Brendan Jesus
There are many series I was, and still am, heavily anticipating for this year like The Last of Us, 30 Coins, and Slasher: Ripper. The Last of Us was as amazing as I was hoping it would be, I’m still awaiting Season 2 of 30 Coins, and Slasher: Ripper is already shaping up to be my favorite season to date. I find that the true crime meets horror trope has gotten a little stale, and distasteful in some regards. When I heard the newest season of Slasher would be based around Jack the Ripper I was pretty hesitant. What really makes this season stand out is how it really isn’t even about Jack the Ripper. Ripper takes place in a fictional Toronto where a copycat killing comes back to haunt the town years later. There is this foreknowledge of the Ripper murders that are incorporated sparsely, but this show gives us a whole new take on true crime-adjacent ideas.
Episode 3 “Backbone”
We start this episode with Dr. Melanda Israel (Lisa Berry) and Superintendent Kashtinsky (Daniel Kash), as the doctor is injecting him with liquid cocaine. Going through a spiel about the holistic side of cocaine, Dr. Israel gives Kashtinsky some vials to take with him. His reasoning is that he’s trying to crack this case, but it’s fairly obvious he isn’t sleeping because he’s afraid of becoming the Black Widow’s next victim. Detective Rijkers (Gabriel Darku) barges in to tell Kashtinsky about Enid’s (Jo Vannicola) murder.
On their walk over to the crime scene Rijkers pokes at Kashtinsky a bit, telling him he thinks that Andrew May Sr. (Rob Stewart) might be the wrong man. This pisses the superintendent off, and he pins Rijkers to the wall telling him to drop it, and that Andrew May Sr. was the man who killed Margaret Mehar (Genevive DeGraves). The two men eventually arrive at The Echo Tribune, where they see a piece of skin strung up behind the window reading, “Five more who did their part, five who stopped a woman’s heart, their justice is a blanket lie, if they don’t confess the five will die.”
Over at the Botticelli’s, Dr. Israel treats Verdi’s (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) wounds from where Viviana (Paula Brancati) whipped her in Episode 2. The sisters create a false narrative, saying that Verdi was committing self-flagellation due to being caught with a man alone in the house. Thankfully Dr. Israel isn’t stupid and knows that Verdi did not inflict these wounds upon herself. From there we take a step over to the Simcoe residence, where Georges (Thom Allison) tries desperately to get Regina (Clare McConnell) to join his practice, due to the whole possession thing in Episode 2. Regina defies Georges’ request because she thinks the whole idea of it is ungodly.
Just in the nick of time, Detective Rijkers shows up, saving Regina from Georges’ won’t-take-no-for-an-answer line of questioning. It’s fairly clear Regina seems to be a pure soul who has been thrust into this dark underworld of her husband’s secret life, she wants this all to be over. Rijkers promises Regina he’ll solve this case, she seems assured and calmed by his demeanor. Looking for more clues, Rijkers goes back into Alistair’s study. What the detective finds just confirms his theory tenfold.
Eddie Jacobs (Bradon Oakes) realizes he’s up shit creek, and without a paddle, so he thinks skipping town might be his best option. While we’ve seen Eddie be fairly brutal and unrelenting, it almost feels like there’s a lighter side to his character. A man who had nothing, and rode on the coattails of Basil Garvey (Eric McCormack), Eddie really has a dog-eat-dog mentality. He would rather be the one doling out the punishments, rather than receiving them. But he’s had enough. As Eddie decides to leave town, he’s nearly immediately stopped by Garvey. Because Garvey isn’t an idiot he realizes what Eddie’s intentions are. This doesn’t sit well with Garvey and he brutally attacks Eddie. Garvey takes a knife to Eddie’s ear and cuts a portion of it off. Then we get a crucial plot piece when Eddie confirms he was there that night.
