Pieces of Her Premiere Recap: Deadly Secrets Loom in Netflix's Latest Thriller Adaptation — Plus, Grade It!
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Surviving a shooting would be traumatic enough, but for Andy Oliver, that’s just the beginning of the harrowing journey that will soon upend her entire life.
Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Karin Slaughter, Pieces of Her (all eight episodes are now available on Netflix) tells the story of Andy Oliver (The Man in the High Castle‘s Bella Heathcote), a police dispatcher in a small Georgia town, and her mom, Laura (Unbelievable‘s Toni Collette), a speech language pathologist in a veteran rehab facility. Andy is stuck in her dead-end job, and with her dad out of the picture, she gave up her life to move home after her mom got sick.
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The mother/daughter duo hit a diner to celebrate Andy’s 30th birthday and discuss her future, but another pair of women stop by their table for a quick hello, Andy excuses herself. Moments later, a disturbed man rises from his seat, shooting and killing Laura’s tableside visitors. Laura rushes to Andy and tackles her to the ground, as another patron is killed while trying to call for help.
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The shooter turns his attention to the “pig” on the floor (Andy, who’s still in her work uniform), but Laura stands up and diverts his attention. He attempts to fire again, but Laura knocks his arm away, causing the shot to miss. Out of bullets, he pulls out a large blade and stabs her directly through her hand (gross!), and after a few shocked seconds, she slashes the man’s throat with the knife that’s still impaling her hand. While they await the authorities, Laura mumbles to Andy to not talk to the police, and strangely asks if it’s snowing.
At the hospital, Laura’s ex-husband Gordon (Power‘s Omari Hardwick) arrives. While Laura awaits the surgeon, she gets a call from a man named Charlie. Officers ask Andy if Laura ever served in the military. Andy shakes her head no. Laura refuses to speak to the cops, and as they prep to go home, a video of the throat-slashing is all over the news and quickly going viral.
Laura refuses Andy’s help, telling her daughter that she needs to start her own life and move out. Laura is clearly pushing her away, but why?
Meanwhile in San Francisco, an older gentleman sees Laura’s face on TV. He makes a phone call. “We’ve got a problem,” he tells a mysterious someone. “It’s her.”
Though the plan was for Andy to crash at Gordon’s for the night, she texts him and declines. She gets dressed and heads to the garage. She bends down to reach for her dropped phone, and as she does, she spots a man in a hoodie peering through the window above her. She slowly makes her way back inside the house, and hears her mom talking to the man. Laura is tied to a chair, as the man suffocates her with plastic. Andy texts 911 with her mom’s phone, then grabs a paper towel holder and thwacks the guy in the head. She reaches for the man’s gun, but he overpowers her. As Laura frees herself from her restraints, Andy’s able to land one more heavy blow to the man’s head, which ultimately knocks him out.
Laura seems disappointed when she learns Andy contacted the cops. She orders her daughter to go through the man’s pockets, take the man’s belongings and hop in his car. She gives her specific instructions to go to a storage unit, swap cars and drive to a motel in Maine. Mom promises to call her as soon as it’s safe. Though she’s in a state of near shock, Andy does as she’s told. As the cops whiz by her, she hits the road, crying and confused.
What kind of deep, dark secrets is Laura hiding? Grade the premiere below, then tell us your thoughts in the Comments.
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