Alaska Daily Review – The Weekend (104)

Who knew an assignment to cover the giant cabbage competition at the local state fair in Alaska would unravel an eco-terrorist plot?

Alaska Daily is pulling out all the stops to hook viewers, but that’s the thing—they don’t have to. 

They have a stellar cast—lead in part by Hilary Swank, Jeff Perry, and Grace Dove, along with a compelling mystery involving the murder of Gloria Nanmac.

I expect the series to tackle “stories of the week” as the newsroom is bustling with bodies eager to tell important stories, but those side stories shouldn’t take precedence over the show’s main goal: getting justice for all the indigenous women whose murders have been largely buried and ignored. And yet, Swank’s Eileen was sidelined for much of the hour as Gabriel took the spotlight with his first-ever assignment. 

It’s kind of sweet to see Eileen become a mentor to him as he really trusts her judgment and was struggling to find the “story.” Eileen reminded him that it was not a shocker that the story was boring considering it was about cabbages, but she also pointed him to where the real meat would be—the farm. Every good journalist knows you have to follow the story where it leads, even if it’s out of your comfort zone, especially if it’s out of your comfort zone.

While visiting the farm, Gabriel connected with Erica, who opened up about her father’s shift in behavior almost too eagerly. She mentioned that her father, Brandon, was anti-tech ever since her mother died, that he’d been going to “secret meetings,” and that he wouldn’t let her go into a barn where she hung out for much of her childhood. 

She confided in Gabriel in part because she identified that he was someone she could trust, but also because she didn’t want her father to do something stupid. And her gut was telling her that whatever he was getting into wasn’t good. Though mostly, it seemed like she needed to vent and most of the stuff she was telling him was off the record and unusable. I felt bad that Gabriel was building a story around it because it seemed like Erica just needed a friend. 

Then again, Brandon was deeply involved with some dark organization. As Gabriel pursued the case even further, Erica turned over her father’s sort of manifesto about eco-terrorist group, Genesis, who preyed on his damage, exploited it, and tried to radicalize him to incite violence to “make a change.” 

And this is where it got a little murky; Eileen was convinced that they had a story, but the truth is, Stanley and Bob were 100% right by holding off on publishing. Eileen was ready to pull the trigger and make the same mistake that cost her her job in New York City. 

The story wasn’t airtight as they had no proof that Brandon planned to act on any kind of threat, but it was something that they could flag for the FBI. Stanley informed Gabriel that while the outcome wasn’t what he was hoping for, he quite possibly saved a lot of lives by chasing the story wherever it took him. And honestly, that was good enough–I’m glad they killed the story for Erica’s sake. Exposing the truth is important, but sometimes, it’s not worth the risk or the casualties.

Not every story will be a winner, but Gabriel proved he could do the job, so he was officially welcomed on as a reporter, and I truly can’t wait to see what else he accomplishes. Not all of the state fair stories could be as juicy, though Meredith and Yuna did consider that the pigs in the races were doping. You have to consider all the angles with light journalism! 

Eileen and Stanley don’t always see eye to eye, but it’s good to have both of their perspectives. 

The lull in the Gloria investigation can be attributed to the simple fact that it was the weekend. Also, lulls happen. They aren’t going to reel in a big fish every single day.

Eileen can’t stand weekends, which just tells you everything you need to know about her. Her entire existence is wrapped up in the job. It’s not healthy, and it’s manifesting as panic attacks that got the best of her this time around. While she can typically breathe through it when she’s having one, this time, a call from Rushmi at her old publication, made her collapse and hit her head hard enough that she landed in the hospital.

The fact that she also has a target on her back isn’t helping. Eileen likes to pretend that nothing shakes or rattles her, but it’s not human and adds to her abrasive and robotic nature. Any sane person would be caught off guard and a little terrified receiving a bullet in an engagement ring box—a threat followed shortly later by a call from a “concerned citizen,” who informs her that the next bullet will be aimed at her. It’s unsettling to know that someone out there is so brazen when it comes to threatening a powerful female journalist, but it also means she has to keep digging because the mystery person has something to hide. 

Alaska churns out small-town gossip, and Eileen’s arrival is not lost on anyone. They know what she’s up to, they know why she’s there, and a lot of people don’t like that she’s trying to unearth the truth about what happened to Gloria. There’s very clearly a story there, so, while I wish she acknowledged that she was affected by the threat, I am glad she’s not deterred from digging into the case. 

After Eileen essentially escaped the hospital—and Aaron Pritchard, who was the “first on the scene” and stuck around to take care of her because he was worried—she helped guide Gabriel’s investigation while connecting with Meade’s former sheriff, Conners. 

Conners was pretty straightforward with Eileen and Roz about why Gloria’s death became a cold case: he was a drunk that had no leverage to force Durkin to investigate any further. 

However, when he read their piece exposing Durkin for turning a blind eye to blatant crimes, he was motivated to reach out and give them the little leg up they needed in the case—the unredacted police report. 

He also informed them that Gloria’s killer, because I think he’s the only police officer to call it that, feels safe in the fact that he’ll get away with it, which is their advantage. 

The unredacted report included the names of two potential suspects, Ezra Fisher and Rega Horn, so you know that’s where Eileen and Roz’s investigation will take them next. 

Other Thoughts

• While this wasn’t my favorite episode of the series, it’s nice to see the other reporter’s experience “firsts” and grow their craft.
• Eileen might not have a personal life, but Roz happily took the weekend off for her basketball tournament. And it’s proof that you need to make time for yourself so you can come back to the drawing board with a clear head. 
• Aaron definitely has a thing for Eileen, but I’m not certain he can be trusted, especially as Stanley decided to look into him.
• I still think pilot poet is involved with concerned citizen. The person just knows too much about Eileen for it to be random. Then again, they don’t like outsiders, especially white women coming in to exploit indigenous women’s pain for personal gain, so it could be anyone.
• Meredith asked Yuna about her relationship with Austin, and I’m glad the other reporters in the newsroom are picking up on the vibes!
• Is it possible Durkin knows who the killer is and is protecting them?

What did you think of the episode? Were you happy to take a break from Gloria’s case and give another character time to shine? Or did you want more Swank action?