Attribution

**Attribution** is the fourth episode of the first season of the *Shining Girls* television series. It aired on the Apple TV+ streaming TV service on May 6, 2022.

## Synopsis

*As pressure mounts to go to print, Dan explores possible connections between the murder victims. Kirby tries to make sense of a piece of evidence*.

## Plot

Harper visits his murder sites over the years. Each time and place appears just like he left it until 1986. Instead of finding the corpse of Sharon Leads (aka Kirby Mazrachi), Harper sees where the sand was displaced as she dragged herself to a public area, which is currently occupied by an ambulance and approaching police sirens. Realizing that Sharon is Dan’s surviving source, Harper goes to the hospital to look for her. He’s unable to get past the hospital staff to the intensive care ward, but does notice a woman screaming to see her daughter Sharon. He sits down and strikes up a conversation, which ends up agitating the already angry and nervous woman even further. When she begins yelling at the hospital staff again, Harper uses the distraction to get past the reception area. After a bit of searching, he finds Sharon/Kirby’s room and enters it. He barely has time to look at his victim before a nurse spots him and forces him to leave.

Back in 1992, Dan pitches his story to Abby along with the rest of the *Sun-Times*’ upper-level staff. They’re uneasy about running with it (especially when Julia’s tape hasn’t been turned over to the police), but still decide to move forward. Dan also keeps Kirby anonymous to everyone except Abby, insisting he can do the legwork to verify information on the other seven murders. The only other member of the staff who knows about Kirby being Dan’s source is Marcus, who showed up to the meeting despite not having to be there. He doesn’t say anything, but is visibly concerned and angry about his wife being put in a precarious position.

Later, Kirby tells Dan about Jin-Sook's key being found at a crime scene almost 20 years before it was made. Dan brushes this off as an impossibility while making it clear how her refusal to be named as a source has created exponentially more work for him to verify their story. He also reveals that Marcus (a photographer) showed up at the staff meeting, which felt like her husband trying to intimidate him. Dan concludes their awkward meeting by requesting that Kirby pick up Julia’s tape from an audio analyst for him.

Kirby is angered at being sent on what appears to be a menial errand, but agrees to do so. Meanwhile, Dan and the rest of the team assisting with the story can’t pin down a reason the killer leaves things inside his victims. One of the writers (Bertie) accidentally leaks enough information to a source that another paper (the *Chicago Tribune*) starts working on the case, as well. When Abby gets wind of this, Dan suggests that they go to print that evening with a preliminary piece featuring a short blurb about each victim. Abby counters that what they have now sounds more like unrelated murders than a serial killer at large. Dan assures her that he’ll find a way to connect the women and the items found inside of them. As Kirby’s preparing to leave, she subtly lets Marcus know how angry and insulted she is about him attempting to keep tabs on her. Marcus explains his presence at the editorial staff meeting as ensuring they were both represented. He also convinces her to let him tag along by agreeing to reveal where Abby landed on running the story.

While riding a train to the audio analyst, Marcus begins taking pictures of Kirby. She’s shy at first, but it doesn’t take long for her husband to start making her laugh and smile. After picking up the tapes from the analyst, Kirby asks him to play one of them and describe what he was able to isolate. In one of Harper’s first calls, it sounds as though Julia’s voice is echoing on the line. After pulling the recording apart, however, it becomes clear that the echo is actually another recording being played over the phone an instant before Julia spoke.

After leaving the audio analyst’s shop, Kirby tells Marcus that something similar to what they heard on the tapes may have happened to her; she just didn’t know what it was at the time. Years before the attack, she’d been working at the Chicago Tribune and received a series of random hang-up calls at her office. Before continuing to elaborate, Kirby stops and tells her husband that he doesn’t need to go down this rabbit hole with her. Marcus counters that not only does he want to help, but he should be the first person she goes to. He then asks if there were any other odd occurrences during that time period.

