Room 104 – The Hikers

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

This episode of Room 104 delved into friendships and what happens when what we consider the strongest of friendships is finally exposed. With a cast of only two characters, Megan (Shannon Purser) and Casey (Kendra Carelli) take us through the cracks and imperfections of what was a life-long friendship.

The episode starts in on a close-up of Megan’s foot, which has a large blister on it from a pebble that somehow managed to get into her shoe. As Megan and Casey were about to start a three-month hike the very next day, Casey believes that this may put a damper on their plans and pulls out a bag of Epsom Salts she had been saving for the end of the trip. Drawing a bath for Megan, Casey assures that this will not only help Megan’s foot but also help her to relax. Megan sheds her clothing, which makes Casey slightly uncomfortable, and climbs into the tub.

While Megan indulges in the spa-like bath a skittish Casey grabs her bag and pretends to be looking for something, only abandoning her mission when Megan emerges from the bathroom feeling refreshed and ready to prepare for the hike tomorrow. Where we see Megan quite confident in her ability to tackle everything, Casey’s continual assurance that they can cancel the hike seems to spark a curiosity in Megan. As the lights are out and both parties are asleep, Megan wakes up and decides to go into Casey’s hiking bag to figure out what she was looking for. It does not take long before Megan then wakes up Casey and confronts her about whether she was looking to sabotage the hike. As Casey continues to deny that played any part in wrong-doing, Megan presents her with the bag of white rocks from her bag – the same type of stone that Megan had found in her shoe.

The unraveling of the friendship has begun and in somewhat of a role reversal to what we typically see, Casey berates the confident and assuring Megan on her looks and appearance alone. Megan was genuine in her friendship with Casey, yet the audience gets the impression that Casey has treated Megan as though she was less in to make herself feel important. In doing this, Casey does her best to tear down Megan any way she can just because she is not waif-like or pretty by Casey’s standards. Seemingly accepting of the world around her, Megan continues to stand her ground and explain to Casey that she is comfortable with who she is and plans to go through with the hike. This infuriates Casey as she goes on to snap and yell at Megan, throwing every vile, nasty thought at her as though she can break her spirit. And while Megan may get teary, she still manages to keep composure and listen to Casey’s ranting like a good friend.

Eventually, it is Casey who finally breaks down from her ranting. In a turn of events from the beginning of the episode, Megan now leads Casey into the bathroom and starts the bath for her, pouring in the Epsom Salts to help calm her nerves. As Casey undresses and steps into the tub, Megan tells her that she thinks it’s time for her to “take a hike,” effectively beginning not only Megan’s plans but ending their friendship.