If Pippa Fitz-Amobi is Jane Eyre, speaking in literary terms, that would make Andie Bell a modern Daisy Buchanan. Her story has been co-opted by the men who surround her — from sweet Sal Singh to shady Max Hastings. She fell too hard for a Secret Older Guy just out of her reach and paid the price. Plus, “Daisy Buchanan†happens to be the fake name Andie used while checking into a nearby hotel with a mysterious “Jay Gatsby,†Pippa and Ravi find out in this episode.
“I think I know them,†Ravi says as Pippa points to the names in a stolen guest book, suggesting, in earnest, that he may have had something like math class with them. Oh, Ravi. Never change.
Thanks to a slip of paper from a hotel notepad stuffed into the toy rabbit, Pip has been led to the Ivy House Hotel. I’m not in the business of having secret affairs, but if I were, I could see why this dream of an establishment in the English countryside would be the perfect destination. That Pip and Ravi have a moment in this serene, mystical locale only heightens tensions in this episode, making it the best yet. Shippers, start your engines.
A lot of this investigation now hinges on Pip’s obvious feelings for Ravi. She runs everywhere because she is so excited to break a new detail to him, to do research with him, to have any excuse in the world to see him. The case is no longer about the EPQ for Pip; it is about impressing Ravi and getting to spend quality time with him. Pip is bored throughout the school day, but as soon as she picks Ravi up for their quest to the Ivy House Hotel, that playful smirk finds its way to her face. Pip’s original motivation — that Sal Singh was a really good guy — was only slightly believable. The power of young love, on the other hand, that’s real motivation.
Over at the hotel, Pip and Ravi do some finagling (a fire alarm is involved) to steal the inn’s guest book from April 2019. They race into a hotel room together, where there is — gasp! — only one bed. In a sea of murder-mystery conventions, the show has graced us with a singular rom-com trope. Ravi and Pip won’t be staying the night (unless …), but they do eye the bed, which gives us all a bit of false hope.
In the bathroom, Pippa makes a huge discovery. It’s the same background we see in the naked photo Max had of Andie. Andie definitely stayed here; there’s photo evidence. More importantly, when Ravi and Pippa discover this, they lock eyes for a longer beat than usual. It looks like we’re about to get a kiss … but Pip breaks eye contact and returns to the case. These two! You have to love them for being so awkward, but guys, let’s make it happen.
In a lot of ways, this episode is the same-but-improved version of episode three. Pip makes a dicey call — like going to the calamity, or in this case, ditching school to hang out with Ravi. The pair make a big discovery — the drug dealing, the Ivy House Hotel. And just when Pippa is about to have a breakthrough (and, therefore, get closer to Ravi), something scares her off of the investigation. But now, Pip actually faces some consequences for her actions; she starts to distance herself from Ravi, for example, and worries there might be some issues on the homefront.
Later, Pip flips out when she sees Victor Amobi’s name in the guest book. Was her dad also having an affair? To make matters worse, the next day, Dan da Silva confronts Pippa in the middle of Little Kilton. Dan — who was close to the Bell family and wants Pippa to leave them alone — shows Pip the recorded video footage of Sal’s interview with the cops following Andie’s death. Sal attacks the police. He’s violent. It’s not the Sal that Pip remembers.
Everything starts to refocus in Pip’s vision. If her own father is participating in shady behavior, how much does she really know about Sal? This whole time, Pip has been thinking Sal is the Gatsby to Andie’s Daisy, when perhaps he was her Tom Buchanan. Maybe Sal was a killer and Pippa’s own perception has been muddying her view of the case.
Pip confronts Ravi with this idea, which leads to a huge fight. How dare she suspect his brother is a killer? As much as I’m rooting for Pippa and Ravi to live happily ever after, it’s refreshing to see them reverse course. Partners don’t always see eye to eye. If these two want to work together, they’ll need to figure out how to resolve conflict. Ravi and Pip go through the full range of emotions together as partners — the epic highs of having a romantic moment, the lows of disagreeing on a murder case — in this episode, a really solid step in developing both of their characters.
Pip runs into Cara’s arms to vent. Cara presents the perfect distraction: They’re going to do Naomi’s makeup for her five-year high school reunion. (A makeover too? There are so many similarities with the last episode.) When Cara steps away, Naomi baits Pip into being a bad friend — she asks about the Sal research. Pip holds back, but Naomi pushes her to keep looking. Naomi then does something so utterly confusing: She gives Pip her laptop password and tells her to go looking for “Tango Tits.â€
Tango Tits is Max’s Finsta account. Frankly, I would kill to know more about why he selected that name, but that’ll have to wait for later. (Actually, never. We never find out. Unravel that thread in season two, Pippa.) While scrolling the grid, Pip finds a photo dated April 19, 2019. Well, it’s actually from April 20, because a clock in the background reads “12:06.†All three of Sal’s friends who spoke with the police are in the picture. So, wait. Who was behind the camera? At 12:06, Sal would be off killing Andie — this suggests he may have actually been at Max’s until 12:50.
This is all a bit of a stretch. Hypothetically, one of Max’s parents took it. Or the kids set a timer. Maybe they took it from a webcam. But, sure, we need another reason for Pip to race out of the room on one of her friends — off she goes to find Naomi. This show should actually be called A Galloping Girl’s Guide to Murder.
At the reunion, Pippa confronts Naomi in a science room. Naomi cries, hesitating when Pippa asks for answers. Naomi — girl, so confusing! Why did she willingly hand over this clue to Pip if she wasn’t prepared to be questioned? Naomi ends the episode by saying she and her friends “had to lie†about Sal “because they found out what we did.â€
For every person who wants Pippa to distance herself from the case, there’s another person who wants her to keep digging. For every Becca there is a Ravi, for every Dan a Naomi. The show cuts to black on that marvelous cliffhanger, leaving us with more questions than answers and enough curiosity to immediately press play on the penultimate episode of the season.
Ring a Bell?
• As college admissions roll into Pip’s life, she has an interview with a Cambridge professor. Her EPQ is now about feminism in the gothic novel, she tells the admissions specialist. Mr. Ward, who is overseeing the interview, smiles when he hears this. He also happened to be the one to suggest to Pippa’s mom that Pip should stop hanging around Ravi. Why does he care so much?
• Pip’s friends are too good at teasing her about Ravi. They’ve started a rumor that she cut class to hook up with him. “I wasn’t bonking with anyone!†shouts a defensive Pip.
• Pip’s mom clears up the Victor-maybe-or-maybe-not-having-an-affair situation. Leanne and Victor were going through a rough patch, so he checked into the Ivy House Hotel to unwind for a few days. This whole conundrum feels unnecessary.
• Another reason why this episode really knocks it out of the park is that it ends with a needle drop of “You Should See Me in a Crown,†by Billie Eilish. Ultimate mic drop.