Bodkin episode 1 recap: Meet the podcaster and journalist in "One True Mystery"

New Netflix dark comedy Bodkin stars Will Forte as an American podcast host named Gilbert Power opposite Siobhán Cullen as Dove, an Irish journalist living in London. The two are assigned to team up for a true crime podcast about a disappearance in the small town of Bodkin, Ireland, but while Gilbert is happy to investigate, Dove wants something more serious. As they uncover dark secrets of the town, however, Dove realizes there's more of a story here than she realized.

Bodkin also stars Robyn Cara as Emmy, Gilbert's assistant, as well as David Wilmot, Chris Walley, and others. With seven episodes in the season, which all dropped today, May 9, Bodkin is an entertaining watch you can binge in a weekend. Let's break down the first episode, "One True Mystery," and go over all the biggest moments.

Warning: Major spoilers are ahead for Netflix Original Bodkin.

Bodkin opens up by introducing us to our main players: Dove is an investigative journalist at The Guardian who's been working on a story for 18 months, but sadly, her key informant kills himself. One of the opening scenes sees Dove enter her whistleblower Kretk's place, only to find him dead. Her editor Damien advises her to get out of town to avoid the fallout and assigns her to work on a podcast with a man named Gilbert. She travels to a small town called Bodkin, Ireland, where she meets Gilbert and his assistant, Emmy.

Dove is already so over Bodkin, but Gilbert and Emmy are ready to work

While Gilbert and Emmy are very eager and enthusiastic about being in Bodkin and working together, Dove is far less so. She very clearly doesn't want to be there, feeling like there's more work for her to do on her story back in London. She wants serious investigative work, and she doesn't think she's going to get that in Bodkin.

So what's the podcast about? Gilbert, Dove, and Emmy are meant to investigate the disappearances of three people 25 years ago at the town's Samhain Festival. They talk to their driver, Sean, a little bit about the mystery, and Dove makes it obvious she does not like being back in Ireland where she is originally from.

The group stays at a bed and breakfast hotel owned by Mrs. O'Shea, who we later find out is actually Sean's mom. Dove begins seeing a wolf, the first time in the living room of the hotel when it stares at her and then jumps out the window. Confused, Dove isn't sure if it's real or not. Mrs. O'Shea begins acting strange when they explain what they're making their podcast about.

To begin their investigation, Gilbert, Dove, and Emmy go to the grounds where the Samhain Festival took place over two decades ago. The three people who went missing are Fiona Doyle, Malachy O'Connor, and a nameless boy. They begin asking around to locals that night at a pub, but they don't find out much information yet.

A man named Seamus Gallagher introduces himself to Gilbert and buys him a drink, while Dove meets a man outside who tells her he knows what happened to the missing people. However, Dove doesn't believe his story. He says they were "attacked by horses," recalling a time he saw a horse turn into a woman. Frustrated, Dove is ready to leave before she sees the wolf again.

The next morning, Gilbert is very hungover from his drinks at the pub and he gets a phone call from his wife, Amber. From their conversation, it's evident they have financial problems. Emmy tells the group that Sean's not there, so they don't have a car to get anywhere. Dove decides to walk to Sean's house to find him but gets lost, while Gilbert and Emmy walk around to start interviewing more locals.

Seamus and Sergeant Power are super sketchy

Dove finally gets to Sean's address, but no one is home so she just walks inside. Seamus shows up looking for Sean, and while hiding Dove hears him ask if "it's all sorted," before declaring they "can't afford any f**k-ups." Seamus leaves angry, and Dove is confused.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and Emmy interview Sergeant Power, asking him about that night at the Samhain Festival and the disappearances. He dismisses them, saying he thinks the three people just left without telling anyone. As he continues drinking, he becomes increasingly intoxicated and Gilbert and Emmy have to put him in bed. When they leave, however, Sergeant Power gets up, seeming completely fine, as we realize he was faking it. He obviously doesn't want to talk about the disappearances for whatever reason.

Dove begins following Seamus after he leaves Sean's, but he catches on and confronts her. She lies and says she was just taking a walk, but he doesn't believe it. He tells her that he doesn't understand why they have to bring back bad memories of Bodkin for their podcast, to which Dove says he looks familiar, questioning if they've met before. Seamus is adamant that they haven't met, and he urges her to let the past go.

After this, Dove is the one being followed, this time by a car she doesn't recognize. She begins running into the woods and back to the street, and ends up running straight into the car, falling to the ground. Two men wearing masks come out and threaten her, telling her to stop doing the podcast. They let her go, and while walking away, she sees the wolf again.

When they leave Sergeant Power's place, Gilbert is disappointed to learn that Emmy stole a file from his house from the year of the disappearances. While Emmy is just trying to be helpful, Gilbert thinks they need to play fair. The episode ends with the two characters finding Sean's car on fire. How is Sean involved with Seamus and what bad business are they into? We'll (hopefully) get those answers soon!

Keep up with us here at Netflix Life for all of our Bodkin episode recaps. You can stream all seven episodes right now on Netflix.