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Being Billy - Recap

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Billy meets with a woman in a car parked on the tracks. The woman, Libby, insists that she didn't tell the police anything. However, Billy says that he knows she was going to go to them. A train comes down the tracks and Billy assures Libby that secrets get back to him. He fingers her feather earring and then gets out of the car. Libby struggles against the cloths tying her to the steering wheel while Billy walks away as the train slams into the car.


Three college students in the woods near Mulholland College, CA, finish watching the recorded episode on their iPad. Confident that they've memorized it by heart, they spot a co-ed approaching and pull their hoods on. They then grab her and take her to a car, tying her in just like Libby on the TV episode and putting on the same earrings. The teenagers put a CD in the player with the dialogue from the episode. The co-ed stares in horror as the train comes down the tracks... and the three teens turn off the train effects as they pull up in their truck. They help the woman, Jillian, out of the car and record everything on digital. She burst into laughter as the leader, Nigel, boasts that it was the best round of Being Billy yet.

At Fandomain, Jeff watches as the Cult fans watch the episode. Many of the women are wearing the same feather earrings. E.J. comes in at Jeff's invitation and points out that his coming there is kind of creepy given what happened to Nate. He confirms that she did what he asked and admits that he can't turn to the police. E.J. informs Jeff that the day that Nate disappeared, his entire email account was wiped. She can't tell who did it, and shows Jeff something that suggests that Nate is playing some elaborate practical joke.

At the Cult studio set, Skye approaches Peter after a staff meeting. He explains that Steven Rae wants a piece of graffiti added to a scene that they're currently filming. Peter shows Skye the three-blade symbol that she saw with Jeff and Peter notices her reaction. She laughs it off and assures Peter that she isn't leaking inside information to the fans. He tells her to be careful and figures that the weird symbols and hidden phrases are just the mysterious creator's way of stirring up interest in the show. Skye gets a call from Jeff and goes off to take it, leaving a disappointed Peter behind.

Skye tells Jeff about the symbol appearing on the show and confirms that it's never been used on the show before. Jeff tells his friend that someone was in Nate's online account that morning and sent a group email stating, "Billy says--It's starting again. Tonight." Neither one of them know what it means.

At the college, Nigel and Jillian are at the after-party with their friends while Cult plays in the background. Nigel tells another friend, Laura, that they had a sweet round and Jillian boasts that it was the biggest rush of her life. She thanks Laura for setting it up and walks off, and another girl, Carey Mandeville, comes over and congratulates Laura. Laura admits that she didn't set it up and that she didn't send out the email, and that she didn't hear about it until the party. When Carey wonders who did, Laura points out that only one other player has the list of players: Nate.

As Jillian heads back to her room, she gets a viral Billy phone call. She figures that it's a prank and hangs up... and a SUV runs her over and drives off.

Jeff returns home and hears someone moving inside. He pushes the door open and grabs a baseball bat, and finds Laura going through Nate's desk. She recognizes Jeff from Nate's description and tells the reporter that she has a key because she used to live there when she was Nate's girlfriend. Jeff gets her some water and is surprised to learn that she dated his brother for almost a year. He's also surprised to learn that Nate was taking classes at the college, and Laura explains that he dropped out unexpectedly without telling her why. At the same time he was obsessing about Cult. Since the last time Laura was there, Nate gathered all the clippings and clues about the show.

Laura tells Jeff that they were fighting up to a month ago, about the game among other things. When Jeff wonders what she means, Laura explains that they play a live-action role-playing game called Being Billy. They recreate scenes from the show of Billy acting crazy, grabbing one of the players and running the scene as closely as possible to make it feel real. She's been running the game by herself since Nate disappeared, until Nate apparently started the game without it. Jeff realizes that the email someone sent from Nate's account started a new round of the game. Laura tells him that Jillian, the most recent victim, was killed after the party in what the police have designated a hit-and-run. They both figure that Nate must be close and Jeff vows to find his brother.

