At the end of “Alaska Daily” Episode 2, we saw that Jordan Teller, the Alaska Investment Fund CEO, died in a plane crash. It seems that Yuna Park’s article made him take his own life out of shame. His death had affected Yuna. Eileen Fitzgerald and Rosalind Friendly met Sylvie Nanmac, mother of Gloria Nanmac, whose death they were investigating. “Alaska Daily” Episode 3 takes the two reporters deeper into the conspiracy behind the police putting off investigating crimes against native women. On the other hand, Austin Teague, another The Daily Alaskan reporter, finds shocking intel on Frank Moses, who is running for US Senate, that could have adverse effects on Alaska.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Alaska Daily’ Episode 3: Recap Summary
Anchorage (The Daily Alaskan office): Austin has just begun interviewing Frank Moses when the latter leaves, saying that something urgent has come up. After he leaves, Austin finds out that someone took unauthorized pics of a leak at the Meacham tailings pond and sends the pics to The Daily Alaskan as well as TV outlets. The company behind the leak is LH Mining. Meanwhile, the word around is that Aaron Pritchard, publisher of The Daily Alaskan, is endorsing the “pro-salmon” (supporting healthy rivers and fish populations) Frank Moses. So Pritchard will have to consider the situation thoroughly before delivering the newspaper’s endorsement of Moses, as it could affect the vote as well as the newspaper’s reputation. Stanley asks Austin about Moses’ interview. Having not gathered much information from the interview, Austin decides to look into Moses’ financial disclosures.
Meade (Gloria Nanmac’s hometown): Eileen, Rosalind, and Sylvie arrive at Meade, Gloria’s hometown. Sylvie lets the two reporters stay at her house while they carry out their investigation in Meade regarding Gloria’s disappearance and death. Eileen decides to go to the police station for reports, whereas Rosalind wants to go to the Cultural Council as it will have native people who might just throw more light on the matter. However, they visit the police station first. At the Meade Police Station, they meet Chief Durkin, who was one of the members of the team that investigated Gloria’s death. He tells them that he will have the police report sent to their address after redacting anything sensitive. It seems that they aren’t getting their hands on the report.
As Eileen and Rosalind come out of the police station, they find two boys on quad bikes who have been sent by Sylvie. They will take Eileen and Rosalind to the spot where Gloria’s body was found. When they reach the spot, the boys show them an upside-down boat, under which some hunters find Gloria’s battered self. As Eileen stares into the horizon across the stretch of empty grassland, her eyes turn stern. For the first time since Eileen has been on this case, she is “angry,” just as Rosalind has been for so many years.
Eileen and Rosalind then arrive at the location where Skeeter’s house is supposed to be. But the space is empty. They ask around and find out that the house held parties deep into the night. But again, no complaint was registered with the police. The house belonged to Dot Redding, secretary at the church. Skeeter, aka Clarence, is her grandson, to whom she left the house after moving to a nursing home. They also find out that the cops have been selling confiscated drugs from their evidence locker. On the way back to Sylvie’s, they meet Derek Friendly, half-brother of Rosalind, who does payroll at City Hall. But Rosalind appears to not be on speaking terms with Derek and offers only a casual greeting. According to Rosalind, “He’s off limits.”
Anchorage: Austin, with help from Yuna, finds out that Frank Moses received donations from 3 LLCs. On digging deeper, they find out that all three are represented by the law firm Gardner and Wise. LH Mining is also represented by Gardner and Wise. LH Mining and the 3 LLCs are connected via Frank Moses. And what’s strange is that Moses, via the LLCs, is willing to be represented by the same law firm that represents an organization that he is supposedly taking a stand against. Moses is pro-salmon, and LH Mining was recently caught leaking chemicals into the Meacham tailings pond. So, to find out more, Austin decides to pay his wife, Anna, who lives with their son Zach, a visit. She works at Gardner and Wis. However; she doesn’t offer any information, stating that it is privileged information.
Meade: Eileen and Rosalind receive the police report from Chief Durkin and find out that almost every bit of info has been redacted from it. Clearly, the police don’t want them or anyone else to find the truth. The only piece of information available is DUI, with Gloria being addressed as “troubled” with a history of drinking. So, the authorities put the blame on the victim. Eileen decides that it is time to play tough. Rosalind decides that they need to visit the legislature (City Hall), where she used to work, to pull out Chief Durkin’s monthly case reports and review every case he has worked on. It’s all public record. Maybe this will reveal more about the cases against Native women as well as Durkin himself. But when they arrive at City Hall, they are denied the police department’s records. Eileen goes behind Rosalind’s back, excusing herself for the restroom but going and talking to Derek at the payroll. She uses Rosalind’s reference to ask Derek for the police department’s monthly reports. Derek smiles and nods.
