S3E3 — "Mouse Trap"

Air date: October 6, 2024 · Director: Jack Bender · Writer: Brigitte Hales

Synopsis

Jim Matthews keeps answering the phone. The voice claiming to be his dead son Thomas taunts him about the safety of his children, and the psychological pressure drives Jim toward erratic, reckless behavior that worries his family. In the town, the phone becomes a weapon aimed directly at the Matthews family.

At Colony House, Tillie discovers Fatima Hassan eating rotten vegetables. Sensing her distress about the pregnancy, Tillie offers comfort and a tarot card reading, but the moment is shattered when a crow smashes into a window — an ill omen that leaves both women shaken.

Kenny Liu leads a small group — Jade Herrera, Kristi Miller, and Dale — back to the settlement to gather more of the fresh food discovered there. Jade, already rattled by his visions, grows paranoid and tries to run back to town even though he could not make it before dark. Kristi tries to stop him and gets her leg caught in a bear trap; Kenny, Jade, and Dale work together to free her, and the group is forced to stay in the woods.

In Camden, Maine, Tabitha Matthews works to decipher Miranda's paintings, trying to find in them a way back. Henry Kavanaugh shows her a replica bottle tree in his own backyard, a copy he built of the tree near the town. He reveals that Miranda's visions first began at the site of the original bottle tree — and offers to take Tabitha there. On the drive, an oncoming vehicle strikes their car. Tabitha later wakes in the back of an ambulance beside an unconscious Henry — and a fallen tree blocks the road ahead, the same impossible roadblock that first trapped the Matthews family.

Key Events

Jim continues communicating with the voice claiming to be Thomas, which taunts him about his children's safety and leaves him erratic.
Tillie finds Fatima eating rotten vegetables and offers a tarot reading; a crow smashes into a window, interrupting them.
Kenny leads Jade, Kristi, and Dale to the settlement to gather food.
Jade, paranoid from visions, tries to run back to town; Kristi's leg is caught in a bear trap while stopping him.
Kenny, Jade, and Dale free Kristi, forcing the group to camp in the forest.
Tabitha studies Miranda's paintings; Henry shows her the replica bottle tree in his backyard.
Henry explains that Miranda's visions began at the original bottle tree and drives Tabitha toward the site.
The car is hit by an oncoming vehicle; Tabitha wakes in an ambulance beside the unconscious Henry, blocked by a fallen tree.

Characters

New Information / Reveals

The voice on the phone deliberately targets Jim's children, using Thomas's identity to destabilize him.
Tillie reads tarot cards, and the crow's collision is treated as a bad omen for Fatima's pregnancy.
The settlement is a source of fresh food but is dangerous to reach; a bear trap in the woods injures Kristi.
Henry built a replica of the bottle tree in his backyard and knows the location of the original — where Miranda's visions began.
A fallen tree blocks the ambulance's path in the real world, echoing the roadblock that first trapped the Matthews family.

Locations

The Matthews home
Colony House
The settlement and surrounding woods
Camden, Maine — Henry Kavanaugh's home and the site of the original bottle tree
A road in Maine, blocked by a fallen tree

Deaths

None. No named character dies in this episode.