‘Under the Bridge’ is Getting Juicier
Josephine Bell is in trouble. In episode 2 of Under the Bridge, she confesses to killing Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) in hopes of impressing Rebecca (Riley Keough), a big-time New York City writer who’s working on a novel about Reena’s death. Here’s the thing: Josephine (Chloe Guidry) didn’t do it. She might be cruel, but she’s not a killer. She’s just trying to get out of town. Remember, Josephine dreams of working for the mafia boss, John Gotti. She needs street cred…even if it’s not true. It’s strange, I know, but bear with me.
Josephine’s demented fantasies don’t matter. What matters is that her friend, Reena, wound up dead. Episode 3 begins with Reena’s parents receiving the news. Her father, Manjit (Ezra Faroque Khan), breaks down and can’t bring himself to identify her body. Reena’s mother, Suman (Archie Panjabi), offers to do it, and what she sees is horrifying. Reena's forehead has a cigarette burn between her eyes. It looks like a Bindi.
Meanwhile, Josephine, Dusty (Aiyanna Goodfellow), and Kelly (Izzy G) hear about Reena’s death at the party. It’s on the news. Panic sets in. A few of the partygoers were also under the bridge when Reena died and witnessed the attack. “I told everyone to stop, so how the fuck did she end up dead?” a girl asks. Josephine admits that she lied to Rebecca and insists they make a pact. “We don’t know who we can trust, so don’t fucking talk to anyone, “ she says. “For now, we just go back out there and act cool.”
That always works, right?
While Josephine swears her friends to secrecy, Rebecca heads to Cam’s place for more sleuthing. Rebecca tells Cam (Lily Gladstone) that Josephine killed Reena, but Cam is two steps ahead. She knows Josephine signed into her foster home, Seven Oaks, in time for curfew. She even tracked her route. Reena was last seen alive at 11:47 p.m., and curfew is midnight. Josephine couldn’t have killed her. There wasn’t enough time. After bringing Rebecca up to speed, Cam finally asks what we’ve all (ok, maybe just me) have been wondering. Why is she really in town? And why, for the love of God, is she inserting herself in this case? As it turns out, Rebecca wanted to write a book about their neighborhood and happened to stumble into this investigation. Also, Rebecca’s brother died when she was young, and something about Reena’s murder reminds her of him. “Why would I think about how this affects you,” Cam yells in frustration. Rebecca storms off.
Elsewhere in town, Warren Glowatski (Javon Walton)—one of the people who attacked Reena—brings his laundry to his girlfriend’s house. Up until now, he’s kept quiet about what happened under the bridge, but guess what? Blood stains don’t lie, and his red-tinged clothing tells a different story.
Later on, Rebecca confronts Josephine. “I don’t know what you heard,” Josephine says in defense. “Reena is only dead because of me.” Why does this kid keep lying? Her determination to take credit for a crime she didn’t do is genuinely impressive, albeit deeply unwise. She won’t budge. While they’re hash things out, the cops take another look at Reena’s body.
Cam’s father, the police chief, begins to question Reena’s family. “I’m just thinking,” he says. “It’s just odd that the mom comes down here to ID the body. What kind of man lets his wife do that?” He asks Cam’s brother and fellow police officer to “do a little digging on the dad.” Cam’s the only one willing to side with the Virks. “Whoever did this didn’t see her as a human, much less love her,” she says. “They branded her with a Bindi. You think Manjit would do that?”
Later on, Rebecca goes to a local diner to work on her book. Warren walks in and asks to wash dishes for food. His family abandoned him. He’s on his own. Rebecca buys him breakfast (her suggestion is a big plate of spaghetti) and starts connecting the dots. These kids are raising themselves.
At this point in the episode, we receive a much-needed flashback. So far, we know that Reena idolized Josephine and wanted to be in her gang, the CMC—but how did the CMC begin? Well, one day, Reena’s invited to a hangout and sees Warren get the piss beat out of him. It’s an initiation. Just like that, he’s a Crip with a limp.
Josephine, Dusty, and Kelly are there too. Josephine watches the initiation with glee and questions why women aren’t allowed to join the gang. Then, she has a bright idea. “We can start our own gang,” she says. Perfect! More violence. Don’t worry about the Crips; Josephine claims they’ll be just as cool, “but we run our shit tight, like the mafia.” Kelly suggests they cut their enemies' heads off like the cartel (odd, but ok), and they settle on the name CMC. Get it? The Crip Mafia Cartel. Reena asks to join and gets shut down. Josephine says she has to prove herself. Do you see where this is going? Perhaps… toward a stolen phonebook?
Back in the present, Cam and Rebecca meet up for a well-earned drink. One thing leads to another, and they make out in the bathroom. I know, I know—but this is a television show, people. There’s always time for a bit of romance!
As Cam is icing her hangover the next day, her brother stops by her desk with some chilling news. A while back, someone accused Manjit of assaulting Reena. He was cleared of all charges before she went missing. While they pour over the news, Josephine, Dusty, and Kelly prepare for a school dance. Josephine tries on a dress and turns to Kelly’s closet to grab a pair of shoes. Inside, she and Dusty spot a familiar pair of boots. “Are those Reenas?” Dusty asks. “I did it for you,” Kelly says, smiling at Josephine.
Wait! What about Warren? Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about him. Instead of just telling his girlfriend what happened, he uses the power of music to express himself. Who said mixtapes are just for love? Warren’s track of choice is “187” by Spice One. Ever heard of it? Here’s the TLDR: “187” is code for murder.
So, where does that leave us? Well, with more questions than answers. Kelly has Reena’s boots, and Warren has a guilty conscience. Odds are, they’re at least partially responsible for this mess—but why? Oh, and what about Manjit? Was that report just a horrible coincidence? Is it even real? I’m not so sure. All I know is that the plot has thickened.
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