What’s Paper Girls Season 1, Episode 3 about? What do the Paper Girls get up to?
If you missed the other Paper Girls episodes then head here:
- Paper Girls Season 1, Episode 1: Recap and Review
- Paper Girls Season 1, Episode 2: Recap and Review
- Paper Girls Season 1, Episode 4: Recap and Review
The Paper Girls Mystery Is Lost
One of the best aspects of the Paper Girls comic was the mystery of it all. The story was fast-paced and dropped the protagonists in the middle of a war. However, none of this was explained to the characters at all. In fact, answers to their questions only brought more questions, and that tone did not let up even as the series concluded on a mysterious note.
The show does something completely different. In just one episode it went from embodying this concept to completely demolishing it. It was a strange tactic that made for some engaging and entertaining plots. Unfortunately, it also means that the story is completely laid out for the viewer. The mystery and sense of all is completely eradicated by the episode’s end, and it is unlikely that the show will find a way to pick it back up.
Paper Girls, Season 1 Episode 3: Recap and Review
This episode begins with a brand new character being introduced. His name is Larry and his role in the grand scheme of the storyline is not entirely explicit from his first appearance. He declares himself as a member of the Underground resistance, and he has a friend and partner that is stuck in the strange pink storm as it begins to envelop his location. It’s revealed later on that he was able to escape the storm, but his partner wasn’t as lucky. She left herself a tape recorder to remind herself who she was, but it was no use. The storm wiped her memory and Larry’s friend was gone forever.
Meanwhile, Mac leaves the group in order to try and find a life with her brother in the future. It turns out her brother was shocked to see her considering she died years earlier. Eventually, her brother comes around and decides to not question how or why his dead sister was seemingly back from the grave and just enjoy the fact that she was with him again.
The others tried to head to the hospital where her brother works, but Larry, believing the group to be bad guys, kidnapped older Erin and brought her back to his farm hideout. After the situation is all cleared up, Larry explains that the girls are stuck in the middle of a time traveling war between a group that wants to try to change the past for the better and another group who believes that the past should stay the way it is.
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Emotional Characters With Varied Writing
Right off the bat, Mac’s storyline is set up as a very emotional arc. Anybody that’s ever lost someone at a young age knows the type of long-term trauma it can cause. So the fact that Mac and her brother find a way to bond in this strange situation is heartwarming.
A lot of scenes with them are written very well. However, a lot of scenes with them are not. It’s a strange dichotomy watching some extremely emotional and well-acted scenes put side-by-side with scenes that are written poorly and have Mac acting bizarrely, such as trying to steal food from a vending machine in the middle of a hospital. So it’s hard to assess the quality of the episode’s storytelling when it’s all over the place.
Building Mystery… Then Destroying It
The other key point is that this is the episode where everything is explained. In the comics, knowledge of the situation is dripped slowly over the course of several volumes. The book had a feel to it that was embodied during this episode’s first scene. When Larry is introduced, nothing is known about him, his cause, or the strange pink storm that is about to overwhelm him. This feeling of being lost and confused is actually a great part of the comic and made for a very good opening.
Unfortunately, all that was ruined by the end of the episode. Rather than give the girls just a piece of information, Larry lays it all out for them. He tells them about the war, about the two sides, even shows them the giant mech that is hidden inside his silo. The mystery of the story is completely wiped out, and there’s no way they can put that genie back in the bottle. Of course, there will probably be more surprises and twists before the series is over, but the general premise of the show has been revealed and that feeling of wonder that the comic gave off can never be reproduced.
Who’s part of the ‘Paper Girls’ Cast?
The actors who appear in Paper Girls include:
- Sofia Rosinsky as Mac
- Fina Strazza as KJ
- Camryn Jones as Tiffany
- Riley Lai Nelet as Erin
- Ali Wong as Adult Erin
- Adina Porter as Priora
- Nate Corddry as Larry
- Jason Mantzoukas as High Father
What did you think of this episode?
Did you enjoy this episode? What did you think of this adaptation of the Paper Girls comic?
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