The Hunting Wives Episode 3 and 4 Recap: Missing Lead

In Episodes 3 and 4 of ‘The Hunting Wives,’ titled ‘Sunrise Tells the Story’ and ‘Cheat Day,’ the story takes on new dimensions, putting more focus on the core dynamics between characters, while also putting them in intense situations. In the previous episodes, we meet Sophie O’Neil, who shifts to Maple Brook, Texas, with her family and makes friends with Margo Banks, who, along with her circle of wealthy friends, soon pulls the protagonist into a life of exuberance. What begins as a simple friendship soon takes a sensual turn, leaving Sophie confused about her own feelings. However, trouble soon comes knocking, and she might have to face the brunt of it. SPOILERS AHEAD.

What Happens in Maple Brook Stays in Maple Brook

The episode begins six months in the past, with an officer investigating strange screams coming from an old cabin in the middle of the woods. She suspects it to be the missing person, Kaycee Krummel, and decides to go in despite being all alone. She then follows the sounds and makes her way to a locked room. Before she can open it, however, she is shot in the head. Back in the present, Graham has sex with his wife, Sophie, who seems to be aroused not by him, but by her memories of Margo getting intimate with Brad. This also has an adverse effect, as she chooses to ignore Margo’s messages, refusing to process what she witnessed. On the other end, Margo remains visibly frustrated, with Jill adding to it by demanding money in return for her husband participating in Jed’s political campaign.

Jill is upset by Brad and Abby’s relationship and suspects that the two are having sex. Meanwhile, the young couple’s dynamic takes a hit when Abby confronts him, questioning where he was the previous day. While Brad initially tries to reassure her by mounting another lie, it fails when she checks his phone and finds encrypted messages. As Brad reached for his phone, it was tossed out of the car in the scuffle and was broken. Angrily, he forces her out of the car and whizzes away, with the entire scene being witnessed by Abby’s mother, Starr. She advises her daughter to be more careful about who she picks as a partner, citing her own experience, which implies that she is a single parent with a troubled past. However, the teen pays no heed and aggressively claims that Brad loves her.

Margo Wants to Deepen Her Bond With Sophie

Meanwhile, Sophie spends the day with her family on a lakeside picnic but is constantly interrupted by messages from Margo. To put her off, the protagonist informs her where she is, but is surprised when it has the opposite effect. Soon enough, Margo charges into view riding her jet ski and invites Sophie to her place. Graham readily agrees, reading this as a chance to vicariously deepen his bond with his new boss, which leaves his wife with no choice but to accept. Elsewhere, Brad returns home asking for a new phone, but is instead met with a lecture by his mother about the responsibility that comes with having sex. When Brad tries to break free of her restraints, she doubles down, grounding him. With this, he is cut off from Abby and is unable to inform her about not attending the party they promised to go to that night.

Back at Margo’s, the duo reflects on what Sophie saw the day prior. While the latter tries to clarify that she does not mind keeping it a secret, her friend states that she knows she can trust her. With this, they enter the pool before being joined by the rest of the clique. Callie suggests that they all go out to the shooting area, and the group leader agrees, before remembering that Sophie has yet to own a gun. With this, the group heads to the local gunstore, where Margo picks a pocket pistol for the protagonist, who agrees to take it. She then hides it at her home before joining the group the next day on a boar hunt. They soon come across a pack, and Margo encourages Sophie to take the shot. While initially reluctant, she eventually agrees, soon landing a hit. However, the wound is not fatal, and Callie shoots the boar from up close, giving it a proper death.

The group then moves back to Margo’s house to have brunch, and Callie suggests playing a game of never-have-I-ever. While it starts out harmlessly, her true intent is soon revealed. On her turn, she begins by asking about never having killed anyone, a statement directed specifically at Sophie. Shaken up, the protagonist admits to having killed a pedestrian in the car accident mentioned earlier, before breaking down into tears. This incident garners her the sympathy of the women and makes Callie their common enemy. Upset, Margo calls off the brunch, and while everyone disperses, she asks Sophie to stay. Here, the duo grows closer, with the protagonist’s friend revealing that she originally came from a poor background and put all her effort into her beauty, eventually marrying her way into wealth.

Margo Concocts a Special Night for Her Friend

Margo then gives Sophie a drink, after which she goes into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Brad spends time in his room playing video games, but soon finds an encrypted notification on his laptop, which implies that Margo is contacting him. Elsewhere, Abby tries to call her boyfriend and make amends, but is unable to reach him. Desperate, she asks Pastor Pete to drop her off at the party, hoping to find Brad there. Here, Pete begins to corner her into discussing her relationship with Brad, claiming that he knows her secrets. Abby seems confused and asks him what he means. Following this, the scene cuts to Sophie waking up at night at Margo’s house. Instead of being suspicious, she plays right into her friend’s hands, who, in turn, reveals her plan: a night with Brad and his friend, Jamie. Sophie initially resists the idea, but soon gives in.

The scene returns to Abby, who has seemingly made it to the party and is furious. She tries to locate her boyfriend, hoping to confront him about the information he has spread about her, but realizes that he is not here. Instead, Brad spends his time having fun at Margo’s pool, where he is soon joined by the rest of the group, including Sophie. Following a power cut, the duo heads indoors and begins a game of spin the bottle. Meanwhile, Abby seems to have pieced the puzzle together when she gets a call from Jill, inquiring about her son. The two get into a heated exchange, with the teen promising to bring all of Brad’s secrets to light, hinting that he has more than one sexual partner, and she knows who they are.

