A few random thoughts after watching Episode 4:
Still no closer to figuring out who the killer is. Theories abound, and the most intriguing one that internet folks are latching on to is that
Amelia is involved.
I don't think so, I think she's just found her calling as a writer and she's pissed that her husband is such a sourpuss who doesn't support her. Plus, I think in 2015 she's dead, and this show really needs a last-episode showdown with the real killer.
In this episode, she's being real flirty with him (in 1980) and his efforts to match her seem pretty weak. Also, HBO had a prime opportunity to see her naked (in 1990) and flubbed it. So far, not one boob has been shown in this season.
The racist old lady who made the straw dolls seems like she was lying - why? Pretty clear to me that the old one-eyed black fellow who lives on the wrong side of the tracks had nothing to do with it. Why would he be on the "white" side of town on Halloween, giving out straw dolls to kids? Surely, someone would have noticed.
That said, the racist old lady isn't the only one who brought up a one-eyed black guy. The old black guy they found pointed back to the chicken plant, everyone who works there has lost a body part.
Again, we're pointed back to the chicken plant. The chicken people clearly have something to do with this, just like the big church people had something to do with it in Season 1.
One popular theory is that the daughter of the owner lost a child and so they kidnapped Julie as a surrogate.
It's the chicken lady, for real.
And then there's creepy cousin/uncle Dan, whose bones were found at the bottom of a quarry in 1990. Did he know something?
Good job to Purple Hays for sifting through the video to find a 1990 image of Julie:
From the video, it looked to me like she was running from someone. 1990 Hays I think was right - she's still in danger.
2015 Hays knows his son is banging the documentary lady:
Props to the Indian guy for using Claymores to blow up the local rednecks. From the trailer, looks like he got one of the FBI guys, too. If he lives, they're gonna put him away for that.
That long-haired kid who stole Will's bike is going to confess, I just know it, he's breaking down in that interrogation room. That part of the story is pretty clearly influenced by the West Memphis 3 (I think the WM3 are guilty as sin, but a lot of people are convinced they were railroaded, based largely on the confessions of one of them and a police force feeling pressure to catch the killers - but that's another thread). The DA is going to convict him, despite Hays' protests, which leads to Hays' career being derailed and a lot of guilt he feels afterwards.
So I think the 1980 story is wrapping up, they're not going to come close to solving it - they'll end with the conviction of the long-haired kid (maybe his buddies, too). We still have very little idea of what they found in 1990, but I expect the Attorney General (the former DA) is going to shut them down.
Here's a little easter egg from the trailer to next week's episode:
Hmmm... interedasting...