Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2 recap: I Believe You

The following article contains spoilers for Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2.

After last week’s shocking ending with Hilde, Donnie and Spoon finding the Woodruff house lawn teeming with dead birds, Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2 focuses on Hilde trying to find out what caused their death. Her research is interrupted when a bad storm knocks the power out and sends a tree crashing through the living room window, leaving behind a sick baby bird in the process.

Hilde decides to keep the bird, which she names Walter after Walter Cronkite, and try to nurse him back to health. It’s a good way to keep her busy since she can’t publish her story about the dead birds with the power out.

On the way to school, we learn that Izzy and Ethan are still together and trying to manage a long-distance relationship. The power outage has left Izzy with a half-dead phone and she misses her good morning ritual with him. Similar to what happened at the Lisko’s, a tree has fallen in front of the school causing a power outage there, too.

Kim announces to the students that school will be canceled for the day, which triggers a storm of angry parents who are already pissed at Kim for something her mother did. They swarm her to bombard her with questions and complaints until Bridget steps in and tells them all to back off, as Kim’s lawyer (she’s not really, but could be!).

Meanwhile, Izzy runs into Jessica, who plans to spend the canceled day at the pier with her friends. She invites Izzy along before remembering how much younger Izzy is, a freshman to Jessica’s junior status. Not wanting to seem so young, Izzy sends a text to her mom to tell her she’s going to the pier rather than go back to find her in the crowd.

School being closed can’t stop Hilde, Donnie and Spoon from sneaking in to do some bird research. They run into the new librarian, Tony, again and Hilde swipes a bird book before they take Walter to the local bird enthusiast, also known as Al Wergeles, a.k.a. Birdman from the first season episode “The Bird, Man.”

Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2 recap: Who broke into Bridget’s office?

Bridget’s workday is interrupted when she discovers the door already open upon arrival. Luckily, she’d already been on the phone with Trip to ask about any other possible connection the Johnson family might have had with Wott Management. Trip advises Bridget to get out of the office until they can investigate. I’m surprised she went in, in the first place, especially since she had Ginny with her!

Heeding Trip’s advice, Bridget goes to the station where she sits down with Frank Jr. He’s just as unenthused about Paul Rutherford’s presence as Trip is. Rutherford reveals he was assigned to audit the station by the attorney general after Sam’s wrongful conviction debacle and inserts himself into the meeting about Bridget’s office break-in.

Birdman is concerned when the kids tell him about the dead birds and surprised he hasn’t heard anything in the news. Hilde notes that she would have published her story already had the power not gone out, but that the staff made everyone leave through the back exit of Woodruff house so no one could take photos. When the kids take Birdman there, the flock is gone, already cleans up sans a few feathers which they take for further study.

At school, the superintendent informs Kim that the angry parents aren’t going to go away quietly. They’re out for blood and planning to petition the district to get Kim fired. But Kim has an advantage: Bridget. She takes initiative to write cease and desist letters (pre-stamped!) for virtually every angry parent and school board member. Kim doesn’t waste any time dropping them in the nearest mailbox. Obviously, she’s not going down without a fight.

Izzy begs her parents to let her spend the night at Jessica’s house. They’re hesitant since this is the same girl that tormented Izzy all last year. Bridget relents, so long as Izzy promises to return in time for school the next morning with zero complaints of being too tired.

Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2 recap: Izzy gets caught drinking at Jessica’s sleepover.

The sleepover at Jessica’s is a little awkward for Izzy, especially when the girls start drinking alcohol. She retreats to the bathroom to video chat with Ethan and he’s just as surprised to hear she’s spending time with Jessica as her parents were.

Upon leaving the restroom, the other girls casually tease Izzy, asking if she’s exchanged, “I love you’s,” yet and wondering if Ethan is genuinely serious. Feeling insecure, Izzy decides to drink with the rest of them. One of Jessica’s newer friends, another new girl in Eerie Harbor, Emma, advises Izzy to remember that she knows her boyfriend better than any other girl here. “Don’t let them inside your head.”

Can I say how nice it was to see a genuine sleepover without any cattiness? Emma’s advice was sweet and more in line with what I remember from my teenage get-together. They drink, they dance, they gossip about boys, it’s cute.

Of course, getting buzzed doesn’t go over well with Matt and Bridget. Izzie is clearly hungover when she gets home and her parents are keen on letting her off easy. As much as she wants to crawl into bed, Bridget reminds her she made a promise and with the power back on, school is back in session. After forcing her to drink like three glasses of water, Izzy is forced to attend.

Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2 recap: Dead birds, dead fish, abandoned buildings, what’s next?

While investigating the feathers, Al has an allergic reaction to a substance he plucks off of one and realizes there must be a link to a specific strain of bulrushes –– his only allergen. And there is only one spot in Eerie Harbor where these bulrushes grow. Along with Hilde and her friends, they head to the spot and find a bunch of dead fish washed ashore. First birds, and now fish, what’s going on in Eerie Harbor? To add to the weirdness, Hilde notices a man watching them from the foliage, she tries to snap a few pictures of him.

At the same time, Bridget and Matt investigate an address for Wott Management Matt managed to find. The entire place is empty inside, like a creepy shell. When Bridget dials their number, a phone rings from one of the abandoned offices but there’s no one there and clearly hasn’t been in a long time, if ever.

Oh, and Walter is okay! Birdman gives Hilde advice on how to take care of him and by the end of the episode, he seems to be in good health.

Odds & Ends from Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 2

• “She looks like she’s gonna puke. Oh, and if you do, save it because I can give it to Walter.”
• Hilde has a casual throwaway line about Matt ripping a hole in the attic from Season 1 and never fixing it!
• Frank Jr. reveals that he and his father are no longer talking much since he got fired, Matt, speaking from his own experience, advises him not to let it go on too long.
• Donnie finds the group new headquarters at his grandpa’s old fishing cabin.
• Glad the touching Matt and Hilde scenes are back, they’re so sweet. Hilde saying, “Please don’t do that to me. I don’t want to break apart from you,” just about broke my heart.

New episodes of Home Before Dark Season 2 air Fridays on Apple TV+.