Slasher: Ripper follows a mysterious serial killer in 19th-century Toronto amidst other violent acts committed by the people of the city. But “Widow,” as the killer is dubbed by Enid Jenkins, the town’s journalist, isn’t killing random people; everything relates to a particular event that took place 12 Years Ago. Young Detective Kenneth is right on target in his search for the Widow, but his boss isn’t keen on finding out who is after his city because he may have been involved in the crime that went down 12 years ago. Slasher is definitely for pure indulgence, as every episode ends or begins with a grisly death that the viewer looks forward to; sometimes, it almost feels like an overacted play.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens In Episode 3 Of ‘Slasher’ Season 5?

The episode begins with the good Doctor Melanda telling Superintendent Isaac about the benefits of cocaine (which can only go up from here). She injects him with some because he’s trying to stay focused and active to “solve this case,” but everyone and their mother knows that he’s afraid of dying at the hands of the Widow, so he wants to be prepared at all times. Kenneth rushes in to tell him about the disturbing death of Enid Jenkins the previous night. They rush to the crime scene, and on the way there, Kenneth loses his composure and confesses to Isaac that he believes that 12 years ago, Isaac had arrested the wrong man for the terrible crimes inflicted against Margaret Mahar. Isaac, induced with cocaine, is terribly insulted by Kenneth’s comment, but his fear for his life is clearly visible as he tells Kenneth that he knew what he was doing back then, but Kenneth is playing games, trying to figure out if the killer is left-handed and what their handwriting looks like. They make their way to Enid’s workshop, and they find the skin of her back strung up at the glass window with words reminiscent of what Mrs. Simcoe had said while being possessed by her husband’s soul. There are five more people who were involved in Mahar’s death, and if they don’t confess, they will die at the hands of the Widow.

Behind closed doors, Melanda tends to Verdi’s wounds inflicted by her stepmothers. The Botticelli sisters are incapable of treating their sister well and lie to the doctor by saying it was self-flagellation by Verdi for being found with a man alone in the house. Melanda is sure they’re lying and sends them out of the room so she can treat Verdi without interference. In the meantime, back at the Simcoe residence, Georges attempts to convince Mrs. Simcoe to join him as a psychic because he’s never before seen anyone be possessed so clearly. Mrs. Simcoe refuses his requests because she thinks even trying to reach her husband was a mistake. She will never be a medium again. Before Georges can trouble her anymore, Kenneth arrives. Mrs. Simcoe finds comfort in the detective and is possibly falling for the man who might save her from this nightmare that her husband has left behind. Kenneth assures her that he will do his best to solve the case as soon as possible. He asks Mrs. Simcoe if he can take a look at Alistair’s study once again to confirm his theories. She lets him in, and they find a picture from one week before the death of Mahar. Interestingly, amongst most of the townspeople, the picture also includes Georges, who has only made his return now, 12 years later. The murders all started after his return, so the obvious answer is that he is a Widow.

Elsewhere, Eddie (Garvey’s right-hand man) realizes what is going on and connects the dots to the night 12 years ago. Eddie’s great plan is to leave town quietly, but before he can do so, he’s caught by Garvey, who slices off a part of his ear with a shaving razer for his disobedience.

Finally, we get some information about what happened 12 years ago in a flashback. Margaret walks into the church to meet Andrew May Sr. (who was arrested for the murder). She is looking for help to escape the Botticellis who are abusing her. She believes they hate her because she worked for Horatio. Andrew May Sr. suggests he will find her a new place outside of town, but Margaret has no money, and Andrew has no place for her at the orphanage. Margaret is desperate for her safety, so she makes the foolish decision to blackmail Garvey, even with a warning from Father Andrew. Margaret knows that Garvey had built his empire on lies and was a street rat who stole when he was young and the son of a prostitute. Garvey pretends to feel sympathy for Margaret, but his sly mind has already made plans to kill her. He takes her to the “Queen’s Elbow,” a “lowly” place that someone like Margaret should avoid at all costs, but Garvey convinces her that the Botticellis would never look for her there, so until she is safe for a couple of days, it is best she’s there. When they arrive there, Garvey asks Salome to show Margaret her room. To her utter dismay, it is the bondage room.

In the present day, Andrew May Jr. is at Daisy’s grave. Crenshaw, who is also at the scene, wonders what Andrew thinks of all the murders happening, and the pastor basically approves of them because it would mean revenge for his father’s wrongful hanging. According to him, Horatio had sold Margaret to Alistair, and of course, Enid had spread lies about his father, as we saw him ask her in the first episode flashback. So it is confirmed who the Widow is after. Elsewhere, Eddie visits Georges, realizing he might be the Widow. Georges and Shanika are looking over the diamond they stole from the Botticellis, and it turns out to be fake. Of course, the sisters are deceiving everyone about their wealth while being wicked, abusive creatures. Eddie shows up and directly asks Georges if he’s the Widow. The magician does his tricks and gets out of there. At the same time, Kenneth arrives and realizes that Eddie thinks he’s one of the next victims. To prove his theory right, he’s questioning Eddie, and before they know it, the Widow is there too. Kenneth tells Eddie to run out and get help.

The Widow attacks Kenneth and runs out of the theater. Kenneth isn’t strong enough, and after a brutal fight, Kenneth gets thrown to the floor, and the Widow brings out her knife to scare him and puts it back in. Eddie, who had escaped, finds himself back at his master’s, Garvey. Garvey calls him a coward for running, and that’s the last straw for Eddie. He wishes for Garvey to be the Widow’s last victim so he can have the most brutal death and quits. 

What Does Kenneth Find In George’s Belongings?

Eddie thinks he’s narrowly escaped the Widow and makes his way out of town, but he’s very wrong, and the Widow finds him. With a large hammer, she begins to smash both of his legs as he screams that he didn’t do anything all those years ago and he should be spared. In reality, Margaret had asked Eddie to save her, and he had almost done so until Garvey found them and forced Eddie to put her back in the bondage room where Alistair was waiting to torture her. The Widow finally smashes his head in as Eddie realizes there’s no saving this. Back at the Botticelli’s, we find out that the sisters who are allowing Verdi to sleep peacefully this night after her “punishment” are going to auction her off to the highest bidder.

Kenneth finds himself in the room where George first met Mrs. Simcoe. Now it has images of her, candles, and other “magic” and “seance” things. But, most importantly, he also finds another black widow costume, so is his guess right, and is Georges the real Widow? Or is this a fake costume he might be using to scare people or for a new act of his? We’ll find out in the next episode of Slasher: Ripper.