Anna Pigoen doesn’t have time to get into all the deeply personal stuff that we audiences may want to see from the series because they’re too busy dealing with dead bodies popping up all over the national park.

The personal stuff tends to be pushed off to the back burner as a secondary storyline—much to Anna’s liking, I’m sure—though hopefully, now that we’re more than halfway through the first season and barreling towards the finale, she’ll finally find the time to confront her emotions and be—dare I say it—vulnerable. 

Even if she’s not doing it willingly, it seems circumstances are going to push her in that direction whether she likes it or not. 

I’m talking about the cliffhanger, of course—one that could change everything in her relationship with Jesse, wherever it stands right now.

In the final moments of the episode, Jesse was down by the water getting more samples to test. After seeing a few dead fish–along with his first dead body—the almost-geologist gathered that there may be something in the water killing off the fish. He contacted his ex (he should know better than to open up that line of communication, even if they did end on good terms) to have it tested, which revealed high levels of sulfuric acid… potentially from a chemical plant or solution mining. 

Of course, that raised plenty of red flags on its own, but the shot at the end almost solidified that whoever is responsible for the toxic water that’s killing the fish wants to keep it a secret. And there’s only one person who comes to mind who could be connected to this—Jeremiah.

Otherwise, why would someone go to such great lengths to stop Jesse from investigating it? Why would someone want to silence the results?

Jesse got hit in the arm, but the shot knocked him out, and the last we saw, he was carried, unconscious, by the stream.

Can Anna handle losing another person she has feelings for just years after she lost her husband? After all, that’s the biggest reason she won’t commit to something more serious with Jesse (aside from her feelings for Frederick that she’s repressing)—Anna doesn’t want to be “responsible” for anyone again, as she believes she failed to look out for Zach. 

Jesse isn’t really asking her to be his mother or caretaker, and quite frankly, Anna already seems to feel a sense of responsibility for him, even without labeling their relationship.

It happened the minute she caught feelings. It might be more casual, but Anna cares. Deeply. Otherwise, she wouldn’t keep circling back around. 

You’d think watching Maeve Boone’s romance play out would make Anna think twice, especially since Maeve’s reluctance to commit to Lou ultimately led him to build a secret family she didn’t know about. Is that really how Anna wants things to play out with Jesse? She has a fear of commitment, but she’s also the kind of person who wants something real; she just needs to stop being too scared to make the leap again. 

Ep# 108 -“The Death Grin” – Cooper Levy as Jesse Garland in Anna Pigeon on the USA NETWORK. Photo credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved

Instead, she’s found it easier to convince herself that cutting the cord is easier and will somehow spare her feelings. 

But finding out that Jesse’s been shot might throw her for a loop and make her realize how much she truly cares about him. And it will either be the thing that pushes her walls down or pushes him away, thinking that she’s protecting him by getting him as far away from this forest as possible. 

Maybe there’s a little bit of truth to that? There are too many people dropping dead in this forest weekly.

Before he was shot, Jesse had just been offered a job in his field, as his ex had asked him to join her as a field geologist assistant in Arizona. It felt like a turning point for Anna and Jesse.

Jesse told Anna, hoping she’d realize she was about to lose him and ask him to stay. Instead, she did the opposite, encouraging him to go, unwilling to be the reason he held himself back, especially since she’s not ready to commit to something more serious. 

They keep dancing around the truth, but maybe Jesse’s shooting truly will be the wake-up call that Anna needs to stop hiding behind the traumatic thing that happened to her. 

These personal developments also took up a whopping less than 5 minutes of the episode, which largely focused on the death of Maeve’s son, Buck, who collapsed in the same river where the fish were dying.

As far as whodunnit mysteries go, this one was entertaining. 

When he was found, Buck had this extremely eerie smile plastered on his face, which we later learn is a hemlock death grin caused by a muscle spasm that freezes a victim’s corpse into a chilling, unnatural smile.

