Sharp Objects 1x03 Fix

(spoiler-free!)

Last episode of Sharp Objects showed quite a bit of Camille's cryptic and painful past and gave more depth - disturbing, weird and freaky depth - to both Camille's step sister, Amma and her cold mother, Adora. We also got some progress in Camille's investigation as she proves to be a more capable and relentless seeker of the truth than the city's police chief.

At the beginning of the episode Camille sees drunk Amma drive into the rose bush. She hides her step sister in her room and the two talk. Amma seems more disturbed and bizarre with every single scene she has, almost coming on to Camille in this scene. Camille seems to take a lot of joy in having someone actually be glad that she is back in Wind Gap. And having a sister again.
Amma also taunts Camille that she "loves dead girls". And indeed the dead girls are everywhere in this episode. The ghost of Camille's sister Marian always looms in the shadows of their house. The city is traumatized by the murders of the young girls. And then there is more death in Camille's own past.

We also get to see more of difficult relationship between Adora and Camille, Adora blaming Camille even for something as petty and clearly not Camille's fault as Adora cutting herself on the rose thorns. As Camille is talking to the father of one of the dead girls again, Adora comes in for a "social visit" and orders Camille to leave. Turns out that Adora was actually tutoring the murdered girl. You can see what a huge influence she has over Wind Gap community - the father is tying to defend Camille but almost immediately stops, afraid of Adora and feeling respect for her.
It's funny that Adora, who has so much influence over the town and even has the police chef over for a social call doesn't even know what her younger daughter is doing. As the episode progresses we get to see the nastier side of Amma. We get an infamous pig scene from the book which was probably the most nauseating sequence of the whole novel. Amma wasn't hurting the pigs in it but she was taking perverse pleasure in their suffering. The scene was toned down to the minimum in the episode and we saw Amma simply hold a piglet, so perhaps the book moment is still coming.

Amma also confronted Camille as she was hanging out with Richard. Amma and her friends started taunting the couple with Amma being particularly nasty. The series is so faithful to the source material - Amma even puts a lollipop in Camille's hair, just like in the book. Amma's viciousness sends Camille completely over the edge, into deep anger and sorrow.
And thanks to the flashbacks we know why.

In this episode we dove a  bit into Camille's past and we she carving the word 'fix' on her wrist and voluntarily signing up for rehab center in order to try and get better. There she meets another cutter, a younger girl named Alice. The two become friends and Camille even gets the ipod from the nurse to cheer Alice up with music. Unfortunately, as is revealed in a closing montage of the episode, Alice committed suicide. Camille found her. Anguished, she took the loose screw out of the toilet and started furiously cutting herself
The ending of the episode is an amazing montage where we get to see the frustrations built up and explode. Alan yelling, trapped in bizarre, sterile household. Adora, still remembering her dead daughter.We also finally see Camille cutting herself - desperate after seeing dead Alice. We already saw that so many things trigger Camille - a rude comment, a painful memory. And she still remains so sensitive an vulnerable even though she continuously drinks trying to dull her senses but that doesn't help her at all.

So this is what Camille gets - someone sweet, someone she liked is dead, another 'sister' gone and someone as rotten as Amma shares her blood and is still around to taunt others and to be cruel. Another trigger for poor Camille.

On the next episode....

1x04 " Ripe" - Camille (Amy Adams) agrees to show Richard (Chris Messina) some of Wind Gap’s crime scenes, though the tour opens up old wounds. Alan (Henry Czerny) confronts Adora (Patricia Clarkson) about her sharing confidences with Chief Vickery (Matt Craven), who is concerned about the Crellins hosting the annual “Calhoun Day” attended by Wind Gap’s youth. Fired from his job at Preaker Farms, John (Taylor John Smith) shares off-the-record revelations with Camille that raise fresh concerns for her. Written by Vince Calandra; directed by Jean-Marc Vallée.