The Clearing Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
The series begins with a young lady in the water of this lake with the sun starting to rise. We see Amycarving something into the tree while a little girl named Sara arrives to ask her what she is doing. The conversation ensues when we see a van pull up and kidnap the young girl. We see them arrive at a camp with other kids who each introduce themselves to her.
We meet Freya and Billy, mother/son, at a lakehouse and go into town. While at a store, Freya sees breaking news that another kid has been kidnapped in the town. She freaks out, grabs Billy, and heads home.
While the cult is prepping Sara for meeting their mother, Freya is watching the news about the missing child.
We get a montage of people looking for Sara while she is being taught the daily activities of her new surroundings. An officer visits Henrik’s house to ask if he knows the little girl’s whereabouts.
The family is hiding on the inside, and Sara attempts to speak up, but they threaten her life. The officer asks if he can look around, but Henrik says only if he has a warrant.
Upon getting home, Freya sees a white van pass by her house. While inside, Billy asks his mom for his grandmother to stay for dinner, but she says no. Freya has a bit of a moment after seeing a white van passing in town and asks Billy to come out of her room.
He refuses, and she accidentally storms into his room and hits him in the face.
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What Does Matriah Decide to Do with Sara?
While Henrik and Hannah’s debate dropping Sara off somewhere, others say they must tell Matriah what is happening. Tamsin is in trouble because she is the one that snagged Sara, and Matriah snaps at her calling her names. However, she makes the call saying that Sara must be made one of them now.
Freya calls Officer Joeto to tell him about the white van that she saw outside. He is a bit hesitant, causing her to ask if he believes her, and he says hasn’t he always. He follows by telling her he will get the cops to do a drive-by.
Later that night, Freya is having a restless night of dreaming of that white van.
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Who Does Matriah Put in Charge of Sara?
After deciding to keep Sara, Matriah brings in Amy, who took Sara. She applauded her for her work and told her that she was on the cusp of womanhood. That one day she will have a child of her own, that they will raise at Blackmarsh.
But before that happens, she must prove she can care for someone. So she puts her in charge of caring for Asha (Sara’s new name) and ensuring she gets up to speed on their ways.
At dinner, Tamsintells Sara her mother is on the phone. An excited Sara heads to the phone, only to be disappointed that it is Mariah. Tamsin tells Matriah that Amy had disappointed her leading to her getting a spanking from Tamsin while Matriah was on the phone.
In the middle of the night, we see Sara sneak out of the house while Amy gets up and sees her gone. Everyone freaks out and says for them to find her now.
The Clearing Season 1 Episode 1 Ending Explained
We see Freya chasing down this little girl in the woods resembling Sara. However, it causes her to rush home to ensure that Billy is still in the house. The pilot comes to a close with Freya heading to this home to meet with her mother inside, which we find out is Matriah.