If Sam’s first adventure was about unveiling a killer who thought she was unique, the follow-up series, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, is about showing danger lurks underneath even the safest and quaintest of places. In the last issue, Sam seemed cornered, but it was revealed she was prepared for the worst. This week, Sam takes things even further, showing how capable she is of burning all her bridges to keep moving forward.
The shock and awe of the last issue continues this week, opening in Sam’s town and its quaint, peaceful atmosphere, only to reveal a bomb going off in their clock tower. That bomb was planted by Sam, and soon we learn she’s got multiple switches to create havoc around the town to make her escape. It appears she’s not just a serial killer, but capable of far more carnage. Patrick Horvath’s captions detail her calm, collected point of view, without a care in the world for who or how many die in the process. Sam’s as chilling as ever.
While the city burns and the chaos grows, Horvath focuses on Mrs. Burrow, who was on heavy drugs when she crashed into Sam last issue. She’s now in the hospital, and being given the hard truth, she may lose her kid due to the substance abuse. Her very human response and despair bleed into a valiant turtle who insists on helping folks in his neighborhood as the flames spread. It’s through these characters that Horvath seems to be saying not everyone is heartless, and maybe the dream of small-town folks being kind is real.
Sam is cold. Also, switch queen!
Credit: IDW
This issue may end with a “The End,” but it’d be no surprise to me when a third series is announced. That’s because Horvath ends this series on a strong hint of where it could go from here, and that’s celebrity. Given the killings Sam has done and now the destruction of an entire town, the world’s obsession with crime stories certainly could sustain another tale.
At the same time, some plot threads feel unnecessarily unresolved, such as whether Monica lives or dies. Whether that’s because another series is already in the works remains to be seen, but given Monica being a strong main character for much of the series, it feels like a miss to not give her one final scene, or at least say what happened to her while a building burned around her.
Still, a strong message about what matters most is strong by the end of the issue. Through supporting characters, we see people rise or realize what is most important. Meanwhile, to Sam, it’s clearly self-preservation, but there’s still some hope out there, seen through other characters.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #6 closes with fire, chaos, and a deeply unsettling calm at its center. Sam’s calculated destruction of her own town cements her as more than a meticulous killer. She is someone willing to erase everything to survive. Horvath balances that cold brutality with flashes of humanity through Mrs. Burrow and the neighborhood turtle, reinforcing that even in the worst circumstances, compassion still exists. The ambiguity surrounding Monica leaves a noticeable gap, but the thematic punch lands hard. If this truly is the end, it is a bold one. If not, the groundwork for an even bigger chapter is already smoldering.
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