At the beginning of DTF St. Louis episode 5, Detectives Jodie Plumb and Donoghue Homer interview Carol together at her home. Carol was her normal stand-offish self and was using the tools she learned from a self-help audio book called Life Champions to try to remain dominant.
It was working for a bit until she was asked if she’d been convicted of a crime. To which Carol snarkily responds that she doesn’t have to answer that due to Missouri State Law J-H, 2-6-17, Compliance Y-4. This was smart of her, but it also returns to bite her in the butt. More on that later.
After concluding their interview, the detectives admit that the interaction was weird and laugh at what they just experienced, like Carol telling them to speak up and constantly saying, "Wow." Then, they look into Missouri State Law J-H, 2-6-17, Compliance Y-4, and it says that, “Citizens with sealed or expunged convictions are not compelled to acknowledge their cases.” And with that, Detectives Plumb and Homer can’t learn more about Carol Love-Smernitch’s past, or can they?
At the end of the episode, Homer and Plumb are sitting at a bar, when Homer says that if someone fills out an application to a police department, they are consenting to the disclosure of any criminal charge, expunged or sealed. If what he was asking wasn’t clear enough, he mentions that Detective Plumb is the Head of Special Crimes in Twyla, which means the record would go right to her.
My first thoughts were that this is a dirty move, and there’s no way that Jodie Plumb would sink as low as to put Carol’s name on an application. She’s done a stand-up job of not becoming something she hates.
Sadly, I was wrong. Before the credits roll, viewers see that Carol’s application was submitted by Plumb.
Earlier, in the article, I mentioned that Carol saying that she didn’t have to answer the question about being convicted of a crime would come back to bite her in the butt. I believe this is the case because she thinks trying to be better than everyone is the solution to all of her problems. In her defense, up until now, it’s kind of worked. She’s benefiting from a relationship with Clark, Floyd’s life insurance made her a millionaire, and her family is well taken care of. Plus, if she is the killer, she could get away with murder.
It may seem like Carol is being arrogant, but that’s not necessarily the case. Because if she were conceited, she wouldn’t need the self-help books. It seems like she’s overcompensating for her insecurities with false bravado. Now, had Carol answered the question with some humility, the detectives may not have dug deeper into her past.
A debate can be made that even lying and admitting to something minor may have thrown them off. Instead, they know she has more to hide. And since she’s a suspect in a murder investigation, a little modesty or give-and-take would have gone a long way.
We'll have to see how it plays out in DTF St. Louis episode 6 on HBO on Sunday, April 5.