‘High Desert’ Episodes 2 And 3 Recap And Review: Is Peggy’s Mother Alive?

Peggy Newman is an interesting woman. Despite her addiction, which she has almost overcome, she has never let it grow on her and affect those around her. She is strong and knows how to take a stand. This aspect of her personality attracts us to her, although there is a lot more to her, like the fact that she is loving, funny, and intelligent. But what makes us one is our struggle. Her struggle to get a job, her struggle to keep the family together, her struggle to help a friend, and her struggle to cope with her mom’s absence are what connect us with her. She is one of us. But for now, she has to deal with a robbery in the middle of High Desert.

Spoilers Ahead


PI Training

Before she enters Owen’s office, she has a small chat with a saguaro flower, which reveals just how she feels. Reassuring it of how beautiful and strong it is and advising it not to be hurt by those who are mean to it, we can tell that she is talking more to herself than the flower. She knows that she has thorns around her that hurt people, even though she doesn’t want to, but she is still a flower. And she must not stop being one. Then, at Owen’s office, she smartly proves that she didn’t steal any money from the safe, and it is basically Owen’s fault for having the same combination for everything. Well, most of us have the same password for most of our accounts, if not all, and it may be time for us to listen to Peggy, too, just like Owen should. All this proves that she is definitely private investigator material. She can get Bruce the fee for the missing painting and get his agency much-needed publicity. She doesn’t need to enroll in the PI training program and gets Carol to attend it instead. This will naturally make her investigation a lot more helpful and much faster. But just when it seems that she is all set to begin her prosperous career, she spots her mother. At first, we also thought, along with her, that she was hallucinating.


Pioneertown Security

At work, Peggy notices that Tammy has breast implants. But what raises suspicion in Peggy’s mind is the fact that Guru Bob has broken up with Tammy. If they have broken up, where did she get the money for the implants? Indeed, she couldn’t afford it on her own. Where did she get the money from? She offers to help Owen get his money back only if he gives her the security contract for Pioneertown and takes the cops off their backs. After some discussion, Peggy gets six hours to solve the case, and we know that she knows that she can do it. She then confronts Tammy about her breast implants, and it doesn’t take her more than a second or two to admit that she stole the money. She did it for Guru Bob, who wanted her to have the implants. This is why Peggy asked Owen to get the cops off their backs, because if he didn’t, Tammy would be arrested. That wouldn’t be nice. Tammy gives her Guru Bob’s address, and she visits him.

From Guru Bob’s behavior, Peggy realizes in an instant that he is a complete nonsensical fraud. She finds out his wife’s name, i.e., Donatella Scarborough, from a pill bottle in his washroom. And then we get proof that Peggy is indeed right when we see Bob held at knifepoint. He sold a fake painting for $3 million to a guy named Arman, and now he is back for his money. Peggy observes it all but leaves without helping him. Maybe a knife to his neck will bring some sense into him. As part of her new job, she informs Bruce about what she saw and heads to the place where she used to play bingo with her mother. Bob butt-dials Peggy, but she is busy crashing her car into a trailer while brooding over her mother. The fun she had at the bingo parlor brought back to her all the memories of the times she and her mother played bingo together, and it hurt, to say the least. On top of that, she is on LSD. In any case, she wakes up the next morning in her wrecked car and manages to drive it home. To her surprise, which is about to turn into a shock, Dianne is there with a realtor. Why? The house needs to be sold. But not as long as Peggy lives there. Dianne doesn’t force anything; she just gives her some money for a new car and leaves. And though Peggy assures her that it is her and Stuart’s house as well, she believes that they do not really care about where she lives, and thus she gets new locks installed. This is to not let Dianne or Stuart enter the house, show it to another realtor, and sell it. Maybe that’s a good decision, but there’s nothing to think about it anymore, especially since Carol has more information on Guru Bob. His wife is missing, and there is a $70,000 reward for anyone who has any information on her. So, she needs to get the money anyway. What’s the next step, then? Bruce.


