Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of NBC’s Found, called “Missing While Sinning.”
The series premiere of Found last week ended in the doozy of a reveal that Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton) was keeping Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) captive in her basement as a twisted resource in her searches for missing persons. Sir had kidnapped Gabi for more than a year when she was a teenager, and the first episode made it clear that he was a very, very, very bad man… but details were scant enough that I had some concerns about how the show would handle the backstory. “Missing While Sinning” involved some revealing flashbacks that prevent that problem from forming for me.
“Missing While Sinning” revealed that Sir’s real name is actually Hugh Evans, and the flashbacks concerned him wanting to celebrate the one-year anniversary of when he’d kidnapped Gabi to form their “family.” The scenes involved some exposition that filled in blanks without feeling clunky, as they revealed that Sir hadn’t hurt her or touched her inappropriately, but was keeping her away from her father. A little icing on the sleeve also gave away how much being messy bothers Sir, which meant that Gabi keeping him unkempt in her basement was an extra punishment in the present.
And given that the flashbacks took place a year into Gabi’s captivity and Lacey Quinn (Gabrielle Walsh) was kidnapped just eight days later, it seems that “Missing While Sinning” ruled out Sir physically harming the girls in an especially heinous way that would have belonged on Law & Order: SVU more than NBC’s new drama.
The episode also confirmed that Found wasn’t going to leave viewers hanging about Gabi and Sir’s past until the finale. Originally, I could easily imagine Found dropping reveals in the pilot’s flashbacks and then saving anything else of substance for the last episode of the season. Dragging the backstory out would have been disappointing after how the premiere (available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription) set the stage for their interactions in the present.
I’ll admit I was also concerned that Found would establish that Sir had abused Gabi beyond kidnapping and captivity. NBC is airing reruns of SVU (the most recent of which revisited a brutal episode for the leading lady) on Thursdays that can go dark in ways that Found evidently doesn’t need to on Tuesdays. I think the dynamic between the two characters is more interesting with Sir trying to create a family in the flashbacks and Gabi having all the power in the present… although the promo for the next episode indicates that could change. Take a look:
With the reveals from this latest episode, Found proved that it’s not going to string viewers along without any answers about Gabi and Sir, and established what Sir at least hadn’t done to her in their year together. Mark-Paul Gosselaar certainly isn’t playing a likable character like he has in the past, but there are some intriguing nuances that we got to see more of. Plus, there are now interesting new questions to ponder, such as about Gabi’s relationship with her father.
Keep tuning in to NBC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of Found. For some more viewing options of new and returning shows, check out our 2023 TV schedule!