There's something about Kate!

Kate Warner has quite the checkered past that she worked really hard to keep under wraps from pretty much everyone around her. Even though she was secretive, dishonest, and a complete and utter mystery, everyone loved her. 

On Secrets and Lies Season 2 Episode 5 we uncovered more about Kate's background, including being introduced to her mother and also the father of the child she gave up for adoption. 

Is it just me or does this season feel unnecessarily convoluted? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Michael Ealy and the season certainly has some perks, especially compared to the previous season, but there's just a lot going on. 

There are so many plot points crammed into an episode that it's difficult to keep up with all of them, let alone make sense of what's supposed to actually be relevant.

Every episode there's roughly three different reveals about Kate, yet nothing that gives us much of a motive as to why she was killed. There's also this side storyline with Danny and his missing daughter that somehow is connected.

There's the whole tension and mixed feelings regarding Eric, the rest of the Warners, and the matriarch of the family. Let's not forget the fact that Patrick is a shady drunk with a wife who no one in the family likes for whatever reason.

There's a lot, and the she show has no qualms about tossing in more twists, turns, and new characters at the drop of a hat. I might need my own murder board. 

So the only thing you weren't lying about, is that everyone lies.

Eric

• Permalink: So the only thing you weren't lying about, is that everyone lies.

So Danny is a cop. Fair enough. But he has also been working with Cornell. Because somehow it's mutually beneficial for both of them to help each other out, but I'm honestly not following why that is. 

Danny is caught up on the fact that Neal hired Carly the call girl, and she had Rachel tagging along. I just...is that his only lead? Neal and Carly? Why is he so convinced that Neal will lead him to Rachel? 

He has even convinced Eric that Neal is up to no good, based on the information Liam told them. Neal is super shady, so I get all that, but again, what the hell does any of that have to do with Rachel? 

Danny has lost his ability to communicate with Carly to see what she knows about Rachel disappearing, because apparently Carly's client list includes half the police department, and that perk means skipping away scott-free.

And apparently part of what's fueling Danny, the disgraced cop from New York with a bench warrant for his arrest (because of course he has an arrest warrant), is the fact that he feels guilty about not recognizing that his daughter had been abused by his partner.  

I don't know, guys. I guess we needed all of this because the myriad of stuff surrounding Kate, Eric, and the rest of the Warners wasn't enough. Am I the only one who already assumed that Danny's daughter is dead?

Yes, detective. I married a woman whom I know nothing about.

Eric

• Permalink: Yes, detective. I married a woman whom I know nothing about.

Eric wasn't kidding when he said he didn't know anything about his wife. I keep hoping for something salacious and awful to be revealed about Kate, but once again it was "meh" at best. 

So she had a mother that she hadn't seen since she was 16, but the money she took from Eric she spent on paying off her mother's mortgage. See? Nice, once again. 

We also found out that she slept with her mother's boyfriend Jake when she was a teenager. Not her finest moment, and certainly was vile for Jake, especially since he just barely missed a statutory rape situation. Age of consent was apparently 16. Still gross.

So her mother's boyfriend was the secret baby's daddy. She went back home to visit Jake and expressed interest in reconnecting with their son, Charlie. But Jake wasn't interested.

It doesn't sound like Charlie's adoptive mom was interested either. I wonder if that will come into play again? I wonder if she had anything to do with Kate's death?

We really have too many secrets in this family, Amanda. Way too many secrets. It has to stop.

Eric

• Permalink: We really have too many secrets in this family, Amanda. Way too many secrets. It has to stop.

There really are too many secrets in this family. Patrick continues to be shady as hell. Amanda doesn't actually keep any of her family abreast to what's going on in her life at all, I don't even know what's going on with Mrs. Warner, and where the hell is Jack?

Patrick continues to make me suspicious. I'm starting to think of all of his drinking is some sort of ruse. What is his interest in the Danny? He seemed obsessed!

There's also the whole relationship with his wife and how no one approves of it. And how does he keep knowing and finding out things before anyone tells him? He did that twice in this episode.

Additional Notes:

• It's always fun to see Brendan Hines on my screen.
• "I'm so confused." Me too, Patrick. Me too, brother. 
• I'm really enjoying the fact that Cornell's superior is actually riding her like Seabiscuit on every little thing. 
• I wonder what the time frame is between the seasons, because Cornell is supposed to have a partner, and she's been without one for a really long time.
• Amanda was finally on Cornell's radar for a bit. Taking into consideration her marriage issues and how secretive she is, do you think Amanda really loved Kate? Not just as a sister, but romantically? Kate has had this affect on many.

What did you think of the episode? Do you feel like there are too many plot points? What did you think about the Danny's story? Has Patrick climbed further up on your list? Do you think Neal is gone for good?

Hit up the comments below and if you'd like to catch up, you can always watch Secrets and Lies online right here on TV Fanatic. 

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.