The Acting Mother

She finds out from Bruce that Guru Bob’s wife left a note before leaving. She wants to be left alone and never found. Her car was recovered in Mexico. But there’s still a chance that she is alive somewhere, and getting her back can still get Peggy the money. She has even planned a meeting between Bruce and Owen for the Pioneertown security contract. They are slowly inching towards making money. Peggy gets herself a new car and gets to put it to the best use, tracking the woman who resembles her mother, thanks to Carol, who has spotted her. So, Peggy wasn’t hallucinating when she thought she saw her mother. Peggy meets the woman and gets her number. She is overjoyed, and what adds to it is when Carol tells her that it seems like her mother has sent the lady for Peggy to write a play around. Peggy is overjoyed just to imagine this. But this joy is short-lived because she gets a call from the hospital regarding Bob. Every time she smiles at life, it smacks her in the face. She brings him home and takes advantage of his drowsiness to get a check for $4000 signed by him. And Voila! Owen’s money problem is solved.

Owen is glad to have the money back but is still doubtful about the whole security thing and more so about a play that Peggy is writing and practicing. He didn’t get any notice from her, but as always, he didn’t need to because he owed it to Peggy. She ultimately manages to persuade Owen to keep the lady, who looks like her mother, in play. Thankfully, she is an actress who Owen knows to be very popular. This will certainly bring in a lot of profit for Pioneertown and, as we know, for Peggy. On top of that, she will also be paid in return for her security services at Pioneertown. Things are looking good for her. All this makes it clear that Peggy isn’t one to sit down and cry over spilled milk. She knows how to make do with what she has. Another proof of this is when she tells Dianne that she hasn’t made a spare key for her house. Good job, Peggy.


Does Peggy Get The Money From Bob?

The same night, as Peggy and Carol are drinking, Carol shows her a clip of Bob before he becames a self-proclaimed guru. The guy speaks the truth about the inevitability of death, and Peggy appreciates it. And so do we. It’s exactly why we like Peggy. She doesn’t pretend, although Owen tries his best to pretend when he is arrested for the check he cashed. Peggy bails him out, thanks to his mother, and she takes the opportunity to file a missing person’s report as well for Bob’s wife, Donatella. Owen has lost his trust in her and wants to fire her so badly, but then again, it is her ability to persuade that stops him. She will get him the money. We cannot help but think that maybe Owen knows that he needs Peggy because of how she is. She is a great manager of things, and though she may fail, she doesn’t give up.

When Bob takes Peggy out for dinner, we wonder what’s going on. They make a deal for a painting. Bob promises her a cut for finding him a buyer she knows. Peggy’s knowledge of paintings also tells us something about her past. Maybe she dealt in art too, alongside drugs. After all, there’s a lot of money to be made in the art world. He signs a check for Tammy. Peggy gets a call from Dianne, who is at her house with a realtor, and she is not at all happy about it. And what’s worse is that Denny is out of prison and at her place too. Peggy is annoyed at all that’s happened without her knowing about it. She tells her sister to leave immediately. She returns to the table and finds a bleeding Bob, and then she sees Arman and his daughter (Heather) leaving in Bob’s car. Well, at least they didn’t kill him. That’s more than what Peggy and I had expected. Episode 3 ends with Peggy returning home and seeing her husband, Denny, whom she is bent on getting a divorce from. But it’s not that easy because her husband loves her. It’s tough to hate someone who loves you, isn’t it? Especially when that person is your spouse.

High Desert Episode 3 ends on a haphazard note. We do not know how Peggy will get rid of Denny. We have no idea how she will get Bob, his buyer, if at all. There is a play that she has to complete if she wants to give the actress (who looks like her mom) a chance and Pioneertown some popularity. And then there is the uncertainty of her house itself. Will Dianne really sell it? It is the uncertainty of High Desert that maintains the pace and never loses our attention. It is Peggy’s everyday life that we are experiencing, and no matter how common or uncommon we may find it, we know there is a Peggy somewhere in all of us. So, let’s wait to see how she handles her life’s adversities.


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Shubhabrata Dutta
Shubhabrata Dutta
Shubhabrata’s greatest regret is the fact that he won’t be able to watch every movie and show ever made. And when he isn’t watching a movie or a show, he is busy thinking about them and how they are made; all while taking care of his hobbies. These include the usual suspects i.e. songs, long walks, books and PC games.

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It is the uncertainty of High Desert that maintains the pace and never loses our attention. It is Peggy's everyday life that we are experiencing, and no matter how common or uncommon we may find it.'High Desert' Episodes 2 And 3 Recap And Review: Is Peggy's Mother Alive?