Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 recap: Alex begins damage control to save Paul and a body is found

Hulu's latest true crime docuseries, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, is based on crime investigator Mandy Matney's Murdaugh Murders Podcast. Matney personally investigated and blogged the Murdaugh case in real time, when South Carolina’s most influential lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, was found guilty of murdering his son (Paul) and wife (Maggie) in 2021.

The series takes place several years before, when Alex's son Paul Murdaugh was involved in a brutal boat crash in Beaufort, S.C., in 2019, which left several of his friends injured and one dead.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 began in the aftermath of the said boat crash, with the Murdaugh family and all the parents searching for Paul's friend, Mallory Beach. Paul's mother grows concerned about her son and the police work to uncover who was behind the wheel on that fateful day.

Episode 2 also gave us a glimpse into Mandy Matney, Breaking News editor at The Island Packet, covering the case. She meets with a key witness and suspects Alex Murdaugh's power and influence could likely tip the case in his son's favour.

Here is the complete Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 recap.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 recap: Alex and Randolph begin damage control

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 begins in the aftermath of the harrowing accident and Alex and Randolph try their best to keep the children and parents at bay. Randolph worries that the officer sent to take the children's statements is not one of Murdaugh's family friends, which will make it difficult for them to influence and tip him in their favour.

The officer asks Paul's friend, Morgan Doughty, for a statement, who was covered under a blanket with Miley when the accident happened, and thus, was unable to see who was driving the boat. She believes either Paul or Connor Cook was behind the wheel but she is unsure. However, she did hear Paul announce that it is 'his boat' and 'his river'.

Elsewhere, Alex and Randolph sit with other parents to discuss a strategy. They believe that the kids had to be certain about who was behind the wheel before pointing fingers, as prison time is no joke. When one of the kids' parents volunteers to come up with a story, Alex asks him to step back and let him handle everything.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 recap: A search ends in tragedy

Paul is finally discharged in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 and immediately sets out to meet Morgan, who is not responding to his texts. When he finally reaches her house, Morgan blames him for the incident and reminds him how everyone was begging him to slow down. After asking him to leave her alone, she meets Mandy with her father.

Mandy is surprised to hear that Morgan is actually willing to stand up to the Murdaughs and she assures her that she wants justice for Mallory. She shows her a video of the trip to the island. While the video is hours before the boat accident, it doesn't look good for Paul. This could be crucial information to build a case against the Murdaughs but Morgan's father ends their meeting. He warns her daughter about Murdaugh's influence and power and asks Morgan to stay away from the matter.

Elsewhere, Alex has completely gone off the rails in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 and is relying too much on his pills. When Maggie sees his condition, she asks Paul to join his father in the search but Renee arrives, telling them it's too late for that, as they found Mallory's body about five miles out. The news of Mallory's death breaks the group and Paul's friends blame him for her death.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 recap: Maggie's concern drives Alex to the edge

Alex Murdaugh was on the verge of losing it in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 and Maggie was naturally concerned for her husband. While the couple was trying to keep it together, Mallory's death breaks them and Maggie begs Alex to save Paul. She says that she would not be able to see her son go to prison. In this heated discussion, she also brings up Alex's past infidelity and asks him to stop taking pills. Alex promises not to take any more pills and to do everything in his power to save Paul.

The final moments of Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 2 saw Alex and Randolph at the Cook house. They subtly remind Marty how Randolph saved him from trouble when he got arrested for beating his ex’s new boyfriend when they were on the state championship-winning football team. The beating was bad enough to cause Marty to miss a whole semester but Randolph came to his rescue.

Marty understands that Alex is subtly asking him to return the favour and ask his son Connor to take the fall for the crash. While Marty begs Alex to spare Connor, the men take their leave.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Hulu.

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