Found Season 2 Episode 3 Finally Resolves the Lacey Plot, But Sir is More Terrifying Than Ever

Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

4.1

Lacey Quinn is finally back home!

Fortunately, Found didn’t spend much longer keeping Lacey apart from the rest of the M&A family, and we don’t have to wonder whether she’ll survive after Found Season 2 Episode 3’s bittersweet conclusion.

But this also means that Sir is in the wind, still unstoppable, and there’s no end to what he could do next.

Judgment Hung Heavily Around the Case of the Week

In many ways, when Found doesn’t use the cases in some desperate attempt to ensnare Sir, they’re background fodder.

And some of the cases have been more compelling than others.

With Found Season 2 Episode 3, we saw a missing senior-aged woman disappear ahead of her jailhouse wedding to an incarcerated felon.

Regarding unexpected cases that resulted in those who slipped through the cracks, it makes sense why M&A would’ve had some interest in this case.

Anyone who looked at this case at first glance would’ve immediately got distracted by the fact that an older woman fell in love with a murderer behind bars and would’ve dismissed her as being “stupid” and not cared about her disappearance beyond that.

Frustratingly, even Trent, who has become the poster child of righteous judgment, couldn’t hold back on his strong opinions regarding the case, Ivan’s motivations, and everything else.

It’s both frustrating and realistic that these are the types of responses that those in law enforcement and positions of authority who can help in any capacity can offer.

And Trent is “one of the good ones.”

Love After Lockup: Sometimes You Can Find True Love in Unexpected Places

It was easy to assume the worst of Ivan, as the types of scams that prisoners run on those outside are notorious.

Anyone who has tuned into any rendition of Love After Lockup or its many spinoffs on WeTV knows that prisoners who only toy with someone for financial gain or security can be seriously shady.

Frankly, it only took one conversation with Ivan to confirm that he truly loved Betty.

When you understood why he was in prison in the first place and the context behind it, it made sense that he gravitated to a woman who didn’t excuse what he did but understood him.

Love is a crazy thing that way, and Ivan was a sympathetic person who did a horrible thing in grief, which was a great parallel for Gabby, who had to work beside Trent the whole case.

The case took its many directions, with Eric as a pitstop as the son who wanted to blow through his mother’s money and got angry that she willed everything to this killer in prison.

But then, at some point, it clicked before they confirmed that the lawyer was likely responsible for Betty’s absence.

Some of my frustrations with Found Season 2 Episode 3’s execution also came about here.

Found Season 2’s Cases at Times Disappear Because of More Pressing Plots

What was the lawyer’s plan? Did he think he’d keep holding Betty hostage for however long and that she’d change her mind?

What type of “intervention” did he expect to happen anyway?

Wouldn’t she have just lied to them, gone home, called the police, and gone about her life?

How long did they think they could keep her hostage when they knew the police were looking for her?

It was all a bit absurd, but in the end, things worked out, and I’m glad Betty and Ivan reunited.

Found is a fascinating series because there are at least three solid reasons that people gravitate to it.

Many are intrigued by the missing person angle, primarily as the series focuses on the disenfranchised populations that fall through the cracks.

Others are all-in with the Sir/Gabi dynamic and how that twisted bond plays out throughout each episode, evolving into a cat-and-mouse.

Many others lock into the series because of these compelling characters, their found family dynamic, and the exploration of trauma survivors trying to make it through life in all its good, bad, and ugly ways.

I’m a character girlie, so I adore these characters and how the series opts to explore and dig into them and their respective dynamics and issues.

Is Found Season 2 Forgetting its Theme of Centering Voices of Disenfranchised Missing People?

In that sense, even with an appreciation for their methodology pertaining to which cases to choose, it’s perfectly fine that the cases often coincide with how they can expand upon these characters we already love.

However, what Found Season 2 Episode 3 and the installments before it have shown is that the series could come dangerously close to losing that strong case format of the first season by making every single one the backdrop to the larger arc.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate how the cases have come to connect to these characters, prompting the type of character exploration and conflict revelations that make for good television.

I certainly appreciate that. However, I also miss the days when there were truly fascinating cases that received a lot of attention and showcased what this agency could do.

The series centers around people and voices that often get lost in the wave of what society deems more important.

The series has always strived to center those voices, people, and stories, but this season, they’re unfortunately taking a backseat to the larger arc of Sir, Gabi, and Lacey.

Perhaps, with Lacey back, we’ll get a bit more return to form regarding those cases, even as this poor woman must work through more trauma and the entirety of M&A lives in fear of when Sir could strike next.

Christian’s True Motivations Still Remain a Mystery

After Sir’s scary moment with his brother, one wonders if Christian will become one of his brother’s victims.

He didn’t handle the news that his brother may have killed their mother well.

Fascinatingly, he still has some hope that Sir is a good person capable of goodness if only he tries hard enough and leaves Gabi alone.

In some ways, Christian makes a great audience stand in for those who aren’t so quick to write Sir off as a master manipulator, psychopath, or all-around evil person.