Buck’s case allowed us to get more insight into Frieda’s character, as she had a close connection to him through her writing class, which helped Anna piece together that this wasn’t a suicide, despite the blunt note left behind suggesting that it was. 

With Frieda’s help, Anna jumped to her next suspect—Buck’s sister—who pointed the finger at her mother’s lover, Lou, who she claimed had the most to gain by eliminating Buck and taking over his shares of the will. 

And honestly, Lou did look guilty, particularly after he stole Buck’s work, which we later learned was his memoir, and then admitted to having a secret family while still having a romantic relationship with Maeve. 

Initially, it didn’t seem like Buck’s memoir would’ve exposed anything, so it was odd that Lou went to such lengths to get his hands on it, but tucked in between the pages was an ancestry DNA test that revealed something that Maeve would’ve killed to keep hidden—she wasn’t Buck’s birth mother. 

When Anna paid Maeve another visit, this time she was in a strangely honest mood, which should’ve been a red flag almost immediately. 

She told Anna the real story of Buck’s mother, her best friend, who was actually the one sent to a maternity home at 16 to give birth to her son. The conditions there were deplorable, and she died 2 days later. Maeve never intended to steal her best friend’s story and pretend to be Buck’s mother, but when he found her later in life, he was so desperate for a mother, and the press assumed it was her, so she just went with it.

And it wasn’t for pure reasons either, it was mostly selfish, as she claimed it was the only reason anyone was even interested in her work, eventually hinging her entire career—and it’s success—on the story.

She claimed it was “impossible to take it back,” and when Buck found out, he was determined to tell the truth, which would’ve destroyed everything she worked for. 

She felt her life’s work slipping away, which she couldn’t let happen, so she drugged him.

I was actually a little thrown off by the revelation because I was convinced Lou had something to do with it. And well, you never want to think that a mother, or even one that’s pretended to be a mother for all these years, would do such a thing, but in retrospect, the signs were there. She only cared about Buck so much because of the impact he had on her career; her biological daughter made it clear her mother never even gave her an ounce of that love or attention. 

And since she was already dying after a diagnosis of restrictive cardiomyopathy, she told Anna the truth before the drug she’d poisoned her wine with kicked in.

She died with the same creepy grin on her face, bringing the storyline full circle.

Anna’s dealt with her fair share of crazy instances that would send the average person running to a different park, but I don’t think she’s even had much time to process them, self-medicating with her wine. 

Ep# 108 -“The Death Grin” – Cooper Levy as Jesse Garland and Tracy Spiridakos as Anna Pigeon in Anna Pigeon on the USA NETWORK. Photo credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved

Will it all change once she nearly loses Jesse? How will Jesse’s near-death experience (because I’m hoping he doesn’t die) change the trajectory of Anna’s story and the remaining two episodes of the season? Will it bring them closer together or push them apart? And will we get any insight into Zach’s murder before the season is up?

Other Moments

• Manny resigned, but will they actually let him leave? I feel like we’re not invested enough in this character to care either way, but I imagine he needs to stick around for his wife Bethany’s trial!
• The loss of Buck pushed Frieda to live boldly, agreeing to go to dinner with Christina. 

Share your thoughts in the comments! 

Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 7 broached a very controversial topic on ‘The Three Matt Skweikis’—the existence of aliens. 

Unsurprisingly, Anna is skeptical of extraterrestrials, but Frederick is all in—enthusiastically geeking out when asked about it, even as Anna judges him for his extensive knowledge of sightings. 

So it was only fitting that they had a sighting of their own when a naked man glowing in neon green and blue hues ran out right in front of their car. 

Anna dismissed any possibility that he could be a “visitor” from another galaxy, opting for a more rational reason for his apparent glowing demeanor and apparent amnesia, suggesting a theory that involved bioluminescent algae. I kind of wish they explored this a little further or even got to see it in action, but they went in the daytime, so it wasn’t visible. Instead, the case pivoted from one that could’ve been a little more fun and gotten them out of their heads for a bit to a murder mystery—though this time, there was also a case of mistaken identity layered on top.

