Ahhh, my favorite kind of page: busy but still strongly organized, with a feeling of experimentation running through it.

We weren’t quite sure we’d put this one here, or that Rachel would realize who Tamara was immediately. Some part of her seems to be repressing the knowledge, resisting what it means for the religious order on which she’s built her life. But it didn’t feel right for her to take that long to noodle it out. We also contemplated a somewhat longer flashback to Tamara when Rachel knew her best (this will be the only time we see her both speaking and with functioning eyes). But that’d mean less focus on Rachel herself.

Putting this shortly after Frigg’s invite to E-Merl also works out, because we didn’t want her anywhere in that scene. Having her stand in the doorway, watch Frigg nuzzle “her man,” and misread the situation would be a pretty played-out trope. E-Merl is important to Rachel and their troubles affect her, but she has her own life going on.