Expats Episodes 1 & 2: Prime Video’s latest drama series, ‘Expats,’ directed by Lulu Wang, carefully intertwines the lives of three women whose destinies take an unexpected turn after a life-altering incident. Featuring noteworthy performances by Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, and Sarayu Blue, the series explores life through the perspectives of these three women.
Based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s “The Expatriates,” Lulu Wang explores themes of grief, pain, and the confusing aftermath of a haunting incident. The series unfolds in two timelines—before and after the drastic event—that reshapes the lives of the protagonists. The narrative keeps us on edge as the characters gradually reveal their emotions, making for a tense and discomforting experience.
The storyline revolves around three expatriate women in Hong Kong whose lives intersect at a birthday celebration, sparking a mysterious connection rooted in their shared past. The first episode sets the stage, introducing the characters and establishing the groundwork for the unfolding drama. The second episode, taking place a year earlier, delves into the complexities of Margaret and Mercy’s unlikely bond at an extravagant yacht party while Hilary grapples with the profound decision to start a family. The unforeseen incident during this episode becomes the catalyst that forever alters the trajectory of these characters’ lives.
Expats not only keeps the audience guessing about the nature of the grief portrayed—whether it stems from a loss through death or disappearance—but also explores the inexplicable nature of grief for both those who lost someone and those unknowingly responsible.
In this article, we discuss what really happens in Expats episodes 1 and 2. Please be aware the article contains spoilers; reader discretion advised.
Expats Episode 1 “The Peak” Recap:
The first episode, titled “The Peak,” begins with a monologue that gets our attention, highlighting how tragic incidents often focus on the victims’ side, completely losing sight of the perpetrators who caused the actual havoc. The narrator identifies as someone who has changed the course of someone’s life, and there is not a day that goes by without her thinking about the family that now leads a completely different life.
The story begins by introducing us to Margaret, who moved to Hong Kong with her family after her husband got promoted. Even though she is swamped with responsibilities here, she misses her life back in the States as a landscape architect. We see her, along with her two children, meeting a party planner to plan her husband’s 50th birthday party. While Margaret is talking to Priscilla (the party planner executive), Philip is drawing a family portrait that draws Priscilla’s attention. When asked about the extra member in the picture, Philip tells her that it is Gus. Before he can say any more, Margaret quickly takes the paper and demands that they leave.
Strained Relationships and Hidden Pains
On their way back to the apartment, Margaret meets Hilary in the elevator, who tries her best to avoid the family. Hilary and Margaret used to be best friends; however, their equation changed post the tragic incident. Despite Hilary’s excuses, Margaret still requests her to attend the party later in the evening. At the apartment, Clarke’s parents, Jing and Andrew, feel it is quite odd to pretend how their life is normal, and it is quite early for the family to be hosting a party despite what happened with Gus.
Margaret lives a life filled with pain and agony. She has even rented a studio apartment where she would occasionally go and clean it to escape the mental chaos. Maybe this is her way of dealing with her reality and focusing on the little things that may provide her with any answers. While Margaret has lost faith in God, Clarke is seen attending a prayer meeting in the church.
As the story moves on, we also get introduced to Mercy, who has been having an affair with David under the alias name – Dirk. It was Mercy’s voice at the beginning of the episode that allowed us to understand how she is directly related to the downfall of the Woo family. On the other hand, we also get a peek into the equation Hilary and David share in their marriage. David has started drinking profusely again, making it difficult for Hilary to find common ground with him. On the way to the party, Hilary blames David for being one of the reasons for the Woo family’s tragedy. This makes David refuse to pretend anymore, and he leaves her to attend the party alone.
Who did Margaret see at the party?
At the party, Jing keeps complaining about how Margaret’s idea of hosting the party and staying in Hong Kong is pointless. At the same time, Margaret is infuriated with her overbearing mother-in-law, and Philip’s drawing of Jesus also bothers her. Clarke tries to calm Margaret, but things soon take a nasty turn when Mercy, who works as a caterer, sees Clarke and the kids and then Margaret at the party. Margaret is also shocked to see Mercy for a second, but before she can follow her, Mercy is already gone from the scene.
When Clarke is giving a speech to express gratitude for everyone coming to the party despite their life’s drastic turn, we see Margaret completely losing her calm and accusing a random waitress, mistaking her for Mercy. The people at the party are shocked to see Margaret like this, leaving everyone stunned. While Hilary had initially decided to leave early, she eventually comes back after learning about Margaret’s behavior from a friend’s text, who was also at the party.
While Clarke consoles his distressed wife, Jing starts making a fuss about the party and how everything turned out to be as she expected. Margaret tells Clarke to drop his parents and the children, and Hilary and Margaret put aside their differences and decide to head to the local restaurant they always used to hang out. While eating ramen, the two bond back like old times and sing and dance to their favorite song until Margaret sees her reflection in the mirror, bringing her back to reality. She looks at Hilary and asks her to take her to the night market.
Why does Margaret feel David is unreliable?
Episode 1 of Prime Video’s Expats ends with the two women heading back to their apartment, only to find out that Hilary’s neighbor is found dead. In the lift, Margaret advises Hilary that despite her attempt to keep her marriage working, David is someone who cannot be relied on after his lies in the past. However, Hilary fires back, stating that she doesn’t know any better.
