SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Thursday night’s episode of Found.
Sir might be in prison, at least for the time being, but that hasn’t stopped him from tormenting Gabi Mosely and her team, even as they do everything they can to move on.
Thursday night’s episode of Found saw Gabi (Shanola Hampton) digging into an old cold case regarding several missing children that Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) swore would reveal some damning information about Detective Trent (Brett Dalton) and his family. It turns out, Trent’s father was on the case many years ago, but he dropped it once the DC Police Department arrested who they believed to be the perpetrator on a different crime, failing to continue searching for the whereabouts of the missing kids.
There’s yet to be a case that M&A couldn’t eventually solve, though, and this was no different. It turns out that all of these missing children, who are now adults, were taken from parents who were under threat of deportation in their kidnapper’s misguided attempt to give them a better life.
This is all set against the backdrop of Margaret’s (Kelli Williams) continued digging about Jamie’s kidnapper, who he refuses to reveal, and Lacey’s (Gabrielle Walsh) attempts to take control of her anxiety and PTSD after being taken by Sir for a second time. Lacey has been leaning on Zeke (Arlen Escarpeta) for support and, in Thursday’s episode, their connection deepens to a romantic one when Zeke finally makes a move.
In the interview below, Walsh spoke with Deadline about Lacey’s journey this season and the budding romance between Lacey and Zeke.
DEADLINE: We’ve seen so much more of Bella and Gabi this season. How did those moments inform your portrayal of Lacey?
GABRIELLE WALSH: It informed me a lot, seeing the scenes that were written with young Bella and Gabi really just deepened the connection between Lacey and Gabi. Also, just the strength that she had to overcome during that time, when she was younger and lost her voice, and how much Lacey has found her voice in this, especially being able to free herself from Sir for the second time. This time, she did it on her own. So you get to see the impact that these two little girls had on each other’s lives, especially Gabi, being able to pull young Bella out of her shell and make her feel safe and protected. That is so aligned with how the two of them connect now, but she’s finding her own voice as well outside of Gabi now, since she has rescued herself.
DEADLINE: Was there any particular moment or piece of information that we have gotten this season that unlocked something new about Lacey for you?
WALSH: There’s a scene where they can’t find Bella. They’re like, ‘Bella, Bella, where are you?’ And she’s hiding underneath the bed. Instead of Gabi saying, ‘Hey, come out, come here,’ she gets underneath the bed with her and and so does her mom. I just felt like that that spoke so much to me about the heart of these people who have brought Lacey — young Bella — up, and that’s where she’d gotten her light and her confidence from, these people who are shining their heart and are able to meet her where she is. Of course, we’re pulling each other out of the darkness, we’re transmuting pain and purpose and all those beautiful things, but there’s something really beautiful about someone who can meet you right where you are, and that’s what Gabi did for her Bella.
Also, the scenes with Sir and how much he tormented her as a child. I think watching those were really difficult for me, especially him hiding from the closet and learning that Bella didn’t know whether or not he was real, you know. He was real. She finally found out that she wasn’t crazy. We all have our own monsters in our closets, and we’re wondering if they’re real or not. The way that he tortured and tormented her, I think, speaks to the amount of strength that she had to have to free herself from that situation, to free herself from that dark place, mentally and psychologically.
DEADLINE: You previously joked that NK told you this season was going to be more of a slow burn, but it started off on a pretty crazy foot for Lacey. How was it working with Mark-Paul early in the season to establish what the adult dynamic between Lacey and Sir was going to look like?
WALSH: I wanted to make sure that I took care of those scenes, because, I mean, what we’re dealing with is somebody kidnapping someone. Somebody’s stealing their freedom…for the second time. So there’s a deep history in this. I wanted to make sure I brought a level of reality. So I tortured myself as an actor to really bring up what that fear is for her in that moment. What I love about working with Mark-Paul is I feel like he allowed me the space to connect with that. He took his space as Sir, and then we came together in the scene [and] he would really show me, ‘okay this is what a professional actor who’s been doing it and knows their stuff does.’ He set the scene up. There’s a lot of physical things that we had to do. Mostly, I was tied to a chair, but for him, he had to move around the space. I got to, in those rehearsals, really take care to the specific thing that he was doing, and see how they were making me feel as Lacey and having those wheels turn of like, ‘How am I going to frame myself? How am I going to fight in a new and different way?’