Kirby takes Marcus to Sid’s, the bar where she used to work and her mom’s band played. She brings him into the green room, which is covered in band stickers and graffiti. As Kirby begins to pull at the wallpaper near one of the mirrors, Kirby flashes back to her visiting Rachel before a recording session. In addition to her hair being blonde, she also appears much happier and carefree. After greeting her mother, Kirby looks up at the mirror (the same one she’s standing next to in the present) and notices the words “SHARON’S GONE LIKE THE SMOKE” written beside it. The phrase is a play off the closing lyrics of ‘The Ballad of the Absent Mare‘ by Leonard Cohen, which is one of her favorite songs. Her mom dismisses it as being from a secret admirer. As the pair continue to talk, we see that their relationship used to be much better despite Rachel disapproving of Sharon’s new job as a “corporate drone” at the newspaper. After Rachel heads to the stage to fix some sound equipment issues, she hears the bar’s payphone ring and asks her daughter to answer it. Sharon/Kirby responds that it’s not her job anymore, but still does. When she picks up, her ears are assaulted by the sound of her mom’s band struggling through a soundcheck. Everything that happens over the phone, including Rachel swearing in frustration, happens a second later in real life.

Back in 1992, Kirby realizes that what she once dismissed as a strange-yet-inconsequential occurrence was a phone call from the man who attacked her. She then scrapes away the wallpaper, revealing the message that she now knows was written by him. Meanwhile, Harper goes to Kirby/Sharon’s old apartment and attacks the man who currently lives there. He holds him at knifepoint and demands to know where Kirby went, but the dude has no idea who she is. In fact, no one matching her description has ever lived there as far as he knows. While Harper continues holding the man down, he starts to realize that Kirby’s whereabouts are completely unknown to him; a feeling he hasn’t experienced with any of his other victims throughout time. He grows simultaneously confused and furious about how something like this is possible. Harper then decides not to take his anger out on him and leaves.

Dan begins visiting and interviewing people who knew the seven victims he and Kirby identified. Aside from being extraordinary women in their respective work fields and/or interests, he’s unable to find anything to connect them. After downing some beers in his car and stress eating a sandwich, Dan visits Summer’s girlfriend. While she doesn’t recognize any of the other victims, the woman does confirm that Summer became incredibly withdrawn in the months leading up to her murder. She also shows him some old pictures and belongings the couple used to share. As Dan goes through them, he notices part of a makeup set with the same insignia as a compact mirror found inside Margot Zelle (the victim from 1981). The woman doesn’t recognize Margot, but confirms that the item definitely belonged to Summer.

That evening, Kirby and Marcus arrive back at the*Sun-Times* to find everyone excitedly getting ready to publish her and Dan’s story. Kirby is surprised they have enough to run it already, but Dan pulls her aside to explain the discoveries that made it possible: which was Summer Francis’ compact mirror from 1972 was found inside Margot Zelle in 1981. Karen Polachek’s nursing pin from 1974 was found inside Willie Rose in 1984. Moreover, Catherine Moore’s campaign pin for Mayor Harold Washington in 1983 was found inside Karen Polachek in 1974. Lastly, Julia Madrigal’s devotional card from 1990 was found inside Anne Lower in 1985. These items (and the others there weren’t mentioned) make the killer the connection between all the seemingly unrelated women. They also raise some major questions — namely how a 1983 mayoral campaign pin ended up inside of a woman killed in 1974. Despite this being the most obvious discrepancy, Dan and Kirby focus on the five years between Julia and Anne’s murders.

While presenting their findings to Abby, Kirby explains her theory that the killer used the time between killings to stalk and gather information on his victims. She also declares that the paper should use her as the lead subject for the story. Dan says they can work with what they have, but Kirby is now more determined than ever to break the story and find who attacked her; even if it means putting her trauma and identity out there for the whole world to see. Abby tells them that they need to make a show of offering to the police and a chance to comment before running the story. As they head out toward the commissioner’s office, Kirby decides to hang back so she can warn Jin-Sook about what might happen to her.

