Following their failed attempt to kill Abby and Andrew via some bad oysters, we jump ahead at the top of Monster season 4, episode 3, with May turning to June. We’re quickly closing the gap of that four-month rewind that started in the premiere after we witnessed the Bordens being murdered by Lizzie and episode 3 has us eager to see where the story goes next.
Episode 3 opens with Lizzie and Maggie in the garden together, interwoven moments of flirtatious glances between the pair and them working to clean up the dovecote. As they sit, Maggie smiles as she expresses her approval of Lizzie’s idea to kill them with an axe, remarking that it’s going to be so much better killing them with an axe, as a knife is too sexual; it’s almost too kind to go. A rifle is used for hunting, and how you dispatch an animal would be too easy. An axe, though, is the most personal way of killing someone.
The action then moves to Andrew’s workshop as Maggie comes to see him and asks for him to show him how he does it, noting that he can make a 6-foot-4 fit into a coffin that’s 5-foot-10. Andrew remarks that he can’t divulge trade secrets, but she makes it clear she knows he cuts their legs off as she cleans his axes. What she wants is to see how he does it.
Andrew readies the body of an older man and walks her through the process for selecting the axe he uses based on the body’s unique needs. He grabs a large axe he’s named Rebecca and uses it to cut the old man’s legs off so that they’ll fit in the coffin. His and Maggie’s conversation is interrupted when he hears someone at the front door.
Andrew's brother-in-law comes to town with a mission
Enter John Morse, who introduces himself as Andrew’s brother-in-law, the brother of Andrew’s late wife, Sarah. Andrew quickly pulls him in for a hug as he calls for Maggie to prepare lunch for them. As they eat, John reveals he’s a butcher as he shows Andrew his blades. Similar to how Andrew has named his axes, John has named his various knives as the pair bond over how alike they are.
That’s when John gets down to business. He’s come to Andrew seeking a loan of $200, as he’d like to open a butcher shop. Andrew notes that he’s a deeply moral man, and his code forbids him from money lending and makes it clear the answer is no. John presses him, questioning how he spends his late sister’s half of their earnings, but Andrew does not waver.
John then asks Maggie to pour him more to drink, a guise to get her close as he grabs her and holds her at knifepoint, threatening to gut Andrew’s whore and tell everyone. Andrew remarks that she is nothing to him, and gutting her will not change his answer. He invites John to supper, as it would be so refreshing to have another man at the table, as the constant clucking of the hens is driving him insane.
Later that night, the Bordens throw a dinner party that includes John, Nance O’Niel, and Bertha Manchester. Over dinner, John uses the opportunity to discuss his desire to open the butcher shop and pressure Andrew again into giving him a loan. His efforts are interrupted by Nance’s complaints about her food touching, a remedy she makes sure Maggie remedies, and Maggie continues to catch strays as Bertha references the food poisoning the pair endured. That prompts Abby to call upon Maggie to inform her that as punishment, she will attend to Miss Manchester at home until her maid recovers. Andrew goes to ask John a question, but Maggie interjects, asking where she’s to sleep if she’s going to tend to Miss Manchester. That interruption sets John off as he shouts about the clucking hens and all the estragon sucking the air out of the room.
After dinner, Nance treats the guests to a performance, which entrances Lizzie. She then discusses how her career has given her the freedom to travel the world without the burden of a husband and children. She then pulls Lizzie aside for a word in the hall and expresses her hope to reconnect the next time she’s back in town as she bids farewell.
As morning arrives, Maggie returns home, and Lizzie tries to steal a moment but is sent away as Maggie is exhausted following her long day. Later, Lizzie makes her way to town, where she steals a pair of canaries. Maggie asks what Lizzie will name them, but she does not want to name them until after Mr. and Mrs. Borden are dead. She then apologizes to Lizzie for being short with her earlier, as Lizzie apologizes for the way her parents treat her.
Their conversation continues as Lizzie expresses how she admires Elizabetta for how she outsmarted them and got away with things. She did things and wasn’t published for it. Lizzie ponders whether she really did those things or if it’s just a story with embellishments; could people really be that cruel back then? Maggie remarks that people haven’t changed and there is cruelty all around; Lizzie just doesn’t see it.
Maggie tells Lizzie about how Bertha whipped her using a cat o' nine tails as she shows her the lashing injuries on her back and asks for help applying an ointment on the wounds. She apologizes for crying as Lizzie comforts her. Maggie informs Lizzie that Bertha will be the first one they kill as a practice run of sorts, as no one will miss her.
Lizzie and Maggie carry out their first murder
The following day, Lizzie is helping Maggie scrub the floor. As they chat, the conversation shifts to missing belongings around the house, and Maggie admits she knows it’s Lizzie who has been taking things, as she found her hiding spot. Their conversation is interrupted when Bertha enters the room and questions why she is assisting the help with her work, questioning what her mother would think, to which Lizzie replies that she’d just be happy to have her out of the house.
As night falls, Bertha settles into her bed as Maggie and Lizzie gather their axes and prepare to strike. Bertha hears a crash, and Lizzie calls out for help, telling her that Maggie broke her fine china. When Bertha makes her way down the stairs, shouting out for Maggie, Lizzie emerges from the shadow and swings the axe at her. It becomes stuck so Lizzie runs to Maggie for the smaller axe, which she thrusts into Bertha’s head, killing her instantly as she says, “This is for Maggie.”
The pair work to clean up the blood and cover up their crime, with Lizzie working to make it look like there was a robbery and struggle as they head out into the night, leaving the door open, which results in a wild coyote entering the home, killing Martha’s dog and leaving with its body in its mouth. Meanwhile, Lizzie and Maggie wash away the blood in a lake before burying the stolen goods to cover their tracks.
The following morning, Lizzie is awoken by the sound of Abby calling out her name. Lizzie makes her way upstairs to find an officer looking through Maggie’s dresser drawers as he then informs the trio that Martha was murdered. We learn that this was not the morning after, but rather that a week had gone by, as it took time for Martha’s body to be found. The police suspect it was a robbery and are looking for clues, which is why they came to visit the Bordens. They end up arresting the painters who Abby had previously suspected were responsible for stealing her earrings.
Later, Lizzie questions whether Maggie truly wants to help her and can follow through with their plan after Maggie froze up during Martha’s murder. Maggie apologizes for freezing up as she did and assures her it’ll be different next time because she loves her and will do anything to help her. Her parents deserve it with how they talk to her and treat her, and Maggie wants to help her; she won’t pity them, and next week they’re following through on their plan and killing them.
Lizzie embraces her and makes one request: that Maggie let her have the first whack.
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