At the site of the pond, they found clothes and a wallet belonging to a Matt Skewikis, though his license dated back to 2005. Could this be their “visitor?” And if so, where has he been for 20 years?

A quick search turned up a deceased result for Matt Skweikis, with his wife confirming that he was ripped to pieces by wolves during an annual camping trip. His body was too mangled to be identified, but he had his belongings on his person—aside from a wedding ring—so it was enough to go by. 

None of that sat right with Anna, however, especially as she knew that wolves didn’t just attack. Being a widow herself, she aimed to get closure for Matt’s wife, going out to the now-closed camping site to see if she could find the wedding ring. 

And she did, along with another body. And wolves—wolves Frederick was very clearly terrified of (and I don’t blame him). 

The wedding ring turned out to be a big clue in the case, as it was revealed that her husband was actually killed by an escaped prisoner, Josiah, who hid in the park, stole Matt’s clothes and planned on escaping before he froze to death. The body she actually identified belonged to Josiah, explaining why their wedding ring wasn’t on his person. 

It may not have been the outcome Matt’s wife wanted, but at least she knew he never stopped loving her. 

The case of the missing Matt’s kind of overshadowed the case of the unidentified visitor, who kind of started to grow on everyone. He pointed out to Anna that Frederick had a thing for her—and well, he was right because Anna and Frederick hooked up the night before.

The series went there, giving fans exactly what they wanted between Anna and Frederick, though, sadly, it didn’t deliver on the chemistry that we’ve been picking up on.

The setup was perfect—Anna has been taking time apart from Jesse because she needs space to work through her trauma following the cave incident, and quite frankly, because she could feel how strong his feelings were for her, and she knew she couldn’t return them.

She invited Frederick back to her place for a drink, clearly eager to spend more time with him away from the case, and he obliged, despite not being a drinker. 

He then told her that he was looking into Zack’s murder to give her some closure, which she wanted to protest, but he didn’t give her a chance, instead underscoring that he’s always trying to find reasons to be around her… even now. 

“Why do you think I’m still here?” he asked, as she replied, “I don’t know.” “I think you do,” he replied, making the move. 

EP#107 – “The Three Matt Skweikis” – Tracy Spiridakos as Anna Pigeon and Ronnie Rowe as Frederick Stanton in Anna Pigeon on USA Network. Photo Credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved

And it wasn’t rejected, but at no point did Anna actually let herself get swept up or lost in the moment—she didn’t even kiss Frederick. 

I’m wondering if it’s because she still felt like she owed it to Jesse since they were “technically” together, or because she knew that if she let him get too close, she wouldn’t be able to put the wall back up?

And Anna loves her wall. She loves to avoid deep feelings—real feelings—because she’s too afraid of getting hurt again. 

She lives in a constant state of avoidance, convincing herself that she likes being alone. It’s denial. 

Frederick is the only person who has been able to cut through that exterior shell, but not fully. And when he tried to talk about what happened the night before, not interested in pretending that it didn’t happen, she used her avoidance as a crutch once again. 

Frederick handled it well, knowing that he needed to just give Anna her space and time to work through whatever it all was so that she could be ready for the next step in their relationship. 

But how she let this perfect man—who pushes her while accepting her—walk out, I’ll never know. 

For someone who is constantly pushing people away, they sure do keep coming back, and this time, professing their love. Moments after Frederick drove away, Jesse was waiting on her doorstep, asking her to move in and telling her that he loved her. 

Where does Anna go from here? She just slept with another man, whom she has real feelings for, and while she definitely has affection for Jesse, staying with him because he’s been good to her isn’t a good reason; it’s an excuse. He deserves better; he deserves the truth. 

Also, he really should’ve listened to Zoey Bear Child’s advice. 

As for the “visitor,” he ended up being Monroe King, a wealthy man involved in cloning bulls. On the day of his accident, he owed a man a lot of money; he was outbid on a bull he was trying to buy, he gambled away his money and missed his grandson’s graduation. He decided that he was done being a disappointment to everyone, including his daughter, driving his car off the road intentionally. 