She’s been fighting with these cases, afraid that he’s somewhere lurking. Now he’s here, right? He hates her, so that’s terrifying. He is obsessed with Gabi. So how do I manipulate as he manipulates in order to stay safe, in order to survive, in order to maybe have a chance to get out? One of the scenes that I felt like I was able to explore that the most was when he was injured from a stab wound, and I had to sew up his back. And I mean, I was literally shaking doing that. First of all, I have a needle to Mark-Paul Gosselaar, which was nerve wracking. As you see in the scene, Lacey needs to poke at him so he loses his shit…she ends up hitting her head. It was really brutal to go through, but it was really beautiful time, because I could really tap into the experience of what this resilience in this woman looks like. So it was a gift, and it was a gift working with another actor who really creates the space and takes charge of the space and allows you to do the same.
DEADLINE: Lacey was one of the first within the M&A crew to start to move past the revelation that Gabi had kidnapped Sir. But, do you think she’s actually moved through her feelings about that? Or is she repressing them?
WALSH: I’ll be honest, when I initially read that, I was like, ‘Wait already? She’s forgiven her already?’ And then I looked at that and I’m like, ‘Wow. What a heart, and what a testament it is for her to forgive her.’ I think that it’s important to understand that forgiveness doesn’t mean that you forget. I think Lacey had a big wake up call. This person who she idolized, who was her hero, is deeply flawed — literally doing something that we fight against. At the same time, I think she knows her, and she was there with her, with the pain Sir caused, I mean, for a day, but still. She’s carried that with her throughout her life, up until this point. I think it shows the strength of somebody who’s able to be like, ‘Okay, let’s not focus on this moment. We’re family at the end of the day, and I want to lean into the purpose of that family, but I need to find myself and find my voice out. I was maybe leaning too much on you, and you cut me out.’
DEADLINE: Lacey has really found solace and safety in Zeke this season, but in this episode she’s trying to convince herself that she needs to leave his apartment and be on her own. Do you think she’s pushing herself too far?
WALSH: Yes, yes. Too far, too fast. I think she’s still finding her footing. The beautiful thing about Zeke — and Arlen, by the way, is just phenomenal work to with. We’ve just built such a chemistry together, just as friends. So when we’re there in those scenes, it’s like I don’t have to act. I can just be with my brother. It goes beyond that now in the show, but he’s helped her find that grounding to find safety again. I think once she realizes that her feelings go a little bit beyond it just being her brother, it scares her.
It’s weird when relationships change like that, especially when you’re just so comfortable. There’s a scene where Zeke comes down after a workout with no shirt on, and I’m like, ‘How do you want me to react?’ And they were like, ‘Oh, it’s normal.’ I’m like, ‘It’s normal?!’ But she’s seen him in this way. It’s not about the looks. It’s about him bringing her snacks and knowing everything that she likes and setting up a blanket on the floor because he knows that she can’t sleep elevated and laying there with her.
DEADLINE: How did you feel reading this episode and learning that Zeke would finally make a move?
WALSH: It’s funny. I hadn’t read the script yet. I was focused on the one before, and Shanola had read it…and she was like, ‘Are you ready?’ I’m like, ‘Ready for what?’
I felt for Lacey, kind of giddy, but scared at the same time. [It was] romantic and epic. He’s pushing past his boundaries, literally stepping across the threshold to grab and pull her in and make a move. I was like, ‘Yes, if we’re gonna do it, do it like this.’ I was really happy.
DEADLINE: What should we expect from the remainder of the season?
WALSH: Expect that you know nothing. What I’m really excited for is the way that this show consistently highlights diversity, brings voices to the voiceless, showing us a peek into these people and their lives and all the people who care about them — people of color, people who are elders, sex workers, marginalized communities, and showing that they, too, have a story, and they have people who love and care about them, just like all the other missing people, and they deserve to be found.
I considered myself, before this, a bit of a detective. I can predict a lot of things. They get me every time. I’m surprised every time. I’m crying. I’m texting NK to be like, ‘What the hell?’ So I think you can look forward to that, especially [with] Sir. The Lacey in me doesn’t want to give him his credit. She knows, too. He’s a mastermind. He’s brilliant, and he has a plan. Don’t ever think that he doesn’t have a plan. As long as there is a Gabi, there is a Sir peeking in through a window. I’m really excited for Margaret’s journey. Margaret’s journey is going to be a big one.
Found airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
