There is something that struck us when we were watching the episodes of “Three Pines” this week: this show is not that great. Before anybody comes at us, we would like to make it clear that we are not talking about books. We have not read them. We are simply talking about our perception of the story’s quality as we see it unfolding on the screen. Every popular detective has become so because of the zing they carry within their personality. Poirot had his need for order, Sherlock had his extreme eccentricities, and everyone had something that set them apart. When one tunes into a murder mystery, they don’t do so to find out who the culprit is. They do so to watch how the detective makes those insane connections that lead to the wrongdoer. It is the process that one loves, not the result. That is why “Three Pines” feels so underwhelming because not only is it not offering anything new, it has taken a few steps back in the world of fictional detectives, making it hard to care about or admire Detective Armand Gamache. Considering the popularity of the novels, our only reasoning for this lackluster nature of this fare is that somewhere, the translation from text to screen got lazy. Either way, let’s take a look at this week’s mystery.
Spoilers Ahead
The Murder Of Julia Morrow
It feels like every father who passed away must have been someone who his children hated. Charles Morrow, who dies before the story begins, reminded us of a similar character in “Riches,” a series we had seen a while back. It is eerily similar how the fathers must have been evil and have an un-prodigal daughter and leave his inheritance in the most shocking way. Julia Morrow, the daughter who left home when she was 16, returns for her father’s funeral. To everyone’s surprise, Charles has left the hotel to her. From a family dinner that takes place, later on, it is pretty clear that this is a nobody likes each other. Thomas, the eldest, feels that he has been denied what should have been his, and Peter has not stopped feeling guilty about his involvement in Julia leaving home. The details of it are revealed much later on, but the story is that Julia got pregnant when she was 15 years old. She was about to elope with her boyfriend, and she confided about it to Peter, who was 12 years old then. He then proceeds to place a scan of her pregnancy on his father’s table, which dashes all of Julia’s plans. Since Charles was against abortion and he wanted to avoid scandal, he put the baby up for abortion, which caused the eventual rift in the family. Peter has carried the guilt of it ever since.
A final gift that Charles Morrow leaves for his children is a statue of himself. As fate would have it, this is the very statue that Julia’s dead body is found under the next day. Inspector Armand Gamache is called, and Inspector Nichol also makes a clearly unwelcome reappearance. The investigation starts, and everyone has lied about something or other. It starts with Peter, who has lied that he went back to his room after dinner when it is clear from the CCTV footage that he was out in the gardens. He tells the detectives that he had gone looking for his sister to talk about their past but hadn’t found her. What we want to know is: what was the need for this lie? Maybe to evade suspicion, but even now, the detectives seem to believe him, so what was the point? At this point, we are introduced to two other things. One is a hotel staff member named Maurice, who has lived there all his life, just like his mother before him. The other is the children’s story with their father. When they were younger, they had all gone with him on a hunting trip. Thomas had shot a deer, but apparently, that was just a myth. One of the other children had shot it, and they just assumed that it was Julia.
The next person is Thomas. He carries a thin veil of glib, arrogant behavior that clearly hides a lot of insecurity. The detectives find that his handwriting matches that of the note in Julia’s room and question him. By that time, he is already furious because his mother has decided to give the hotel to Julia’s son as per her last wishes. The detectives have a reason to doubt him since they know that his finances are in ruins; therefore, he must have a motive. But things take a turn when Thomas, frustrated upon meeting dead end after dead end, breaks down and threatens to shoot himself. While that situation is circumvented, his wife reveals that Thomas was not with her the entire time, leaving room for an alibi. Turns out, he had left to make a call to his investors in Singapore so that he could ask for more time to pay off the money he owed them. His wife is furious, as she has been suffering, thinking that he is having an affair. “Three Pines” Episode 6, right before the reveal, is a lot of funny family drama with the added mystery of the fifth carving on the statue. Charles Morrow’s statue had five carvings that represented his children. The dog represented Peter, the tortoise was Marion, the duck was Thomas, and the cat was Julia. There was also a stag, which brought an unsaid suspicion that it might represent an illegitimate child. As the mystery closes in, it is found that Elliot, the last suspected man to see Julia alive and who was involved with her, is really called Liam Martin, and he was on the run after having assaulted his girlfriend. He is arrested on suspicion of killing Julia.
Elsewhere, Inspector Isabelle Lacoste is contacted by Kevin Kis regarding the case of Blue Two Rivers. He tells her that he is being framed and he is unable to go to any cops because he doesn’t trust them. He agrees to meet her as long as she comes alone and unarmed. Isabelle agrees, and when she meets him, she finds a scared man. He tells her that he was with Tommy and Blue when a police car started chasing them. They had been asked to get out of the van, and the police had started shooting. Kevin escaped, but he was sure that Tommy and Blue were dead. He claims that he is being framed and wants it all to stop. Isabelle wants to help him, but Kevin leaves. She does a little investigation and finds from CCTV that Kevin was indeed being chased by a police van. Finding that his story checks out, she tells him that she believes him. He asks to meet her at a Vietnamese place, but before she can go, she is called in for the case of Julia Morrow.
‘Three Pines’ Episode 6: Ending Explained – Who Killed Julia Morrow? What Happens To Kevin Kis?
Looking at a picture of the hunt, Inspector Gamache wonders who took the picture. Peter tells him that it might be Maurice who accompanied them to the hunt sometime. Something clicks in place, and the Inspector goes to Maurice’s room, where he finds some cufflinks, the ones that Charles had given to all his children. He guesses that the stag is a representative of Maurice. But the man escapes and holds Bean at knifepoint. He reveals that he was the one who shot the stag. Not only that, but he had also been promised the hotel by his father before being betrayed. And when he told that to Julia, she laughed and said that she wanted to put the past behind her. Frustrated at being denied his right, again and again, he killed her. Maurice breaks down in tears as he surrenders himself. With the murder of Julia Morrow solved, Isabelle and Armand leave to meet Kevin but find that he has been arrested. When they go to meet him in the jail cell, to their horror, they find him dying, having been poisoned. No doubt, it is the work of someone trying to cover up their tracks. What comes of it must be seen.
Final Thoughts: What Can We Expect From The Next Episode of ‘Three Pines’?
It is time that the mystery of Blue Two Rivers took center stage. Additionally, it is also time to address the inspector’s own personal traumas, which are clearly what are emotionally drawing him into his cases. There might be an additional mystery, but we want to see Blue Two Rivers get the justice she deserves. And maybe the inspectors will start treating Nichol a little better? She is not the brightest, but she is pulling her weight around. “Three Pines” must address these things first to create a stronger storyline as the finale approaches.
