Sacrament (Mare of Easttown)

Plot

A photograph shows Erin beside a sleeping John. Jess reveals that Dylan knows he is not the biological father, and that they destroyed the journals to keep Erin's secret, especially since both families wanted the baby raised by Dylan's. At the lake, John aims a gun at Billy, but Mare stops them. Billy wrestles John as Mare subdues both and arrests John, ignoring his pleas to be shot. At the station, John confesses he was in a relationship with Erin and is DJ's father.

He says Erin called him away from Frank's engagement party to meet at the park, where she threatened suicide; he claims he accidentally shot her while fighting for the gun, and he and Billy moved the body to the woods to implicate the other kids. John admits he persuaded Lori to falsely claim Billy killed Erin. After his conviction, John begs Lori to adopt DJ. Billy is arrested but released on bail, and Deacon Mark is also freed.

John receives a light sentence. Carrie misses the custody hearing; Mare finds her crying in a stairwell, and Carrie admits she has relapsed. Carrie agrees to let Mare care for Drew while she returns to rehab. Later, Mare dines with Helen, Frank, and Faye, joking about Frank's tuxedo.

She steps away and encounters Sandra, who states she has not been unfaithful with John in five years and would never cheat on her husband again.

Production

The episode was written by series creator Brad Ingelsby and directed by executive producer Craig Zobel, marking Ingelsby's seventh writing credit and Zobel's seventh directing credit. Ingelsby said the decision to reveal Ryan as Erin's killer took months before he felt comfortable with the idea, noting that it would be hard on Mare and relate to her son and Lori. Julianne Nicholson found it satisfying to have much to do around home, motherhood, and friendship in the last episode.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Sacrament" was seen by an estimated 1.519 million household viewers with a 0.27 in the 18–49 demographics, a 25% increase from the previous episode. On the night of the airing, HBO Max servers collapsed shortly after the finale was released. The episode earned critical acclaim. Matt Fowler of IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, calling it an emotionally devastating finale with a shattering final act, praising Kate Winslet and naming Julianne Nicholson the MVP. Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave a "B+" grade, describing it as a triumphant conclusion to Mare's emotional arc but a mixed bag as a mystery conclusion. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone noted the series ends in a relatively hopeful place, quoting Mare's advice to Mr. Carroll about learning to live with the unacceptable.