Shining Girls Episode 5 is the fifth instalment of an American thriller streaming television series based on the 2013 novel The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Though ostensibly about a serial killer, there are supernatural horror (and possibly scifi) elements in this series that recalls the Stephen King HBO adaptation The Outsider from 2018.
S P O I L E R S
Entitled “Screamer”, Shining Girls Episode 5 is probably the most obtuse and perplexing episode so far, which is really saying something. In the previous episode, Kirby finally had a face-to-face encounter with time hopping serial killer Harper Curtis, which results in both of them physically crashing through what appeared to be a multiversal wall. Once more, there are changes to Kirby’s world but now it’s also affecting Curtis.
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Shining Girls Episode 5 also repeats events from episode 1 concerning Jin-Sook (Phillipa Soo), the only difference being that this time Curtis confronts Jin-Sook looking very much like he did in present day (?) So how did Curtis manage to time travel in this manner? Also, it appears that Curtis can also manipulate the time line as somehow Kirby’s hair is now short whereas at the beginning of the episode, it was long (!)
Thus, Shining Girls Episode 5 fails to provide any answers – not even a glimmer of a hint – but instead raised more queries about the nature of the story and the characters themselves. Are the unexplained phenomena littered throughout the series so far, supernatural or scientific in nature? Quite possibly, as Jin-Sook has provided tidbits of exposition – there may be element of quantum physics, parallel universes and string theory involved here. Who knows, the series is not forthcoming.
Then there is Leo (Christopher Denham), whom we saw in episode 2 talking to Curtis, a dementia sufferer who might be a time hopper like Curtis, who has lost his mind. As Kirby remarks – he looks too young to be in a dementia ward – and the memorabilia in Leo’s room dates back to the first world war (!) What is the link between the two men and Kirby? Hopefully we find out soon!
Now streaming on AppleTV+.
… still there’s more …