11 "Mare Of Easttown" Fan Theories I Can't Stop Thinking About

    There are so many suspects for Erin's murder — but there are a lot of other interesting mysteries happening too.

    Jenna Guillaume
    by Jenna Guillaume

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead!🚨

    With every Mare of Easttown episode, we get 1 or 2 answers and about 10 more questions.

    Confused math lady meme
    knowyourmeme.com

    Naturally there are a lot of fan theories flying around. Here are some that are pretty convincing...

    1. Richard is writing a book about Mare and/or Katie.

    Guy Pearce as Richard in Mare of Easttown
    Sarah Shatz/HBO / Via hbo.com

    Not many fans trust Richard, who seemed to come out of nowhere and become immediately fascinated with Mare. He could just be into her — but in a show where basically everyone is a suspect, there's a good chance there's more to him than we know. While some believe he is the kidnapper and/or killer, other fans have suggested Richard may be in town to research a new book — and for my money, this is the strongest theory about his motives. We know he's only written one book in the past, and while he jokes about that and acts content with teaching, it wouldn't be surprising if he was trying to make it once again. He could be writing either specifically about Katie Bailey or Mare, or simply writing a crime novel and using Mare as inspiration.

    2. Erin's killer is not Katie and Missy's kidnapper.

    Erin with her hands crossed, appearing to look concerned
    Sarah Shatz/HBO / Via hbo.com

    Although the show has made it seem like all three girls might have been attacked by the same person, the fact that we now know the other two girls were kidnapped and locked up rather than murdered suggests a different perpetrator — especially as a gun was involved with Erin's death, while Missy's attacker did not use a gun.

    3. Erin wasn't actually murdered.

    Erin looks at her phone with her friend beside her
    Michele K. Short/HBO

    Some fans believe that Erin's death was actually an accident — the result of her earlier injuries from being beaten and/or a fall. The gash on her head, missing finger, and her nudity can all be explained by other circumstances, some viewers claim. It's quite a reach, but not impossible.

    4. There's more to Kevin's story than we know.

    Kevin yelling at Mare off-screen
    HBO

    Kevin died two years ago, and his death clearly had a profound effect on his family. But some fans are looking deeper than what we've been told so far. There are several theories that Kevin was actually murdered — one fan even suggests Mare did it — while others think he was involved with Erin and may be the father of Erin's child.

    5. Katie's daughter is a clue.

    Katie's daughter smiles as her grandmother holds a piece of broccoli in front of her face
    HBO

    In Episode 4 we saw that Katie Bailey actually has a daughter. The fact that both Katie and Erin are/were teen mothers is one more thing they have in common — which some fans believe may be related to why they were targeted (if, indeed, they were targeted by the same person).

    6. Dylan's father is a bad guy.

    Dylan's father sits in his hospital room
    HBO

    You'd be forgiven for barely noticing Dylan's father. We've only seen him in a couple of scenes at the hospital, and even then he takes less prominence than Dylan's mother. So why do some fans believe he's a bad guy — possibly THE bad guy who is kidnapping and/or murdering young girls? Well, mostly because he's a white guy with dark sideburns, which we know the kidnapper is from the glimpses we saw of him. And also the fact that he's not at the hospital at the same time that Missy is being kidnapped, whereas Dylan's mother is.

    There's even a possibility that he's actually the father of Erin's kid.

    7. Erin's father Kenny is the father of her child.

    Kenny stands in front of a house
    HBO

    This is dark, but since we don't know who the father of Erin's child is — except that it's NOT Dylan or Frank — her own father, Kenny, is definitely a contender. We know he did not treat Erin well — although we haven't seen any evidence of sexual abuse.

    8. The Ross brothers are involved somehow.

    Billy and John Ross sit on chairs in a messy living room
    Michele K. Short/HBO

    The Ross brothers are Kenny's cousins. There isn't a lot of specific evidence that they are bad guys, but fans are treating everyone with suspicion. Perhaps Erin's friend went to Lori Ross — the wife of John Ross — with the half-truth about Erin's baby's parentage because she actually wanted to point the finger closer to home, and not at Frank, as she did eventually. Or maybe she even named John, or even Lori's son, and Lori is the one who twisted the truth.

    9. Mare's cousin Father Hastings is the killer.

    Father Hastings leans on the kitchen counter
    HBO

    He's been such a background character, with all the negative attention on the deacon — which, of course, could be the perfect distraction. One fan theory suggests Father Hastings actually abused Kevin, while others believe he is the one kidnapping girls.

    10. Siobhan knows more than she's letting on.

    Siobhan stands in a doorway
    Michele K. Short/HBO

    Siobhan was one of the last people to see Erin alive, and the next day she suspiciously avoided all of her mother's phone calls. Does she know more than she's letting on? Will the documentary she's creating about her brother be some kind of clue?

    11. Something major will happen with Zabel.

    Zabel sits at a desk holding a pen
    Sarah Shatz/HBO

    While some fans think Zabel is a killer (because Evan Peters, I guess?), others think he is going to die in the next couple of episodes. Either way, a big plot twist is heading his way! Or, you know, maybe not.

    What are your fave Mare of Easttown theories?