While he turned out to be far from the man they first met—someone with no memory of his former identity—it ultimately served as a wake-up call. In the midst of his amnesia, he questioned whether he even liked the person he used to be, or if it was better not knowing at all. That moment proved crucial, because once his memory returned, he was given a second chance to make better choices and change the course of his life.

Were you surprised by the turn of events? Share your thoughts! 

Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 6 provided plenty of clarity into what happened to Anna in the cave—thankfully. 

“There’s Always a Road” also deepened the mystery surrounding Jeremiah Paulson, who seems to have a hand in everything happening at Glacier National Park. 

As expected, once Anna finally made her way out of the cave and to safety, she doubled back to the scene of the crime. And, as expected, she found no one down there in the cave despite trapping her attacker during her escape. 

And that means—the attacker wasn’t working alone! 

Kay’s body was also removed from the cave, as was any sign that Anna’s story was credible. Everyone wanted to believe her, but there was no evidence of what she was suggesting. 

Anna was an unreliable narrator in the first-half of the episode, and now she couldn’t prove that anything she was saying was even true. Did she hallucinate the attacker?

Was her brain playing tricks on her?

Anna might’ve felt like she was going crazy, but she never doubted herself or the reality she experienced. And something was definitely going on when all of her clothes were removed from her drawers.

At this point, you would’ve hoped and prayed that Anna learned her lesson about venturing off into the woods alone—and worse, not telling anyone where she was going—but nope. Instead, she did it again, without even so much as taking a breath after the doctor confirmed she had a concussion, was dehydrated and needed to rest.

This time, however, she came equipped with a knife, so I guess she’s at least ready for anyone who wants to ambush her. 

Thankfully, Frederick was one step ahead of her, knowing that she’d venture out into the woods looking for answers. And he believed her. 

It was almost too easy how quickly they found Kay’s body, which had been moved from the cave, but it was the proof Anna needed that she wasn’t crazy—someone killed this poor woman and then tormented Anna. 

And the storyline must move forward.

Anna suggested that they have a chat with the guy whose radio she smashed, who very quickly admitted that he helped his friend move Kay’s body, especially as Anna pointed out that he was wearing a very expensive watch that was worth more than his trailer. He knew better than to get the murder pinned on him. 

Only one person could afford such lavish pieces—a Paulson. Turns out, Jeremiah Paulson’s nephew, JP, was last seen with Kay before her death. But with a Paulson involved, the case had to be airtight, considering the man was rich enough to make anyone appear innocent. 

Considering Anna’s previous run-ins with Jeremiah, she was determined to prove that his nephew was involved somehow. And when it became evident that he wasn’t just going to confess, she decided to flip the script on him. 

Jeremiah mentioned that JP wasn’t a “criminal mastermind,” while JP seemed pretty confident that he was clever enough to get away with it, so Anna’s idea was to bait him into a confession at the cave, thinking that whatever he said to her was going to go to the grave with her.

It was a risky yet solid plan, with everyone on board. Unfortunately, there was one flaw in this plot—no one was standing by at the Paulson house if Anna ran into any trouble. Everyone was set up around the cave’s perimeter, but Anna had no backup when she went to chat with JP on his turf and drank some tea that was drugged. Again.

Now, if your gut was also telling you that something was off with Bethany in the previous episode, this moment proved that you weren’t imagining it. 

Bethany has been a rather odd character since the beginning, but she was also way too invested in Anna’s disappearance in the first half of the episode. That only intensified in the second episode, as she tried to remain close to all the developments in the case, even trying to remain close to Anna to “protect” her. She tried to fly under the radar as modest, quiet, and helpful, but it was so suspicious.

She also seemed unusually terrified that she might be the next person something bad would happen to—an odd level of paranoia that suggested she may be hiding something.