The spin-the-bottle game intensifies as the four begin to kiss each other based on the whims of the bottle. When the bottle lands between Sophie and Margo, their kiss turns out to be particularly intimate, forcing the former to take a step back. Up next, Jamie tries to make sexual advances towards her, but she turns him down and returns to the playing table, where Margo and Brad are already taking drugs. As the protagonist gets more and more inebriated, the game intensifies, and the events begin to play out in a hazy fashion. Elsewhere, Abby makes her way through the woods, as Jill drives on the roads on her lookout. It becomes increasingly clear that the teen is headed to her end, and she is the dead woman seen throughout the narrative thus far.

A Tragedy Strikes the Town

The next morning, Sophie wakes up by the lake, still dazed by last night’s events. She finds herself alone at the house, quickly packs her stuff, and makes an exit. Meanwhile, police gather around the discovered corpse of Abby, with Officer Salazar, who was seen at the start of the episode, making an unofficial entry into the crime scene. She is still recovering from her brain operations, but that doesn’t stop her from putting her skills to use. While the police label Abby’s death an animal accident, Salazar is quick to notice bullet holes concealed by boar bites, which quickly blow the case wide open. Elsewhere, Sophie makes her way home, still hungover, but luckily alone. Her troubles, however, have just begun, as right after this, she makes an alarming discovery: her gun is missing.

The impact of Abby’s death ripples throughout the entire town, with many in shock and tears. Although an outsider to the town, Sophie is still upset by the news. Graham, meanwhile, is still angry at her for not showing up the entire night and suspects that she is drinking again. Margo pays Jill a visit and recommends that she get a better lawyer, knowing that Abby’s death is likely to raise suspicion about Brad and his family. This scares an already whittled-down Jill, who doesn’t realize how close to danger her son is. Margo makes her way to his room and asks him if he had any part in the murder, but is met with anger. She then reminds him that the truth of what they did that night must not come out, and the teen agrees.

Sophie Tries to Look for Missing Goods

Nervous about her missing gun, Sophie contacts Margo and announces in her voicemail that she will be checking out the lakeside house once again. Jill, eager to protect her son, decides to create a fake narrative about how he stayed at home all day. Brad agrees, and with this, he has an alibi. Meanwhile, the protagonist makes her way to where she was last night, and, upon finding the door unlocked, begins to frantically search for her gun. At the police station, Officer Flynn ominously gets a call from the nearby town of Winnsboro, where the police claim to have found a connection to the gun that killed Abby. However, before the call can finish, he is surprised to see Salazar back at the office, pointing out her hunch: Abby’s ring finger has marks suggesting prior usage of a ring, which points to a love interest connection.

Elsewhere, Sophie’s search is interrupted by Margo, who reassuringly explains that the protagonist’s gun is unlikely to have any connection to the teen’s death. She then tries to reminisce about the previous night, which eventually leads to the two having sex. Meanwhile, Brad sits for an interrogation with Sheriff Jonny, who seems to be a fan of the boy’s athletic ability. As such, the interrogation takes on a lighthearted course; while Brad admits to feeling guilty about not being there for her, he lies about how he spent that night, and with that, he is quickly released. This irks Officer Salazar, who wants to dig deep and get to the truth, a sentiment matched by Abby’s mother, Starr, who is aghast when Brad makes an easy exit. Salazar extends her help to the grieving mother, though not much else seems possible.

The Case Hits a Turning Point

Over coffee, Salazar recalls her own investigation into Kaycee Krummel’s case. Furthermore, she explains that while she does not remember any visual details from when she was shot, she distinctly remembers the smell of vodka and cinnamon gum. Meanwhile, Sophie and Margo lie on the bed discussing each other’s lives. When the attention comes to her surgical scar, the protagonist reveals that she had a failed pregnancy a few years ago, and she ultimately went for an abortion. Seemingly using Sophie’s vulnerability to her advantage, Margo takes the conversation to last night and ensures that her friend will keep Brad and Jamie’s involvement a secret. At the Holy Horizon Church, Reverend Clint confronts Pete over his grieving process, asking him to pull himself together as the face of the church.

As Sophie leaves Margo’s house, the latter invites her to Abby’s vigil later that evening, and the protagonist relays it to her husband, who agrees. Meanwhile, Jed Banks worries about how the negative attention to Maple Brook might affect his campaign, but his wife suggests that he use it as an opportunity. At night, Officer Flynn prepares to check out, but the previous information from Winnsborro rears its head again, and this time, he makes a note of the fact that it involves details of a gun. At the vigil, the entire town gathers to mourn Abby’s loss, and Sophie has to navigate her secrets away from her husband’s suspicious gaze. However, she expresses her affection for Margo every chance she gets, and the vigil heads to the speech by Reverend Clint.

Clint delivers a rousing speech about Abby’s life and devotion to the church, but he is soon overtaken by Jed, who plans on using the death as a springboard for his campaign. He pivots the topic to bringing justice to Abby’s murderer, and, according to him, the importance of more flexible gun laws for mass protection. At the same time, a number of police vehicles make their way to the vigil, with officers making their way to none other than Sophie. It is revealed that her gun was used in a robbery outside of the town, and following that, the gun was traced back to the murder of Abby, which makes her a prime suspect. Hearing this, Graham is taken aback, not knowing that his wife even had a gun. Meanwhile, the protagonist desperately seeks help from Margo, only to find her watching from afar. The episode, as such, ends on a grim note, with the question of the protagonist’s culpability hanging in the balance.