Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4 recap: Is Katie Bailey still alive?

Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4 recap: An anonymous call gives Dawn hope that Katie might still be alive.

Dawn is shocked when she gets a sudden phone call from her daughter’s supposed kidnapper. He tells her that “Katie needs her,” and he’ll be in touch with details regarding a ransom.

Mulling over the phone call, Dawn gives the details to Beth while visiting her at home. The guy on the phone said he’d give her more information on Katie in exchange for $5,000. Sensing a scam, Beth advises Dawn to tell Mare, but she already knows Mare isn’t working at the moment.

Freddie is living with Beth again because he overdosed a few days earlier. It’s obviously a stressful situation for Beth, especially given what happened between them in the first episode. Beth admits that this whole thing with her brother is ruining her marriage, but she doesn’t want to abandon Freddie, either.

Despite Beth’s warning, Dawn continues to take the phone calls from the anonymous caller. He tells her a few details, like Katie’s middle name, to convince her and promises that if she tells the police, all she’ll ever find of Katie is her bones.

Dawn calls Beth to babysit her kids and then drives out to meet the anonymous caller. He sends her to an abandoned house, claiming Dawn will find Katie in the basement. When Dawn gets there, the whole thing turns out to be a scam, and Freddie is the culprit. He just needed drug money. They see each other through the window of the house, “I’m sorry Dawn. F**kin’ sorry.”

When she gets home, Beth is immediately concerned for her friend, considering Freddie roughs Dawn up pretty good. But Dawn neglects to tell Beth the truth, especially after what Beth told her earlier. It’s understandable why she wouldn’t. Instead, Dawn blames her scuff marks on radiation, making her dizzy and causing her to fall.

When Beth asks about the anonymous call, Dawn lies and says she told the police, and they agreed with Beth saying that it was probably just a scammer looking to make some money.

Odds & Ends from Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4

At the hospital, Dylan is having a hard time coming to grips with the reveal he isn’t DJ’s dad. Regardless of how cruel he might appear, Dylan obviously cares for DJ and knowing he isn’t his son is killing him.

Also, Colin turns out to be correct in his warning to Mark Burton. Father Dan Hastings talks to Mark in private to warn him that he was approached by a reporter who intends to run a story on Mark’s sordid past.

The Ross household is rattled by the third missing girl. The news plays on the television in Lori and her husband, John’s bedroom. Lori’s son Ryan comes to ask about the case. Lori and John both tell him they’ll have to be more careful, and Lori says she doesn’t want Moira or Ryan walking home alone anymore. Hmm, do we think John is a suspect?

In the final moments of Mare of Easttown Season 1, Episode 4, the man that kidnapped Missy deposits her into a seedy backroom in a place called Bennie’s Tavern. And guess who else is there? Yep, Katie Bailey.

Decider put it nicely in their piece on the episode, “The revelation that Katie Bailey is alive is even more shocking after we’ve just witnessed her mother, Dawn, fall victim to a con involving her daughter.” Here’s hoping Dawn doesn’t do something crazy before she can be reunited with her daughter.

New episodes of Mare of Easttown Season 1 air Sunday nights on HBO.