Anchorage: At the Daily Alaskan office, Austin is taken aback when he finds out that three members, one from each of the three LLCs funding Frank Moses, are also among the board members of LH Mining. This basically means that LH Mining, a company that poses a threat to the Alaskan fishing industry, is funding Moses, a pro-salmon candidate’s campaign for the US Senate. Traditionally speaking, Frank Moses is carrying out his pro-salmon façade only to gain the votes. And, if he becomes the Senate, his powers will allow him to grant land rights to LH Mining without being answerable to anyone. And that is exactly what LH Mining intends, because why wouldn’t they? All they need is land. This can compromise the fishing industry beyond recovery. Furthermore, with Pritchard backing Moses, the very ethics of The Daily Alaskan can come into question. When Austin takes this story to Stanley, chief at The Daily Alaskan, he tells Austin that they cannot print the news without knowing if the LLC members funded the other candidates for the Senate. Only after they rule out the other candidates, if at all, will they be able to publish the news and point the finger at Moses. Austin snaps at Stanley before Bob, the acting news editor, tells him to leave the room.
Meade: Eileen brings back the monthly reports of the police department. Rosalind is very annoyed at her for going behind her back, considering how complicated it is for her. But Eileen states that whatever she is doing is for the case and not for Rosalind. Rosalind leaves and sits on the stairs outside, all by herself. A few minutes later, as she and Sylvie are having tea, Sylvie reassures her of her importance in the case. It is true that without Rosalind, Eileen wouldn’t have had anything to go on.
Anchorage: Austin tells Yuna about the Moses story, and that Stanley wouldn’t print it because their publisher was endorsing Moses. Going after Moses would naturally mean going against the company and risking getting sacked. On the other hand, Stanley approaches Aaron Pritchard with the Moses story and how it’s a question of ethics, a pro-salmon guy funded by a mining company. But Pritchard brushes it off, calling it politics and not a story. Without saying anything more, Stanley takes his leave.
Meade: Rosalind visits the Cultural Council. There she meets an assault survivor, Molly, who states that Durkin didn’t investigate her case. Here Molly tells him that she wants to go on record with this information. It seems that cops don’t investigate crimes against native women, and Chief Durkin has been pulling the strings. Rosalind returns to Sylvie’s and tells Eileen what she found. Meanwhile, Eileen has gone through the reports and has found that there have been 72 felony cases of sexual assault or rape of native women in the last two years that the cops didn’t even charge anyone for. Either the case is left open or left unfounded. All thanks to Chief Durkin.
Anchorage: Austin tells Stanley that the three LLCs in question haven’t funded any other candidate, or anyone related to the candidates. Stanley thus greenlights Austin’s story. Austin apologizes for the way he snapped at Stanley the last time.
Meade: Eileen and Rosalind revisit the police station to talk to Durkin but find that he has gone on a hunting trip. The ladies then make their way to Durkin’s property and question him about the selling of the confiscated drugs, his zero charges against 72 felony complaints, and “no foul pay” in Gloria Nanmac’s death despite there being fractures and lacerations on her head. What follows is Durkin’s explanation, where he addresses such cases as nonsense. He refers to the place’s history, telling them that men used to come there to trade women for booze and guns. In other words, it’s not a big deal that requires investigation. According to him, it is just “native girls who can’t handle their alcohol.” After this, Durkin tells the ladies to leave his property. But unbeknownst to him, Eileen had recorded every word he said.
‘Alaska Daily’ Episode 3: Ending Explained – Is Austin’s Story Published? Will The Daily Alaskan Cover Gloria Nanmac’s Disappearance?
Eileen and Rosalind return to The Daily Alaskan and show Stanley all the intel they have collected. They decide to add a paragraph to the story where they would bust the racist myth, as stated by Durkin, which will otherwise perpetuate. This is good reporting, says Stanley. But the talk is not over, as Rosalind gives Eileen an ultimatum. If Eileen does something behind Rosalind’s back again, Rosalind will walk out of the case. “I hear you,” says Eileen.
Yuna decides to talk to a therapist to learn how to cope with the online hate she is facing for her article against Jordan Teller. Austin and Bob watch on the telly as Frank Moses is questioned by the media after Austin’s story is published. The Pritchards have dropped their endorsement of him too. Later, Austin receives a call from his wife, Anna, who tells him that she has gotten a huge promotion and is moving to Chicago with their son. Austin is heartbroken. Stanley calls a friend with the favor of finding out what the Pritchards would have gained if Moses had won the election. His friend warns him from going after Conrad Pritchard, the father of Aaron Pritchard. “I understand,” says Stanley.
With Stanley greenlighting the Gloria Nanmac story, we can be sure that it will turn a lot of heads, especially those at the Meade police department. Furthermore, we are yet to meet Conrad Pritchard, the apparent mastermind behind the deal with LH Mining and Moses’s funds. There is also the “concerned citizen” who has been stalking Eileen, who is yet to reveal himself.