The next day, Skye and Jeff go to Coolidge Hall on campus. E.J. forwards Nate's emails to Jeff's phone but he hasn't found anything useful yet. Skye asks what's bothering him and Jeff explains that Nate did something similar before. A few months after their parents died, a ten-year-old Nate went missing and then reappeared. Jeff wonders if Nate is playing the same game now. Skye points out that Nate encountered the mysterious true believers so something serious must be going on. As they walk, they come to a makeshift commemorative shrine to Jillian, decorated with items from Cult.


Kelly sits on a bench holding her nephew's teddy bear as he plays on a swing. Her partner Paz comes over and asks how she's doing, and Kelly admits that she's trying to keep the boy distracted. Paz wonders if he remembers Billy but Kelly explains that Andy likes Billy, and has no idea that the cult leader killed Andy's father. Her partner asks if she knows a member of The Blood called Libby, and tells Kelly that Libby died when she was hit by a train. Kelly admits that Libby was close to Billy, sharing his bed, and was supposed to meet her today to give up Billy. Paz wonders why he's never heard her say anything about Libby, but Kelly ignores the question and takes Andy home.


At the Cult studio, Kirstie sees Roger coming and takes a knife out of her glove compartment and hides it in her purse. She then gets out of her car and thanks Roger for inviting her to the set. Roger takes her in, explaining that they're filming on location so the two of them have the run of the studio.

Jeff and Skye go to Laura's dorm room where she lives with Carey. Jeff and Laura watch video of Laura and Nate together. When Jeff wonders why Nate never told him about his girlfriend, Laura figures that Nate wanted to impress him and he felt guilty because Jeff was busy taking care of him. Nigel calls Laura and she steps outside to take it. Meanwhile, Carey shows Skye a map of the college with pins indicating the Being Bully reenactments. When Jeff comes over, Carey tells them that Laura got totally wrapped up in the game and the power it gave her. Nate was bothered by Laura treating the show as a game when he saw something deeper in it. Laura comes back and says that people are saying that Jillian's death wasn't an accident. She admits that Nate might have had something to do with it and that the last time she saw him, he was ranting about how the show was "reaching out."

At the studio, Roger shows Kirstie around the staff room. He talks about how it's the fans that bring the show to life and Kirstie, noticing a poster of Billy, says it's like the character is watching over them. Roger goes to the refrigerator to get Kirstie something to drink, and Marti, the Kelly actress, asks if he's showing another "niece" around the set. He calls Kirstie over and puts Marti on the spot, saying that she wanted to meet Kirstie. Kirstie initially compliments Marti on her skill, but then complains that the actress is bad toward Billy. Marti makes a quick exit and Roger, amused, assures Kirstie that she did fine.

Jeff and Skye go back to Fandomain and Jeff worries that Nate might have had something to do with Jillian's death. Skye tells him to focus on helping his brother, and tells Jeff about how the police accused her father of taking a bribe from the unions and disappearing with it. She chose to believe that her father wouldn’t do it, even though he wasn't there to tell her she was right. Skye admits that she hit the detective, and tells Jeff that he must believe in Nate because he wouldn't put his life on hold if he didn't. Jeff gets a forwarded email from Nate's account, asking Laura to meet him alone at Harmon Hall.

The two friends get to the hall and enter the room in question. There's no sign of Nate or Laura, but Jeff finds one of the feathered earrings on the floor. Skye finds props from the train reenactment on a desk and they figure that Laura and Nate have already met and left. There's a portable hard drive and also photos of Jillian as she was killed. Jeff receives another forwarded email signaling the start of another round of the game.

That night at the studio, Roger takes Kirstie to the set itself and she recognizes the set for the taxidermy scene of episode 8. She steps onto the set, talking about how it was so emotional. Kirstie wonders how Roger does it for take after take and he explains that he finds something of the character in himself and taps into it. As she looks around, Kirstie reminds Roger of a childhood trauma he suffered when he was trapped inside of a factory. He's surprised that she knows about it, and Kirstie describes how he got trapped during a game of hide-and-seek and no one found him for two days. Roger says that he never told anyone about the incident and wonders how she knows, and Kirstie says that she found out about it in his hometown newspaper.

Roger admits that people rarely surprise him, and she opens a pair of dangling manacles and invites Roger over. Kirstie invites him into fastening the manacles around his wrist, and the actor fastens them and then kisses her. She takes the knife out of her purse and offers it to him, saying that it's his. When Roger says that it's Billy's, Kirstie says that it's Roger's. He takes it and starts to cut open her blouse, one button at a time. They kiss again and then make love.

