Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 2 “Hide + Seek” is about more than deconstructing Anna’s loss. It’s about taking those first baby steps in moving on; emotionally, physically, mentally while still holding on to that person that you loved. Because people leave sometimes, willingly or unwillingly. And we keep moving forward despite the certainty or uncertainty if they’ll ever return.
And while “Hide + Seek” did drop a couple more hints about the villain of the season, it’s clear that this show is making it so every case is kind of a representation of the next step in Anna’s journey when it comes to healing. Because Episode 1 was about establishing that she’s the kind of person who stays. And Episode 2 is about establishing that she’s starting on her real first steps to moving on, without forgetting what she has lost.
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There’s No One Way to Grieve
“Hide + Seek” painted a picture of grief not only for this family with the wife, mother, and daughter who died. But also for Anna herself. Because that’s what she’s doing in this park. She’s running from her grief and that grief is nipping at her heels in the form of her sister trying to get her to go to therapy, the nightmares that she’s having of her husband’s death, and the way that she’s navigating relationships in the after when it comes to losing Zach.
What I really liked about the portrayal of Anna’s grief is that it’s not flat. Oftentimes when we see depictions of grief, it always goes to the extremes. It’s either it overtakes us or there’s an emphasis about moving on. I don’t see that in Anna Pigeon. Instead I see a woman who is clearly in the in-between. She’s not ready for a deep relationship with anyone, she still has visions of her husband, and she’s angry and sad and everything in between. But Anna keeps going.
Her grief is a part of her but it doesn’t define her. The show emphasizes that by clearly depicting a loving relationship between Anna and her sister, showcasing that she still leans on family and is connected with them even if that family is small. They also show this with Anna’s dedication to the park but also her love for the land that she is being surrounded by. And they also show it with the blossoming relationship she has with Jesse but also with the other deputies and FBI agent Frederick.
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Then There’s the Jesse of It All
My favorite part of a character is when they set their boundaries, get new information, and adjust from there. It’s not that they’re flip-flopping everywhere when it comes to who they are. It’s that they understand that life isn’t all about them and that everything is a learning experience at the end of the day. Also that you can change your mind. And that’s what Anna did with Jesse in Season 1 Episode 2 of Anna Pigeon.
Anna knows that her husband isn’t going to come back and that eventually she could move on. And she might not be there 100% with what she’s doing with Jesse. But the fact that she opened up to him even a smidge and treated him more than a booty call, it speaks volumes as to where her journey is going. And that’s definitely a second chance romance with a side of self-discovery and loads of introspection.
Dropping all these little clues in just two episodes of the future of Anna Pigeon also speaks to how the show is structuring Anna’s journey. It’s a step by step thing with no easy way out. But it also shows that the showrunners are in this for the long haul. And considering that the book series has 19 books, they’ve got a lot of material to work with and a lot of things that fans are probably going to see. The fact that people love Tracy Spiridakos just makes it all the better. Maybe one day we’ll even get a guest appearance from her current partner…
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Additional thoughts about Season 1 Episode 2:
- I too would feel a little discombobulated if I woke up to people knocking on my door and singing while I have no pants on. But the pie does make it better.
- I know it’s a small detail, but I love how Anna opened up that gift, saw the panties, and didn’t act all flustered and like she had to hide something. Oftentimes when it comes to things as simple as panties or even period products, they’re treated as something that needs to be hidden away due to shame. There is no shame here. But there’s also no saliciousness. They’re just panties.
- I need every episode to have an appearance by Tricia Helfer. She was iconic in Battlestar Galactica. And she’s iconic now. But I also need them in the room together. Physically the same location.
- I really thought that grandma was going to shoot her son-in-law at the end there
- But the children don’t need any more trauma!
- And talking about the children, love how just because Anna is a woman doesn’t mean that she’s maternal. She doesn’t have to be. And that’s ok. She can still be kind.
Anna Pigeon airs new episodes Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network.
