Surface Season 2 Episode 1 Ending Explained: What is the Relationship Between Sophie and Eliza?

Surface season 2 has premiered on Apple TV+ and it has brought a new mystery with multiple layers. The psychological thriller series centered around Sophie Ellis follows her as she returns to London to learn more about her past. So, what did episode 1 reveal? 

Why did Sophie Return to London?

Sophie had lost her memories when she had apparently jumped from a boat. While some witnesses saved her, the memories were gone. After recovering she began piecing back what had happened in her life, especially to learn why she had tried to take her own life. 

Things became complicated for her as she realized that she was having an affair with a detective named Thomas Baden. He suggested that her husband James was the one who had pushed her off the boat. But it is revealed that Sophie was with a woman called Tess Caldwell. 

She was trying to go back to the USA and so had stored her British passport and cash in a safe box which she wanted to get to without raising an alarm. Sophie planned to jump off the boat and swim to where the safe box was on the shore. However, her plan went wrong, and she got pulled close to the propeller of the boat. 

If she hadn’t been rescued, she would have died. Also, James didn’t try to kill Sophie, but he did use the memory loss to try and save their marriage. Sophie got to know that he had killed Baden to stop him from revealing why their marriage had failed to her. After all this, she wanted to escape to the USA again. Thankfully, when she jumped into the water, she waded to safety this time. 

What is Sophie’s Connection to Eliza Huntley?

The first episode of season 2 reveals that Sophie and Eliza Huntley, the youngest heir heiress of the Huntley family, were lovers when the former worked as a stablehand at their estate. Sophie makes it clear to Eliza that now that she is in London, she wants to rekindle their friendship. She realizes that since they dated, Eliza might know more about her life. 

While it does look like Sophie would have probably liked to rekindle their romantic relationship, Eliza has a girlfriend. Regardless, Sophie does purchase the season tickets to the Philharmonic, where Eliza who is a professional cellist performs. However, Eliza isn’t too interested in buying what Sophie is selling. 

There is a lot of animosity and anger from her side because she had tried to connect with Sophie over the years, only to be met with radio silence. However, she relents as curiosity about her former lover’s life takes over and she invites Sophie to a party. 

The Huntley Family Secret

While Sophie wanting to be friends with Eliza seems genuine, there’s also a hidden agenda of hers- she is convinced that the Huntley family had a hand in the murder of her mother, Emma Antoine-Day, who had mysteriously died when she was young. Her eyes are especially on William Huntley, the family patriarch. 

Callum Walsh, an investigative journalist, also suspects that the Huntleys have been involved in multiple murders. However, none have been proven because of William Huntley's connections and wealth. Sophie had gotten in touch with him before her US accident which had resulted in the memory loss. 

In the first episode, we see that Walsh has left her a voicemail. In a public library, Sophie accesses a safe box where she finds news clippings about the allegations against the Huntleys and also the death certificate of her mother. She and Callum meet at one of Sophie’s performances and plan on exposing the wealthy Huntley family. It will be interesting to see how this season shapes up.

Surface season 2 is streaming on Apple TV+.