Damnation Spring

After days of stewing and feeling persecuted by the community, Colleen finally gives Rich a straight answer: Yes, she did sleep with Daniel. They argue, and Colleen says Rich’s lack of interest in her sexually pushed her into Daniel’s arms. As they trade jabs, Rich stumbles on more water samples in the kitchen cupboard and smashes the jars. Colleen takes refuge from her furious husband with Chub, while Rich storms outside to chop wood.

Colleen wakes in the night to find she is alone. Rich has gone.

By morning, Rich has returned. Colleen finds him sitting outside after a night of driving around. Rich and Colleen make up, with Colleen expressing how important it is to her to try for another child. Rich promises he has no regrets marrying her and cleans up his mess from the night before.

Later, Rich consults Lark over his problems. Lark is sanguine as ever, but his heavy smoking seems to be affecting his health.

Wet weather and erosion mean the roads are again awash with mud. Colleen drives to check on Joanna. When she gets to her neighbor’s, however, the nearby ridge has caved in, with the resultant mudslide burying much of Joanna’s land and swamping her house. Despite being heavily pregnant, she is trying to shovel her way out and make her home livable. Jed is again away, searching for work.

Colleen helps Joanna take out a mud-drenched carpet, but there’s little she can do for the collapsing barn or the dead chicks it no doubt contains. Joanna’s livelihood is gone. Colleen bundles Joanna and her kids into the truck, along with a few belongings, and takes them to her house for a hot meal and to recuperate. Eventually, a relative comes and takes them to stay with him.

A disturbance wakes Rich and Colleen in the night. Rushing from bed, they hear glass breaking and gunshots, then the roar of a truck speeding away. Intruders have broken in and shot their beloved dog, Scout.

Rich heads to Brookings, across the state line in Oregon, to buy a new door. On his way back, he also makes an impromptu stop at the dentist to get a decaying tooth pulled. The dentist’s secretary is Rich’s first love, Astrid. They share frosty small-talk that feels like closure for Rich.

Rich’s next stop is Merle Sanderson’s house. He finds Merle flanked by Eugene and his other henchmen, the lot of them grilling and drinking beer. Merle tells Rich to be grateful he has Eugene looking out for him. He also says Rich should get Colleen under control, or Merle will tell the authorities that the Larsons’ baby was stillborn due to Colleen’s intervention at the birth. Rich bristles at the threat but leaves before a fight breaks out.

At home that night, Rich breaks the difficult news of Scout’s death to Chub.