Death and Other Details Episode 7 ‘Memorable’ Recap & Ending Explained: Created by Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss, the Hulu mystery/thriller series “Death and Other Details,” set aboard a luxury ocean liner, brings forth an exciting twist in its latest episode, “Memorable.” So far, the series’ fascination with details and ambiguity hinders the ability to generate an even pace or create profound characters, although the clever deducting interplay between Violette Beane’s Imogene and Mandy Patinkin’s Rufus saves us a bit from the grinding nature of the genre exercise. Also, it sometimes feels rambling and tries too much to keep things engaging.
Nevertheless, if there is one thing “Death and Other Details” has consistently explored, then it’s the distortive and unreliable nature of memory. And the more contained episode 7 of “Death and Other Details” squarely deals with this theme. In fact, we are taken away from the drama unfolding on the cruise ship and embark on a trip down memory lane. However, in hindsight, one could feel that the information conveyed by this formally complicated episode could have been done in a few minutes.
At the end of episode 6, it is revealed that Rufus Cotesworth missed crucial details regarding Kira Scott’s – Imogene’s mother – murder, though it was staring right at his face. Imogene demands Rufus to guide her through his memory of investigating Kira’s murder. But this conceit pushes Imogene to unearth one significant memory she has been suppressing since her mother’s death. Without further ado, let’s delve into “Death and Other Details” episode 7 – an equally frustrating and intriguing episode. Spoilers Ahead.
Death and Other Details Episode 7 ‘Memorable’ Recap:
Why did Rufus Cotesworth Took Up Kira’s Murder Case?
“Death and Other Details” episode 7 ‘Memorable’ absolutely revolves around the gimmick it has occasionally dabbled in the previous episodes. Whenever Rufus or whoever recalls the details from the past, we see Imogene sharing the same physical space of the person’s memory and raising pertinent questions. In some of these memory scenes, Imogene puts herself in others’ shoes while processing the details. ‘Memorable’ opens with a disoriented Imogene waking up in Rufus’s body. It is 2005, and Rufus’ assistant, Danny Turner (Michael Gladis), walks in, questioning Rufus’ decision to take up Kira Scott’s murder case. Rufus’ reasoning is simple: Lawrence Collier, the client, is super rich. So why not?
At present, Rufus and Imogene are still in Llewellyn Mathers’s suite. The power is still down in the ship. Safe and secure from the chaos outside, Rufus recalls what he did immediately after taking up the case. But he warns that memory can’t always be trusted. “Memory amplifies. Memory diminishes. It is malleable. Memory… is a muthafucka,” he proclaims. Rufus (or Imogene as Rufus) drives to the Colliers’ Seattle house and first meets the lawyer Llewellyn Mathers (Jere Burns). The lawyer says Rufus was hired based on the request of Imogene Scott. The 11-year-old Imogene was mesmerized by the show she had seen on the internet, which praised Rufus as the “World’s Greatest Detective.”
Who Is Kira Scott?
Next, Lawrence (David Marshall Grant) and Katherine Collier (Jayne Atkinson) brief Rufus about Imogene. The girl’s father is not in the picture. The ailing grandmother can’t take care of Imogene. So, the Colliers have sort of adopted the girl. Lawrence says Imogene has been acting out since her mother’s death. Back at his office, Rufus interviews everyone associated with Kira Scott. Llewellyn calls Kira ‘an angel’ whose unrequited love for Kira is apparent. But the lawyer takes offense when Rufus perceives him as a ‘jilted suitor.’
Kira’s mother sees her daughter as more of a ‘crusader’ – so does Father Toby (Danny Johnson). Kira’s mother recalls that her daughter organized a walkout in high school, demanding more money for teachers. Father Toby admires Kira for constantly volunteering for the soup kitchen despite the grim circumstances. They both agree that Kira took care of the marginalized and the impoverished. Lawrence is inquired about his trips to Shanghai with Kira. In the last episode, there was a crucial discovery about the Colliers’ factory in Jiangsu (a province north of Shanghai) polluting the environment and causing deaths and illness in the vicinity.
Who did Kira Meet at the Opal Diner?
The banned pigment Captionem Blue shipment bill was also traced back to 2005 China. Therefore, it’s clear Kira must have had knowledge of what went on in the Jiangsu factory during her trips with Lawrence. When Rufus questions Lawrence about their sleeping arrangements during these business trips, he scoffs at the implication and states he is faithful to his wife. In the present, Imogene wonders why Rufus didn’t grill Lawrence with more incisive questions. Rufus says he didn’t feel the need to do it since Lawrence himself hired Rufus.
Kira didn’t have much of a dating history, too. So, no angry boyfriend and girlfriend. Imogene’s biological father’s alibi also checks out. But Danny finds Kira’s datebook. While looking at it, Rufus sees that one page is torn out. He does some ‘pencil rubbing’ to find out what was written on the torn page through the indentations it has made on the next page. It says, “Opal Diner, 5 p.m.’ This appointment is on February 12th, a month before Kira’s death.
