Anna Pigeon Season 1, Episode 5, “The Rope” Spoilers Ahead
Appropriately titled and gorgeously directed, with a glowing performance from Tracy Spiridakos, Anna Pigeon delivers a solid episode in “The Rope.” We don’t get all the answers we’ve been searching for since the show’s premiere, but we’re one step closer with the kind of tethering episode that gives us plenty to piece some things together.
It’s not easy to deliver an episode that primarily focuses on one character, even if that character is the one the show’s named after. Still, Anna Pigeon does so exceptionally, and since dropping the sneak peek of this episode, we’ve been on pins and needles trying to see how she’d make it out of this.
Anna Pigeon Episode 5 Is Full of Depth
Jordan Sledz returns as manifestations of Zach in Anna’s mind, but this time, he isn’t the encouraging husband we’ve seen in the past. Yes, he’s still trying to remind Anna of her strength, but her dehydration, pain, and confusion are bringing out a lot more trauma while giving us a significantly darker version of Zach. “You always run,” this version says. And that statement alone packs so much weight because it’s both the last thing Anna needs to hear right now and simultaneously the most important.
But as I said in my feature for “The Preacher,” it doesn’t matter how many times her sister tells her to write her nightmares down, because it won’t happen until Anna comes to the realization herself. And the downward spiral we watch her go on in this episode is so deeply human because any sort of trauma makes human beings extra vulnerable. When our bodies are physically unwell, it forces our mind to trek to darker places, too. And for someone like Anna who’s already harboring so much, it’s no surprise that her emotions would be all over the place. That she’s second guess herself while simultaneously being sharp enough to notice clues about other people.
There’s still so much about her relationship with Zach that we don’t know, but the rope’s been pulled already, metaphorically showcasing that she can’t keep running from her pain toward a point of denial. We know that she was drinking at the party, but Anna Pigeon Episode 5 insists that we ask why. Why was she trying to mask her pain? What part of her was running from what? What led her to wanting to forget? Were she and Zach having problems before?
As a character, though it’s only been five episodes, Anna’s already so fleshed out that we can instantly tell there’s a mountain of pain buried under her armor. People don’t run for arbitrary reasons. They run when it hurts way too much to face what’s hurting them. They run when they genuinely believe there’s no other way to confront the demons in their path. But there also comes a point where enough bravery sets in and you realize you have to stay. Once upon a time, Anna was in theatre, and she’s so far removed from that career now that it’s riveting to think about that detail alone. But what’s also clear is that this is where she’s meant to stay. This is where she’s safe, surrounded by every person she’s helped, doing everything they can to find her.
That said, I’m always skeptical of new relationships in a procedural that aren’t a typical slow burn because I have to ask myself whether it’ll last. Shows like this generally make us wait a lot longer before they start to cement a romantic pairing as endgame, but Anna Pigeon doesn’t take that route. And because of this, I had my hesitations about how long Jesse would stick around, and if he really is the person for her or if he’s the one who’s meant to help her in this period alone. But with how visceral his concerns were this week, it’s easy to shift perspective and root for them.
It’s not just physical with him, but it’s clearly so much more. The relationship feels so much deeper now, and the sight of him cradling her head as she fell into his arms broke me a little. Because you could see every bit of fear cross his mind as he held her, fully in disbelief that she’s really here. The way he and Zoey led the investigation and took control of the situation also does such a substantial job of showing that she isn’t alone anymore. She has a place to land if her mind goes dark again, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Tracy Spiridakos Delivers the Performance of the Week
I’ve watched a lot of great TV this week, but I’m floored by everything Spiridakos does in this episode. She has such a commanding presence as Anna, so to watch her sob in fetal position is gut-wrenching.
The way she can make Anna look like a force one minute, then so fractured the next, is no small feat. In fully understanding Anna’s pain, Spiridakos makes her look so small in a way that’s so organic, I almost cried. And to think that this is just the fifth episode is an even more wild thought when you know how much she’s capable of as an actress. There’s so much to appreciate about this episode, and every outcry, plus all the unsaid words tucked underneath her expressions, is phenomenal.
What are your thoughts on Anna Pigeon Season 1, Episode 5, “The Rope?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Michelle Faye/USA Network