Episode 7 of “Alaska Daily” takes the daily routine at The Daily Alaskan office and turns it upside down. Episode 6 ended with the “concerned citizen” [the man who had made threats against Eileen for a long time] pointing a gun at Eileen Fitzgerald, who is alone inside The Daily Alaskan office. There is no apparent way to get the word out, and Eileen seems to be staring at her death. Will she survive? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
The Concern Of A Citizen
It is nighttime and drizzling. Eric Barry is in his car as he watches the reporters of The Daily Alaskan enter the bar nearby. He then gets out of the car, breaks the lock, enters the office, and heads towards the room where he can see Eileen working. He pulls a gun on her, and she is in utter shock and disbelief. He asks her for her phone. She gives it to him quietly. He then brings her out to the newsroom and makes her sit in a chair. Eileen’s phone pings. It’s a text from Stanley, who wants her to join them at the bar. He asks Eileen to unlock the phone, and she replies that she can’t make it. He then tells her that if anyone tries to enter the building, she will have to die.
As they are talking, Gabriel Tovar, who has been hiding inside the archives room all the while, texts Stanley about all that’s going on. Stanley shares the info with the others at the bar [Rosalind, a.k.a. Roz, Claire, Bob, Austin, and Yuna]. They decide to contact the police. Stanley tells Bob to contact Aaron Pritchard. They need to act fast because they have no idea what the man is capable of.
The Confession
The “Concerned Citizen” hands Eileen a notebook and tells her to write her confession about how she suppresses the truth and spreads lies instead. He refers to reporter Dennis Gibson from The Eagle, who, according to him, understands the reality of things and addresses them. Eileen agrees.
One hour in, Stanley has contacted Captain Freeman, who has already begun setting up a unit. They begin searching for details about the guy holding Eileen hostage. Gabriel is also in danger. Austin pulls out Eileen’s phone records, which show all the calls she received from the guy, but he needs a name to cross-check. Claire comes across a person, profile name oyoman223, who has been posting negative comments on The Daily Alaskan page. They find proof that one of the comments was copied and pasted from a blog written by Dennis Gibson at The Eagle. The person has also threatened Eileen on her Twitter profile. Unfortunately, there is no name or location. Publishing the hostage situation at the moment might reveal the real identity of oyoman223, but no one knows how he will react once he finds out about it. So Stanley tells his team to wait until the cops arrive, after which they will begin posting what’s happening by the minute.
The “concerned citizen” tells Eileen of all the jobs lost after a fleet of jets was grounded due to Eileen’s article on US Defense Secretary Raymond Green. Eileen defends herself, saying that a life was lost, and she felt responsible for telling the truth. The guy doesn’t want to hear what she has to say. He is clearly beyond being reasoned with, especially by Eileen.
Gabriel calls Stanley and tells him about the confession thing. Stanley asks if Gabriel can get a message out to Eileen in any way without being seen. That’s when Gabriel realized that the screen in the main office showing the analytics connects to the archives room, the room he is in. He sees the laptop connected to the servers. He can send her messages through it. A minute later, while the concerned citizen has his head down in his chair, Eileen notices the analytics screen. The first title asks if she can see the Colombian staffer [Gabriel] in the morgue [archives room]. She sees a shadow and nods. Communication has been established. She gives the guy her confession.
The Analysis
Gabriel informs Stanley about this. Yuna and Austin find out the possible name of the “concerned citizen,” i.e., Eric Barry. Yuna pulls out a picture of the guy. Stanley takes a quick picture and sends it to Gabriel, who confirms his identity. Bob informs the Anchorage Police Department about the name. Meanwhile, Pritchard walks in and finds out what’s going on. Captain Freeman has arrived at the location as well. He has also brought with him Laura Cole, a senior member of the negotiation unit. Meanwhile, snipers take positions on top of the adjacent building for monitoring. The plan is to keep the communication going as they dig for more information about Eric Barry.
Eric is satisfied with Eileen and tells her to publish it, but she literally doesn’t know how to publish an article. That’s when a phone in the newsroom rings. Stanley and the others hear a gunshot from inside the newsroom. Three hours in, the snipers confirm that a shot was fired by the suspect, but Eileen is unharmed. In the bar, Yuna finds out that Dennis and Eric exchanged messages an hour before Eric entered The Daily Alaskan. Dennis’s words about Eileen being like cancer prove that he is at least partially responsible for instigating Eric to take the step. Dennis was Roz’s former editor, so she decides to pay him a visit. Pritchard brings in a detective. Claire has found out Eric’s last address. So, Austin and the detective decide to visit the spot and talk to the neighbors.
