Mors Dicitur Ultimum Supplicium

S02E10

That's weird. Ellen messed up both sides of her bed before getting into it. She is distracted from her odd task by her phone. It's a voicemail from the village idiot, Katie. She leaves her a guilt-addled message about working too long and being lonely and a loser and come out and drink already! The guilt trip apparently did a number on Ellen's calorie-starved brain and soon the drinks do to! As she downs shots and beers (on a work night? After that tongue lashing Patty gave you this morning? You crazy, girlfriend.) she makes a heavy-lidded eye thing at some hirsute gentleman loitering too close to a dart board for personal safety. She downs one more shot (I guess it is spring break time) and makes her way over to the guy and harasses him drunk girl style for awhile and intimates that she might invite him back to her hotel room. You want that guy when you could have Wes? You really are drunk.

Claire finds Daniel Purcell and they hug awkwardly and formally. It was pretty much the perfect ex hug. They sit on separate couches and Claire tells Daniel that he needs his help. She tells him about the hooker and Finn Garrity and she knows he is being lied to. Daniel doesn't know the name, but when Claire tells him that Finn is a big time douche bag, I mean, energy trader, Daniel looks interested. He's been watching UNR since he "retired" and has noticed a pattern of blackouts. If someone inside UNR was purposefully planning those blackouts and was leaking the information to an energy trader someone could be making an awful lot of money. Why? Economics 101 don't you wish you weren't too hungover to make it to that 8 a.m. class? Would you have made an extra effort if you knew it would help you unravel pop culture later in life? So this has something to do with supply and demand. When UNR "accidentally" has blackouts, the price of energy goes up because demand exceeds the supply. If an energy trader knew when to time his buys so that he bought right before the black outs when the price was low and sold during or immediately after when the price was high, he would make a fortune. Claire puts her head in her hands and moans softly. Claire is in denial. She doesn't think Kendrick would take such a big risk. Daniel shakes his head and flashes back to Kendrick on the rooftop talking about their new partnership formed out of the ashes of Purcell's dead wife's body. Still not quite sure why Purcell would agree to her death, but whatever. For now. Daniel leans forward and decides to come clean with Claire. Mostly clean that is. He tells her that Aricite is toxic and Kendrick had the report doctored. He explains that he made a deal with Kendrick that he would clean up West Virginia and Aricite in exchange for the fabricated report. Strangely he leaves the whole part out about his wife's murder and his massive payoff. Claire buys his explanation. Maybe. Daniel tells her to ask Kendrick about Aricite. If he denies the toxicity, she'll know he can't be trusted. Claire looks like she's had it up to here. I am so excited that she is going to get more screen time as this all unravels.