Coroner “One Drum” Preview

[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]

Coroner is once again super timely with this week’s episode, “One Drum,” which begins with a mass shooting in a church. The origins of the violence are rooted in more violence and a cycle of abuse that cascades across the whole team, most especially Alison and River.

With seven multi-ethnic victims to identify, potentially more than one shooter, and a Catholic priest in the mix, the case could go in any direction. Instead, it settles into one that’s currently in the headlines–abuses against the Inidigenous population.

Alison befriends Ennis (a superb Zeegwon Shilling), a young witness who was playing piano and singing a solo of “Ave Maria” at the front of the church when the shooting started. Initially rendered silent afterward, he opens up when she shares her own loss. And she reminds him of home when she speaks Anishinaabemowin (which rounds back to a project Tamara Podemski talked about last year).

All of this happens as Jenny starts to seriously unravel. That has dangerous repercussions first at home and then when it creeps into her job. While Donovan is sympathetic, she’s terrified at her actions. It’s also just what she needs to finally accept she needs help. Her mantra of, “I can fix this,” is hollow until she starts with the internal work.

Creepy Kelly is back at the house to help Gordon, learning more about the Cooper household than I think she should. And she starts to prove I’m right in not wholly trusting her.

It’s a powerful, and in many ways, heartbreaking episode about violence begetting violence. And as River reminds Jenny, they speak for the dead. In this episode, written by Shannon Masters, and directed by Charles Officer, those stories allow the living to tell theirs, too.

Coroner airs Mondays 9pm (9:30NT). You can catch Season 1 now, and Season 2’s episodes so far, on CBC Gem. in case you missed anything, our series coverage is here.  [Update: Season 2 premieres in the US at 9pm Wednesday, October 7th, on The CW.]