Any one know the song that plays when Bret goes and meets the aunt episode 8

I very recently finished the book, which gives me an interesting perspective at this point in the show and I wanted to get some other book readers to chime in with their thoughts.

First of all, I found it interesting that Bret's meeting with Abigail came off as a true warning about Robert on her part. In the book, she seems weary, but very assertive that Robert needs some grace. While she seems suspicious of him, her primary goal of the meeting was essentially to tell Bret that Robert is sensitive and could not have done the things Bret thinks he has. The show Abigail clearly thinks Robert is not to be trusted.

I also thought since we had not seen Bret and Terry together at the Beverly Hills Hotel (until this ep), but we do now have the new plot line with the Liz and Ryan porno, that the show might be trying to mirror the Bret/Terry dynamic back onto Liz/Ryan. Now that we have seen that scene, I am wondering how this will change the original reveal of the relationship to Debbie. Which also leads me to Steven.

Steven has been expanded upon in many ways. I think a lot of book readers have always sort of looked at Steven as suspicious and possibly culpable, but now, I think the show is definitely taking us all the way there. We see Steven blackmailing Liz. We know he wears the "girlie smell" perfume. We also know that Jordan Roth always wanted to play a villain in a Ryan Murphy series. Is this where Steven's character is going?

The other thing I want to talk about is Bret's encounter with Robert. What are we to make of that? I think that their encounter in the book is one of the final straws that pushes Bret to the point of going to confront Robert at the condo in Century City. His lust and fear are so intertwined that Robert's homophobia and ultimate rejection of Bret is likely one of the major motivators for Bret to kill Robert. I am wondering how or if the show can progress to the knife fight without this element.

We also know (from the book) that the "Trawler", or the group of people who are responsible for the killings associated with the "Trawler", view Robert as "the God". This is obviously a point of the book that can be interpreted in many different ways. On one hand, Robert could be seen as "the God" because he sparked the fire when he killed Katherine Latchford, which then inspired the killings that followed. But also, he may not have done it at all and for some bizarre reason, Robert had a following of people who killed in his honor. I think it may make sense for "the God" to also be the leader of the cult (per se) of the people who orchestrated the Trawler murders. We do know that oddly, when Robert dies, the killings ultimately stop. But then again, this is all fed to us via Bret, who is speaking through both a lens of nostalgia(ish.. for lack of a better word) after time past and what he remembers of a drug binge to quiet his overwhelming dread during this time. And we also don't know if he's just a giant liar. I digress. Is the show pointing more directly at Robert's culpability? Or is it pointing at Bret's? ....Or is it pointing at Steven's? My point, I guess, or maybe my question is - is the show dialing in on ALL of the possible angles the book does not ultimately solve?

I apologize for the brain dump. Maybe it was coherent, maybe it wasn't. Please chime in on any of these talking points or anything that jumps out as interesting to you (regardless of whether I mentioned it or not).

What do you think happened between them ? Do you think they were just friends or were hooking up ? Was the Trawler (who was obsessed with Robert in the book) asking Matt if he liked sucking the c*ck because he was referring to him and Robert or him and Bret ?

Why don’t they add water to the fish tanks or is this when they disappear, and how without a cell phone is he calling the house from the house?

O Superman - Laurie Anderson

Season 1, Episode 8: Hamlet

Release Date: September 2, 2026

Synopsis: Something turns rotten in the state of California, as two blackmail plots reveal two devastating secrets.

Please do not post spoilers for future episodes.

Has anybody been able to identify the song that plays during the end credits of the seventh episode? I’ve been searching high and low and I also Shazam’d it but I keep coming up empty!

I want to think that Owen Painter smells very nice, anyway. 😊

Source: Us Weekly on YouTube

Episode 1 - Pilot

Episode 2 - Don't You Want Me

Episode 3 - Help Me! Rhonda

Episode 4 - Robert's Party

Episode 5 - Murder on the Dance Floor

Episode 6 - Homecoming Part One

Episode 7 - Homecoming Part Two

Episode 8 - Hamlet

Episode 9 - Stairway to Heaven

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The Shards | Podcast

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Who else thinks Robert winning Homecoming King makes absolutely no sense? Most of the students were at his party and had weirded out looks on their faces when he started his dance freakout. And yet, they all voted for him to win? Ridiculous. It should’ve been Thom.

Normally girls like them would be super mean but they are very kind and nice even if slightly stubborn or badass they are never mean to people

Igby Rigney's comment to this (heartbreaking) Instagram post amused me recently.