Eric shot at the phone, which now lies in pieces. Eileen asks to go to the bathroom. Eric goes with her and waits outside the cubicle. Eileen tells him about her own background and how she isn’t an elite, contrary to what he thinks. Her father broke down mentally after losing his job, just like Eric, when the mills closed in the 1980s. Eric, too, worked on oil rigs, and so Eileen’s words struck a chord. After coming out, she tells him to let his story out into the world in his own words.
Back at the bar, the cops are waiting for the snipers to get a clean shot at Eric, but Eileen is in the way. Stanley informs Gabriel, still in the Archives Room, to convey the message to Eileen to move out of the way. Eric is telling his story. In front of him is Eileen, carefully noting everything down. It is clear from his words that he believes that the worldwide drive against global warming led to the collapse of Alaska’s oil industry and the loss of countless jobs. That’s when Eileen read a new title on the analytics board. She is required to “drop to the ground.” But she doesn’t. Gabriel conveys this to Stanley. The negotiators think that it is possible that Eileen has managed to calm Eric down, but it is believed to be only temporary.
The Clues
10 hours in. Night turns to day. Roz meets Dennis and tells him about how one of his followers, Eric Barry, has taken Eileen Fitzgerald hostage. Roz reads him his post, telling Eric to “take action” against Irene Fitzgerald. She assured him that his name goes into her article in one of two ways. Either Roz addresses him as a villain who instigated a hostage scenario or as the person who saved a fellow journalist from death. It’s for Dennis to decide what he wants to be. Saying this, Roz leaves.
Austin and the detective recover a letter written by Eric to his daughter Daisy, who is in rehab, from Eric’s last known address. Austin informs Yuna about Daisy, and Yuna shares the intel with Stanley. Stanley tells Bob and Yuna to meet Daisy, talk to her, and try to get her to talk to Eric.
Inside the newsroom, Eileen tries to make Eric, who is now having coffee with her, understand that Dennis is exploiting Eric’s pain and coercing him into doing things that are wrong. Another phone rings and Eric picks it up. It is the negotiator. While talking to her, Eric notices Eileen looking at the analytics screen and figures out that they are communicating with her through that. He shoots the screen, finds Gabriel, takes him hostage, and brings him and Eileen inside one of the smaller office rooms. Any communication from inside the newsroom is no longer possible.
The Right And The Wrong
Eleven hours and 43 minutes in. Eric gets a call from Dennis who tries to talk him out of the situation, but Eric realizes that Dennis has been approached by the cops too. It is they who are making Dennis do it. This is followed by a call from negotiator Laura Cole, who asks Eric for his demands. Eileen, who is seemingly able to hear what the woman is saying, tells Eric to offer Gabriel’s release. This will buy Eric some more time as well as cooperation.
Yuna and Bob arrive at the treatment facility where Daisy is and meet her. They ask her to come with them and speak to her father, as it might just make him surrender. But Daisy, despite finding out about her father’s final letter to her, refuses, saying that he neither wants her nor wants to change. As she starts walking away, Yuna follows her.
‘Alaska Daily’ Episode 7: Ending Explained – Does Eileen Save Eric Barry?
Eileen tries to convince Eric that there is still time for him to walk out and live his life. But Eric believes that he has no future. He reads Eileen’s article on him and observes how Eileen’s, just like she had promised, has done justice to Eric’s thoughts without presenting him as a “monster.” Eileen promises to get it published. Hearing this, Eric stands up, walks out to the main newsroom, and points a gun at Eileen from a distance with his left hand. Eileen realizes what he is doing, but before she can react, a bullet hits him right in the middle of his forehead, and he drops dead. Gabriel points at the magazine in Eric’s right hand. Beside him, his phone keeps ringing. It’s his daughter, Daisy.
Eric Barry knew he had no way out, and once he realized that his word would get out, he did all that he could do. That night, in her room, Eileen writes a blog about the attack on journalism and journalists by politicians who belittle the news agencies by calling their news fake and about how she will never give up until she finds the truth she is out looking for. “Alaska Daily” Episode 7 ends with Eileen calling Jamie, and they both go out on a flying date, thanks to Jamie’s love for aircraft.
“Alaska Daily” Episode 7 seems to have further fueled Eileen Fitzgerald’s pursuit of the truth, which, as we might remember, is the case of Gloria Nanmac and their latest clue, pastor Reed Gallahorn. Eileen and Roz will be resuming their research, and we have to wait to see what they find out. “Alaska Daily” Episode 8 will again take us inside The Daily Alaskan newsroom, but this time without anyone holding a gun.