Skye and Jeff go back to Laura's dorm room, carrying the reenactment items, and Carey tells them that Laura ran out a half-hour ago in a hurry. They tell Carey that there's a new round of the game and she tells them that a lot of the players are leaving campus in case Jillian's death wasn't an accident. Carey says that she has to go and tells them to close up when they're done. They check Laura's laptop and find one video file. It's from the episode at the shack where Kelly pulls her brother-in-law Douglas out of the wall. Recorded after it is footage from the reenactment and the after-party, and then Jillian's death. The numbers 12-03-07 flash onscreen and then a new series of shots of Laura leading up to the after-party. The numbers 05-15-11 appear and they realize that it's a placeholder: Laura is the next victim.


Kelly arranges a meeting with Billy and accuses him of killing Libby. He denies it but Kelly accuses him of killing Libby to stop her from telling Kelly where she could find her sister. Billy then gives Kelly a present: a set of bloody feather earrings. He talks about the special bond Kelly had with Libby, and how Kelly brought Libby into The Blood. Libby loved Kelly like family, and Kelly used that love to convince her to betray Billy. Billy tells Kelly that Libby's death is on her.


Skye leaves a message on Laura's phone while Jeff calls campus security but is unable to convince them that there's a serious threat. They go back over the video footage and try to work out what the numbers mean. Jeff finds similar numbers on the map pins but realizes that many of them can't be dates. Skye realizes that the numbers are an episode and time codes. The code for Laura's death refers to a scene where Billy buries a follower in a greenhouse. They check the map and find the horticultural center.

Skye and Jeff go to the greenhouse and find a hooded figure burying Laura in a wheelbarrow. Jeff tackles the killer and discovers that it's Carey. Skye starts to call 911 but Carey tells her to hang up, and in return she'll tell them about Nate. She tells Jeff that she was the last one to see Nate. When Skye hangs up, Carey tells them that Nate showed up a week ago on campus, looking for Laura. Nate said that he made contact, and Carey explains that there are hidden messages in the episode. Nate had seen more, but Laura says that there's nothing there. Carey dismisses her as a poseur, accusing her of turning the series into a drinking game, and quotes a line from Libby's death scene: "As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end." Jeff spots a camera and realizes that Carey was making an audition tape so that she could convince the true believers to take her in. Carey grabs a shovel, hits Jeff, leaps through a glass door, and runs outside. By the time Skye and Jeff can get outside, Carey has made good her escape.

The next day, Roger and Kirstie leave his trailer and to he invites her to his house the next time. She says that she's looking forward to it and has him promise that he'll call her. Once Roger walks away, Kirstie calls to tell her superior that everything went just as planned.

Laura stops by Jeff's apartment and tells him that she's going to stay at home for a while as long as Carey is at large. Laura also wants to get away from people who associate her with the game, and apologizes for doubting Nate. Jeff admits that he also doubted his brother, and thanks Laura for telling him what Nate was like. She says that Jeff reminds her of Nate because he's also searching for something, and suggests that Nate saw an answer to his question in the show.

Once Laura leaves, Jeff tells Skye that Laura told him that the police confirmed that Carey had hacked Nate's email account and was using it to send the game messages. They have the video showing that Carey killed Jillian but they can't do anything until they find her. Jeff admits that he's glad to be wrong in his belief that Nate could have killed someone. Meanwhile, Skye watches episode 12, the scene where Libby dies, and tries to work out what Carey's line meant. She's pulled the first and last words from episode 12 and plays them faster. They merge, saying the words "true believer." Skye has also pulled the soundtrack from Douglas' death in the series. There's some unusual sound design in the background and when played back and slowed down, the words "Kill for us" are audible. Skye suggests that unbalanced fans can pick up the messages and are influenced to kill. Jeff figures that it's a coincidence and figures the only way to find out the truth is to find his brother.

Later, Carey goes out into the wood and waits. Finally, a white van pulls up and she runs to it. A man with a three-square tattoo on her arm gestures her in and Carey, relieved, says that she knew they would find her.