Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 1-3 takes viewers deep into the shocking real-life story of South Carolina’s once-powerful Murdaugh family. The show opens with Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh lying dead on the floor, setting the stage for the tragic events that unraveled the family’s seemingly perfect world. Episode 1-3 premiered today, on October 15, on Hulu. It stars Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, Johnny Berchtold, Gerald McRaney, and Brittany Snow.
Based on the Murdaugh Murders Podcast by Mandy Matney, the show covers the deadly boat crash that exposed corruption, cover-ups, and family turmoil within the Murdaugh family (via Hulu). Here’s a recap of the Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 1-2 explained.
Alex Murdaugh’s Tumultuous Life in Murdaugh: Death in the Family
Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 1 opens in 2021, with a frantic 911 call from Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke) as he reports his wife, Maggie (Patricia Arquette), and their youngest son, Paul (Johnny Berchtold), have been shot. But the tragedy only sets the stage for a deeper investigation into the Murdaughs’ dark past. The experience then shifts back two years ago.
The Murdaugh family’s legacy in South Carolina is steeped in power, wealth, and influence. For three generations, the Murdaugh Family held prominent positions in local law enforcement. Randolph Murdaugh, Alex’s father, served as district attorney for over 30 years and has now retired. He’s receiving the highest civilian honor of the state from the governor. Maggie arranges a party to honor him.
Randolph’s two sons, Randy, the older son, and Alex, the youngest, both work at the family’s private law firm. The first episode takes viewers into his toxic relationship with his father, who favors Randy over him. In one case, Alex struggles to convince the jury to award fair compensation to Mr. Alvarez for a hit-and-run case. Randy mocks Alex’s weak presentation, and Randolph sides with him. Randolph then angrily forces Alex to settle for a lower amount. Later, Alex learns that Randolph is quitting the family law firm, which hints that Randy will take over it.
The successful lawyer on the outside struggles with addiction and strained family relationships. His financial figures in red suggest his growing debt. Alex also runs an illegal jellyfish import business. He convinces the newly appointed country director, but he orders him to stop the work of this business.
His relationship with his wife Maggie may look solid, but there’s a crack, too. We learned that Alex has cheated in the past, and he’s also hiding his addiction. Their much older housemaid, Gloria Satterfield, finds Alex’s stash of pills under his bed and hands them over to Maggie.
Alex Murdaugh uses his family’s connections to manipulate legal outcomes. Episode 2 started with his past, where he avoided accountability for a driving incident at the University of South Carolina using his family’s influence.
What Happened During the Boating Incident in Murdaugh: Death in the Family?
Just like himself, Alex has two sons: the eldest brother, Buster Murdaugh, and the younger brother, Paul Murdaugh. Buster has been accepted to USC, just like their family members. On the other hand, Paul is a troublemaker, spoiled by the family’s wealth and influence. He has already built a reputation for reckless behavior. It seems like Alex also prefers the older brother more, as he’s more proud that Buster is willing to be a self-made man. Paul couldn’t hide his legacy, and even later engages in a fight with Buster during the party.
He goes to their private Paukie Island with his friends in a speedboat. After getting drunk in a fit of rage and jealousy, he has to drive back. It should be noted that though he is only 19 years old and underage. On the way back, Paul drives recklessly and crashes into a river bridge, injuring everyone in the boat. However, one of the friends, Mallory Beach, goes missing.
Alex, desperate to protect Paul, uses the family’s connections to cover up the incident. He pressures the other survivors into controlling the narrative, convincing them to stay quiet to downplay Paul’s role in the crash. Alex even manipulates and uses his connection to a redacted police report to shield Paul from public scrutiny. Later, Buster showed him the video of Paul steering while heading towards the island, but it was enough to prove his crime.
The episode also introduced journalist Mandy Matney (Brittany Snow) takes an interest in the story. In the search operation, she also noticed Alex, who’s heavily invested in shifting the narrative. Matney researches inconsistencies in the official accounts. Through social media comments, she begins to investigate the Murdaugh family’s possible involvement in a cover-up. However, her publisher warns her not to publish anything without solid evidence.
Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Did Mandy Expose the Murdaughs?
Paul tries to contact his friends, but they’re avoiding him. He sneaks and meets another victim from the accident, Morgan. While Paul is cool with his father’s narratives, Morgan fires back at Paul for not taking the blame for his actions. They had huge arguments before Morgan left.
The next day, Maggie realizes that they should’ve taken steps in a search party immediately after the incidents. She takes him to the search operation, where they learn Mallory’s body has been discovered 5 miles away. Mallory’s boyfriend, Anthony, angrily shouts at Paul to never show his face. It finally made him confront the reality of his actions.
Meanwhile, Morgan met Mandy and showed her the video of Paul, and they promised complete anonymity. By reaching out to the survivors and obtaining video evidence, she begins to piece together the full story.
The second episode also highlights that Alex and Maggie’s strained relationship reaches a boiling point. Maggie confronts Alex about his relapse while Alex is struggling as he’s out of pills. They fought before Maggie finally handed her two pills. She asks him to choose between his addiction and his family.
At night, Alex visits his friend Marty, whose son Connor was another victim of the boat accident. During the visit, Alex manipulates Marty. He suggests Connor should take the blame for the incident while reminding him of the past favors. The next day, when Paul and Alex return from hunting, they find Randolph in the house. Maggie urges Paul to read the newspaper, which has already published news about the cover-up of the accident.
While Mandy Matney’s report signals the beginning of a wider investigation into the Murdaugh family’s corrupt activities, the story is far from over. Stay tuned for more updates.
How do you like the premiere episode? Do you think the cover-up story will lead to the family’s corrupt activities? Let us know your thoughts and predictions.
Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episodes 1-3 are available to stream on Hulu (US).