On the other hand, we see Mercy running away from the party and back to her apartment. While Margaret and Clarke discuss Christopher’s sudden death in their bathroom, Philip looks around for his drawing that his mother took from him. After finding the drawing, he takes it to the living room and puts it up on the fridge as his way of keeping Gus alive in his memories.
Expats Episode 2 “Mongkok” Recap:
Episode 2 of Expats takes us back to the origin of the Woo family’s tragedy, connecting the characters and showing how the mishap dramatically affected everyone’s lives. Hilary works in the ad business and, along with her friends, often visits different places to raise funds.
This is how we learn that she is not ready to be a mother, as she thinks she cannot handle the hassle and responsibilities of life after bearing children. One of the reasons she has had a downturn with her husband, David, is that his mind changed suddenly about wanting kids. Seeing Margaret deal with the tantrums of her kids, Hilary becomes even more determined about not wanting to have one of her own.
Margaret, on the other hand, has a good life in Hong Kong, but the idea of heading back to the States and starting a professional life never leaves her mind. Even though she has all the help she needs to raise her kids with Essie, her house help, she still doesn’t want her kids to get too attached and reliant upon her. Hilary prods Margaret to set a boundary, but Margaret is grateful for Essie in her life.
Overwhelmed one night, Clarke suggests Margaret to smoke up like old times after the kids have gone to sleep. Margaret shares her idea about going back to the States to resume her architect life, but Clarke tells her that he has been offered another pricey contract, allowing the family to live their luxurious life for another year. Margaret is not pleased with the change but eventually gives in to her husband’s success and the comfort it provides for the family.
How did Margaret and Mercy first meet?
The story keeps going back and forth with the narrative, taking us back to when Margaret met Mercy for the first time at a yacht party. Mercy had come along with her best friend, who introduced her to other rich friends. While conversing with them, Mercy realized she did not fit into the adult conversations about life, purpose, jobs, etc. This is when she decided to just randomly jump off the yacht into the sea, completely taking everyone by surprise. Her best friend even called her crazy for her spontaneous action.
Mercy, prompted by a dare from her friends to return to the yacht, finds herself swimming in the water. In the background, her mother’s voice echoes, reminding her of past instances when she was told that she would lead a sad and lonely life, bringing bad luck to herself and those around her.
After successfully returning to the yacht, a thoroughly soaked Mercy catches the attention of Margaret, who quickly offers her a fresh towel. The two women begin to bond, engaging in conversation about Margaret’s hands-full experience with her kids. During their discussion, Mercy extends a generous offer, expressing her willingness to assist with the children. In doing so, Mercy subtly pitches herself for a potential nanny job.
Expats Episode 2 “Mongkok” Ending Explained:
The next encounter between Mercy and Margaret occurs when Clarke, likely due to work commitments, calls for a rain check on their planned family night out. This change in plans leads to Mercy and Margaret crossing paths once again. Wanting to spend more time with her children and away from Essie, Margaret calls Mercy to accompany them to Hong Kong’s famous ‘night market.’ While enjoying dinner together, Margaret learns a bit about Mercy and her estranged relationship with her parents. At the same time, Mercy tries her best to present herself as a suitable candidate for a hands-on nanny (without Margaret’s knowledge!). While engaged in the conversation, Mercy discreetly texts her friend, seeking advice on how to broach the topic of employment and how to negotiate compensation if the conversation favors her.
What happened to Gus?
This is when the children demand Margaret to go to the market. As Mercy offers to pay for the dinner, Margaret politely pays, claiming that she is grateful that Mercy has agreed to come and help her. Margaret extends an invitation for Mercy to join them at the market, and soon enough, all of them head to the vibrant and bustling hotspot in the city.
At the market, Daisy and Margaret stop at a shop to check for teen girl jewels and hair clippings. Philip and little Gus, on the other hand, accompany Mercy to the toy shops after the two women decide to meet at a commonplace. While Philip is busy checking the new toys around, Gus becomes curious about a bag with lots of shiny balls hanging on it. Mercy, at the same time, keeps fiddling between overseeing the boys and her phone, texting her friend about the nanny job.
Unfortunately, due to Mercy’s bad luck, timing, and the constant juggling between texts and everything else, she lets go of Gus’s hand when the bag of balls falls, distracting everyone. This is when Gus gets distracted by a moving truck, and the next thing Mercy knows, Gus is nowhere to be found. While Philip and Mercy look around, Mercy finds Margaret and Daisy joining them, only to discover the most disastrous thing has happened: Gus is lost in the night market. Is Gus kidnapped? Is he lost, or worse, dead? We are uncertain.
What followed on the night when Gus was lost?
The ending of Expats Episode 2 shows the market closed, with the police taking statements from everyone. Margaret and Clarke are distressed, shocked, and clueless. The episode also hints at Hilary and David slowly starting to have a fall-off in their relationship, leading David to return to drinking again. We also see David approaching Mercy to offer his jacket to her. The encounter takes place as Mercy stands alone by the side of the cold street during the police investigation into Gus’s sudden disappearance. He introduces himself as David, which confuses Mercy as she knew him as ‘Dirk.’
The episode also takes us back to the time from Episode 1 when Margaret had asked Hilary to take her to the night market. Margaret relives the night of the tragic mishap again, only to add more mystery to the tale. The episode concludes with another monologue, piecing together everything that happened that night and all the characters in relation to Gus and how things have left a huge dent in all of their lives.
