The TV miniseries has grown in popularity in recent years, especially in the crime drama genre. A lot of crime dramas mostly focus on criminals and how they commit crimes, but now there is one show that doesn’t fall into that repetitive pattern. Enter Hulu’sUnder the Bridge,created byQuinn Shephard,starring Oscar-nominated actorLily Gladstoneas police officer Cam Bentland and two-time Golden Globe nomineeRiley Keough, known for her role as Daisy fromDaisy Jones & the Six,as writer Rebecca Godfrey. The series has received acclaim from audiences and critics ever sincethe miniseries' first episode premiered in April 2024. In 1997, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) is brutally murdered by a group of teenagers in Saanich, British Columbia. Rebecca returns to her hometown to write about the “Bic girls,” young teen girls who disappear without a trace and whose cases aren’t taken seriously by the police. She soon finds herself writing Reena’s murder, and it brings up Trama’s own past. Cam, an Indigenous police officer who is an old childhood friend of Rebecca’s, is assigned to lead the investigation. As Cam and Rebecca are pulled into the case, their paths cross once again.
Under the Bridge,based on the late author Rebecca Godfrey’s non-fiction book of the same name, is acompelling series with outstanding performances from Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, as well asVritika Gupta, who plays Reena Virk. The show also starsChloe Guidryas Josephine “Jo” Bell,Izzy G.as Kelly Ellard, andAiyana Goodfellowas Dusty Pace, the girls who are part of the CMC and live at Seven Oaks Youth Home, andJavon “Wanna” Waltonas Warren Glowatski. Since it is a miniseries,Under the Bridgeis only eight episodes long, and unlike some current shows, it is limited to about forty-five minutes. Despite this, the storytelling is nuanced, and each episode reveals new details about the characters. However, there are a few episodes that stand out from the others in terms of plot and character development.
Under the Bridge
8"The Looking Glass"
Season 1, Episode 1
When Reena Virk disappears, her family reports her missing. The night before she disappeared, Reena attended a party with Dusty, Kelly, and Jo. Multiple teenagers who attended the party assaulted Reena under a bridge. Rebecca Godfrey, a writer who lives in New York City, returns home to write her book, and as she is visiting Seven Oaks, she learns about Reena’s disappearance. Cam leads the investigation into Reena’s disappearance. A dive team finds Reena’s clothing in the water. After reviewing camera footage, she identifies the teens who attacked Reena and brings them into the station. While reviewing more footage, the police find Reena might still be alive, as a tape shows her coming out from under the bridge.
“The Looking Glass” is the first episode ofUnder the Bridge. This episode is a bit of a slow burn. Most crime dramas based on true crime like to put in every single detail at the very beginning. However, this isn’t the case withUnder the Bridge. But it’s okay that this is a “slower episode” because viewers can have time to learn about Reena, the girls of Seven Oaks, Rebecca, and Cam. Besides great character introductions, there’s a cliffhanger ending to this episode, which is revealed by video footage from cameras near the bridge.
7"The John Gotti of Seven Oaks"
Season 1, Episode 2
In “The John Gotti of Seven Oaks,” Jo doesn’t have anyone else to call after she is taken to the police station, so she calls Rebecca. Rebecca tries to gain the trust of Jo, who wants to go to New York City so she can meet John Gotti. The teens are released, and Cam is concerned that they shouldn’t have let them go due to the severity of Reena’s injuries. Rebecca makes a deal with Jo, and Jo decides to take Rebecca under the bridge to tell her side of the story. Ms. Virk keeps receiving mysterious phone calls, and Cam visits the Virks to show them video stills taken from the cameras around the bridge. Reena reveals to her mother that she is being bullied at school, and she wants to celebrate her birthday, even though it is against her mother, who is a Jehovah’s Witness. Josephine reveals her secret to Rebecca and Dusty. Reena’s body is found in the gorge.
This episode stands out as one of Chloe Guidry’s best. Even throughoutUnder the Bridge,Guidry gives a scene-stealing performance as Jo. She has this ability to balance Jo’s desire to maintain this “rough image” with being a typical teenager who just wants mozzarella sticks and a milkshake. Her interactions in this episode with Keough’s Rebecca have this fascinating dynamic. There’s also this scene where Jo convinces Reena to steal razors, which marks the pivotal beginning of Reena getting close to the girls at Seven Oaks during the summer.
6"Blood Oath"
Season 1, Episode 3
“Blood Oath” starts with Cam telling Rebecca that she doesn’t want her to interfere with the police’s investigation. The police discover that there was a second assault. In a flashback, Reena gets in a fight with her parents and leaves the house. Back in the present day, a vigil is held for Reena. The boys don’t let the girls join their gang, so, Jo decides that they should start their own gang. Jo and Kelly take a “blood oath” and promise that they will never betray the family. Kelly and Jo don’t allow Dusty and Reena to join them. Jo tells them that they have to prove themselves to become part of their gang. Cam and Rebecca meet for drinks at a bar, and they talk about the case. The police find out that Reena’s dad was charged with sexual abuse of Reena.
“Blood Oath” is close to the middle of the miniseries, which means more secrets are being revealed. There’s so much going on plot wise in “Blood Oath” that it can make it hard to keep up with everything. Luckily, the show has recaps before each episode begins. While Reena’s story is still a big part of this episode, thisUnder the Bridgeepisode includes a bar reunion between Cam and Rebecca, which ends with them making out in a bathroom after dancing together and having drinks. It’s a quick scene or two, but it’s a victory for anyone who shipped Cam and Rebecca from the beginning. This episode is pivotal in showing how Reena’s relationship with her parents starts to change.
