Grosse Pointe Garden Society Season 1, Episode 2, “Pests” makes the NBC murder mystery even bigger and more interesting. What should happen by any sane standard doesn’t, and what viewers absolutely don’t want to happen does. Of course, that’s by design, because things can’t be solved so easily or there wouldn’t be a TV show. But this dark comedy series is certainly off to a strong start.

“Pests” easily picks up all of the many storylines that were established in the series premiere, which is a feat in and of itself. But then it adds a few plot twists that make several of them that much worse. What’s most interesting is how it incorporates the cops into the story, digging further into Birdie Bradley’s history. By the episode’s end, viewers will be that much more determined to figure out the murder.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society Season 1, Episode 2 Answers a Big Question

This Episode Involves the Cops in an Unexpected Way

The Grosse Pointe Garden Society premiere packed in many diferent plotlines, but now it’s the writers’ responsibility to show that they can actually see those ideas through. All kinds of jaw-dropping questions are great — as long as the NBC show actually intends on answering them and doesn’t leave viewers with a muddled mess. Season 1, Episode 2, “Pests” picks up all the loose ends and finds ways to keep audiences on the hook, without going too far out of the realm of plausibility.

One of the most interesting parts of the episode happens in the flash-forwards. Fans learned about Birdie’s personal connection to the local cop, Joel Thomas, in the bookstore scene from the premiere. In Episode 2, it’s revealed that when Birdie fled the diner with the murder victim’s cell phone, she brought it to Joel. Birdie promptly confesses everything (or at least all the important parts). This is a surprising way to deal with the first hurdle of every TV murder mystery: what happens when the cops get involved? Making Joel and Birdie exes could’ve just been an easy way to distract Joel from solving the crime. Instead, the final scene of the episode — which shows him leaving the victim’s cell phone in the shoe store — turns him into an ally.

It’s not implausible, given his relationship to Birdie and because viewers don’t yet know who the victim is. It could be someone whom he also dislikes, or at least feels that the garden club were justified in bumping off. But the scenes between Joel and Birdie, as he insists that she show him some of the evidence, are delightfully awkward. They keep fans wondering what Joel is going to do for just long enough, yet they’re also funny in an almost uncomfortable way. Plus, viewers can imagine the new tension that will result when the rest of the gang realizes exactly who Birdie was telling all to. This sequence of events allows the suspense to continue, while also keeping the humor going.

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Grosse Pointe Garden Society Digs Its Characters Into Deeper Holes

Season 1, Episode 2 Contains a Few More Reveals

The audience knows that things in Grosse Pointe Garden Society are going to get worse before they get better, because soap operas and shows like them thrive on continually escalating drama. Plus, it’s only the second episode, so there can’t be too many wins yet. “Pests” looks at a few storylines and finds the biggest way to make them more difficult. The most frustrating developments happen in Catherine’s storyline. The viewer learns that Gary didn’t shoot anyone; instead, he stopped Catherine’s husband as he was leaving their home, and played the “woe is me” card in order to move into Catherine’s pool house. Gary openly tells her that he plans to “destroy everything you care about.” He says that after Catherine confronts him about his wife Amanda being pregnant.

Plus, Catherine also learns directly from Gary that he didn’t have any romantic feelings for her; his promises of their running away to Paris were just “to make it more fun.” As far as people whom viewers want to see as the murder victim, Gary has to be at the top of the list. But then again, every good soap opera needs a character that audiences love to hate. And the show gets rid of its other antagonist, because Alice goes to wild lengths to find out that spoiled high schooler Peyton didn’t actually shoot her dog Molly. She confronts him with the bullet found in Molly’s ashes, only for him to point out it’s from a handgun, which his family doesn’t have. In fact, Peyton has his own dog, named Snowball. He’s still part of the story after Alice lies to his mom again, but he’s not necessarily a villain anymore. Gary, however, very much is.

The episode also throws in a cringe-worthy plot twist about Birdie’s son Ford. He’s been chasing her for “a favor,” which he claims is money so his girlfriend can terminate an unwanted pregnancy. That would be jaw-dropping enough. But later on, Joel shows up on Birdie’s doorstep with an Xbox — that’s what the money was actually for. It’s just audacious. In the midst of all this, Grosse Pointe Garden Society is able to toggle between being a drama that happens to be funny and leaning into its comedy. That tonal balance will serve the show well as the characters go further and further down their respective rabbit holes.

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Grosse Pointe Garden Society Episode 2 Confirms the Show’s Love Triangle

Will Audiences Root for Brett and Alice to Get Together?

Grosse Pointe Garden Society Season 1, Episode 2 also establishes a love triangle between Brett, Alice and Alice’s husband Doug. Every good soap opera always has at least one romance brewing, and two are set up in “Pests.” While Birdie rekindles her passion for Joel, the episode is very obvious in pushing Brett and Alice toward each other. First, there’s Brett’s ex-wife Melissa saying that the reason she cheated on him was that “you left me first” for Alice. Then there’s the episode’s biggest reveal of all: Doug owns a handgun, which means he could have murdered Alice’s dog Molly. If there’s anything that would be a dealbreaker for Alice, it’s killing her beloved pet.

The logic for Alice to either leave Doug or — because it’s more dramatic — cheat on him with Brett is definitely there. The question is whether or not fans will be excited by the pairing. Brett clearly needs a win in the romance department, based on how hard his self-esteem is crashing. But it’s still early days to develop the chemistry between him and Alice into something more than just good friends. For the love triangle idea to work, fans have to be demanding that the two of them become a couple. But there’s plenty of time to wait and see, because Grosse Pointe Garden Society has enough irons in the fire to keep viewers coming back for more.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society airs Sundays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society Season 1, Episode 2

Release Date

February 23, 2025

Directors

Maggie Kiley

Cast

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Pros & Cons

• The second episode keeps all the threads of the mystery flowing neatly.
• The actors seem to be having great fun with their characters already.

• Some viewers may find the idea of a romance between Brett and Alice to be cliched.