The Beast In Me Episode 2 Recap: What Is Aggie’s New Book About?

Despite having a slower pace, The Beast in Me is definitely one series that can hold its suspense taut. The first episode, “Sick Puppy,” did not give us much—just introductions and an insignificant death (which I feel will be the first of many in the series). However, there has been an ominous feeling hovering in Oyster Bay ever since Nile Jarvis arrived. Teddy’s death confirms that the premonitions are not baseless but rooted in something substantial that the show is yet to show us. Let’s take a look at what happens in the second episode, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely.”

Spoilers Ahead

Did Teddy Commit Suicide?

Aggie drives to where Teddy’s car was found after seeing the news. Teddy’s parents are devastated and in tears and accuse Aggie of being happy over the outcome. They also add that Teddy was not suicidal at all; in fact, he was looking forward to a trip with his partner. From what Aggie had seen of Teddy the day before, it did not at all seem like he was going to commit suicide—but then again, looks can always to be deceiving. It is improbable that Teddy killed himself, but it is too soon to comment that Nile was involved in it. However, as Aggie drives past Nile’s house, he turns up with a strange smile and asks her if she is finally relieved to have the killer of her son disappear from her vicinity. The question seems oddly specific, almost as if he is asking for feedback on his handiwork (or maybe brainwork). Aggie feels extremely suspicious and decides to get in touch with Brian Abbott, the FBI officer who knocked on her door warning her about Nile. 

One thing is certain from Nile’s expression: he may have pulled some strings to orchestrate Teddy’s staged suicide, but he did it to win some favors. It is quite intriguing why Nile Jarvis is actively trying to win the favor of Aggie Wiggs. Is it a part of a premeditated act where he moved in solely to be in her vicinity, or are things unfolding as unrelated happenstances? We don’t know yet, but Aggie tries to get to the bottom of it.

What Does Brian Abbott Tell Aggie?

Aggie calls up Brian Abbott as he is having a secret rendezvous with his coworker Erika. Aggie calls to tell Brian about Teddy’s death and panics on the call; however, Brian is suspiciously confidential about this call and does not tell Erika that it involves Nile. Instead, he asks Aggie to meet at Central Park. Aggie and Brian meet, and when Aggie reminds him about what he said last night in context with Teddy’s disappearance and death, Abbott is quick to dismiss her. He looks pretty done with the Nile Jarvis arc and tells Aggie that he does not want to drag his name into this and wants to retire peacefully. He also says that Aggie is free to report him if she wants, and most police would take her word coming from someone watching too many podcasts when Aggie mentions the coincidence of the missing bodies of both Madison, Nile’s wife, and Teddy from last night. The meeting with Brian is not quite fruitful, but it reveals a few things while it denies revealing anything. The very act of resisting any association with Nile Jarvis indicates that the man is capable of brewing sinister things enough to scare off an FBI special agent. It also reveals that he is influential and can damage the career, reputation, and, by a stretch, the life of pretty much anyone he wants. This will explain Brian’s dismissiveness towards the Nile Jarvis case.

What is Aggie’s New Book About?

Well, Aggie seems to be in a rut regarding her new book. The idea regarding Ruth Ginsburg is not really working out. On top of it, she keeps hiding this fact from her editor, Carol, and cashing out advances, saying that the book is in progress. While digging up stuff about Nile Jarvis, and also after seeing the protests against Jarvis Yards in NYC, Aggie feels strangely attracted to the narrative behind this thing. Nile Jarvis, if nothing else, surely has a certain cunning enigma to his personality that would do well for a book. Aggie takes the idea to Carol, her agent, and pitches it as a book where Nile’s side of the story is finally heard. This inevitably means that Aggie will have to be in Nile’s confidence and rewrite a version for the world where Nile would wash off the blame that he killed his wife. Guilty or not, the idea sells well to Carol, and Aggie mentally prepares herself to approach Nile.Approaching Nile is not super difficult; in a way I feel like the man paves the way for Aggie to approach him. It may be a part of his plan to get Aggie involved, and he is the one who proposed the idea of the book first. Aggie goes to Nile’s place to pitch the book and finds Nile feasting on chicken. There is something uncanny and primitive about the way he is munching on the meat, and it will certainly remind you of other possibilities. However, when Aggie tells him about her proposal, Nile carefully considers it. He tells her that Olivia Benetz is protesting against him running for the mayoral position and also tells her that he killed his wife, adding that that is what people think of him at least. When Aggie asks him directly if he did kill his wife, he answers that he loved her and then reluctantly adds that he did not kill her. Anything Nile says feels like having a sublayer to it and may not be straightforward at all. Nile says he would think about it, and Aggie returns home only to see from a distance an invader running out of her house. 

Why Is Aggie’s House Being Invaded?

The next morning, Nina turns up at Aggie’s door with a neighborly gesture of handing her a pie. Nina asks Aggie to go on a walk with her (which turns out to be a test) in the woods, and Aggie joins. However, the test was not so much about assessing what Aggie thinks but more about searching her house while she is out on the walk. As Nina and Aggie discuss Jarvis, Maddison, and other things, Rick is inside Aggie’s house looking through her things. Among the other things, he finds the paper with Brian Abbott’s name written on it. In the woods, Nina tells Aggie that Jarvis could not have killed Maddie. She also adds that Maddie was unwell, and no one but her inner circle knew it. Nina was Maddie’s executive assistant and claims that her relationship with Nile developed only after Maddie’s death. Anyway, both the background check by Rick and the personal interview by Nina turn out to be rewarding in the end as Nile decides to roll the dice on Aggie despite having a million reasons to not do the book, according to his own words. Aggie seems ecstatic, but I am a little skeptical since the wins seem too easy and are giving off a vibe of luring someone into a trap only to butcher them later. 

Who Picks Erika Up?

Aggie calls Abbott to tell him about the book deal. I think a part of her wants to know what happened so desperately that she came up with the book idea. It gets her close to Jarvis and gives her a front-seat view of what happened in his life. While Abbott only hears about it later, he was having a conversation with Erika before it. Erika tells him that she has parted with her husband recently and did not tell him because she did not want Abbott to feel responsible.Erika walks out of the office as a car pulls by her with Rick driving it. He asks Erika to get into the car, and she refuses, saying that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with “these people.” I am assuming she is speaking about Nile, but who else is involved? From the adversity of her reaction, things seem pretty grave. Rick rudely insists that she get in, and Erika gets in wordlessly. Rick also knows about Erika’s husband’s name and that she has kids, so it is safe to assume that there have been previous alignments between Jarvis and the FBI team. Especially after finding Brian Abbott’s name, Rick decides to visit Erika. The episode reaches a close as Erika gets into the car, and in the next episodes, we will hopefully learn what actually went wrong with Jarvis, what he is hiding, and why he is letting on as much as he is letting on while picking Aggie as a narrator of his account. 

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