The last episode of “Let the Right One In” gave us a much-awaited glimpse into Eleanor’s life and how she was exposed to or infected with the virus. The episode likewise answered the most lingering question concerning Elizabeth’s death. After Mark fails to fetch blood in time, Elizabeth steps in to feed Eleanor, sacrificing herself in the process, but before she dies, she makes Mark promise her that he’ll never stop looking for the “cure.” And now the story continues.
Spoilers Ahead
Too Many Sins to Be Forgiven
“Let the Right One In,” episode 8, opens with Mark sitting inside a confession box, confessing his sins to the church’s priest. Father Sean, who has heard thousands of confessions sitting across the box, is having a hard time digesting Mark’s story and offers to join him in his office for a drink. In the office, Sean pulls out a bottle of wine and, after a few drinks, reveals to him that he can’t receive God’s grace and that His forgiveness is unavailable to him as long as he keeps on killing. Mark informs Sean that his hands are tied, and he plans to stop his spree once his daughter is cured of her illness. In one way or another, Mark blames God for Elizabeth’s death and Eleanor’s condition. Elizabeth was a noblewoman who loved treating the sick and never stopped praising God’s name, but she lost her life and Eleanor her entire childhood. Before Elizabeth took her own life to feed Eleanor, she made her husband promise her that he’d turn the world upside down to find a cure for Eleanor’s condition, and after eight episodes, it’s crystal clear that Mark is hell-bent on keeping up that promise. But according to Father Sean, it’s not God that Mark is angry at; it’s his wife for trapping him with a promise, and that vow has brought Mark, Eleanor, and everyone else who has crossed his path nothing but pain and suffering, and now it’s time to let go!
The Live Specimen
The scene cuts to the lab, and we see Claire, Matthew, and Peter gathering around Claire’s new test subject. In the last episode, after being able to successfully isolate the genes that have been halting Daisy’s growth, Claire asks her brother to provide him with a live specimen in order to advance to a human trial. The virus moves incredibly fast inside the human system, and Claire plans to figure out exactly where it originates in the brain and how it migrates. Claire opens the man’s scalp with a scalpel and asks Peter to leave, saying the procedure would be “intense,” but the latter insists on staying.
The scene cuts to Isaiah’s apartment, and we see Naomi comforting Eleanor after she breaks down in tears, reminiscing about her mom. It’s our first sight of the growing bond between Eleanor and Naomi, with hints that she, too, might be ready to take Eleanor under her wing; she even invites Eleanor to her self-defense class at her gym. The duo walks into the hallway after hearing the elevator bell, signaling Mark has arrived. Mark invites Naomi to a warm dinner to make up for last night, promising she won’t be late for her self-defense class. In the meantime, Claire advises Peter to steer clear of Chris, saying that he’s getting way too close and attached. Peter has always been confined to a room ever since he was first bitten ten years ago. The virus has completely upended Peter’s life; he wasn’t allowed to go to school, meet his friends, or enjoy serene walks on the beach, and unlike Eleanor, Peter has no one to resonate with. Peter is even empathetic towards Chris, keeping him abreast of the changes he’s going through. He even begs his sister to cure him. Claire was looking for signs of polymorphism, little random glitches in the sequence of a genome, and discovered that Chris’ and Peter’s sequencing is virtually identical, implying that the strain has been around for a really long time and whatever bit Peter was hundreds of years old.
Naomi And Claire’s First Encounter
Naomi and Ben knock at Claire’s door after tracing the Mitigan back to Arthur and his company AKL. Claire’s father, Arthur, has been secretly manufacturing and marketing Mitigan to gather funding to save his son’s life. However, after Arthur’s death, AKL filed for bankruptcy, and all the assets were liquidated. Naomi also inquires about Matthew, who had close ties with one of the dealers responsible for circulating the drug. In reality, the man in question was stationed in Afghanistan under the command of Mathew Dean. Matthew was ex-military, ran a security detail at AKL, and also worked as Arthur’s personal bodyguard for years. Naomi and Ben also request access to old employment records, but Claire turns them down, denies knowing anything about the murders or the involvement of Mitigan, and closes the door on them. However, Naomi’s prolonged gaze suggests that they’ll be crossing paths soon.
After work, Naomi joins Mark for dinner at his favorite restaurant for some fries and burgers, but this time we see that she’s hesitant to share her case details with Mark. She reveals to Mark that she might get suspended for showing up without a warrant at Claire’s mansion for questioning. Mark tries to dig deeper and learns that Claire’s father was manufacturing the drug she found in the murder victim’s system. Meanwhile, Isaiah notices Matthew coming out of Mark’s apartment, posing as someone who works for the building and is following up on a gas leak but escapes after Mark arrives. At night Mark learns that Claire’s the same woman he questioned whilst searching for “whatever bit Eleanor” and his only way to cure Eleanor. Mark and Eleanor get into an argument after the latter reveals that Isaiah is well aware of and supportive of Eleanor’s condition. Eleanor loves Isaiah and wishes for him and Naomi to be a part of her family. She is under the misconception that Naomi will help and support her even after she’s aware of her condition and the scores of people her father has murdered to bring her dinner.
‘Let the Right One In’ Ending Explained – Was Peter Able To Save Claire?
During the night, Peter tries to sneak Chris out, advising him to get as far as he can before the sun comes up to avoid being burned to death but is caught by his sister, who requests that he take Chris back into the lab for his own good, saying he’ll be a danger to them if he flees. Peter turns down Claire’s requests and continues walking Chris towards the door, but Chris completely transforms into a vampire, knocking Peter down. Claire utters a loud scream and runs inside to save her life but is caught by Chris, who grabs her by the neck and begins choking her. However, Peter interrupts to save Claire and drags Chris’s unconscious body back to the lab, finally realizing Claire’s reasons for strapping Chris to a testbed.
“Let the Right One In,” episode 8, was jam-packed with actions and shocking revelations and has surely accelerated the story’s momentum. After years of wild goose chases and killings, Mark is finally just a knock away from learning all the answers. But it’s not going to be easy! Naomi has also traced Mitigan to Claire and will sooner or later uncover the missing link between Mark and Claire. There’s no doubt that she has feelings for Mark, but what will happen when she learns that her potential love interest is the murderer she has been searching for?
See more: ‘Let The Right One In’ Episode 7: Recap & Ending, Explained: How Did Elizabeth Kane Die?
