Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 7 “The Three Matt Skweikis” sees a more grounded Anna emerge. In the last episode she had the very foundation of her security at this national park shaken. And because this is a procedural TV show, she seems to be acclimating a little faster than expected post kidnapping. But the hesitations are still there as to what she wants to do next with her life and who she wants to spend her time with.
This episode saw Anna going on an investigation with Agent Frederick about a glowing man. And I love Jesse. But I have to admit that I haven’t seen Anna this calm and relaxed the entire time this show has been on. And it could be because Frederick knows her. There is an ease with people who don’t have history with you. But there’s also an ease with people who know you and you don’t have to explain yourself to. Two sides of the very same coin.

With Frederick I saw an Anna that smiled easier and looked at the world with an unrelenting wonder. But I also saw an Anna that knew that she had someone having her back. For a lot of this show she’s been very independent when it comes to her work. But there is something about Frederick that she allows him to take a step inside with her in a way that she hasn’t with Jesse. By the end of this episode Anna and Frederick had slept together and then parted ways.
Personally, I don’t think this is the end of Frederick. We have not seen enough of him to say this is the end. This is just another chapter in Anna’s journey. And while I congratulate her for telling Frederick she wasn’t ready for a romantic relationship with him, I didn’t like the caveat added about Jesse. Because instead of it being a decision that she made for her own well-being entirely, that addition framed it as being Jesse keeping them apart.

Now, Anna is the respectful sort. Maybe she’s a little bit more monogamous despite her free spirit and what we’ve seen of her. That’s her prerogative. But I didn’t think that she was that serious about Jesse in the first place for her to be saying that she couldn’t pursue something with Frederick because of Jesse. And when it comes to her journey, real talk: we’ve barely scratched the surface of who she is as a character and the grief of her husband dying for her to get into a serious relationship with either of these men. So there’s that.
With only a few episodes of Anna Pigeon Season 1, I do wish that this show didn’t focus so much on the romantic beats of it all, even if I like both of the actors and am a shipper at heart. Instead, I’d like to see more about her relationship with these other rangers and staff at the park. Because they still feel like strangers in Anna’s journey. Also, her sister. For her being such a supportive figure in Anna’s life, we haven’t seen enough of both of them. Basically, I want the women talking and proving they can pass the Bechdel test.
But first Anna has to answer Jesse. Does she move in with him? Does she let him go? Whatever comes next, I hope it’s not the end for them either.
MORE: Need a reminder on how last week’s episode ended? Read our review for Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 6 here!
Anna Pigeon airs new episodes Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network.