Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Fighting His Ghost

What do you do when a local pond could be teeming with something so toxic it’s killing all the wildlife? Count on Hilde Lisko to investigate, of course! In this week’s episode of Home Before Dark Season 2, “Fight His Ghost,” Hilde, Spoon and Donnie aim to test the Pinewood Park pond (the one where they found all the dead fish in the previous episode) for potential contaminants in the hopes they can find out what’s causing so many of the local fish and birds to die.

But when Hilde and her friends get to the park, they come face-to-face with a newly erected fence, prohibiting them from getting close enough to test the water. Is the mysterious Wott Management behind this latest impediment?

We all know Hilde doesn’t give up that easily. Further motivating her to test the pond water is the reveal that her grandfather used to spend significant time fishing in Pinewood Park. What if he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s? What if he became ill due to something he was exposed to in the water?

On the other hand, maybe Hilde is just so desperate to find a cure for her grandfather, she only sees what she wants to see. Matt teaches his daughter the definition of a “bias effect” this week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that becomes integral to this season’s central mystery.

Hilde also believed the man she saw spying on her during her previous visit to the pond with Birdman might have been Richie. She later discovers she was wrong when they return to the pond and find a construction crew eliminating it. Potential-Richie is one of the leaders with a handy special level three access card and everything. I’m sure that’s also going to become important later.

By the end of the episode, the pond is gone. Thanks to Hilde reporting on the town’s lack of motivation toward removing a potentially dangerous environmental contaminant in The Magic Hour Chronicle, an “investigation” proved the pond contained a toxic strain of blue-green algae. Supposedly. A community garden is planned in the newly vacated spot.

Instead of feeling proud, Hilde is distraught that she’s now lost the opportunity to test the water. Was there really a strain of toxic algae in the pond—or something more sinister? How could a company remove an entire pond without consulting the town? Why wasn’t there a community hearing? It’s all very suspect.

Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Izzy says goodbye to Jessica

Apart from Hilde, this episode saw the potential end of the short-lived friendship between Izzy and Jessica. Remember how they got drunk at Jessica’s sleepover? Well, it turns out the pair did a little more than that. Security footage captured them egging the school. Luckily, Principal Collins is willing to let them off with a mild detention sentence rather than something more serious, hoping it’ll be enough to scare them straight. At home, Izzy’s punishment is going to work as an intern at Bridget’s law office.

But the detention isn’t enough for Jessica’s parents. Alcoholism runs in her family, and her parents are concerned with what’s happening to their daughter. Jessica admits to Izzy that she blacked out at her sleepover and didn’t remember egging the school. Presumably, her parents are sending her to a treatment center alongside her new boarding school.

Jessica and Izzy share a tearful goodbye. I can’t help feeling that it’s strange the writers would build and end this friendship within just three episodes. I’m curious if Whitney Peak’s casting on the upcoming HBO Max Gossip Girl reboot might have contributed to a truncated run on this season of the show. It’s a shame because I genuinely enjoyed this budding storyline, but I look forward to seeing what Peak does next!

Plus, Jessica leaving gives Izzy’s storyline a darker direction to move as she feels alone and isolated. Her only friend is leaving, and maintaining her long-distance relationship with Ethan isn’t easy, as demonstrated by Izzy’s final scene where she tries to FaceTime him for comfort, and he doesn’t pick up.

Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Frank Sr. tries to make amends

Meanwhile, at the precinct, Trip is struggling to get the deputies to fall in line. It gets bad enough that a group of them try to “send her a message” by throwing a brick through her window at home. The problem is, they’re still pretending that Frank Sr. is the boss. This episode tries to push Frank Sr.’s redemption arc forward by having him slip Trip the names of the deputies who vandalized her family’s farm. While they might be loyal to him, he assures the new sheriff that his loyalty is to her.

Frank also tries to make amends with his son and the Liskos. Honestly, I do not love this storyline, especially given Frank’s racist inclinations last season toward Sam. But I am happy that Frank Jr. told his dad he needs to fix things with Sam before anyone else because he is 100% correct on that, although I’m not sure he deserves forgiveness for knowingly convicting the wrong man and letting him sit behind bars for years.

What did you think of Home Before Dark Season 2, Episode 3? Do you think there was something else in the water? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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