The following contains spoilers for The Watcher Season 1, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's hit series The Watcher paints a harrowing picture of a real-life incident that happened in the small town of Westfield, New Jersey. As the Brannocks move in, thinking they're finally going to experience their dream mansion, they're shockingly sent letters by a mysterious stalker. This person, the Watcher, gleans intimidate details, seemingly wanting the family out.
Sadly, this spirals Dean Brannock down a rabbit hole of rage and paranoia, while his wife Nora tries to get the kids out. She loses interest in the investigation when she realizes the Watcher isn't just a mental threat -- it's a physical one too. However, the seven episodes in Season 1 wind up with a lot of plot holes and odd mysteries that leave fans frustrated upon conclusion.
Why Didn't Dean Surveil the Mailbox?
Dean has Dakota hook cameras up around the house, yet there's nothing aiming in the direction of the mailbox, aka where The Watcher keeps leaving threatening letters. Dakota has the technology and other nifty tools, so he could have placed some cameras in the many trees surrounding the property. It's all plot convenient -- to add drama, of course -- and keeps the guessing game going over the identity of the person who's terrorizing the family.
Who's the Unknown Seductress?
A young lady sneaks into the home -- presumably through the tunnel network -- and frames up the hidden camera in Dean's bedroom. She then crawls into bed next to him, providing footage for Dakota to leak when Dean accuses him of being the Watcher. It's never confirmed who this person is or how she knew the camera was there. It's also never explained how she could predict Dakota outing Dean and why no one questions this invasion of privacy. The series doesn't even confirm if she sleeps with a sleeping Dean on the tape, which makes it totally nonsensical that Dean's coworkers and Nora would chide him for it.
Why Wasn't Ellie Reprimanded?
Dean grounded 16-year-old Ellie for having a secret relationship with a 19-year-old Dakota. As a result, she lies on a viral video, saying Dean is racist towards Dakota and hates how she likes a Black teen. Oddly enough, Dean's accountant job opts to sack him for Dakota's reprisal footage, and not his perceived racism. The town does blacklist the Brannocks, though the family quickly makes up without Ellie apologizing for almost canceling her dad and ruining his career.
Who Was Inside the Tunnel?
Dean finds the tunnel network and unsuccessfully chases a mysterious guy through it. He and Nora realize someone's been living in it too by finding a room. However, they never catch the guy, and for some reason, they never get the cops to trace back where the tunnel leads to. That could have clued them into whether it was Pearl or the supposed serial killer, John Graff, who was masquerading as her friend, William. Ultimately, this tunnel could have cracked the case, but it's all quickly dropped.
Was John Graff Really a Killer?
Dean has told a story about John killing his family in the mansion years before, then going into hiding. It's assumed he's the Watcher, now hoping to drive the Brannocks out. However, it's uncertain how he could buy the home back if he's on the lam. Also, there's no documentation at the precinct or the media on the incident. At best, the private investigator Theodora claims the incident was covered up so that Westfield could keep a "safe image" and lure rich residents in.
Is the Blood Cult Real?
Theodora gets an old resident of the mansion, Andrew, to confess to Dean that the neighbor Mo is part of a blood cult. He claims they befriended him and his wife, and tried to feed off the kid. However, this isn't confirmed as Dean thinks Andrew's substance abuse and his being an actor makes him a pawn in someone's game. It's also unclear if Theodora really hired him to fake it, and if Andrew's wife really did take her life after they fled the home. Again, somehow Dean doesn't go to the cops to get their history, nor does he track Andrew's actual family down to rule out a potential lie.
How Did Theodora Plan to Keep the Lie Real?
Theodora dies of cancer in the finale, but the gumshoe tells Dean before that she's the Watcher. She apparently set everything up, manipulating a cast of people, including the seductress, to build a case and scare the Brannocks into a sale, as she lived in the house before and wants it back. Dean, however, can easily find out if her story lines up by just asking the people like Andrew about her. In addition, Theodora's daughter immediately sells her mom's lie out, so it's not the smartest way of giving Dean closure and getting him to drop the case to focus on his family again.
Why Are the Record Books So Hidden?
For some reason, Westfield's cops don't have records of previous crimes, nor is Dean able to get intel from the real estate agency that sells him the mansion in the first place. One has to think even the newspapers could have juicy details on a potential cover-up and what took place in the house years before, but there's just no information available for Dean -- not even after violent crimes occur at his home. He doesn't even go to a lawyer to force the records out, not from town and country or building inspectors. This leaves the previous homeowners as ghosts in the network.
Why Did Karen and Chamberland Fall Out?
Karen helps sell the Brannocks the home, but she spends the season pushing them to sell it cheaply so that she could secretly buy it for herself. She seemingly uses Detective Chamberland to cover up sordid details and hiding how they're in an affair. However, the finale reveals she spills the beans to the town on how Chamberland has erectile dysfunction. Weirdly enough, the reason they fall out is never disclosed, which leads to the tarnishing of reputations. Plus, seeing as the Watcher kills Karen's dog, it makes no sense that Chamberland -- as jealous as he is -- can toss the crime away, as Nora's family reported their pet being killed as well.
Who's the Real Watcher?
Karen is thought to be the villain until she's targeted by the Watcher, and then sells the mansion in a finale that never reveals the Watcher's true identity. Pearl, her brother Jasper, and John do seem obsessed with the home, but it's never confirmed if they toyed with the Brannocks. Similarly, the school teacher who loves the house, Kaplan, also just ends up staring at the place. Mo and her husband use their mentally ill son as an alibi. This leaves individuals thinking if it's just a curse inspiring Dean to become a Watcher to regain the house, and pushing Nora to get revenge by intimidating Karen.
Season 1 of The Watcher is now streaming on Netflix.