Here’s my one issue with Slasher as a series. Like I’ve stated before I really like how the showrunners create these deep characters and stories, but the issue is how they handle the revelations of information. We’ll get to a key piece of evidence soon enough, and that, itself, would be enough of a story catalyst. We don’t need these constant foreshadowing lines where they constantly say, “that night,” and other iterations of their guilt. I wish it would be more subtle with their intentions, and let the audience build the stories through the clues; really put us in Detective Rijker’s shoes.
Jumping into a time machine, we flashback 12 years. Andrew May Sr. is practicing his sermon when Margaret Mehar enters the church. Andrew is surprised to see her because she has been staying with Vivian and Venetia (Sabrina Grdevich). Margaret tells the pastor that she needs to leave town and start a new life. The pastor asks why she left the Botticelli’s, and she says it’s because they were assaulting her. We also find out that Margaret used to work for Horatio (Jefferson Brown), which might be a reason the Botticelli’s look down upon her. Trying to find a solution, Andrew May Sr. says he can find her a place in a new town, but without money Margaret knows she’ll just have to get back into sex work. Margaret has a different idea, she has dirt on Garvey. They were both “street kids” growing up, but that information would destroy Garvey…apparently. Oh, and also she has information that he was an illegitimate child. Andrew says that he thinks Garvey would kill her over paying her. Margaret ends this first of many flashbacks dead set on blackmailing Garvey.
Andrew May Jr. (Steve Byers) is at Daisy’s grave eulogizing, and Crenshaw (Christopher Jacot) is also there. Crenshaw is there more to pay respects, and questions Andrew May Jr. on his thoughts on the murders. Initially, Andrew May Jr. seemed like a real stick in the mud, with the whole picketing Georges’ magic show, but this response is pretty badass. Andrew May Jr. basically says he’s fine with the murders; he reveals Horatio sold Margaret, Alistair paid for her, and Enid used the newspaper to spread lies, culminating in the death of his father.
Back at the Simcoe residence Detective Rijkers is still in Alistair’s study. He reassures Regina, saying the killer will make a mistake, and they will catch them. Eddie makes his way to Dr. Israel’s, for help with his ear wound from Garvey. The practical for this ear wound is absolutely gnarly, I love how Slasher doesn’t shy away from gore and viscera when it’s needed. It’s never overdone, it always feels like just the right amount. After the doctor assists Eddie with his ear, he starts insinuating that she might have a part in these murders, as they seem very medically difficult. Dr. Israel has a very chilling, and seemingly uncharacteristic, response, “a doctor heals people, sometimes they have to cut away that which is diseased.”
Detective Rijkers rushes to the police station with his great piece of evidence, the evidence I was referring to earlier; a photograph from 12 years ago, just before Margaret’s death. In the photo is pretty much everyone, Alistair, Garvey, Kashtinsky, Eddie…and Georges. Rijkers makes the revelation that this is Georges’ first time back in town…in 12 years. Doped up and ready to end this all, Kashtinsky kisses the detective on both cheeks and tells him to go find Georges. At the theater Shanika (Mercedes Morris) and Georges are inspecting the diamonds from the broach they took from Viviana. In a twist that surprises no one, the diamonds are fake. Everything about the Botticelli’s are fake. A singular pair of hands clapping emanates through the empty theater, it’s Eddie. Looks like someone other than the police put two and two together of Georges’ mystery reappearance.
Georges uses either excellent misdirection or actual magical powers to confuse and disorient Eddie. Through some sort of trickery, Georges gets Eddie tied up and left on the stage. Soon after that Detective Rijkers shows up. He saw Eddie in the photo and uses this as the perfect opportunity to ask why Eddie thinks he’s a target for the Black Widow, then he reveals to Eddie about the photograph he found.
