the basement. Elena did not give up on her search. She soon entered the basement once again; she did not find a key to the safe, but she did find a painting of Alistair Greybourne that intrigued her. Later, when she returned to the building after partying with Ginny, she found the same portrait in the lobby. But there was an extra object in the portrait—it was a key. Was it the key to the safe with the ruby hidden in the building? Or was there any other supernatural reason for the absence of the key in the basement portrait? Elena discovers the affair between Tory’s house help and the basement guard while checking the portrait again in the basement. She used it to blackmail them into keeping her secret safe.

The night Elena smoked weed, another nanny came up to her room to introduce herself. Jocelyn, with her Irish accent, explained that Elena was in the building for a reason. She warned Elena to be careful with those she worked for because their hospitality did not guarantee safety. Elena did not come across Jocelyn after that night. She even asked Ginny about her, but she had no clue. At the end “The Watchful Eye” Episode 2, when she visited Mrs. Ivey, the matriarch of the Greybourne family, she came across a picture of Jocelyn. Mrs. Ivey remarked that Jocelyn used to be her nanny when she was a newborn but died soon after. Elena was shocked by the revelation; all this time, she had only heard about ghostly presences, unaware that she had already met one. Jocelyn warned her about the family, implying that maybe she suffered at the hands of the Greybourne and did not wish the same for Elena. With the disappearance of the previous nanny, Morgan, and the death of an old nanny, Jocelyn, Elena knew something was truly wrong in the Greybourne household. Elena further read about Jocelyn’s death on the internet and found out that she had committed suicide in the room Elena was staying in.

“The Watchful Eye” continues to build on the mystery. We are yet to understand what happened to Morgan, the previous nanny, and why James panicked upon being questioned about her. Also, did Allie commit suicide, or was she murdered? Elliot mentioned that Allie did not leave a suicide note, but she did write one before committing suicide. Did Bennett and Darcy hide the letter to keep it a secret? What were they hiding? Was Matthew in any way involved in Allie’s death since he financially benefited the most from her death? Was it the spirit of Alistair Greybourne, who kept a watchful eye on his building and family, was he the reason behind the mysterious murders? Hopefully, all our questions will be answered in the remaining eight episodes.


See More: ‘The Watchful Eye’ Episode 3: Recap And Ending, Explained: How Did Elena Plan to Find the Jewel?


- Advertisement -
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Srijoni Rudra
Srijoni Rudra
Srijoni has worked as a film researcher on a government-sponsored project and is currently employed as a film studies teacher at a private institute. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Film Studies. Film History and feminist reading of cinema are her areas of interest.

Must Read

DMT Guide

More Like This