Harper observes the trio’s interaction from a distance. When Kirby breaks off, he follows her to Jin-Sook’s house. Instead of attacking her, however, he stands outside in the rain and watches the two women through a window. Jin-Sook tells Kirby that she hasn’t experienced any weird phone calls and doesn’t feel like she’s in any sort of danger. Kirby reveals that she didn’t think anything was wrong either until a man attacked her six years ago. The same man who somehow stole Jin-Sook’s key and placed it at a crime scene almost 20 years ago. Kirby can’t explain what it all means, but still encourages Jin-Sook to be on guard at all times. She also encourages her to carry a knife like she does. As the two women depart, Jin-Sook asks what was found inside of her. Kirby reveals that it was a matchbook from a bar that doesn’t exist. Jinny responds that just because something hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t in the future (like a new bar opening). She encourages her to keep looking into the bar even if it feels like a dead end.

As the *Sun-Times* begins printing tomorrow’s paper with her and Dan’s story, Kirby decides to visit the address where the Bee Happy Bar is supposed to be. The laundromat is still there, but all the washers are now covered in plastic. It also appears that the building is in the middle of a major remodel. Kirby breaks inside and takes a look around. Sure enough, she discovers a stack of matchbooks identical to the one found inside her six years ago. While staring at the totem of her violent past and future, Kirby is shocked to hear Harper muttering that she doesn’t look right. She turns around to find him approaching, his voice and demeanor more agitated than predatory. Harper continues to air his grievances, complaining that Kirby’s hair shouldn’t look the way it does and that she doesn’t live where she should. He also demands to know how she and Jin-Sook know each other. As Harper gets closer, Kirby realizes that he’s the same man who gave her the pegasus when she was a little girl. She also notes that he impossibly looks the same. Harper replies that she looks nothing like he left her before lunging forward. He grabs Kirby in a chokehold, turns her around, and growls that she’s supposed to be dead. Kirby uses her knife to stab Harper in the leg before turning and slashing him across the face. Harper lets go, but quickly recovers and shoves her into a nearby row of dryers. To his surprise and confusion, the surface changes to a patterned wall. He slams her into it again, causing the wallpaper to change again, as well. Harper mutters “this can’t be happening” and begins to choke Kirby. She fights back and pulls down part of his shirt, revealing a distinctive tattoo on the left side of his chest. As the two continue to struggle, the wall behind her turns into a mirror. Harper slams her into it, causing both of them to crash through into a fully furnished bar area.

Kirby manages to break free and runs outside. Once she’s clear, she turns around to see that the previously empty establishment is now filled with customers…and carries the same logo as the one on the matchbook.

## Cast

### Starring

* Elisabeth Moss as Kirby Mazrachi
* Wagner Moura as Dan Velazquez
* Phillipa Soo as Jin-Sook
* Chris Chalk as Marcus
* Amy Brenneman as Rachel
* Jamie Bell as Harper Curtis

### Guest Starring

* Erika Alexander as Abby
* Alex Goodrich as Bertie
* Sadieh Rifai as Lakshmi Awad
* Jason Wells as Ben

### Co-Starring

* Jimmy Carrane as Senior Reporter
* Christopher Meister as Clarence
* Richard Cotovsky as Steve the Neighbor
* Shanessa Sweeney as Linda
* Michael Herzovi as Warren
* Madeline Baird as Summer Francis
* Tamsen Glaser as Karen Polachek
* David Anthony Bell as Frank
* Mary Beth Burns as Susan
* Pam Tierney as Lori
* Scott Buechler as Landon
* Amber Kelly as Kitty the Drummer
* Daniel McEvilly as Hugo the Guitarist
* Charley Newton as Sports Reporter
* Mark Spates Smith as Union Rep
* Brian Laesch as Michael Polachek

## Images

### Cast Images

Kirby MazrachiDan VelazquezJin-SookMarcusRachelHarper CurtisAbbySummer FrancisKaren Polachek