Audio Chat: 'Mare Of Easttown' Gave Us All The Mixed Feels

This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter by Claire Fallon and Emma Gray. Rich Text is a space for the indulgent and the incisive, for witty and wistful explorations of the cultural, the personal, and the political in both written and audio formats. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!Be warned: This chat contains ALL THE SPOILERS. Who murdered the durder? We finally found out on Sunday night, after a spasm of national curiosity so intense that it overloaded HBO Max and left “Mare of Easttown” fans hanging. The show ultimately revealed itself to be as much of a family drama as a whodunnit, following the titular detective Mare (Kate Winslet) as she attempted to finally grieve for her late son, solve the disappearances of two young women and the murder of another in her small community, and hold her own crumbling family together. In the finale, the central mystery of the show — who murdered young mom Erin McMenamin? — is dramatically solved, and the relationships between Mare and her loved ones are further tested. Special guest Esmé Wang joined us to discuss whether “Mare” is actually a good show, the Delco accent PR blitz, how the show explores motherhood and friendship, and the thorny question of how to make murder mysteries without making copaganda. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claireandemma.substack.com/subscribe