Disclaimer** This article contains spoilers to the new series “56 Days.” If you have not watched the series, do not read this article
Let’s dissect what’s been in the air recently, whether it was Steven and Lucy’s twisty ending or the complicated and messy love story between “Ciara” (she goes by a fake name) and Oliver that ultimately reveals whose crazier and whose in the bathtub.
The series jumps back and forth across the timespan to unravel the connection between Ciara and Oliver, from when they first meet by chance, to two months later, when police find a dead body decomposing in Oliver’s bathtub.
But did they truly meet by chance?
The Backstory
Oliver, the son of a billionaire, and his best friend, Shane, were both involved in the murder of their classmate, Paul. When Oliver and Shane were hanging out by the river one afternoon, Paul showed up and instigated a fight with Shane. Fearing for his friend’s life, Oliver pulled Paul off of Shane and subsequently held him underwater until he drowned. The two boys felt they had acted in self-defense and initially planned to lie to avoid blame. But after an enormous amount of guilt within Oliver, he confessed to his father and was persuaded to pin the murder on Shane to get out of the situation and leave their childhood town.
In the days after the murder, a counselor at the boys’ school, Dan, took notice of Oliver spiraling and used his background as a social worker to insert himself into Oliver’s life, learn the details of what really happened and begin blackmailing Oliver’s father into compensating him as Oliver’s therapist. When Oliver attempted to write a letter that would help Shane and take the blame, Dan kept it to himself and instead visited Shane in prison to persuade him to commit suicide. Following the death, Dan worked by feeding into Oliver’s paranoia to maintain his hold over him.
But Shane wasn’t just anyone; he was Ciara’s older brother. She set out to meet Oliver on purpose for revenge and for his money.
The Twisted Relationship
However, the mission failed when Ciara ended up falling in love with Oliver and eventually realized she no longer wanted her revenge. After the feelings were mutual, Ciara convinced Oliver he no longer needed his therapist and that the paranoia was all in his head. Dan, after finding out Oliver no longer needed him, showed up at Oliver’s apartment and threatened to expose Oliver’s crimes using the letter he wrote as a teen and years of recordings from their sessions.
Boom – Vase to the head and Dan is dead. Dan is in the bathtub, not Oliver nor Ciara.
A Happy Ending
Unlike Steven and Lucy’s love story, Ciara and Oliver received their happy ending with the series ending on the beach with their newborn child, Shane.
So while this wasn’t as twisted and manipulative as Tell Me Lies, the motives were there and so were the creeps. The only difference was that they let their love overpower their hatred for each other.
What are your thoughts on “56 Days?” Let us know on Instagram, @VALLEYmag!
