In Episode 5 of Secrets We Keep, the narrative intensifies as the investigation into Ruby’s death uncovers disturbing truths about the community’s youth and their parents’ complicity.
The episode opens with Cecilie being asked by Katarina to identify Ruby’s body, a task Katarina claims she cannot handle. At the morgue, Cecilie confirms the body is Ruby’s. The coroner reveals that Ruby was pregnant, approximately five to eight weeks along, and had been in the water for about a week, suggesting she died the night she disappeared.
Detective Aicha Petersen continues her investigation, focusing on identifying the father of Ruby’s unborn child. She approaches Mike, Cecilie’s husband, who denies any involvement and agrees to a DNA test, which ultimately clears him.However, the test results indicate a partial match with Rasmus Hoffmann, suggesting the father is a close relative.
Meanwhile, a disturbing subplot unfolds involving a group chat among local teenage boys, including Oscar Hoffmann and Viggo Winther-Jensen. The boys share voyeuristic and explicit videos of their au pairs, pressuring each other to contribute content. Viggo reluctantly participates by filming his family’s au pair, Angel, and is visibly distressed by the situation.
The situation escalates when a teacher confiscates Viggo’s phone during class and discovers inappropriate content. Cecilie is called to the school, where she learns about the group chat and the videos. She realizes that the video in question features Oscar’s au pair, not Angel. At a subsequent parents’ meeting, tensions rise as the extent of the boys’ actions becomes clear. Katarina attempts to downplay the situation, but other parents demand accountability.
The episode culminates with Viggo revealing to Cecilie that Oscar had shown him a video not shared in the group chat and threatened him to keep it secret. This revelation adds a new layer of complexity to the investigation, suggesting deeper involvement by Oscar in Ruby’s death.
Episode 5 delves into themes of privilege, complicity, and the failures of those in power to protect the vulnerable. It highlights the toxic masculinity and peer pressure among the youth, and the lengths to which parents will go to protect their children, even at the expense of justice.
