Home Before Dark is probably one of the most surprising shows we’ve seen in a while. Going in we were thinking something in the line of CW’s Nancy Drew or a tiny version of Veronica Mars. But it was a blast enjoying all the episodes and the central character of Hilde Lisko, played by the magnificent Brooklynn Prince.

In her quest to be taken as a serious journalist, Hilde follows every clue and comes to rash decisions, but it is to be expected from a nine-year-old. But the amazing thing about the show is the core relationship between the kids and their parents. This point was hammered home even more during the table and tools scene (you’ll know what we mean) and more perfectly in our favorite episode (episode 9), and something we want to see more of in Home Before Dark season 2.

Home Before Dark follows Hilde Lisko and her family, who move to a small lakeside town called Erie Harbor. Hilde’s father lost his job in Brooklyn which is why they decide to move to their familial home only for the past secrets her father tried to run away from coming back and haunt him and the family as a whole. Then, things are further complicated when death in town is connected to an abduction, which happened over three decades ago.

Though many critics and people who’ve watched enough murder mystery will be able to poke some holes in the Disney friendly series, there is no denying the charm and the solid performances delivered by a great cast. Just because of which demographic is being targeted and the central figure of the story, you know nothing is going to happen to Hilde, there is still a dark mystery, which is finely balanced between fun and heinous.

So, from here on out we will be discussing SPOILERS from the first season of the new Apple TV Plus series. There will also be some revelations about the FINALE, so read, only if you don’t care for SPOILERS. We will also be talking about the possible routes for Home Before Dark season 2, so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

More Father Daughter moments in Home Before Dark Season 2

As with most TV shows and movies centered around a young leading actor, adults seem to be the third wheels of the whole experience. It was almost true for Home Before Dark, the scenes where Hilde was not doing her thing and being a menace for everyone else and helping her dad get through some things, her dad, Matthew Lisko, played by Jim Sturgess, was subpar at best.

The other adults fared better in the whole scheme of things, and their stories were better realized without the influences of their kids. But the biggest strength of the show was the relationship between Hilde and her father Matthew which only shone when they were together on the part of Matthew.

The father-daughter combo was the best thing that happened to the show, and from the first episode to the ninth, the idea of Hilde looking up to her father who was a great reporter was what kept the story going. Matthew getting fired from his journalist job was a gut punch which resulted in him leaving reporting and Hilde‘s desire to get her dad back on the horse and see him do what he does best was the most beautiful thing to see in the series.

Matthew helped Hilde find her inner love for being a journalist and Hilde was helping him find his passion back again. The show was at its best when those two were joining forces and helping each other reach their full potential. We need more of the father-daughter journalist tag team to find wrongdoings and report on the truth.

If there is a Home Before Dark season 2, then we want more Hilde and Matthew going off on their adventures and finding the truth. Brooklynn Prince is great on her own as Hilde, but the fun is kicked up a notch when she is fighting for her dad, someone she looks up to, someone she loves and someone she hopes to be one day.

The Search for Richie Fife – Where is Richie and Who asked Zeke to Kidnap Him?

The whole premise for the first season of Home Before Dark was the death of a lady whose brother was convicted over three decades ago for the murder of Richie Fife. Richie is the son of an affluent family in Erie Harbor, and he is also the victim of child abuse by his father. At the time of Richie’s disappearance, the corrupt Sheriff of Erie Harbor, played by Frank Briggs Sr., frames Sam Gillis, played by Michael Greveves, for the murder of Richie.

The disappearance of Richie is also the reason the Lisko name is not well received in Erie Harbor. Young Matthew said in the court that it was not Sam who kidnapped Richie, which was not the story the Sheriff was peddling. Well, the conviction of Sam was also the reason why Matthew decided he was leaving the place forever.

Richie Fife was kidnapped by Zeke and his sister, more than three decades ago.

Source: Apple TV Plus

Well, as it turns out, by the time the finale roll around, Richie Fife is not dead as he managed to escape his captivity. Hilde and her father find the van which was used to kidnap Richie, and when the police search the van, they find the kidnapper, Zeke, but there is no sign of Richie or his remains inside the van.

Through Hilde’s “Sherlock-vision” we are able to deduce Reggie was in the van as his one shoe was still in the back of the van. Hilde also figures out Reggie escaped through the passenger side window before the van sunk in the lake. Then, the question becomes, where is Richie Fife, where did he go and what would he allow Sam to be sent to prison for killing him when he was scot-free?

