We’re heading into the last 4 episodes of Pieces of Her. Here's a recap of episode 5.
Where we Left Off
At the end of episode 4, things were taking a turn for the main characters. Andy had run off with uncle Jasper, leaving US Marshal Michael Vargas hunting for her. Laura officially signed herself out of the witness protection program, once again becoming Jane Queller. We assume there will be major consequences for both of these actions.
Meet Young Jane Queller
A lot of this episode is seen in a flashback. But, where previously we only got snippets of the Oslo economic conference or other slices of the Quellers, now we get more substance. We are truly introduced to a young Jane Queller. 30 years in the past Jane was a concert pianist, who played with symphony orchestras and for Presidents of the United States. Jane is the apple of her father’s eye, but only in so much as she plays whatever concertos he prefers at the level of performance quality he requires. While we don’t see any abuse, we know from past flashbacks that Martin Queller has a contentious relationship with his wife and was very possibly abusive. Certainly, he is domineering over all the children and particularly over Jane.
Nick Harp - The Villain?
We also learn more about the Army of the Changing World, which is Nick’s cultish group of followers. Nick has insinuated himself into the Queller household by initially befriending the third member of the Queller children, Andrew. Nick has the feel of a charismatic cult leader or con-man. He has seemingly targeted Martin Queller and QuellerCorp for their unethical business practices. Nick actually has a romantic relationship with both Andrew and Jane, who both fall under his spell. We also learn that “Nick Harp” died four years ago, so in reality, we don’t know who Nick really is. This doesn’t deter Jane from eventually breaking her own hand purposely following yet another performance for her father’s friends. She then flees the Queller estate to find Nick. She rejoins his little Army and meets Grace Juno, who has come to tell them the story of her husband.
Basically, we see what seems like an almost brainwashed Jane move from her father’s dominance to Nick’s.
Don’t Trust Jasper and Andy’s Terrible Spycraft
Raise your hand if you knew it was a terrible idea for Andy to go with Jasper? Everyone? Yup. I mean come on. Well, Andy spends the night at the Queller estate, getting to know her uncle and various staff members, like Mrs. Barfield, who was also Jane’s confidante 30 years prior. Jasper seems to be feeding Andy just enough info about Jane, but withholding other key things. When Andy asks if her mother knew Nick Harp, Jasper assures her they didn’t know each other. Jane finds proof that this is false on a videotape provided by Mrs. Barfield. Did she provide it on purpose to help Andy figure out that Jasper was lying? Possible.
Andy also watches tapes of Jane performing at various concerts and realizes that when she once argued with her mother about her lack of creativity, she literally had no idea who she was talking to. Andy becomes suspicious of Jasper after watching the taps and calls Michael to arrange a meeting. Following the call, Andy realizes that Jasper has her under surveillance and his security team heard the entire conversation. Despite this, she goes ahead with the planned meeting with Michael. What is she thinking!
To the surprise of no one, it appears that Jasper was prepared for their meeting. As they are chatting out in public a jogger bumps into Michael “accidentally”. Within less than a minute he is falling to the ground, not breathing. He has obviously been poisoned by that jogger to take him out of commission. Andy performs CPR as an ambulance is called. Oh, Andy. You and your incredibly bad decisions.
Back to the Present Day Jane
The episode wraps up with Jane meeting with Gordon, actually telling him her real name for the first time. She asks him to change her will with her new information, provided in a sealed envelope. Gordon knew she was in witness protection, but clearly never knew any details about who she was. He finally gets to learn about his own ex-wife, after so many years.
Questions and More Questions
- So, is Michael sidelined or even dead?
- Is the villain Jasper or Nick? Or both?
- What information does Jane have that has made her such a valuable witness?
