TV Recap: "The Shards" Episode 2 — Don't You Want Me, Robert?
The Trawler is killing teens in L.A., and Bret Ellis starts to suspect it could be new student Robert Mallory as more students go missing. Episode 2 of The Shards lays the groundwork for Bret’s suspicion as he loses someone secretly close to him. Here’s what happened in “Don’t You Want Me.”
Episode 2: “Don’t You Want Me” - Written by Ryan Murphy & Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Ellis (Igby Rigney) has been haunted by the news. In addition to The Trawler, there’s a death cult called Riders of the Afterlife who always leave a calling card with their victims, a pentagram drawn in blood. Reports began misattributing murders between the two. Bret was living on edge, constantly thinking he was hearing someone else in his empty house.
Bret hosts a double date at his house with his girlfriend, Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner), and their best friends, Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell). “Another girl is missing,” Susan tells the group: Julie Selwyn from Marymount. Debbie already heard, thinking she just ran away. Susan changes the subject; she’s been asked by Principal Croft to throw a welcome party for Robert Mallory. “He had some hard times, and I think he needs to feel welcome,” Susan says when Bret questions it. She learned that Robert was institutionalized before coming to California, drumming up sympathy from Debbie and Thom, who decide to be Robert’s friend. “He’s a liar,” Bret insists, telling them about The Shining.
While the teens enjoy the hot tub, Bret gets the feeling that they’re being watched. When Susan decides that Robert’s party will be on Saturday, Bret tells them that Robert followed him to the mall. “That’s funny, because he told me that you were the one following him,” Susan reveals.
The next morning, Bret is hungover as Debbie thanks him for an incredible night. “Matt called,” she tells him, to Bret’s confusion. “He said to stop calling.”
We see Debbie at her vanity, unable to find her Lancome. She marches into her mom’s room to find Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) using it, saying Debbie’s not allowed to wear eyeshadow at school. Debbie tells her mom she has a date tonight. Liz doesn’t think Bret is that interested in Debbie, but Debbie insists that they had sex at her party before he left.
After school, Bret and Debbie attend the opening night of a new club, a connection through her dad. Bret is mesmerized by the wall of tube TVs playing music videos, hanging back to watch while Debbie meets the owner. Bret wanders into a room where he finds Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) sitting on a lounge chair. “Bet you think I followed you here,” Robert says, smiling, sharing that Debbie invited him and that Thom is coming too. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened with Matt,” Robert tells Bret, who acts confused. “He told me you guys had a falling out,” Robert clarifies, hinting that he may know more. Bret says Matt is confused; he’s just been busy with his girlfriend. Robert insinuates that Bret was too clingy and turned Matt off, grinning in Bret’s frustration. Robert asks Bret how long he’s known Susan. He shares they’ve been friends since they were kids. Robert tells Bret his plans to get Susan in bed.
Bret drives to Matt Kelner’s (Owen Painter) house, walking right into his room through an unlocked patio door. “Why do you keep calling me?” Matt asks. Bret insists that he hasn’t called him, but Matt says he knows he’s the one who keeps calling and breathing heavy into the phone. “I was with Debbie when you called,” Bret defends himself, but Matt is suspicious of Bret, now thinking he’s the one who stole his fish and painted a red pentagram on his Foreigner poster. “I didn’t do this,” Bret insists as he stares at the mark. Bret asks what Matt and Robert talked about. “He introduced himself to me,” Matt says. “He said his dad knew my aunt.” Matt asks Bret what he told Robert about them. Bret says nothing, but Matt says Robert had some interesting questions about Bret. Bret asks Matt to stay away from Robert, but Matt asks Bret not to come to his place anymore. Bret tries to kiss Matt, but he stops him. “This was never a serious thing,” Matt says, calling Bret crazy for thinking they could be boyfriends. “Get away from me!” he yells as Bret leaves, crying.
A few days later, Bret arrives for his lunch meeting with Debbie’s dad. His assistant, Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth), applauds Bret for wearing his school uniform as he asked him to, but warns that he and Terry might not be working from the same agenda. Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley) approaches and takes Bret to their table, where they discuss films and dine on tuna tartar and white wine. Terry asks Bret about his book, which Bret says is inspired by the work of Joan Didion. Terry asks to read it, and Bret suggests that he could start adapting it as a screenplay. Terry asks how serious Bret’s relationship is with his daughter, hoping that Bret makes her happy. And once that’s settled, he asks if Bret “swings both ways.” Terry asks if Bret finds Thom hot and if they’ve ever fooled around. When Bret gets up to leave, Terry asks him not to mention this conversation to Debbie, promising that Steven will be in touch to set up a meeting about his script. “I want us to start collaborating right away,” Terry adds.
Later in the week, Bret meets his friends at Hamburger Hamlet, only to find that Robert is with them, and Susan is running late. “Matt Kellner is missing,” Susan announces when she arrives late. “Aren’t you friends with him, Bret?” Bret lies, saying Matt sold him pot a few times, but they weren’t friends. Susan shares that Matt’s been missing for five days. Susan explains how Matt had been living in his family’s pool house, but his parents always saw him swimming laps in the pool before or after school. When Thom questions why Matt wasn’t having meals with his parents, Susan shares that Matt ate all his meals at a Sherman Oaks McDonald’s. Bret notices Robert smile when he hears this. The other day, Matt’s dad went to take Matt’s car for a checkup and couldn’t find his son or a note. Calling the school, they discovered he hadn’t been there the past three days. Debbie thinks it’s weird that Matt’s parents didn’t spend any time with him. Robert says it’s not that weird, sharing that he hasn’t seen his father in three months, and pointing out that Bret’s parents are in Europe, a fact that Bret didn’t tell Robert directly.
At school, Ryan Vaughn (Daniel Dale) approaches Bret at his locker, asking about Matt and questioning if it was the Riders of the Afterlife. “I think it could be the Trawler,” Bret tells Ryan, who thought they only targeted girls. “I’m glad we’re talking,” Bret tells Ryan as Susan approaches, sharing that Matt’s background was found in Crystal Cove State Park and his ID had blood on it.
When Bret gets home, he finds a cassette tape with his name on it in the mailbox. He goes to his room to play it. “Eat it,” a deep voice says. “But they’re alive,” a terrified Matt responds. Bret imagines the Trawler, cloaked in black, forcing a bound and disoriented Matt to eat his own pet fish. “You will eat them all,” the Trawler says, as they inject Matt with more LSD-25. Bret stops the tape, running to the bathroom to puke.
FX’s The Shards continues next week with two more episodes on Wednesday, August 12th:
- Episode 3 – “Help Me! Rhonda!” (August 12th at 9/8c on FX and Hulu)
- A beloved student’s sudden disappearance causes chaos for the senior class.
- Episode 4 – “Robert’s Party” (August 12th at 10/9c on FX and Hulu)
- Susan’s welcome party for Robert is overshadowed by a terrifying and violent incident.
Songs Featured in this Episode:
- “Rise” by Herbert Alpert
- “Another Day Goes By” by Troye Sivan and Leland
- “Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League
- “Déjà Vu” by Dionne Warwick
- “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles
- “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac
- “Rasta Roots Man” by Floyd Lloyd
- “Presentation Destination” by Troye Sivan and Leland Feat. Allie X
- “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart