Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Name Your Ghosts

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Who else is mad? I'm mad! They need Mercer of all people! Mercer! Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7 ended with the smug look on that b##tard's smiley face. Why do they have to need him?

Owen came so close to getting him. He didn't end up using the planted drugs. He caught Mercer out fair and square for all his dirty dealings.

Even when it meant Mercer might release dirty photos of Diane, Owen had her permission to do what he had to do because Mercer was a creepy slime that needed to go down.

Taylor and Owen at the Station - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

Owen: Sam Mercer. You're under arrest.
Mercer: You might wanna ask your old lady about that.
Owen: Oh, I did. Turns out she's not afraid. Certainly not afraid of you. No, I'm here because she told me to be.
Mercer: Look, Owen --
Owen: You know, I was wondering, does your wife know that you took those? Sneaking around, taking naked pictures of people? I mean, Diane taught your daughter. Does she know what kind of thing her dad's been up to? And what about your boy? I mean, would he be proud of the old man? I mean, I wonder what he would say.
Mercer: Sounds like you're blackmailing me.
Owen: I guess I am. But I'm taking you in Sam. And you're going to destroy every last photo. Every last copy. Now put down the wrench. Be smart. The story ends here Sam.

And what now? Does he get off? Does he cut a deal? He knows how much they need him. You could see it on his slimy face. How can a guy like that get off yet again? 

I know the most important thing is that Kodie gets her kids back. And it wouldn't hurt to expose the corruption happening at ClearDawn. But couldn't they do that without having to cut a deal with this scum of the earth person? 

I was so hopeful. They had so many leads. After they failed to get certification on Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 6, I was slightly concerned. But they rallied this episode. They followed the clues, and they made progress. 

Mr. Bailey: Tell me why you're looking into Solomon Stafford.
Billy: We never said --
Mr. Bailey: You didn't have to.
Joanna: How could you possibly know which case we were talking about?
Mr. Bailey: My wife only became a lawyer after David ... She only tried one case.
Joanna: The boy who died was your son.

Some of it was super obvious. Who else guessed that Eli Roberts and Elliot, a friend of David Bailey, were the same person? Hands? 

I did find it hard to believe that a woman would be allowed to be the lawyer in the case suing someone for her own son's death, especially since it was the only case she ever tried.

Billy and Joanna Question Eli Roberts - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

She became a lawyer for that reason, and law school takes a long time. Then she's able to drudge up this old case that is clearly personal to her because it's about her son.

But I guess being a lawyer isn't like being a doctor. And it isn't as though Luna's case wasn't personal for Joanna. Or Kodie's case, for that matter. I wonder why that sort of thing is allowed.

In any case, a lot got personal this episode, like the personal photos Mercer has of Diane and some guy. Like, seriously? How does he even have that? How is he blackmailing everyone in Millwood? He's scum, and he needs to go bye-bye.

Eli: You have no idea what he was like.
Billy: Okay, so help us understand.
Eli: He would like ... like, get into our heads. Twisted us. He had this way of making us need to make him proud. I don't know how to explain it. I don't ... I ... I don't know, it's just, we just suddenly didn't see our parents anymore. He was all we could see. And, and it seemed right at the time, so we ran away. And we knew, I don't know why, but somehow we just knew, that we could never, ever go back to them.

Solomon Stone, A.K.A. Solomon Stafford, isn't the best guy around either. He thinks he's on a righteous mission to protect children. And to do that, he convinces them to run away from their safe, loving homes.

What is his damage? What sort of daddy or mommy issues does he have that made him this way?

Billy and Joanna Look Into Solomon Stone - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

They sort of imply that what he did to Eli and David was similar to what Joanna's father did to her. He brainwashed her, convinced her she couldn't trust her mother.

His motives are a little clearer as he was the father in a custody battle. Still, pretty cruel thing to do, not that we didn't know he was capable of that and worse.

We got a little more info from the flashbacks, In general, I'm a sucker for a good flashback, but I love how we switch between young Joanna in the memory, and her adult self reliving it. It's inventive.

In any case, it looks like she weighed herself down with rocks in her pockets and went out into the water. So, my attempted suicide theory is looking more and more likely.

We're still missing some key details and context. I thought for sure we were going to get some answers, what with Joanna's outburst at Eli and then Billy pulling over and refusing to start the car.

Joanna Chang Disgusted With Stone - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

Billy: Why won't you talk to me.
Joanna: We talk every day.
Billy: About the baby.
Joanna: Stop.
Billy: If I'm not enough, you need to tell me. If you need more, you need to tell me.
Joanna: This isn't about you! Can we please --
Billy: IF YOU DON"T WANT ME, that's fine, but this baby is coming either way.
Joanna: You don't think I know that? You don't think I know there is a person inside me? I don't know what I am doing, Billy. You ... you are good. And kind. And I shouldn't even be ... A marriage is one thing, we get out of contracts all the time. But ... a child? You would be stuck here, with me, and I am clearly not capable of living this life. I can't even say "good job" to our employees. What am I supposed to do with a child? And I just can't stand to see the look of disappointment.
Billy: I'm not disappointed.
Joanna: When I can't help but turn our child into me.

But instead of confronting her about her past with Kodie, he confronted her about their future. More specifically, he confronted her about Tiny Human Crawford Chang. And we got an intense, emotional, and ultimately romantic moment between our favorite couple. 

Joanna doesn't like to feel helpless or to admit that she doesn't have all the answers. But as Billy pointed out, it isn't about her figuring it out; it's about them figuring it out together. If she's scared and confused, they can be scared and confused together. 

Billy did express that he wants this baby, despite what he said about never having kids a few episodes back. I guess once it leaves the theoretical, everything changes.

Joanna: Look, I don't have any answers, so I don't know what to let you in on. I am ... I am so confused and I can't even trust myself. I am trying to figure this out. And when I do, I will let you --
Billy: I DON't WANT YOU TO FIGURE IT OUT! I wanna figure it out with you. Joanna, I don't have the answers either but if they exist, at all, then I don't wanna find them without you.
Joanna: What the hell are we going to do?
Billy: It's so nice to hear you say that. I wanna have this baby. With you.

And we know Billy. Was there really any doubt that he would be an amazing father? He was such a great uncle to Molly, and he takes care of Joanna, who is emotionally immature. 

Speaking of babies, Luna and Taylor delivered one on the side of the road.

Taylor And Luna Deliver Callie's Baby - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

Taylor: Are you comfortable?
Callie: Are you kidding me?
Taylor: It says to ask that.

I've seen that storyline before, but it's usually in either a medical show or when the parent in question is a major character. We don't know Callie all that well, but we do know how determined Luna was to help her. 

It was so funny and so true how Taylor turned to Siri to ask how to deliver a baby. Because what else would a twentysomething girl do in this day and age? But they were real troopers, and they got the baby out all nice and healthy.

Taylor: How to deliver a baby.
Siri: I found this on the web.
Taylor: Okay, bedsheets, something clean to put underneath, use my blanket, put that underneath her. Tell her to breathe and push.
Callie: I'm not deaf!

I feel like this might be a turning point for Taylor, who was struggling with her purpose this season. She's been determined to catch the bad guys, but she left that behind to help her friend and a stranger who needed her.

Hopefully, she'll have some clarity about her life moving forward.

There's only one episode left this season, and you know it'll all come to a head now. Hopefully, Kodie gets her kids back, and Mercer gets locked up for good. I worry it won't be that neat, though. Life never is. 

Taylor and Owen Examine Surveillance - Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7

What do you think, Fanatics? Will Mercer get off scot-free? Or will they find a way to make him pay for his crimes? Will Kodie get her kids back?

Let us know in the comments, and do not forget you can watch Burden of Truth online right here via TV Fanatic.

Burden of Truth airs Thursdays at 8/9c on The CW.

Name Your Ghosts Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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Leora W is a staff writer for TV Fanatic..

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Burden of Truth Season 3 Episode 7 Quotes

Billy: We wanted to talk to you about Solomon Stone or Stafford.
Eli Roberts: Excuse me.
Billy: Mr. Roberts --
Eli Roberts: It was a scar on the school. I'm sure you know that if you're asking.
Joanna: We wanna know about --
Eli: I don't really have time right now.
Joanna: We just wanna know about --
Eli: I came back here to undo the damage he did. Not about to reopen old wounds, so. I'm sorry, I can't help you.
Joanna: You know what he's doing now?
Eli: I have to ask you to leave.

Joanna: How do people have time for sports? I was always in the library.
Billy: Nerd.