Marlee Matlin Plays The Most Important Survivor In 'Limetown'

Spoilers ahead for Facebook Watch's Limetown. We're first introduced to former Limetown resident Deirdre Wells, played by Marlee Matlin, in the Facebook Watch series via flashback. In one scene, she's shown lying on the ground as her ex-husband, Max Finlayson, begs for her survival. In another, she's seen smiling with Max at the beginning of her Limetown stay. But it's not until Episode 8 of Limetown that we're introduced to her in the present.

After reaching out to Lia (Jessica Biel) and offering to meet up, Deirdre meets Lia at her home in Berlin and confesses that she was the cause of The Panic, the event which led to the death of Oskar Totem and the end of Limetown as the residents and the world knew it. This is all because Deirdre, who was originally without the mind-reading implant being trialed at the facility, was eventually given it at the recommendation of her ex-husband Max. She initially refused given the strong relationship she'd formed with the "Old School" group, but relented when she realized it was the only way to save her marriage. When the other "Old School" members found out, everything fell apart.

During her meeting with Lia, Deirdre reveals that the true horrors of the implant were felt during The Panic, when lack of vital medication meant that instead of being telepathically connected to only one partner, those with the implant began hearing the chaotic and overwhelming thoughts of everyone around them.

She even experienced the tragedy of Oskar being burned alive, and was in horrible pain from the experience... until The Man They Were All There For comforted her, giving her a sense of inexplicable peace she'd never felt before or after. It's then revealed that The Man They Were All There For, while previously implied to be Oskar, was actually Lia's uncle, Emile (Stanley Tucci).

While Deirdre doesn't explicitly name Emile since she's arrested by the FBI before she can, the encounter is enough to send Lia into a tailspin. Unfortunately, their meeting being cut short also means there were other questions that were never answered, like why Deirdre never tried to find Max after Limetown collapsed.

The Limetown podcast gives a clue to all of this development this, as Deirdre tells Lia in Episode 5, "Scarecrow," that Max had inaccurately presented Limetown and that her former partner was guilty of some pretty terrible acts. However, she clearly still loved him, as she later admitted that she wanted to talk to Lia because Max "deserved better" and she wanted everyone to know of her own guilt in the collapse of the community.

While it seems unlikely that Lia will ever see Deirdre again, it's not impossible. Either way, the novelist has undoubtedly played a major part in beginning to unravel the mystery of what happened in Limetown and what became of the people who were there but have since gone missing.