We can understand why Richie did not go back home, he was being physically abused by his father and Matthew said as much that Richie always wanted to leave his home. After getting away from the kidnapper he probably thought why to go back, no one would be wiser if he just left, they would just think he was kidnapped.

But there is the question of Sam taking the fall for a crime which wasn’t even committed. Sam is going to get free, but he lost three decades of his life, and his sister was roped into a drug ring just to keep her brother safe inside the prison. Sam’s incarceration and the subsequent pressure by the prison guard on his sister caused the death of his sister.

There is also the question of who was the person that hired to kidnap Richie. In the ninth episode of the first season Kim’s mother made the confession which said she was the get-away driver for the kidnapping and she said her brother came to town and said he was hired to get Richie somewhere safe, by someone.

The someone and their identity are not revealed, but this could be a thread Hilde and her father pull in Home Before Dark season 2. There is a mystery behind the kidnapping of young Richie, and the thinking is, it won’t be a mystery for long when Hilde is involved.

Donny and Spoon need more Screen Time in Home Before Dark Season 2

When Hilde and her family move to Erie Harbor, they are not exactly the favorites of the people who live there. The past history of the Lisko name doesn’t do them any favors, but things are further compounded when Hilde starts writing about the “accidental death” in the town and calls it murder.

The murder story does not make her a popular subject in the school, and she has a hard time finding friends. But one kid does approach her, his name is Donny, played by Jibrail Nantambu, and he wants to be friends with Hilde, but only after the heat from the article dies down. And when Hilde stands up to the school about her comment section, she finds another friend in Spoon, played by Deric McCabe.

But the things are those two kids were only used as Hilde’s sidekicks. Both of the actors playing Donny and Spoon are talented kids who know what they are doing and using them just as sidekicks was a huge misuse of talent. We want to see more of Spoon and Donny in Home Before Dark season 2; Apple TV Plus can have itself a mystery (sci-fi less) version of Stranger Things only if they allow the two kids to have some more character then just be some cheap comic relief.

Home Before Dark Season 1 Episode 9 was the Best – More of That Please!

As we mentioned above, our favorite episode from the first season of Home Before Dark season one was the ninth episode. The reason we love this one is because of all the heart pulling moments in this 45 minutes, then the whole first season combined, and it was not just cheap unearned melodrama nonsense, everything was set in place, and before the big finale reveal, there were some beautiful, small moments in this episode.

The best thing was at the start of the ninth episode; we see Matthew making some identification cards. It is a press identity card for his daughter, so they can go to Portland and question about the Miller kids. The moment when Matthew kneels down and puts the loop around her neck was like a knighting ceremony where Hilde was finally given the honor she deserved.

Though the identification card was fake, it was still an acknowledgment from a broken father to his daughter and the great job she was doing, something even he and his father were not able to do. Hilde always wanted to be like her father and to have her press credentials given to her by her father (even if it was a fake) was a beautiful moment between a father and daughter who loved each other.

Then, there was the moment of Matthew’s father asking him not to go to New York. Matthew’s father forgets, and he thinks his son is leaving for college and never coming back; instead, Matthew assures his father that he is not leaving him. This was also a beautiful moment between a father and son.

Also, another favorite moment of ours from this episode was when Izzy, played by Kylie Rogers, is subject to vile online harassment. She shares it with her mother Bridget, played by Abby Miller, and instead of talking to her about how it was going to be okay, Bridget spoke the truth about how she has no clue about social media, but she helped her daughter get through a tough time and let her know she is always in Izzy’s corner.

Finally, the last thing we loved about episode nine was during the interrogation scene of Kim’s mom. Kim Collins, played by Joelle Carter, Frank Briggs Jr., played Michael Weston, and Matthew Lisko was on the other side of the glass, and the image showed the three kids version of them also, and how one crime affected their lives forever. We loved all the flashbacks, and this was the culmination of smart editing and beautiful transitions in the series, so, more of that in Home Before Dark season 2, please!

What is the Release Date for Home Before Dark Season 2?

Home Before Dark season 1 premiered on 3 April 2020 with the first three episodes being made available on Apple TV Plus with one episode released each Friday. According to reporting by deadline, Home Before Dark was renewed for a second season in January of 2020. The producers of the show talked about making a super binge-able series and continuing Home Before Dark further.

Apple TV Plus is a new streaming service, and it will definitely not drop a critically successful series. So, going forward with the knowledge Home Before Dark season 2 does happen, the release date will be probably in the summer or the later part of 2021 due to the lockdown going on during thing COVID-19 pandemic, which is sure to affect production for the show.

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