The Beast in Me Recap: Kill the Beast

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Wow, I was totally wrong! It turns out Aggie and Abbott were right all along – Nile Jarvis did kill his wife. Martin and Rick helped hide the body, but Nile acted alone in the murder itself. This revelation in “The Beast in Me” is a huge twist, and I say that even though I misread everything! It kind of ruins the mystery now, leaving us to wonder what Aggie will do with this information, assuming she even finds it while also fighting to clear her name in Teddy’s murder. It’s heartbreaking that Abbott won’t get to see he was right, and Madison won’t escape her terrible marriage. Honestly, though, the biggest disappointment is that the show is rushing past what made it so compelling in the first place – the fascinating characters and the intriguing setup.

Let’s rewind and cover what happened. The story begins with Abbott and his team finding thousands of dollars hidden in the seats of a private jet. It’s December 2019, and Abbott immediately goes from the plane to a party at Nina’s gallery to arrest the jet’s owner, Pedro Dominguez. Dominguez is a Miami real estate developer who launders money for a cartel, and he’s the one who provided the last $100 million needed to help the Jarvises resolve their financial problems. Seeing a picture of Nile in his colleague’s office, Abbott recalls arresting someone at that same gallery – this was the night he was remembering. However, everyone originally thought Abbott crashed the party to arrest Nile, not Dominguez. Madison, the gallery owner, is furious and even throws her champagne glass at Abbott. Her anger isn’t just from the public embarrassment; she’s in the middle of an art show and is also using cocaine.

As Abbott arrives, Nick Ryder, the Ingram family foundation’s lawyer, warns Nile that he’s here. Ryder reassures James Ingram that their funds and the Jarvis Yards project are secure – Abbott won’t uncover anything, despite his efforts. The reason? All of Dominguez’s money was secretly routed through Ryder’s personal account, meaning Ryder is the only one directly involved. Nile reveals this to a furious Martin after the last guest departs. Martin is enraged that Nile kept the source of the money – a cartel – a secret, and that Abbott managed to link Dominguez and Ryder. This suggests someone within their circle is leaking information to Abbott. Nile suspects Nina is the one responsible.

Nina has noticed Madison acting strangely – she was secretly on the phone at the gallery and seemed nervous all night. After leaving the gallery, Nina receives a call from an unknown number and says she’ll return it later. While Madison complains about the negative attention from her arrest, Nina searches through her drawers, claiming she’s just making sure Madison takes her medication. Madison is particularly harsh with Nina, lashing out with her frustrations before quickly apologizing. Even a seemingly kind gesture – letting Nina keep a borrowed dress – feels condescending. It’s clear Madison doesn’t treat Nina as an equal, but rather as someone whose only purpose is to take care of her. This creates a frustrating dynamic where Madison both dismisses Nina’s help and expects her constant attention, essentially treating her like a caretaker.

When Nile gets home, Madison is still awake and clearly upset. Nile suggests that Nina might have told Abbott about Dominguez, but Madison refuses to believe it, insisting they’re close friends. The scene then shows Nina admiring herself in a new dress, surrounded by overly decorative string lights – a bit much even for the height of early 2010s internet trends – hinting at Nile’s point that she’s driven by ambition. The next morning, Madison is on her balcony, sketching a pigeon while she cries.

Rick and Martin are dealing with the fallout from Nile’s impulsive actions and the mess it caused with Dominguez. Martin asks Rick if he knows anyone reliable at the Bureau who might be able to identify the source of the leaks to Abbott. This leads Rick to reach out to Erika, who is facing her own problems. The “trouble” she mentioned earlier involves a criminal negligence charge filed against Frank after one of his buildings collapsed, injuring someone. While Erika is a lawyer, she’s determined to help Frank avoid a felony conviction. Interestingly, Frank is the only character willing to take responsibility for his actions. He believes he deserves to be punished—he knowingly purchased substandard concrete from an unreliable source. He even suggests they get a divorce to protect Erika’s career, their assets, and their children.

Frank isn’t the only one facing potential prison time. Nile makes Ryder a tempting offer: a share of the Jarvis Yards development plus ten years’ salary for every year he spends in jail, if Ryder agrees to take the blame. Ryder accepts. Abbott is furious when he hears Ryder’s confession. He tries to guilt Ryder into doing the right thing, but how can he compete with that much money? Abbott becomes so angry he physically attacks Ryder, and his supervisors have to intervene. The case is closed, and there’s no evidence linking Dominguez’s money to the Jarvis family. Abbott argues they’re close to catching Nile, but his boss, Becky Ann Baker, firmly tells him he needs to drop the case – it’s been two years. While we don’t know what initially drove Abbott to pursue this investigation, we learn his motivation was at least partly due to his informant.

