M&A suffered minor setbacks on Found Season 1 Episode 10 when the team’s license was revoked following Melissa’s death, with Mallory egging on the narrative in the media.
That, however, didn’t stop Gabi in the slightest—it fueled her to do what was right by Tony despite everyone trying to push her away from the case, including his father, who didn’t trust her after Tony was shot while trying to save Matthew from being turned over to sex traffickers.
Tony’s father’s reaction was understandable considering he was just trying to do the right thing for his son—and the right thing wasn’t exactly clear in this situation—but when the cops showed up mere moments after Tony opened his eyes from a monthlong coma and placed handcuffs on him, it was clear that he didn’t have much of a choice. If he wanted to help his son, he needed to place his trust in Gabi’s hands.
Gabi naturally went above and beyond to ensure a good outcome for Tony, yet he was also reluctant to help her out. Tony didn’t trust anyone, especially Gabi as he too blamed her for accidentally getting shot, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise when he used the bathroom excuse to give them the slip.
The investigation hit much closer to home than Gabi initially anticipated, but being forced to confront her past so head-on is also slightly helping her work through the trauma she endured. And most importantly, she can put herself in the shoes of the victims, knowing exactly what needs to be said or done to assure them that she’s on their side.
In an attempt to find Tony, they brought in his estranged mother, who admitted to being scared of her son and wanting nothing to do with him in order to protect her two other children. It was actually heartbreaking to witness her stance toward Tony, however, Matthew’s mom managed to persuade her to stand by her boy and not give up on him. Despite Tony’s involvement in Matthew’s kidnapping, she was able to forgive him when he stopped by with an apology, realizing that he was just a good boy who was being taken advantage of, who was also lost and scared.
M&A figured that it was possible that Tony was trying to get back into the game and recruit other students when he returned to school, yet that didn’t track with his apology tour. And it turns out, he was at the school to get revenge on those who ruined his life, namely Finn, the one who recruited him who straight up lied to Gabi’s face, along with the principal, Chloe, who prided herself on lowering the truancy rate. It wasn’t overly obvious that she wa involved, but there was something off about her from the start. Not to mention they always say that kidnappers tend to be someone you know and trust, and aside from parents, kids trust their teachers and friends the most, so it tracks.
Gabi got very emotional when she figured that one of the teachers at school might be responsible, even before pinpointing Chloe as the one leading the trafficking ring (who, after her arrest, sang like a canary, according to Trent), and it led to one of the biggest revelations about Sir to date—he was her English teacher.
I’ve always suspected that he knew Gabi in some shape, way, or form prior to her kidnapping as it couldn’t have been random, and this makes so much sense now, especially all of their forced literature discussions. The clues were always there.
Gabi was having additional flashbacks throughout the episode that involved a girl who tried to help her. The girl first knocked on the door having claimed that her car broke down, however, she later returned to promise Gabi that she would get help. In a follow-up flashback, Sir informed Gabi that he took care of the girl who was threatening their future, and Gabi pieced two-and-two together and realized it was Sir’s previous victim, Annie, who was also one of his former students. Annie risked her life to come back and offer her help, but she was never seen again. And since then, Gabi has been looking for Annie, promising Sir that it’s the last piece of the sick saga before she ends it all. Sir insists she won’t find Annie because he didn’t kill her, but Gabi isn’t listening to a word he says. Of course, this sparks curiosity as to what actually happened to Annie as there’s a chance that Sir is telling the truth.
As Gabi tries to heal, she’s also caught in the constant cat-and-mouse game, holding Sir prisoner and trying to make sense of the trauma he inflicted on her, all while doing the exact same thing that the monsters she despises are doing. She may be ridding the world of an evil man, but he also brought up a fair point when questioning why Gabi didn’t feel like he was worthy of redemption as some of the other people she’s dealt with.
Obviously, this case is the most personal to Gabi, and she views him as the worst man in the world, so she doesn’t consider there to be any good in him, but we know that monsters aren’t just born, they are made. His cruel mother, who was abusive to him during his childhood, made him this way, and while that’s no excuse, it’s something I do hope the writers dive into deeper.
As for Gabi, there’s no getting rid of this pressure, which means she can’t open herself up to love from Trent, who is there, patiently waiting and willing to be with her at the drop of a hat. He loves her, even when she’s being exceptionally cold and rude to him, because he cares about her—and he made sure that she knew he wasn’t going to apologize for that. Thankfully, she apologized to him for the way she’s been treating him before suggesting that he get his job back at the DCPD because they need him as “he’s one of the good guys.” Being a cop, a good cop, is his purpose and all that he’s ever wanted, plus it will help them in the long run.
Gabi may have landed a win with Tony’s safe return in the loving arms of both his parents (yes, his mother came around finally), all the people she saved rallying behind her on public television to change the narrative about M&A, and finally, in getting her license back, but she’s constantly losing because she can’t get out of that basement or be honest with the people she loves.
The rest of M&A is doing the work to make sure they can heal and become the best versions of themselves, including Margaret who, with her therapist’s help, moved back the time of her train station arrival back an hour. They may be baby steps to her, but it’s a massive moment.
Elsewhere, Zeke called in a request to his estranged father to get the license reinstated, informing him that he never asks for anything, while making it clear how much he relied on the purpose that M&A gave him. His father stopped by later, having successfully done what Zeke asked, and it was a small breakthrough in their drought relationship, one that happened after Zeke was taken. Lacey was on hand to support Zeke during the moment, and let’s just say, I’m excited to see them take their relationship to the next level.
What did you think about the episode? Are you surprised about what we learned about Sir?