Netflix's The Society season 1, episode 4 recap: Drop by Drop

The Society dissolves all notion of trust as everyone begins pointing fingers at each other.

Warning: Major spoilers for The Society season 1, episode 4 below!

Just as things began to come together, they quickly fall apart. Cassandra’s death at the end of the last episode set a sinister wheel in motion which threatens to destroy New Ham. No one knows who to trust because any one of the kids could’ve been the killer. With no police department to help solve the crime, everyone tries to figure out how to survive knowing that someone they grew up with is actually a murderer.

I’m going to be honest since we didn’t see actually see Cassandra’s face, I’m not ruling out the possibility that she somehow survived. This is a show where kids disappear and cobras all of a sudden exist in Connecticut. On a logical note, it would make sense not to make Rachel Keller film a scene where she gets tossed inside of a makeshift grave or cut open to pull out the bullet. While Cassandra is probably dead, never say never to some kind of miraculous return.

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“Drop by Drop” picks up with the Guard digging the new grave, Gordie taking the bullet out, and Becca finding scrolling through photos of Cassandra, before settling on her funeral. Allie is devastated and can’t do anything but stare silently ahead. She doesn’t even care when Harry and Campbell walk in, or the argument that ensues when Will tries to kick them out. When it’s her time to say some words, she can’t deliver a standard eulogy.

If the tables were turned, Cassandra would know how to get up in front of a crowd to do what was expected of her. In contrast, Allie has no idea how to keep things together without her big sister. She can’t stay strong for the community when her entire world has been shattered. She angrily demands to know who shot her sister before yelling that they needed her. Some of the kids begin to cry as well because they know it’s the truth: Cassandra was the only thing holding everything together.

Understandably, the teens begin to fear for their own lives. One of the girls boards herself up inside of her house with a baseball bat. She refuses to open the door for even her friends because she doesn’t know who she can trust. Kids begin skipping work to stay inside and with cafeteria no longer preparing the necessary amount of food some of the others have begun looting. Kelly cautions Will about the way they handle situations, such as his argument with Harry and Campbell, because there’s no one around to draw the line. He relents after being told to “go to hell” from one of his classmates and tells the Guard to spread the word about being careful.

Gordie has taken over as the town doctor, scientist, and now detective/forensic specialist. He’s at the scene of the crime combing the area for any clues. He’s trying to remain focused on finding the culprit but Allie is suffering from a severe case of survivor’s guilt. If she hadn’t been fighting with Cassandra then she would’ve stayed behind to help clean up. In her alternate scenario, the killer would’ve shot her instead and everyone in West Ham would’ve been able to keep Cassandra.

But who is the killer on The Society? Well everyone in town believes Harry was the murderer. It makes sense considering he was spouting off about his desire to sexually assault and kill her in the last episode. Not to mention their intense rivalry and the fact that Harry blamed her for actually having to follow rules. Kelly decides to take matters into her own hands to find out if he’s guilty or not. Harry tries to duck the question with a typical “how could you ask me that” type of response but she’s not giving up. She stubbornly says those aren’t answers before laughing hysterically that everyone who’s betting he did it is about to lose a lot of money. Not exactly the best way to show you’re innocent Harry.

However, things begin to escalate in town as the kids begin to arm themselves with some more serious weaponry. Helena has a vault with guns inside which belong to her parents. She gives Luke one because the Guard needs to arm themselves. Brandon Eggels is walking around with a gun in his pants and forcing his way into the supermarket. Everyone is worried, so more people take their parents’ guns handy. It feels like a pretty on the nose comment about just how many American families have guns in the house and how everyone being armed doesn’t necessarily mean there would be fewer shootings.

At the cafeteria, the genius Brandon forgot or didn’t know that you have to put a safety on with your gun. It accidentally goes off and everyone flies into a panic. One girl stands up with her own gun while another boy does the same. They both to refuse to put their weapons down until the other does while the rest of the students cower in fear. Will tries to talk the guy down but he is too scared. Becca manages to pull the fire alarm which allows the kids to escape but it’s still a harrowing ordeal.

Back at her house, Allie is given a speech from Gordie hoping she’ll step up to fill Cassandra’s shoes. Naturally, she doesn’t want to be the leader. Her sister was just murdered for being the leader. Gordie, the Guard, and the committee think Allie has the community’s sympathies for now that her taking over would be enough to get people back in line. Not to mention, she’s the only one from the beginning who has never wanted to be in control which makes her the only one unlikely to abuse her power (like Harry).

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Allie angrily tells Gordie that not only does she not believe she could fill Cassandra’s role but that he’s asking her to be willing to die for their town. He promises the Guard will protect her but she says there’s no way they could keep that promise. Allie eventually caves so long as they really swear to defend her with their lives and to stand by her no matter what her decisions are. She calls a town meeting where she officially takes over and announces that guns are hereby banned in New Ham.

Campbell is the first to arrive to hand his over because he claims he agrees with Allie’s way of thinking. She stoically tells him to leave but mentions to Will that she doesn’t believe it’s his only gun. The rest of the Guard begins searching houses, taking the guns, and making a registry for people to get them back once they find a way home. While most people seem frustrated but compliant, Helena steadfastly refuses to hand over her weapons. She points out that Allie has yet to find Cassandra’s killer and that demanding everyone turn in their guns isn’t going to necessarily make people do it. In fact, someone who wants to hide it could easily do so.

What she doesn’t reveal to Helena or the rest of the society is why she’s really collecting the guns. Gordie is checking their bullets to see if any of them have a matching stamp on the shells. That’s their way of finding the real culprit behind the murder. No match so far, but it’s only a matter of time.

The Society also shows us just how far Campbell will go in this episode. At first, he’s playing nice as the protective boyfriend who asks Elle how her day is and what not. She plans a movie night with Kelly but he decides to skip it at the last minute. When she gets back, he puts on a smiling face to thank her escorts but it’s easy to see that Elle is uncomfortable. In the bathtub, he shoves her under water for a few seconds before letting her back up. She’s horrified, and he lets her know that he would never really hurt her but it’s his job to protect her and to stop making it harder for him.

Sam also comes clean about his brother. Turns out, Campbell is a psychopath! The reveal is a little disappointing because it would be more interesting if The Society comprised itself of morally grey characters rather than make one of the kids a straight-up villain. It turns out Sam’s parents didn’t keep a gun in the house, which means Campbell stole his since their son is a diagnosed psychopath. He used to gleefully torture birds by cutting off their wings and watching them try to fly. Sam cautions his friends that Campbell can only emulate empathy and guilt but he really doesn’t feel those things. Guess that puts him at the top of the list of suspects for who murdered Cassandra.

Allie ends the episode calling her mom and leaving a voicemail where she tearfully begs her to come find them. Can the parents actually hear the voicemails? Nevertheless, it’s a powerful scene and devastating to watch Allie suffer the loss of her sister. Yes, everyone else lost their families too but there’s still a hope that they could get them back. Allie is never getting Cassandra back (unless a major plot twist happens) because she was murdered.

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A lot happens in this episode as The Society transitions from the structured community under Cassandra to the shaky foundation of Allie’s new one. Story-wise it makes sense to get rid of Cassandra because the group needs to lose the one person holding it together to bring in problems. Also, Sam officially steps up to help Becca raise the baby, once again proving these two are friendship goals.

What did you think of this episode? Who do you think the killer is? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!

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