12 years ago Margaret approaches Garvey, she sternly tells him she needs money and he’s going to give it to her. At first, Garvey says under no circumstances will he do that, but Margaret says she’ll spill the beans to all the wealthy people that Garvey came from a “pickpocketing street urchin.” Margaret gets Garvey to agree that if the whole town knew about his upbringing then his social status in town won’t mean anything to anyone. Garvey reluctantly agrees to help Margaret. To Margaret’s dismay, Garvey says he’s going to get her a room at the Queen’s Elbow. This is the last place Margaret would want to be, but Garvey says it’s the best idea because the Botticelli’s would never look for her there.
Detective Rijkers ends up untying Eddie right as the Black Widow shows up. The detective tells Eddie to split, and wields his baton. They start fighting, which leads to a bit of a chase. The Black Widow ends up escaping the detective, but it is not over. Out of nowhere, the Black Widow attacks Rijkers from behind, starting chase sequence number two. This time they find themselves playing cat and mouse on a series of fire escapes, which eventually leads to Rijkers being thrown over the side and landing flat on his back. The Black Widow stalks overtop of Rijkers’ body, leaving us to worry if the Black Widow would be killing the detective. At the very final tense moment of this standoff, the Black Widow spares the detective’s life.
Over at the Queen’s Elbow, 12 years ago, Garvey and Margaret arrive. Things get weird when Margaret sees which room she will be staying in…the bondage room.
After his near-death experience with the Black Widow, Eddie goes to Garvey and tells him how Detective Rijkers has that photo from 12 years ago. Enough is enough and Eddie has had it with Garvey. Eddie attacks Garvey and tells him he hopes the Black Widow saves him for last, and quits. At the Botticelli’s we find out what their insidious plan is, they are going to sell Verdi’s virginity for a large sum of money.
Ready to get out of dodge, Eddie pays a driver to take him out of town. Just like that Eddie has exited stage right. Detective Rijkers goes to, what I can only describe as, Georges’ spell-casting room? It’s full of candles, gems, and photos of Regina. That’s not all that the detective finds in Georges room. On a stand in the corner is a Black Widow costume! So this is where things get a little muddy. I think there may be a copycat killer of the copycat killer. As the detective is with the costume at Georges’, Eddie’s carriage gets attacked by the Black Widow. Eddie screams that he didn’t do anything as it transitions back to 12 years ago.
Margaret is frantically trying to escape the Queen’s Elbow and runs into Eddie. She tells him she needs to escape. At first, Eddie tells Margaret that she should not have threatened Garvey, but then goes on to try and help her escape. The two are quickly stopped by Garvey who sternly tells Eddie to put Margaret back in her room, and that Alistair was waiting for her. Eddie obliges.
Back to Eddie’s carriage, he gets forcefully removed by the Black Widow. He tries running away, but the Widow is prepared; taking a whip, the Black Widow catches Eddie’s leg and trips him. The Black Widow pulls the whip closer, yanking Eddie backward, his fingernails ripping from the seam as he claws at the ground. The Black Widow takes a sledgehammer and wails Eddie’s ankle, followed by his shin. He isn’t going anywhere. The sledgehammer raised in the air again and brought down hard on Eddie’s spine, completely incapacitating him. With a swift final moment of the episode, the Black Widow Gallagher’s Eddie’s head.
Final Thoughts
Seeing how each season before has been eight episodes, it’s fair to think this season will be doing the same. Ripper feels a lot more fast-paced than the previous seasons, it feels like a lot of this info could have been held off to later episodes. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it, in fact, I love how fast-paced this season is. There’s a new level of suspense to this season I think might have been lacking from previous seasons. Slasher has always held information close to the chest, letting information spill out in small snippets of conversation or visual clues. Taking a show and telling us who the perpetrators are this early makes it seem like they plan on giving us way more groundbreaking surprises later in the season.
I also really like the misdirection they’re giving us about the identity of the killer. Understandably, because I thought Georges was a part of this community, I had no clue to even think it could have been him. My money is on Andrew May Jr., but that could also be a little too obvious. If we get further into the idea of Georges being able to do real magic, then maybe he found a way to resurrect Andrew May Sr. to get his revenge? I’m not sure. What I am sure about is that I love this season.
