Sharp Objects 1x05 Closer

(spoiler-free!)

This week in Sharp Objects we saw the event that was only mentioned in passing in the book, here expanded to the entire episode. And what a fantastic idea that was. Calhoun Day, Adora's pride and joy, provided a riveting look into the inhabitants of the town and the biggest dose of humor in the show yet.But there was so much heartbreak too.

The entire town is on the edge because Camille just published her article, writing that police believes the victims knew their killer. Everyone assumes it's either Bob Nash, the father of murdered Ann or John Keene, the brother of Natalie. Camille's boss calls her and wants her to write more but the second Camille tells him how hard it is for her to be back in Wind Gap he tells her that if she wants to come back she should. I am so grateful for that kind character being in the show. He is the most decent person there and it's such a silver lining that there is someone in Camille's life who genuinely cares about her. Camille's demons are probably never going to be defeated but Frank insists on telling her she is doing amazing job and he is proud of her in every conversation they have, which is something we know her own mother never said to her.
Each episode Adora finds increasingly more horrible ways to be awful to her daughter and because of Patricia Clarkson's acting and Adora's sneaky nature you never know whether she even understands how terrible she is. When she sees what Camille is wearing to the party she demands her and Amma go and buy new clothes. In the clothing store Camille is handed revealing dresses by the shop girl and she is obviously uncomfortable. As she is changing, someone takes her blouse that is hanging on the door. Camille asks for the long sleeved dress she chose but hears no answer. She grows incredibly worried and starts pleading for Adora to take Amma to the car, while Adora pretends she doesn't understand why Camille is so upset.

Camille comes out, full view of her scars. Both Amma and Adora are stunned but Amma is also visibly saddened being hit with the representation of her sister's suffering (Eliza Scanlen's acting is really wonderful in the show). Camille throws the dress in Adora's face. Adora seems shocked by the extent of Camille's self harm and Camille remarks that Adora wasn't there "at the end". Adora doesn't acknowledge the fact that Camille no longer cuts herself and instead of offering some sort of support and saying that Camille overcoming that was an accomplishment, Adora says it doesn't matter now because she is "ruined". Considering that one can imagine Camille's cutting is also amplified by her getting raped, in an subconscious effort to make herself less "beautiful" and appealing to men, it's a particularly evil and heinous thing to say.
Adora and Amma leave and Camille goes back into the changing room letting out a blood curdling scream. Adams yet again excels in bringing the most memorable moments from the novel to life.

Back in the house, Camille decides to leave and packs things up. Her and Amma share a sweet moment when sympathetic  Amma comes over to talk to her and offers Camille a long sleeved dress. I think because of Amma Camille is having her first positive experiences in this house ever since Marian died. We get to see the flashback of young Camile, Marian and younger Adora before the photoshoot. Adora is concerned with appearances and scolds Camille for walking into the room with her shoes covered in mud. We then see present time with the framed article, Adora and Marian there, but no Camille.
During Adora's big event we get to see the side of Adora we only saw a glimpse of last week when she was charming Vickery. Adora looks stunning in her intricate dress and she is extraordinarily pleasant and witty towards her guests. That's not to say the women of the house don't engage in manipulation - when Camille catches her mother looking at her she puts her arm around Richard's in the act of defiance.  For all of Camille's suffering and her tears she still has so much fight left in her. Adora then gives Richard the tour of the house, talking about splendid ivory floor made out of the tusks of elephants before they became endangered. but she still manages to seep poison into Richard's ear calling Camille a delicate rose, but not without thorns.

And then there's Amma, pretending to be showing her friends her dollhouse, when they were in the house to take ecstasy. The drugs take effect in stunningly directed sequence where Amma is playing the part of a woman who refused to give up the soldiers' whereabouts and was violently raped and burnt alive during the war - this is the event that Calhoun Day celebrates, which says it all, really. Amma begins to experience the bliss of drugs but she still wants the approval of her mother - Adora, who is watching her daughter re-enact the events, with pride, which is disturbingly comical, considering what those events are - and is jealous of Camille and Richard striking a genuine bond and Richard stealing Camille's attention from Amma.
Finally when Bob Nash attacks John Keene Amma freaks out and runs. Was it just the drugs? Or did she desperately want the attention back on her? Amma did look genuinely scared in that moment. Her escape of course sends Adora into hysterical panic with Alan trying to calm her down (Adora's despair is so incredibly over the top it is actually hilarious, same as her constant complaining about that rose thorns cutting her hand, you'd think she was shot!). Richard and other men, with Camille in tow, run into the woods to look for Amma. Camille has visions of her sister Marian, which guide her to the shed of horrors where she finds scared Amma.

Camille brings Amma home and Adora immediately takes care of her daughter, babying her. Then Adora invites Camille over for a drink at veranda. She talks of Richard, telling her that he will find out about her when they get close and Camille tells her she won't get close. Adora says she wants to apologize for that.  Adora made several references to Camille's father in this episode, saying he was cruel and cold (we know very little about Camille's father both in the book and so far in the show, Camille's disturbed state is only made worse by the fact she doesn't really know where she comes from).  When Adora tells Camille that she apologizes, and when you think maybe Adora, thankful for Camille bringing back Amma is going to say something nice to Camille, it turns out that what she is apologizing for is never loving Camille.
Camille, distraught, drives in the rain to Richard's motel. She walks in and immediately starts kissing him and the two have sex with Camille refusing to take her clothes off. The look on her face is absolutely haunting - here she is once again struck into the bottom of despair by her own mother, reaching for whatever love she can find. We see the word "closer" carved into her body before the episode ends.

Also I need to give the shout to out to the brilliant Elizabeth Perkins who plays Jackie, the sassiest person in Wind Gap. I have a feeling Jackie's role is going to be expanded in the show and considering how the show adds to the book and how gossipy her character is perhaps it is through her that we will find out the truth about Camille's dad. Also she remarked that the Preaker girls love a man with the badge - so perhaps Adora really is having the affair with Vickery, as some viewers suspected after last week's episode.
On the next episode....

1x06 "Cherry - Adora (Patricia Clarkson) provides Chief Vickery (Matt Craven) with a key piece of evidence in the Ann Nash murder case. Richard (Chris Messina) probes for details about Camille’s dark past. John’s (Taylor John Smith) girlfriend, Ashley (Madison Davenport), looks to make news for herself. Amma (Eliza Scanlen) bonds with Camille (Amy Adams) during and after a wild party. Written by Dawn Kamoche & Ariella Blejer; directed by Jean-Marc Vallée.