Christian still has this idolized version of Sir, who managed to rescue him from their burning home and never directly caused him any harm.

He’s still a cipher, though, Christian Evans.

It’s hard to know what motivates him and if his words are always authentic.

And there has to be more to his arrival than this half-hearted attempt to find Sir and make things right on behalf of the Evans family, right?

Sir’s Unraveling Shows Just How Unhinged He Really Is

Did Christian leave DC for good, or is he still out there processing and ready to make a move against his brother, or for him, or with M&A?

It’s truly hard to say where he goes from here.

Sir was particularly unhinged during this hour, leaving Gabi terrified of what he intended to do next.

She couldn’t make sense of where his head was and if it meant that he was closer to killing Lacey or letting her die.

The man left that poor woman on the floor with a bleeding head wound and never bothered to check on her, clean her up, or ensure she was okay.

All Sir could focus on was Gabi, and we’re starting to see how deeply his obsession is, as he sounds increasingly unhinged with each moment spent with him.

He almost had a conniption when he saw her “faint” at the press conference, and his face lit up at the prospect that she would be joining him in the next chapter of their lives together.

Only Sir would convince himself that after all that he’s done to those she loves, he was really giving Gabi a “choice” in coming with him rather than just taking her again.

It’s no more a choice than someone making you choose between a knife or a bullet. It’s all bad!

The Constant Browbeating of Gabi Continues to Be Incredibly Frustrating and Short-sighted

The browbeating of Gabi continued, and frankly, it’s increasingly agitating how little grace people extend to this woman that they all know and love.

Every chance Trent had, he took a potshot at her over this case, and they surpassed the point of beating a dead horse. Yes, I know in their time, it’s only been a few days, but I still feel strongly about this.

At some point, whether he realized it or not, it reads as harsh judgment and emotionally eviscerating an already vulnerable trauma survivor.

He’s not looking the greatest when he allows his disappointment in Gabi to come through in this multilayered and challenging topic and situation.

On top of that, he kept doing things like spending an entire day nitpicking at her and making her feel horrible when it’s clear from Mars how guilty she already felt and then ending yet another lashing with an assertion that he wished she would talk to him and trust him.

Trent’s Constant Gabi Gripes Reflect Poorly on Him in Found Season 2 Episode 3

I understand and appreciate that the series is delving into the nuances of this, and that includes using beloved characters to show how ill-prepared the general public is when it comes to understanding trauma and how it works.

Also, I will never lie and act like I didn’t find Gabi’s treatment of Trent annoying as heck.

All the man has ever done is love her, and she’s mostly used him, regardless of how well-intentioned she was in doing so, as I don’t doubt that she cares for Trent.

But the strong case Trent made starts to dwindle and fade away when, as of late, all we see is a man who doesn’t have a full comprehension of what it’s like for some trauma survivors.

And before any of you assume that I’m excusing Gabi’s Sir imprisonment, this has even extended to how often he pleads that Gabi lets him in or tries to pursue her romantically when it’s evident that she’s not in that headspace and maybe doesn’t have the capacity for a serious, healthy romantic relationship.

It’s totally fair that Gabi’s rejection hurt Trent.

Still, he rarely pushes it further to consider how an adult man kidnapping and holding a young woman in her formative dating years hostage for over a year could have seriously impacted her perception of love from that point forward.

Trent’s constant, unprompted, snarky comments have grown increasingly grating, making some of their scenes difficult to watch, but I imagine that’s largely the point, no?

Nevertheless, we always have to have hard conversations with the people we love most, which doesn’t change the fact that we care about one another.

Nevertheless, Gabi and Trent Remain a Formidable Duo

Trent’s concern for Gabi was evident when she passed out, and he immediately had to whisk her away and check on her.

Gabi considers Trent part of her circle. She goes out of her way to insist he is nothing to her for Sir’s benefit if it means protecting him, and she is certainly willing to fight a man to protect Trent literally.

Their team-ups, even when they’re on the outs, can be pretty badass.

Margaret was still hard on Gabi, not letting up with her biting comments and blaming her wonky Margaret Vision on Gabi.

It’s such a difficult situation because as angry as Margaret has consistently been too frustrating levels; we know now she would’ve lost her mind if something bad happened to Gabi.

Gabi’s Desperation for Redemption Results in Self-Sacrifice

Is it wrong for me to wonder why those hardest on her never considered how an already guilty Gabi would do the unthinkable and even sacrifice herself as penance if it meant sparing her loved ones and saving Lacey?

They weren’t leaving her with much other choice.

But alas, both Lacey and Gabi are under the same roof and away from Sir right now, but we need to find out how long that’ll be the case.

If Gabi’s 72 hours are up, does that mean Trent will turn her over now, or will something prevent him from doing so?

And with Sir on the loose and more unhinged than ever, where does that leave Gabi, Lacey, and all those she holds dear?

Over to you, Found Fanatics.

Are you relieved that Lacey is finally back home?

What do you think Sir will do next?

Will Gabi face consequences from Trent now that Lacey is found?

Hit the comments below, and let’s discuss it all!

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