‘Shining Girls’ Recap: ‘Screamer’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘Shining Girls’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Apple TV+ series, Shining Girls, has been one of the most refreshing and unique stories to hit the airwaves in 2022. Because not only is this series the first real proper examination upon the power of trauma and how it impacts the human psyche and mind, but it also provides its fans with a supremely original story. One that is filled to the brim with science fiction elements and a grand mystery surrounding its villain, since we haven’t a clue exactly how Harper knows everything before it happens or how he seemingly shifts through time and how his ability to do so, impacts Kirby’s reality in such a stunning manner.
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If anything, the sheer uniqueness of this series is top of mind today, simply because the next episode of this dynamic show managed to up the ante when it comes to that. For ‘Screamer’ is a story that doubled down on the mythos surrounding our villain and his powers… all while staying true what matters most to this story and well… let’s start with the critical stuff first, since that really did allow for this episode to explore the power of trauma once again, and how we don’t give it the respect it deserves. A feat this story accomplished, by having Kirby sit down and be reminded of the reality that people really don’t offer empathy or concern over someone’s trauma, as evidenced by how the police sketch artist handled her situation.

Because she saw time with him, as a grand opportunity to feel validation for her fear and for her concerns over Harper striking again and was instead met with apathy and disdain for seemingly wasting his time. Hammering home, the reality that unless it directly impacts us… trauma is of little concern and well… it shouldn’t be. Because empathy and care cost us little and providing it to someone that is suffering and worried, could do them wonders emotionally and give them strength, and it was wonderful to see the series teach us this important lesson. Since it is another aspect of trauma that we don’t discuss all that often but most certainly should, to help survivors of it, recover from their pain and feel as though the road back from it… isn’t so daunting. 

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Once the show got through that important lesson and the core concern of this series, it was onto the more unique stuff. Since a fair chunk of this episode, focused on Harper and his abilities so that Dan and Kirby could expose this monster properly and what we learned… was fascinating for certain. Since it would seem that Harper cannot stay in one place for too long or he may lose his mental faculties and that… he seemingly has the power to control time as well. Since he was able to toy with Jin-Sook in a twisted manner… wherein it appeared as though she was stuck in the exact same day, we saw her enduring when we were first introduced to her as a character and well… all of these fascinating tidbits only added to the mystery of Harper. Which… might not remain shrouded in secrecy all that much longer.
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For while Harper was off healing from his mental and physical wounds, Dan and Kirby came to discover the location where Leo was living, and Kirby was quick to use that to her advantage in a sneaky manner. Because she realized that Leo knew a great deal about Harper and if properly pressed in a negative way, she could get something out of him. A move that some might see as cruel, but for Kirby… all bets are off and rightfully so, since Harper has committed countless atrocities in the name of some selfish power grab… so it’s either go for broke or let this persist and well… that decision on her part, did indeed pay off in spades. Since Kirby and Dan were able to loosely confirm the truth about Harper’s abilities and Dan came to realize that these shifts, might be beneficial if approached from a different perspective.

If anything, this was just another engaging story when all is said and done. One that sucked us in with its mysteries and surrealism, because we simply weren’t expecting to go on that kind of a journey. But we did, and the beauty of this wild tale, is that it set the stage for answers. Because no writer puts this much mystery front and center without preparing to expose its truth and one would imagine that the next few episodes will undoubtedly provide us with those answers before bringing season one of this journey to a close. And it will be incredibly fascinating to learn exactly how Harper pulls all of this off and how his powers are linked to Kirby and how those powers… could lead to his undoing. Until next time.  

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