I Am the Night Episode 3 Recap

Following last week’s second episode of TNT’s I Am the Night, episode 3 leaves Jay struggling with his PTSD and wondering how close he’s getting to the truth after a violent visit from Billis and the LAPD. Meanwhile, Fauna must reconcile Corinna’s revelations with the suspicion that Corinna is hiding Fauna’s mother, Tamar.

Past and Present

The beginning of the episode takes us back to 1945 (two years before the Black Dahlia murder), where a young Tamar is witnessing a gathering held by her father, Dr. Hodel. Hodel spots Tamar spying on them, and in a voiceover, you can hear him ask, “Tamar, are you dreaming again?” Tamar watches as the party escalates into an orgy with a hint of sexual violence, such as one woman being taken away with a bag over her head. Hodel is then seen wearing a bull skull. The flashback scene ends on a cult vibe with Hodel wearing the dead animal mask at a table surrounded by other men, as his voiceover recites Edgar Allan Poe: “All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.”

Back in 1965, the man who has been stalking Fauna, Sepp, finally makes contact, attempting to grab her off the street, but Fauna gets away. Back at her cousin’s Fauna contemplates what her step-grandmother, Corinna, told her about how she isn’t mixed race. Later, Sepp is alone, taking pictures of a mannequin that he’s decorating with screws and wires.

Later, Fauna tells her cousins that she thinks Corinna is hiding her real mother from her. When everyone starts asking her questions, Terrence tells them to give her space. Nero calls Fauna again, saying that she’s playing hard to get. She tells Nero to stop calling and hangs up when he becomes vulgar. Nero walks away from the phone booth, unaware Sepp was listening to the conversation and is now following him.

Rude Awakening

Jay is suddenly woken up from a Korean War-related nightmare by Detective Billis and the LAPD storming his apartment. Later in an interrogation room, Billis calls Jay a failure and throws more insults at him. Jay retorts that he sees a scared man, covering his fear with hate and hiding behind his badge to hurt people. Billis tells Jay that he keeps turning up in the wrong places even though he warned him to stay away and doesn’t know what to do with him now.

Jay is confused when the detective tells him that “the ex-wife caught [him] following her” and gave the police Jay’s plates. Billis then threatens Jay with violence, attempting to gouge out his eye with a pencil. Jay tries to fight back but his hands are handcuffed to the chair. Luckily, Detective Ohls shows up to save Jay.

When Billis confronts Ohls about his interruption, Ohls tells him that when he and Jay were serving together in Korea, Jay saved Ohls’ life. Ohls tells Billis that as long as he’s alive, Jay walks, and Billis replies with an ominous, “So be it.” After being set free, Jay tells Ohls that there has to be something to the case for Billis to try and scare him off. Ohls tells Jay that he just crossed one of the most connected men and that he’s out of favors, saying, “If they get you again, you’re staying got.”

Playing Detective

Fauna sneaks into Corinna’s home, searching for Tamar. She investigates one room and finds a crumpled up envelope with Tamar’s name on the return address dated for the previous week. Fauna then finds the bull skull mask on the wall, as well as photos and newspaper clippings. In one of the photos, she sees the man from the bus stop, realizing now that he was actually Dr. Hodel all along.

Sepp enters the house, looking for Fauna, who runs with the envelope in hand. Sepp calls out to her, saying he has something important to show and tell her. Corinna arrives home and demands to know who’s in her home, giving Fauna a chance to escape as Sepp leaves.

Jay meets with Peter to tell him about Billis. Peter tells him he’s supposed to be working on the Bloody Romeo case. Jay says the Hodel case is still active, and the two begin to argue. Suddenly, someone in the restaurant falls over in his chair. The loud banging triggers Jay’s PTSD, sending him ducking for cover underneath the table. Jay starts screaming and attacks the man who fell over. He’s dragged out as he repeatedly apologizes. Peter leaves him outside, but not before Jay calls out that Hodel’s ex-wife, Corinna, is the key to cracking the case.

Worlds Collide

Later, Jay goes Corinna’s house and witnesses Fauna sneaking out as Corinna argues with Sepp at the door. Once Fauna is safely away from the estate, Jay pulls up next to her as she is walking down the road. When Jay tries to ask if she’s related to Tamar Hodel, Fauna runs. Jay follows in his car, eventually catching up with her just as Sepp appears.

When Sepp tries to get Fauna to come with him, Fauna gets into Jay’s car instead. Jay and Sepp have a silent face-off before Jay leaves with Fauna. Jay asks Fauna if she’s Tamar Hodel’s daughter. Fauna asks in turn if Jay is a friend of Tamar’s, and he says that he’s on her side. The two talk over pie and coffee, each being cautious over how much information they share. Unsure if she can trust Jay, Fauna sneaks out the back of the diner.

Frustrated, Jay gets high and drives to a recruitment center, wanting to re-enlist for Vietnam. The man tells Jay that there is an age limit, which is 27, and re-enlistment into the Marine Corps requires a recommendation. Jay leaves and spots a tabloid paper outside of a bookstore covering the old Black Dahlia case, a.k.a., the murder of Elizabeth Short. Jay buys it and later reads through the details, eventually comparing the crime scene photos of Elizabeth Short’s body to Janice Brewster’s from the Bloody Romeo case, noticing similarities.

Goodbye, Nero

We then find Dr. Hodel looking Sepp’s creation, which ends up being a violin mannequin. Hodel tells Sepp his art shows real promise. Sepp tells Hodel he can do more work for him, but Hodel rebuffs him saying he has further to travel. Hodel then reminds Sepp that his important work is solely on keeping track of Fauna.

Fauna arrives back at her aunt’s house to find an upset Terrence. She finds out that Nero was murdered with his tongue cut out and tied into a knot. Fauna leaves, waiting for Terrence in his car. She tells him something’s going on and that she can’t stay at her aunt’s because it’s not safe. Terrence takes her back to his place and Fauna uses his phone to call Jimmy Lee. She’s not ready to go home yet, but Jimmy Lee tells her that she is going to come get her.

After hanging up, Terrence says that Fauna should go home, that if she goes looking for trouble she’ll find it. Fauna says she can’t let it go. At his house, Dr. Hodel peeks underneath the door where growls and stomping noises are coming from, revealing a bull’s cloven hooves.

What did you think of episode 3 of I Am the Night? Let us know in the comments below!