‘A Teacher’ Episode 9 Spoilers: Will Eric fall for another older woman? Grace Gummer enters as new character
Spoilers for ‘A Teacher’ Episode 9
In the previous episode of the limited series ‘A Teacher’, we got to see Claire’s (Kate Mara) life after incarceration -- six months in jail and five years of probation. We saw her father (with whom she had a strained relationship) and brother Nate (Adam David Thompson) come to meet her once she is released.
She stays at Nate's place along with his wife Lisa and their kids, even though it is plenty clear that Lisa doesn't want Claire anywhere near the kids and doesn't appreciate her presence. When Claire applies for a new job, one of the owners recognizes her. Claire tells her, “I served my time, Victoria.” But her statement is met with a loud warning, “This woman cannot work here. Google her you'll see she is a sexual predator.” Claire sobs and when she gets home, she Googles her name.
At the dinner table, when she brings up the incident again, Lisa scornfully asks her if she was surprised that others think like that. And it’s not just her. Nate then makes it clear that he isn't going to stand up for it. “Do you even realize the damage you've done? You've jeopardized my career, don't even get started on him (her husband Matt), he's barely functioning... and that kid.”
But all was not sad. As the episode comes to a close, Eric (Nick Robinson) texts Claire that he needs to see her. When they meet, he says sorry. “Being with you, it was everything,” Eric says, confessing his love for her. Claire snaps back, “Look at what it's doing to us. I've tried to convince myself it's okay but it's not. Go be a kid Eric, just go.”
The next morning, she decides to leave Nate and Lisa's house and goes to stay with her dad. So, what comes next? Last week, we speculated that Claire’s marriage with Matt (Ashley Zukerman) is over. The promo for the new episode reveals that is true. In the short clip, we can see that the two meet and sign some documents, presumably divorce papers. As they sit, Claire tells Matt that she made a mistake. Matt seems incredulous at her affair with a teenager being referred to as a mistake.
But the highlight of the promo is what is possibly a new insidious development. We see Eric drinking at a bar when a woman walks up to him, asking if he would take a photo of them. She was from a group celebrating what looked like a bachelorette party. And among the group was actor Grace Gummer, who will play a character called Chloe. In the promo, we see Eric and Chloe share looks.
She too is an older woman. Is this going to become a thing? Has Eric’s relationship with Claire had a lasting impact on him in this manner -- that he feels growing attraction for older women alone? The promo ends with Sandy (Rya Kihlstedt), Eric’s mom asking him, “What’s wrong?”. Does that mean he did something? We’ll find out soon.
‘A Teacher’ premiered on Tuesday, November 10, on FX on Hulu with three back-to-back episodes. More episodes in the ten-part series followed every week starting from Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Directed by Hannah Fidell and written by Boo Killebrew, the new half-an-hour episode of ‘A Teacher’ will be available to stream Tuesday, December 22, at 12.01 am EST on Hulu. The season finale will then air on December 29, 2020.