The portrayed by Academy, Grammy, and Emmy-winning actress Kate Winslet, as she attempts to uncover the mystery behind the murder of a young mother in her Philadelphian town. Winslet's Mare is a local hero, but not many are confident about her skills as a detective as she hasn't been able to solve a previous case involving the disappearance of another girl even after a year. Mare is also burdened by personal traumas, as she hasn't yet coped with the suicide of her son, and she is also at the risk of losing her grandson's custody to her daughter-in-law.
Right from its premiere, Mare of Easttown managed to grab the attention of both critics and fans, thanks to its suspenseful storytelling and dramatic narrative. Week after week, as fresh episodes of the show aired, new theories about the identity of Erin's killer emerged. Some suspects were removed, while the odds about some others being the culprit increased. By the penultimate episode 6, "Sore Must Be the Storm", conversations became decidedly enthusiastic as fans realized that hints about Billy being the killer were a fake-out. Eventually, the final episode 7, "Sacrament," revealed the identity of the murderer, as guessed correctly by horror icon Stephen King, while also tying up other loose ends from the previous episodes. Despite the poignant ending, it wasn't clear how the last episode had performed in of viewership. But now that the ratings are out, both HBO and HBO Max have a reason to rejoice.
As reported by Deadline, the Mare of Easttown finale was the most-watched episode ever for an Original Series on HBO Max during the first 24 hours of its premiere. It sured the viewership of The Flight Attendant and The Undoing finales, which had previously held the records. Overall, the episode grossed more than 4 millions viewers on HBO and HBO Max over the holiday weekend, and the numbers are only expected to increase through digital distributions and syndications. The finale was also the most-watched of all of Mare of Easttown's seven episodes, thereby marking the show as the only HBO series to witness continual viewership growth, besides The Undoing.
Mare of Easttown's finale's stupendous viewership on streaming doesn't come as a surprise, given that the HBO Max had crashed on Sunday, possibly due to the heavy traffic of subscribers tuning in to stream the episode. But while the profuse numbers were more or less expected, it remains to be seen if they'll impact HBO's motivation to expand Mare of Easttown into a full series. So far Winslet has expressed her interest in returning for a second season but Ingelsby and director Craig Zobel are skeptical about continuing the show. Both the creatives have acknowledged that they had intended Mare of Easttown to be a one-off. But if they come across a brilliant idea, they'd consider revisiting the show.
In its smash-hit finale, Mare of Easttown delivered a fulfilling and emotional ending that effectively weaved together all the discrete elements of the show. All arcs and storylines were fully fleshed out, and only some scant questions remained unanswered. The show's conclusion, as reflected by its ratings, may have been a massive commercial success, but it doesn't as an excuse for HBO to unambitiously drag a self-contained story. A major factor that contributed toward the success of Mare of Easttown's finale was the show's precise and cohesive narrative, so if the show is tapped just because its last episode fetched great numbers, it would simply lose its charm. While it's a shame not to have Winslet return as her career-best Mare, Mare of Easttown is largely a done-deal that should be celebrated for its impressive reception and viewership and left alone as it is.
Source: Deadline