TV Recap: “Saint X” – Episode 6 “Loose Threads of the Past”

Bill, Mia, and Claire Thomas (Michael Park, Betsy Brandt, Kenlee Townsend) are back home, and while Claire sits down to breakfast, her parents are coming apart over the loss of Alison (West Duchovny). Claire can hear her dad yelling on the phone to the FBI about the poor investigation into his daughter’s death, while Mia is weeping in the bedroom. It’s the day of the funeral, and they must get ready to say goodbye to Alison.

Back at the apartment, Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey) is cleaning the apartment trying to occupy her time. A run in the neighborhood does nothing to allay her thoughts, so she heads to Gogo’s (Josh Bonzie) apartment. Calling Sunita (Kosha Patel) Emily plans to break into Gogo’s apartment, but Sunita wants nothing to do with her. She tells Emily to stop and get some professional help.

Inside his apartment, Gogo is sleeping. Outside, Emily walks the perimeter of the building looking for a way to get in. She is convinced that if she can read the letter that Gogo got the previous night, all her questions would be answered. Finding an opening, Emily sneaks in, and climbs the stairwell to the hallway of Gogo’s apartment. When Gogo exits, Emily has moments to hide before she is seen.

On the island it’s breakfast time, and the Thomas family is starting their day with the most important meal. Alison meets Edwin (Jayden Elijah), and he tells her about his hopes of moving to New York. Wondering what it’s like, Alison lies about her experience in the city. The two discuss the culture of the island, and Alison wants Edwin to show her more of his country.

Emily comes back to her apartment to find Josh (Pico Alexander) waiting for her. Asked why she isn’t at work Emily admits to getting fired. Concerned, Josh asks if Emily is having an affair, and wonders if she is having an affair with the cab driver who walked her to the door in the rain. Unable to take the lies, Josh tells Emily that he can’t take the deceit anymore. Promising him that she would never cheat on him, Emily tells Josh that she loves him, but Josh walks away without saying a word.

Claire and Mia are at the grocery store when they encounter a friend, who tells them how devastated she was about Alison. This causes some uncomfortable feelings, and while cashing out, Claire sees the tabloid that is focused on Alison’s death. Bill is pacing around the house, demanding more action on Alison’s case. It’s been six months and there has been nothing else new to report. Mia suggests that they let Claire go to Paris for a month with her sister. Bill refuses, but Mia persists, and he relents.

On the beach, Alison rejoins Mia and Claire. Wanting to do more than just an organized game. Alison insists that they do something off the resort.

Olivia (Melissa Juliet Lawson) sees that Tyler (Caleb Lowell) is alone on the beach and joins him. Concerned about how he treated Alison, Olivia tells him that he will bounce back and find someone who wants to be around him. Olivia lets it slip that Alison is interested in Edwin and Tyler is not very happy with this revelation.

Alison approaches Desmond (Sule Thelwell) about doing something more authentic. He tells her that there is a restaurant that he could organize a trip to, where all the locals eat. After Alison leaves, Desmond tells Bery (Terralon Walker) that he saw something strange between Edwin and Sara (Bre Francis) and he doesn’t know what to do. Bery tells him not to worry, because Edwin would never do anything to Gogo, because they are best friends.

Back at his apartment, Gogo sees that his room has been ransacked. The bed is a mess, and his items are all over the place. Wanting to know who wrecked his room, Gogo learns it was a fellow roommate who thinks Gogo stole his money.

Josh returns to the apartment and tells Emily that he knows everything that she has been doing. Upset with her actions, Emily is trying to explain when the buzzer rings signaling the arrival of her parents. Josh agrees to say nothing to her parents.

Claire doesn’t want to go to dinner, and Alison is trying to convince her that it’s something she needs to do. Upset with the family about changing their mind about leaving the resort, Alison leaves the room to tell Desmond that they aren’t going to go.

Desmond confronts Edwin about Gogo. Wondering what his friend means to him, Desmond tells Edwin that he is on to him, and Edwin is genuinely concerned about his behavior. As Alison talks to Olivia at the pool, Tyler approaches, and she confesses to Alison that she told Tyler about her relationship with Edwin.

Wondering if she is serious with Edwin, Alison tells him that she is only on the island for one more day. Trying to determine whether she is going to pursue an intimate relationship with Edwin, Alison is rude in her response and elicits a mean response from Tyler. Stating that she is Edwin’s tourist girl for the week, the idea upsets Alison and sends her running to the bathroom in tears.

Claire returns from Paris and is greeted by two very different parents. Bill and Mia tell her that they are trying to be better. Admitting that they are faking it until they make it, the parents tell Claire that they think it would be fun to make a fresh start, including moving to California. The two tell their daughter that they think it would be a great idea to move to a new place where they won’t be reminded of the terrible thing that happened to Alison. Telling Claire about all the new things they plan to do, they encourage her to try new things as well.

At dinner, Mia and Bill love the apartment, and state how proud they are of their daughter. Asking Emily if living in a Caribbean neighborhood is a good idea, Emily tells her mom that it probably isn’t. She admits to her parents that she got fired. This leads to a huge fight between Emily and her parents with how they handled the death of Alison. Storming out of the room, Emily leaves her parents in tears.

In California, Claire asks to be signed up for Girl Scouts, and since she is in California, she wants to be called by her middle name, Emily. (Now we understand why there is a name change.)

With her parents gone, Josh confronts Emily about her actions. Telling her that her parents are gone and heartbroken, Josh excoriates his girlfriend for the terrible treatment she showed at dinner. Telling Josh that she wants answers to what happened to Alison, Josh states that what she is doing isn’t safe, and that murder doesn’t always have the true answers.

Desmond meets with Sara and wants to know if Edwin’s feelings for her are real. Threatening to tell Gogo, Sara tells him that it’s not what he thinks. On a remote spot on the island, Paul and Greg (Bryan Clark and Matthew Risch) look to rekindle their romance, when they see Edwin in an intimate moment with another guy. The two head back to the hotel, leaving Edwin concerned about his secret.

At the restaurant, Gogo is approached by his roommate wondering where his money is. Pursued down the block, Emily watches as Gogo beats his roommate unconscious.

Episode Verdict:

A solid entry in the season we get a closer look at our key suspects. Tyler is jealous and looks like he would be out for revenge on Alison.

Gogo continues to show his violent side, and the absolute brutal beatdown that he gives his roommate at the end of the episode leads us to think that he could have killed Alison. So, who is the real Gogo? The kind-hearted employee of Indigo Bay, or the violent man of New York City.

What particularly stood out about this episode is how the Thomas family moved on from Alison’s death. I cannot imagine the horror that visited Bill and Mia Thomas at night, and their obsession with finding answers about what happened to Alison. The fact that they were willing to let things go, so that they wouldn’t be driven mad and allowed them to live for Claire is important, and one of the noblest sacrifices that parents can make for their children.

Saint X is really good, and as we build toward the conclusion, the suspects are endless, but soon we will learn who is responsible for Alison Thomas’ death.  

Bill Gowsell
Bill Gowsell has loved all things Disney since his first family trip to Walt Disney World in 1984. Since he began writing for Laughing Place in 2014, Bill has specialized in covering the Rick Riordan literary universe, a retrospective of the Touchstone Pictures movie library, and a variety of other Disney related topics. When he is not spending time with his family, Bill can be found at the bottom of a lake . . . scuba diving