The information comes from Madison. She informs Abbott that Nile is suspicious someone is revealing secrets, though Nile himself thinks it’s Nina. Abbott then reveals the Bureau is shutting down the entire operation because Ryder confessed. This means they won’t be able to arrest Nile, which throws Madison into a panic. She desperately needs Nile incarcerated to escape him. Abbott suggests a divorce as a simpler solution, but Madison fears Nile will kill her if she tries. She explains that Nile has a dark side – a violent streak – and people around him have been vanishing since he was a teenager. She recounts the story of a young sculptor who was murdered in what was reported as a robbery, but which occurred after Nile became jealous and suspected Madison of infidelity. This is what Christopher alluded to when he told Aggie that Madison was living in fear – she felt completely trapped in the marriage and believed the only way to be safe was if Nile was imprisoned.

Madison is clearly struggling and trying to fix things, but her unpredictable behavior is making things worse. At one point, she even kisses Abbott, claiming she senses his affection, which he acknowledges, though he believes she needs professional help more than protection. The episode portrays Madison’s downward spiral in an over-the-top way, focusing almost entirely on her crying and yelling. Meanwhile, Nina is waiting for Madison outside, having followed her to discuss her refusal to take her medication and to share that she’s accepted a new job at a different gallery. Nina feels she’s been used by Madison, who promised her growth opportunities at Jacon but has instead relied on her as an emotional support system and taken her abuse. Madison is incredibly harsh to Nina, dismissing her as a talentless social climber. It’s a really unpleasant scene.

Back at the office, Nile received a call from Martin with news: he and Rick had found someone within the Bureau to investigate the source of Abbott’s information. The details of Rick’s deal with Erika weren’t clear, but he’d promised her actual money for her injuries, plus a larger incentive to convince the District Attorney to give Frank a minor charge – all in exchange for a favor. Erika had threatened Rick with jail time for his approach, but it was already apparent she was willing to overlook rules to protect her family.

Nile glances over and sees Nina walk into the office. He approaches her and asks what she’s doing, and she tells him she’s resigning. Nile thinks the timing is suspicious, especially since they’re trying to find the person who’s been leaking information. Nina explains she’s had enough of the family and all their scheming. She reveals that Madison was talking to Abbott, and she knows this because she followed Madison after the party, suspecting another affair. Nile realizes Nina is very driven, but he hadn’t considered she’d also prioritize protecting herself – she’s not willing to risk trouble with the Jarvis family. She angrily hands Nile two of Madison’s medications, explaining she took them to stop Madison from repeating past mistakes, and then leaves.

As the story goes, Nile found Madison at the art gallery, where she’d gone to collect her passport and money, apparently planning to escape. He initially mocked her, referencing a conversation he’d had with Nina, and then accused her of having an affair with Abbott and betraying him. Madison, tired of his intense gaze and no longer willing to risk her life, tried to leave. Nile grabbed her throat and began to choke her, desperately proclaiming his love while threatening her. She managed to spray him with mace, but it wasn’t enough. He threw her violently across the room and struck her in the head with a small statue – the same one seen at the gallery’s opening. Nile stayed with Madison’s body for a moment, holding her hand, before breaking down and calling his father.

When Martin arrived with Rick, he was horrified by what his son had done. Rick had to physically restrain him from confronting Nile. It wasn’t clear whether Martin was shocked by Nile’s capacity for violence, or by the fact that he’d done something like this before. Practical as always, Rick urged Martin to think about his reputation and cover up the crime. Even then, Rick believed the worst Nile would face was living with the suspicion of wrongdoing, though no one could ever prove it. They put Madison’s body in a suitcase and buried her in a landfill owned by MHJ. As a form of punishment, they made Nile dig the grave himself.

The following day, Nina entered the gallery and everything seemed normal. She discovered Madison’s suicide note lying on a table. It seemed odd that Madison would leave it at work instead of at home, and Nina wondered why she had. Perhaps Aggie, safe in her Brooklyn home with her wife and child, was asking herself the same questions while watching the news.

I have to admit, I was a little frustrated with the Erika storyline in this episode. It just didn’t quite land for me. They had Erika meet Abbott, which was a first, seemingly to figure out who was leaking information to him. But even after Nile found out Madison was the one talking, and even after Nile killed her, Erika’s deal with the Jarvises didn’t seem to change at all? It feels like Frank’s freedom was traded for a future favor – kind of like Simone did with Abbott way back when. And sure enough, they called in that favor when Rick asked Erika about Abbott and Aggie. It just felt a little…unresolved.

Okay, so this week’s episode was a big flashback, and honestly, I’m a little frustrated. The mystery of what happened to Madison and how she vanished… it just doesn’t connect to Aggie’s story or her relationship with Nile. The show set Aggie up as an investigative reporter, which led me to believe she would be uncovering these details. Instead, we just get info dumped on us, which feels really flat. I mean, Aggie already suspected Nile, but the crucial details remain hidden from her, and that’s a problem. For a while, we were seeing everything through Aggie’s eyes, experiencing the mystery alongside her. Now that we know more than she does, the show loses some of its tension. It feels like the plot is driving things, not the characters. Remember the compelling, unsettling connection between Aggie and Nile, that shared darkness? With Nile fully embracing villainy, that’s lost its power. I would have much preferred to see Aggie actually work to get Nile to confess – it would have been great for her book, and honestly, a much more satisfying watch for me.

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2025-11-14 15:56