5"When the Heat Comes Down"
Season 1, Episode 5
Reena’s funeral is held. Cam goes on camera and tells a reporter that the police have evidence that race might have been a factor in Reena’s death. Rebecca keeps talking to the girls at Seven Oaks. Evidence continues to mount against Kelly as the person who murdered Reena. A few months ago, Manjit (Ezra Faroque Khan), Reena’s dad, was released on bail and told not to contact Reena, who must remain in foster care. Rebecca tries to gain the trust of the kids. She takes LSD to prove that she isn’t a copy and gets critical information from Warren. Dusty, Kelly, and Jo make plans to go to Mexico. Dusty signs a statement stating that Warren murdered Reena.
It’s kind of hard to watch Rebecca desperately wanting to get the inside scoop from teenage girls. Even though it is part of Rebecca’s character’s motivation, it is hard to watch her try to fit in with them. There’s a heartbreaking scene where Reena comes home because she needs clothes, and her father leaves some things outside for her on the porch. In a surreal moment, which is kind of out of the ordinary for Under the Bridge, Rebecca trips on LSD and sees Warren as Gabe. While this scene kind of clarifies Rebecca’s sense of character, it probably wasn’t completely necessary. In this episode, Gladstone as Cam delivers one of the most powerful lines in the episode when she tells Dusty, “Girls like us don’t get to be angry.”
4"Three and Seven"
Season 1, Episode 7
Warren’s arrest frustrates Rebecca. She knows he is a teen with no resources, and Kelly has plenty of resources, which puts her at an advantage in the courtroom. Warren doesn’t have anywhere to go because he and his father faced eviction from their home. Cam informs Dusty at the detention center that she is facing an incredibly difficult situation, and regardless of Dusty’s actions, she will end up in jail. The authorities bring Warren to trial for Reena’s murder.
“Three and Seven” is when the trials start, and sometimes trials in crime dramas are often omitted, or they aren’t too exciting to watch. They often go at a very slow pace, and in all cases, the information is already known to the viewer.Under the Bridgebreaks this pattern and creates engaging courtroom scenes that are fast-paced. This pace creates anticipation as the trial goes on throughout the course of the episode. Even though this is the seventh episode ofUnder the Bridge, more information about the case is revealed during the trial.
3In the Water They Sink As the Same
Season 1, Episode 6
“In the Water They Sink As the Same” starts off with a flashback to when Cam, Rebecca, and Gabe were kids. Gabe and Rebecca have a fight, and later, Gabe’s body is discovered in the gorge. Rebecca lends Warren Gabe’s suit and gets information on Kelly. Warren is a witness to Reena’s murder, and Rebecca finds out that there is a warrant for his arrest. During the school dance, Warren’s girlfriend tells the police what Warren told her. The police arrest Warren at the dance in front of the entire school.
The relationship between Warren and Rebecca transforms into a perplexing one as Rebecca projects Gabe onto Warren. It’s surprising to see Rebecca let Warren wear her brother’s own suit, and it’s hard to watch her attempt to come to terms with Warren’s arrest. While Raj (Anoop Desai) only appears in a couple of episodes inUnder the Bridge, it’s heartwarming to see how caring of an uncle he is to Reena. There’s a sweet scene in this episode between Raj and Reena on the day of her birthday. Raj secretly gives Reena a present, and he gives her some beautiful life advice.
2"Beautiful British Columbia"
Season 1, Episode 4
This episode goes back and forth between 1997 and 1979. Reena invites Dusty, Jo, and Kelly to dinner at her house. But the dinner results in chaos, and Kelly steals Smooch and her mother’s earrings. Reena tells the story of how her grandparents arrived in Canada in 1951 and how her parents met. Towards the end of the episode, Reena goes to Seven Oaks and vents her frustrations about her parents to Jo, Dustry, and Kelly. Jo tells Reena that she knows a way for her to be able to live at Seven Oaks. Reena lies to Martha at Seven Oaks and says that her father is sexually abusing her. Manjit is arrested by the police and put in jail.
“Beautiful British Columbia” takes a different turn than other episodes inUnder the Bridge. It is an immigrant story. The episode is narrated by Reena, and she talks about how Manjit told her that “stories have no end and no beginning.” She explains how her grandparents left India for the States in 1979 and how her parents fell in love. There are parallels between how Reena doesn’t feel understood and how Suman and Manjit didn’t feel understood by Suman’s parents. WhileUnder the Bridgehas many emotional episodes, this one hits differently because of the way the story is told. Vritika Gupta does a wonderful job narrating this episode.
1"Mercy Alone"
Season 1, Episode 8
In this episode ofUnder the Bridge, Kelly Ellard’s trial starts, and the police are missing a key witness: Warren. Warren is refusing to testify at Kelly’s trial. Suman tells Warren that she forgives him, and this forgiveness helps Warren confess that Kelly had held Reena underwater, and he didn’t do anything to stop her. Kelly is cross-examined by lawyers and denies that she killed Reena. The jury finds Kelly guilty, and she is sentenced to prison for a minimum of five years. Cam finds out that she was part of a “program” and was taken from her family. She decides to leave the police department and reconnect with her family in Victoria. Rebecca finds some peace with what happened to Gabe.
“Mercy Alone” is the best episode ofUnder the Bridge. All the drama and tension from the previous episodes builds up to this moment in Kelly’s trial. The entire cast shines in this last episode. There are so many tear-inducing scenes within this episode, and it’s hard to choose which ones are the most powerful. But, there are a few that are just so emotionally raw, including when Suman tells Warren that she forgives him, Cam finds out that she was forcibly taken from her family, and Kelly’s sentencing. Overall,this finale provides closure for the characters as well as the viewers.