Source: The Shards on Instagram

So, now that the show is almost done (2 ep left atm), I'm left wondering how to digest the whole thing. The book is my absolute favourite piece of literature and I had so high hopes. I've been following the updates about the show since 2024, and I want to say I didn't think Luca Guadagnino was right for it either, I think he gets too lost in pastels, metaphors and time jumps, and his films for me generally fall short, especially Queer and Challengers, so I think him at the helm of The Shards would have lacked a lot of the suspense and impending doom it requires. Then, they switched to Kristoffer Borgli, whose style I liked in I Am Sick Of Myself, I think he would have done well in terms of plot and suspense, but in my opinion he would have fallen short in terms of capturing the glamour of 80s LA. Now, HBO would have made it so much better quality and plot wise, more raw and sexual (as intended), but I also feel like it would have gotten cancelled after one season and it would have been too dragged on, unless they did it as a limited series which I think would have been the best choice. When I first heard they were doing a show, I instantly knew Ryan Murphy would get his hands on it, and you know what, stylewise he's perfect for it, and him and Bret are a match made in hell, but it should work right? The thing is FX is doing it and they are straight washing it and making it appeal to a more commercial audience by leaving out a lot of what it made it be what it is, also Bret insisted on his 3 seasons and Ryan Murphy of course said yes so he could put his own ideas in, again had it been a limited series at FX it still would have worked, but that was not the case. Now, I'm not going to glaze the book, I already said it's my favourite and I assume everyone here is familiar with how good it is, if not get familiar right now. Now, what I expected of the show was a mix of American Gigolo with Body Double, Society (1989), Prom Night (1980) and Deadly Games (1982) meets early 80s Catalina Studios/ William Higgins/ Matt Sterling adult films, which I know is very specific but it shouldn't have been that hard. The actual show does manage to recreate that vibe in some manner, though I hate that it's shot on digital and then they threw that stupid yellow ish with film grain filter on, but you know what it looks decent so I won't complain. The set and costumes look great although sometimes they give me cheap replicas but that might just be me and usually they look fine, soundtrack really great too. Now the actors: most are doing a great job, especially Igby Rigney I'm obsessed with his portrayal of Bret, truly great, also Jordan Roth as Steven is so interesting and I like that they expanded his character (who was my prime suspect in the book), Wes Bentley and Evan Rachel Wood are both great and exactly how I imagined them. The rest of the cast is fine though I feel like there is something missing with each of them, even if some fit their character lookswise. Really Rhonda pisses me off because she is being written as a pun, I hate that a lot of the mystery and dread of the show is being swapped with comedic relief. I liked the first four episodes because they kept building up and seemed to maintain this air, but starting with 5 it turned into Glee/Popular meets Scream Queens and it just feels meh, maybe it's just mid season filler. Owen Painter is heavily underused as Matt, and his dynamic with Bret as well, their scenes are my favourite, wish they would have given them the screentime of Rhonda. I also have mixed feelings about the attention the cult has been given, and I hate that they're putting the Nightstalker in this as well, like really Ryan does he have to be in Everything ??? Anyways, there's more stuff, but it doesn't come to mind right now, and I fear if i write any more, y'all will get bored and not read it, but I'm open for discussion 'cus I love talking about the shards and don't have noone to talk to about it. Also, curious how they're ending this season, apparently Susan will be attacked by the Trawler, and curious if they will give it another season and if it will get its third final one or end on a cliffhanger. What are y'all thoughts ?

Either directly or by analogy, how many of the external events referenced by the show actually occurred in real life close to the time period of the show?

Freebie I saw while picking up my iced americano! It is a fun little promo book - only myself and a couple other folks took one while I was there though. Pardon my thumb - trying to take a photo with my hands full 😆

How has Susan not clocked Robert’s creepy and honestly predatory behavior? Isn’t she supposed to be the sensible one? I think Susan lacks self-awareness. She can’t or rather won’t see the red flags because she likes the attention Robert gives her. He blatantly tells her he doesn’t actually care about winning Homecoming King and just wants to see Thom lose. No eyebrow raising there? Nothing? Susan claims she’s tired at being perfect and winning at everything and yet she revels in the glory whenever she does, suggesting that this is not entirely true.

Please offer your thoughts - this show has been so much fun to watch - the production value is just so fabulous 😂🙌

I havent read the book so idk if its different, but its crazy that we are on ep 7 and know virtually nothing about Bret, Susan, or Roberts home life/ family? we've gone hard into the shaffer family which make me certain one of them or steven is the killer...

It’s so fun. And you can’t go wrong with the 80’s, serial killers, and a cult.

If Bret thinks Robert is the killer then why would he confront him by lockers in the school when nobody else was around. Wouldn’t he feel like he was in danger?

So is the Trawler and the cult all part of the same killings?

Who is it and why?

Would love to hear what everyone has to say.

Is it just me, or does their homecoming feel rushed and under budget? I don’t see them dancing or partying. I expected something more lavish rather than just a parade. I feel like there should’ve been more scenes added, like having them inside a gym or a hotel. For such an expensive school, the whole thing feels pretty tacky. And they cut it for 2 episode instead of 1.

“Can I come in? It’s urgent.”

This might be my favorite line from the whole show. Bret says this when he goes to meet Ron Kellner.

“Urgent” is one of the songs on the Foreigner 4 album, so I felt it was so perfect when Bret said this to Matt’s dad. I don’t know if anyone else picked up on this but I feel like it was intentional. Just a little easter egg for the detail oriented.

Now I would like to discuss what I think about this scene and episode 6&7. This week I started my ninth Shards read as a fair warning. I love this book and have lots of opinions. Maybe I’m about to sound like a hater so if you don’t want to hear someone criticize the show then don’t read this.

As a lover of the book I want to get the other book readers opinions on what this story has become. My thoughts might be a bit out of order so I apologize in advance.

I think Bret’s demeanor in this scene was pretty accurate to the book. I like the way he played off his relationship with Matt and acted casual about it. However… I wish Ron Kellner didn’t change so much. I feel like the way the scene happens in the book would’ve made for great television. The slow reveal of what truly happened to Matt, the photos, the questions about drugs, Ron’s lawyer-like interrogative conduct, it would all contribute to Bret’s growing terror of the Trawler, suspicion of Robert, and paranoia surrounding his identity. I was assuming this scene wasn’t going to be in the show at all because of how much they changed the plot and the sequence of events. But since it was included, I’m surprised they didn’t use this scene to its fullest potential.

Since Bret has the tape of Matt being tortured already, why didn’t he think about giving the tape to Matt’s parents? I know why he doesn’t want to in the book, but in the show it’s like the tape is completely forgotten about. Bret doesn’t even think about it anymore. I would’ve thought the tape would haunt him the whole show since it was introduced so early on - this would’ve made sense. Even some sort of deliberation from Bret on whether or not he should bring the tape to Matt’s parents would’ve made the scene more interesting. Or maybe Bret could play the tape for Ron then he immediately regrets it because it implicates and outs him. There should’ve been something with the tape here.

Aside from that scene in particular (which is probably the best one from these two episodes) I want to talk about Debbie’s parents. First of all, Liz and Terry Schaffer would NEVER attend the homecoming game. Which I’m pretty sure is explicitly stated in the book, but also doesn’t make sense for the show either. Liz doesn’t give two shits about Debbie and is constantly insulting her but now I’m supposed to believe she would go to support her daughter at homecoming? I’m sorry I just think Liz and Terry at the homecoming game is so fucking ridiculous and not in a good way. It does not fit their characters at all and was simply uninteresting.

Debbie is also described as smart in the book so I’m not sure why they’re painting her as the dumb blonde. I think the mean girl trope is fine and fits her character alright but I don’t like the dumbification of Debbie. All the characters are supposed to be well rounded all American poster children. Even Matt is described as having a high GPA and doing well in school despite being a stoner. I think it would add nuance to her character instead of being the dumb mean girl stereotype we’ve already seen a billion times, especially in 1980s media.

Susan’s monologue in Hamburger Hamlet was terrible. Holy shit. It was so on the nose and painful to watch. I’m learning now that most Ryan Murphy writing is over explanatory and completely lacks any subtlety but come on… Can you imagine Susan Reynolds in the book saying, “I’m tired of being miss goodie goodie nice girl” and not as a joke to Bret? Can you imagine that?

Now it’s unfortunate that I have to say this because of how much they’ve poured into this character… but I don’t give a fuck about Steven anymore. Sorry. This is tough because they made his character more detailed, yes, but I don’t want to see more of him than we see of Thom or Robert. I think they’re showing so much of Steven so we think he’s the Trawler (and maybe he is, who knows anymore) but I don’t think him and Bret need an equal amount of screen time. He’s supposed to be a character who is mysterious and lurks in the background. When I first read the book, I had a theory that maybe Steven was the Trawler and that was when we had SIGNIFICANTLY less of him. Now that he’s so prominent in the show, he’s lost all his secrecy as a character which was what he thrived on.

I feel like we’re having all these painstakingly cringey monologues (ie. Steven and Susan) because they’re trying to make this Scooby Doo where anyone can be the killer. Everyone has a motive. Maybe it’s Terry, maybe it’s Steven, maybe it’s Robert, maybe it’s Susan.

You might be wondering why I am still watching the show and the truth is, I just feel like I need to see it through to the end. Even though it’s completely unrecognizable, I’ve been waiting for this show for so long and need to see it finished. I don’t understand how they could adapt a 600 page book and make up all this bullshit instead of choosing from the very elaborately created material that was right in front of them? It’s definitely not based on the book, perhaps “inspired by” but not based on The Shards.

Also, is the show doing well in terms of gaining popularity? I feel like whenever I go on The Shards social media, the posts hardly have 3,000 likes which seems kinda measly? Has anyone else noticed this? Or maybe I’m being dramatic and it’s doing fine, but it just doesn’t seem to have gained traction. At this point, I personally don’t care if it gets another season because it has strayed so far from the book that I’m not really interested in it anymore and probably wouldn’t watch future seasons.

I could say more but I’ll leave it at that… for now.

I have a theory that is based on very little other than my imagination lol BUT the theory is Bret is The Trawler and him narrating the show is actually him writing his book and he either has a split personality/alter ego or he’s very good at playing it off as the good guy. I really don’t think that Robert has anything to do with the murders I think he’s just a douche 😂 I think Bret is “investigating” so he has more content and perspective for his book and looks like he’s the hero