Alaska Daily Season 2 Episode 8 resumed its regularly scheduled programming and got back on track by reprioritizing the Gloria Nanmac case. 

Following the ordeal that went down in the newsroom between Concerned Citizen and Eileen, everyone was a bit on edge, but aside from a brief chat with a therapist and a few days off, nothing was getting in the way of Eileen getting back to her job. 

The therapy session may have been mandated, but I do think that it’s necessary, and once Eileen warms up to the idea, a lot of good can come from it. She’s clearly been dealing with some unresolved trauma, including PTSD from her time in Afghanistan and likely the explosive end of her career in New York Confiding in someone and talking through things is beneficial, especially considering the panic attacks that have begun since she’s come to Anchorage, is crucial.

We didn’t get to see much of it in this episode—and hopefully, that will change in the future—but the therapy session did shine some light on Eileen’s backstory, particularly why she’s so steadfast in reporting the truth, uncovering corruption, and holding people accountable. As she informed the therapist, both her mother and her father lied to her and broke her trust, so her dedication to the job and pursuing the truth is personal.

It’s likely also what makes her such a good reporter because she wholeheartedly believes that people deserve answers and unbiased reporting. 

While Gloria Nanmac’s case is layered and deeply unsettling, it’s important, and getting back to it gave Eileen a sense of purpose so she wasn’t just sitting around and simmering on what happened when she was held hostage at gunpoint. 

As she threw herself right back into work, putting pressure on the state to reveal why they didn’t run a DNA test in Gloria’s case, Roz traveled back to Meade to investigate Pastor Reed Gallahorn.

Admittedly, the storyline took a few turns that even I didn’t expect. Eileen managed to convince the public safety commissioner to reclassify Gloria’s case as a homicide—threatening to expose internal corruption and the misappropriation of funds will get anyone to change their tune—so that they could run the DNA test. 

Meanwhile, Roz’s confrontation with Gallahorn got heated almost immediately, and while he didn’t offer up much information at the beginning, the gut feeling that every woman has about this dude is on point—he’s an absolute creep and manipulator who definitely played some kind of role in Gloria’s death. 

ALASKA DAILY – “Tell a Reporter Not to Do Something and Suddenly It’s a Party” – As the team grapples with the incident’s aftermath, they support one another as the daily grind continues and bleak budgets loom for the paper. Meanwhile, new discoveries surrounding Gloria’s death highlight leads that could reclassify the case. THURSDAY, MARCH 9 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Darko Sikman)
HILARY SWANK, AMI PARK

My heart broke for Sylvie because she’s just a loving mother who wants to find out what really happened to her daughter to get some closure. When Reed’s name popped up, she was adamant that Gloria was not involved in his church because she wanted so badly to believe it—she wanted to believe that she raised her daughter better, and admitting that she may have strayed from the path was almost like admitting defeat. 

Of course, none of what happened was either Sylvie or Gloria’s fault, and getting the truth about the latter’s connection to the church only inched them closer to the truth. Roz spoke to Gloria’s friend, Alice, who was still involved with Reed, and found out that much like the other victim at Reed’s former church who turned up dead due to an “accident,” Gloria was a liability because she wanted to expose him and his abusive practices. 

Reed’s abusive tendencies were confirmed by his estranged son, who filed assault charges and then dropped them soon after due to pressure from his father, who then made him sign an NDA. While he wasn’t willing to go on record, he did reveal that his father was a sadist who believed that to truly understand the lord, you had to feel his pain. It was twisted, but it definitely proved that Reed was dangerous and had the motive to want to get rid of Gloria to protect his business.

Unfortunately, when Roz confronted him about Gloria’s death, he denied it, claiming he simply wanted to help a troubled girl. He also agreed to a DNA test and even had an alibi as he was with his wife that very evening.

After the DNA tests were completed, Eileen and Roz were stunned that Reed wasn’t their guy, and the commissioner was filing an arrest warrant for Toby Crenshaw, Gloria’s good friend. Teasers from the upcoming episode reveal that both reporters think a confession was forced out of him, which means that the person who was responsible for her death is still out there and has a lot of pull in hopes of making this all go away.

This cover-up is much more corrupt than Eileen and Roz could’ve ever imagined. They owe it to Gloria and all the other native women that the government would have ignored and pushed aside; it’s the least they can do. 

With The Daily Alaskan pursuing real stories and gunning for the truth, it’s not surprising that they’ve made plenty of enemies, many of whom would like to watch it all burn to the ground. We already saw just how agitated Eileen’s reporting made Concerned Citizen, but there’s someone else,  someone way more powerful, who also isn’t a fan—Conrad Pritchard, Aaron’s father. Wouldn’t it be crazy if he was somehow tied to Gloria’s disappearance?

Through her reporting, Eileen learned that Conrad was planning to sell the paper, which was news to everyone else, but a few leads later, the rumor was confirmed. Aaron confronted his father, who bluntly informed him that the paper was bad for business as the reporters never hesitated to paint his family, and their business dealings, in a bad light. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about money, and Conrad would rather see local journalism die than be held accountable for his actions. Thankfully, in this situation, the apple fell far from the tree because Aaron knew that there was no way that he could allow the paper to get gutted. And in true Pritchard fashion, he treated to expose his father’s shady business dealings until he agreed to sell the paper to him instead. Turns out, Aaron is a good guy after all—and maybe that’ll get him on Eileen’s good side.

The situation between Aaron and Conrad was tense, and I’d actually like to explore that on a deeper level in episodes to come. This can’t be the last time Conrad’s business dealings are worthy of front-page news, right?

Being held at gunpoint in a newsroom—and then watching a man die—is a traumatic experience, and not everyone can pretend nothing is wrong and bounce back as quickly as Eileen. And truthfully, it didn’t seem like Gabriel wanted to either. 

It was sweet to see everyone ignore his request for space and swing by his apartment to check on him, but the mood was soured by his announcement that he was not coming back to the paper. 

Eileen is seasoned—she’s seen a lot in her career, so while she may be slightly shaken up, she’s not easily scared. The same cannot be said for Gabriel, who is still very green and has doubted himself numerous times since getting the job. It seems that this close brush with danger was a bit of a wake-up call for him, and he’s realizing that the job isn’t worth losing his life over. Or even some sleep. 

However, it could just be a case where Gabriel is so terrified that this will happen again that he’s running away, and if that’s the case, I hope his good friends from the newsroom talk him out of it and he sticks the course. 

There wasn’t a dull moment on Alaska Daily, a series quickly rising the ranks as one of TV’s most important and high-stakes dramas. 

What happens next? Will Eileen and Roz find a way to backtrack and help clear Toby’s name? Are they finally realizing that they are stronger together? It definitely seemed that by splitting up, they were utilizing each other’s strong suits and skills. Will it be revealed that Reed is somehow involved? He’s too creepy not to be, especially since he talked to Gloria the night of the disappearance and “punished” her by making her stand in the freezing elements and get frostbite. 

Will Eileen and Roz still expose his abusive ways even without the Gloria connection? He must be stopped. 

Will Eileen give Aaron another shot? Will Gabriel be convinced that his heart belongs in journalism?