Rufus goes to the diner to ask who Kira met on this fateful day. While the lady at the encounter says it’s been a long time, an employee in the kitchen looks at Rufus in a skittish manner. Through simple deduction, Rufus comprehends the reason behind the employee’s anxiety. He further mildly intimidates the guy to give him the information related to Kira. The employee says Kira is a regular there. However, on that particular day, she seems to have argued with someone in the back. But the next detail shocks Imogene. Little Imogene was there, sitting at the counter, having a slice of pie.
Why did Rufus Leave the Murder Investigation?
In the present, Imogene says she doesn’t have a memory of going to the Opal Diner with her mother. Even when Rufus questioned about this to 11-year-old Imogene, the girl was visibly distressed. Then, the conversation moved to Rufus’s code book, which we witnessed in an earlier episode. Imogene’s memory of Rufus’ code book is intact. But she doesn’t seem to remember any details about that evening at Opal Diner. Imogene wonders if Kira knew about Viktor Sams back then.
Rufus says it was only more than a decade after Kira’s murder he became sure of Viktor Sams’ international operation. Around 2020, Danny brought Rufus a file from their mutual acquaintance, Mick, who was chasing after a crew that blackmailed a banker. Mick couldn’t track the crew, and the only name he had was Viktor Sams. Then Rufus confronts Llewellyn Mathers. He says Lawrence has lied to him and that the Colliers have been paying blackmail money to Viktor Sams. Llewellyn simply warns Rufus not to follow down this path.
In the present, Imogene asks Rufus why he left Kira’s case, though he had been looking for Viktor Sams all these years. Rufus recalls a meeting with Lawrence Collier in 2005. Months after hiring Rufus, Lawrence asks the detective to drop the case. The reason he cites is that it’s not helping Imogene. Even Kira’s mother prefers caring for Imogene rather than digging for the truth behind her daughter’s murder. Rufus bursts out, saying their idea of ‘quaint happiness’ will never be enough for a clever girl like Imogene.
Death and Other Details Episode 7 ‘Memorable’ Ending Explained:
Can Imogene Find the Truth Hiding within Her Elusive Memory?
But of course, as Imogene says, she’s not eleven anymore and wants to remember what happened at the diner. Imogene closes her eyes and attempts to unlock the memory of one particular evening eighteen years before. In the memory, adult Imogene confronts the kid Imogene. She asks her younger self to show what she saw in the diner. The kid Imogene asks the older one to follow. But like every trip through the distortive memory, Imogene processes various fragments of memory from her childhood. Lawrence and Katherine are arguing, Anna and Tripp Collier are watching the Simpsons, Llewellyn Mathers looks sad with a drink in his hand, and so on.
Eventually, the slippery memory of kid Imogene leads to the day of Kira’s murder. Right to the moment, Imogene talked with her mother in the car. Subsequently, Kira was killed in the car bomb. Rufus says during his interviews this is precisely the moment the 11-year-old Imogene didn’t want to talk about. He questions, “What is she afraid of?” Did she see Viktor Sams in the diner and block the memory? But it takes a strange turn as Imogene finally recalls her final conversation with her mother.
Who was Kira’s Ally in her Whistleblowing Mission?
Kid Imogene questioned who the woman at the diner was with whom Kira was arguing. Kira is surprised to learn that Imogene saw them. The veil over the memory is lifted off. The person whom Imogene saw at the diner was attorney Alexandra (Tamberla Perry). Yes, the same Alexandra who later became Governor of Washington and died due to poisoning on the ship. It seems Kira Scott has handed over some files to Alexandra that prove Collier Mills’ negligence that caused the death of its employees. This could be about the Jiangsu factory fiasco. Kira also tells Alexandra that she has a witness who will go on the record.
But a distressed Alexandra claims there’s not much in the files to take it to the court. Kira, already established as a crusader for justice, has taken up the role of whistleblower to bring out Collier Mills’ sinister practices. The kid Imogene also feels terrible that the woman (Alexandra) made her mother and her friend sad. Imogene also saw another woman with her mother in the diner. She is a woman with a mole who has lost her husband. Now, the veil is blown apart, and Kira’s alleged friend is none other than Celia Chun (Lisa Lu), the matriarch behind the business deal with the Colliers.
The Promise Made to a Mother
When the kid Imogene recalled all these details to her mom in the car, she was asked to promise not to tell this to anyone. Hence, Imogene has suppressed the memory for a long time. Kira’s final words to her daughter are, “You have a gift.” And now, this knack for remembering the details has taken Imogene one step closer to solving the mystery. After this long trek through the memory lanes, Imogene leaves the suite. She walks straight to the restaurant and confronts Celia Chun. She reveals to everyone seated at the table – including the Colliers – that Kira was a whistleblower, and Ceila was her witness. Anna Collier looks shocked, while Celia takes this – as usual – in a relaxed manner.
Of course, this reveal at the end of “Death and Other Details” episode 7 only leads to more questions. Who found out about Kira and Celia’s intentions? Was it Alexandra who, in exchange, got all the support from the Colliers to become a governor? Did Lawrence Collier ordered a hit on Kira, and Viktor Sams learned about this? If so, how and how all of it is connected to the murders on the ship? Most importantly, how did a widowed mother looking for justice become a wealthy matriarch, even signing a major deal with the Colliers? There are three more episodes to dig up a lot of truths.
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