Turns out, that new job Bethany got was working for the Paulsons as “the help.” And part of the gig was helping JP cover up Kay’s murder, pushing Anna into the cave and tormenting her. She admitted that she only wanted to scare her before setting her free, but when Anna broke free, Bethany was forced to once again jump into action to “get rid of her” once and for all. 

Bethany tried to drown Anna, and once she thought she was successful, she let her guard down. But Anna knew better this time—not fooled by the drugged tea—and she came prepared, tasering Bethany in self-defense. Again, it would’ve been smarter for there to be some kind of backup for Anna at the Paulson residence, but then we wouldn’t have gotten this incredible standoff between Anna and sweet little Bethany. Also, it was almost comical that she thought people would just believe she got drunk and drowned because she likes to drink occasionally, while Anna was in the middle of trying to solve this case. 

EP105 – “The Rope” – Melanie Scrofano as Bethany Lopez and Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz as Manny López, in Anna Pigeon on USA Network. Photo Credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved

But the fact that Bethany ended up being the attacker also came out of left field because there was no reason she would’ve risked everything simply because her employer asked her to. Jeremiah didn’t even threaten Bethany to clean up JP’s mess—she offered. The only logical explanation was that Jeremiah was her father. 

Manny and Bethany had a conversation that revealed he never met her father, and as it stands, it’s unclear whether or not Jeremiah knows that he’s Bethany’s father either. 

I reckon if he knew, he’d have picked up the phone call from her in the final scene rather than sending it to voicemail. Either way, we got confirmation of that connection, and the dynamic will be interesting to explore moving forward. 

Jeremiah was painted as the villain from day one, but until now, his storyline has taken a backseat. And while I appreciated how the Paulson arc was woven into the larger narrative as it never felt forced, I’m less convinced by Bethany’s development. This marks the second episode (out of just six so far) where she’s involved in something deeply questionable, and that does feel more forced and unbelievable. 

Bethany has arguably played a bigger role this season than even Manny or Jeremiah. The first case alone centered on her desperation to belong, as she befriended and confided in a woman from her church whose husband was running a robbery scheme. Her motivation was clear: she wanted money and stability, all in hopes of having a baby, but that seems to be the very last thing she needs at this point.

She definitely needs some therapy, along with jail time. And truly, I just feel terrible for Manny, who was completely blindsided by the woman he loves. Also, how did he not pick up on anything all these years?

Her actions almost seemed to cross into survival-mode territory, with something snapping when she held Anna underwater, as though there was a shift into a “you versus me” mindset. Bethany seemed more detached from reality at that point, seemingly trying to prove herself to Jeremiah and earn his approval and love. 

In hindsight, maybe the signs were there all along. When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.

And a Paulson, even one raised away from their evil dad, doesn’t change their stripes—even when they try to.

And finally, poor Jesse suffered the second biggest blow (next to Manny, of course, who can’t catch a break!). He was the first to raise the alarm when Anna went missing, joining forces with Zoey Bear Child to find her. It spoke volumes about the impact Anna had on those around her, even if she wasn’t feeling the love herself; in the end, she still pushed him away, rightfully so. He might not see it that way, but the hallucinations she experienced while in the cave made it clear that Anna has never fully healed from her husband’s death and continues to carry a deep sense of guilt. Her near-death experience forced her to confront that reality and recognize the need to take accountability.

At the same time, Jesse’s feelings for her are undeniable. Nearly losing her proved them to him, but it’s not fair for her to keep him around when she isn’t ready to fully open herself up to that kind of love just yet.

She needs time and space. However, the experience did bring her closer to Zoey, because when times are tough, sometimes all you need is a good friend to be there and listen. 

And you know I’m still rooting for Anna and Frederick, as I loved seeing them work closely together in this episode. 

I also still believe that somehow, some way, Jeremiah is connected to Zack’s death. As I said before, that man seems to have a hand in everything. 

What did you think of the outcome of the cave storyline? Are you enjoying Anna Pigeon so far? Share your thoughts!