BWW Recap: It's a Family Affair on GRACEPOINT

Most people try to keep their professional lives and their personal lives separate. But what do you do when the two worlds collide? Sounds a bit like an episode of Seinfeld to me. Unfortunately for Detective Miller, this collision is anything but comedic. Her son, Tom, gets sucked in to the murder investigation, and Mark, one of her family's best friends, seems to get guiltier by the second. If Carver was annoyed by her inherent trust in the people of Gracepoint before, he's definitely not any happier now that some of her closest - and most trusted - friends and family members are at the center of Danny's murder.

The tension between the two detectives oozes into every scene they share. The simple difference in their personalities is summed up in one single moment: Ellie brings coffee to the cold beach to warm herself up, and Carver grabs it, assuming it's for him, without thanking her, or even making eye contact with her. Their personalities - and priorities - are just plain different. Caver's focus is on finding the murderer regardless of the cost. To him, everyone's a suspect. Ellie, on the other hand, knows the town on a different level. She grew up here; these people are her friends and neighbors. She can't bring herself to view them as suspects. That's why it's so hard for her, at first, to accept that Mark is a genuine suspect.

The evidence is quickly stacking up against him, though, as he's caught in lie after lie. He convinces his colleague, Vince, to vouch for his whereabouts, but Vince's mother quickly destroys that alibi. Susan, the lady from the trailer park, contradicts Mark's claim that she made an emergency call to Mark about a pipe that burst in the cabin she has the key for, where Danny's blood was found. What's more, Mark has a boat, complete with drops of Danny's blood - and Carver is pretty confident a boat was used to transport the body from where Danny was killed to where his body was found. Maybe that psychic telephone guy wasn't so crazy after all.

Mark's not the only one hiding things. Beth still hasn't fessed up about her pregnancy, Susan won't let detectives into her house, and Pete, the Solano's "official police liaison," tries (albeit unsuccessfully) to mask his suspicion of Mark. As small as it is, Gracepoint seems to be a town of secrets. Renee, the reporter from the San Francisco Globe, is determined to do what the police can't: uncover these secrets. She approaches everyone she can find: Owen, Jack Reinhold, Vince, and even Carver himself. Not one of them is willing to spill. Poor Renee. (Kind of.)

But back to Mark. Let's face it: right now, as sad of a conclusion as it may be, it looks pretty clear that Mark is somehow involved in the murder of his son. He's refusing to account for his actions the night before Danny died, and the detectives are forced to arrest him for obstruction. Ellie appeals to their friendship when she tries to persuade him to tell the truth, but even that doesn't work on Mark. Something interesting happens here: Ellie begins to change. It's a small development, but she nevertheless opens herself up to the fact that Mark may indeed be a suspect. Up until this point, she thought it impossible that any of her close friends could be in any way involved. This case is testing every relationship she has.

It's also testing Beth's relationship with Mark. She knows something's not right when Mark takes so long to come back from the police station, and her fears are confirmed when Pete tells her and Chloe that Mark's been arrested. It's time for a new family alliance, made up of only mother and daughter.

This all becomes too much for Beth to handle, so she decides to take a walk to the cliffs. Someone follows her there. We don't know how he is at first, but regardless, walking a few paces behind someone whose sun has just been murdered and then startling them near a cliff is probably not the best way to make friends in a town wrapped up in a mysterious murder investigation. The man introduces himself to Beth, and proves that he is, at least in some ways, as sketchy as he seems, since he tells Beth that he has a message from Danny. Beth isn't interested at first. In fact, she's pretty freaked out. Raymond solidifies his oddball image by sliding his phone number in a note under her door, in case she changes her mind about the messages.

While Beth struggles with her über-suspicious husband, Ellie grapples with her family's involvement in the investigation. Sure, she's had biases and allegiances in the case before (after all, the Solanos are her best friends), but nothing to this extent, which is exactly why Carver insists that she not be present when he interviews her son Tom. The interview, thankfully, goes well, and Tom reveals more clues that point to Mark. Tom explains that Mark abused Danny, and that Mark has a tendency toward anger. As if Carver needed any more reasons to find Mark guilty of murder.

Speaking of Carver, how's his health been? Not too swell, apparently. Remember his little health scare a few episodes back, when he almost passed out? Turns out he's got heart problems - or, as the local doctor puts it, a ticking time bomb in his chest. The doctor insists he take a medical leave, but Carver refuses. This case means more to him than people know. To Carver, this case is penance for his past mistakes.

Penance is something that Rev. Paul Coates is quite familiar with. He may need to go there himself if he's not careful with Beth. His interactions with her appear to balance delicately on the line between platonic friendship and something a little bit more. Beth goes to him for advice about speaking to Raymond, and he suggests that the town hold a memorial service for Danny, all while holding her hand and making this recapper a wee bit uncomfortable. In the end, Beth calls Raymond, who tells her that Danny is okay, that he was on a boat (hint, hint), and that he doesn't want her to look for his killer, who he knew well, because he doesn't want her to get upset. Is it Mark? It's Mark. It's gotta be Mark.

Unless it's not Mark. The thin wire holding back Mark's whereabouts eventually snaps, and he's finally got a solid (yet completely terrible) alibi. Gemma, the owner of the local inn, reveals Mark was with her on Thursday night - they were having a secret affair. This news absolutely destroys Ellie. Her perceptions of the town were already changing, but now she's at a crossroads. Does she retain her belief that the people of Gracepoint, her friends, are good, loving people, or does she accept the fact that some people, maybe more than she'd find comfortable, are in fact capable of doing terrible things to those they love?

Gracepoint may seem like idyllic, family-oriented neighborhood at first, but underneath the smooth surface are rough, convoluted currents. Beth follows Mark and sees him kissing Gemma. Carver calls Chloe and confronts her about the cocaine. Ellie finally stands up to Carver (and perhaps earns some respect from him in return). Not enough drama for you? The crime scene investigators present Carver with new evidence: a piece of paper with a phone number on it found in Danny's pocket. How's that for more drama?

Who do you think the mysterious phone number belongs to? Someone we've met, or a new suspicious character? Let us know in the comments below or bounce ideas off of me on Twitter @CourtHenley!

Photo Credit: Fox

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