Picnic at Hanging Rock episode 2 review: Did Michael Fitzhubert find the girls?
Appleyard tries to save face
After informing the other girls about who has gone missing (and that Edith some how made it back to the school and is recuperating) Appleyard tries her best to contain the flow of information out of the school and back to the parents. This is something that could really hurt the reputation of the school and Appleyard knows it.
After many days of searching for the girls, the search is called off and the women are presumed dead leaving Appleyard with a feeling of dread on how this will make the school look. The media is all over this and starts hounding her the next day after the news comes out. She decides not to shy away from her social obligations, knowing that if she does it will likely hurt her school even more, but it doesn’t stop people from talking about her, or even being snobby to her face.
What does Edith know?
So how did Edith escape whatever fate befell the other ladies? She says that as they were climbing her stomach started to hurt and that they laid down to sleep and when she woke up they were gone and she was alone. She ran claiming that she felt something chasing after her and that eventually she saw an angry red cloud coming at her. She then ran again and this time passed by Miss McCraw telling Edith to wait right where she was as the teacher went further into the rocks after the girls. Every time she tells the tale to people it becomes more and more exaggerated in her retelling – the mind is a funny thing that way, especially when it comes to terrifying experiences.
Michael’s obsession
Michael, the handsome fellow who became entranced with the girls in the premiere and tried to follow them as they climbed the rock only for them to disappear before his eyes, can’t let the situation go. The experience is something that has clearly stuck with him and he becomes obsessed with finding them. Because he followed them (and found and kept Miranda’s stocking before they disappeared) he is quickly becoming a suspect in their disappearance.
With the search being called off and Michael still a suspect he goes back to the rock an look again. While he’s there he doesn’t find the girls, but he finds a bit of what Miranda was looking for – freedom from her social standing and what was expected of her. Miranda was in tune with the earth because she saw it as a way to escape all the rules and expectations of her real life and being at hanging rock Michael is starting to get a sense of that for himself as well. After a night out alone at hanging rock his friend (Albert) finds Michael left bleeding on a rock saying that he’s found them. Albert runs off into the rocks (and we see that mysterious red clouds dissipate) and he sees the legs of a girl in a white dress laying on the ground.
Related – Check out our episode 3 review of Picnic at Hanging Rock.
CarterMatt Verdict
While we quite enjoyed the premiere which brought us a lot of suspense, this episode was a bit more jumbled. We had flashbacks and snooping and a grand celebration in the middle of the hunt for the missing women. Part of what we enjoyed about the premiere was the performances from the girls, but now that they are missing the story is missing a bit of that spark.
What did you think of Picnic at Hanging Rock episode 2 and are you excited to see where the story goes next? Leave us a comment in the box below with your thoughts. If you want more scoop on the show or are looking to chat with other fans of the series then be sure to join our official CarterMatt Facebook page. (Photo: Amazon)