Camille Preaker stans Kelly Clarkson, and I’m all for it.
Camille (Amy Adams) (left) and John Keene (Taylor John Smith) (right) on Sharp Objects “Ripe”. CREDIT: HBO
This post for Sharp Objects “Ripe” contains spoilers, and spoiler discussion from the original novel by author Gillian Flynn.
Camille may have grown up in the small town of Wind Gap, but I’m glad to know she’s familiar with Kelly Clarkson. She says, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” while talking on the phone with her editor Frank Curry. Well… or that line could just be a total coincidence and I might be reading too much into it.
In “Ripe” (2018), Camille and Detective Richard (Chris Messina) become closer—literally. After Camille educates the Detective about Wind Gap and its people; he gives her a handjob in the middle of the forest. Well, to be more specific, he wanted to kiss her first but Camille grabs his hand and puts it in her pants. I completely object to the casting of Messina as Detective Richard; I find the chemistry between him and Amy Adams to be lacking.
Camille (left) and Detective Richard (right) investigating in the forest. CREDIT: HBO
As I watch every episode weekly, I realise that every line said by Detective Richard is sexist towards the killer. He often refers to the killer as a “he”, and profiles the killer as a man. But yet at the same time, Detective Richard is the only character that has lines that outrightly hints on the gender of the killer—who is a female.
The other major plot point in this episode is when John triggers an idea in Camille’s head. The intercut editing style adopted at the end makes it difficult to understand what’s going on in Camille’s mind, though I’m sure more will be revealed about the killer next week.
Rating: 4/5
Sidenotes on “Ripe”:
- Marian isn’t mentioned as much in this episode; in the novel, she has a thorough backstory, where Camille goes to the hospital to dig up on her sister’s medical records.
- I have a feeling that the writers are going to tweak the ending; I think they might exclude the part about Adora murdering Marian years ago.
- I really like how the TV show has included specific lines and scenes from the novel accurately so far. The scene in “Fix”, where Amma teases Camille and Detective Richard at the car park; another scene in “Dirt”, where Amma is throwing a huge fit. Both scenes are exactly the same as described in the novel.
- Let’s talk about the ending… I was confused as to why Camille ran out of the bar after John mentioned something about Amma. I’m not sure if Camille figured out if Amma had something to do with the murders—in the novel, she is the killer—or whether she was concerned for Amma’s safety. I’m really surprised that they hinted this mid-way through the show, I thought the writers would have done this in episode six or something.
- I’ve also just read through the novel again, and I really hope they stay true to the novel by accusing Adora (Patricia Clarkson) of the murders first before finding out that Amma and her friends are the real killers.
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