Why Was Cam In Seven Oaks As A Teenager In Under The Bridge?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Under the Bridge.

Summary Cam's past at Seven Oaks fosters a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics between the girls and influences her investigation approach in Under the Bridge.

Based on Canadian history, Cam was likely at Seven Oaks due to the Sixties Scoop and the systemic removal of First Nations children from their homes.

Cam's prior relationship with Rebecca Godfrey and her connection to Seven Oaks reveal layers of her character and motives in the investigation of Reena's case.

In Hulu’s Under the Bridge, Cam spends time at the foster home, Seven Oaks, raising questions about the past events that led her there. This drama miniseries fictionalizes the true story of the murder of Reena Virk, a 14-year-old girl who gets beaten up and murdered by a group of her peers. Many of the teenagers involved in the attack on Reena lived at the Seven Oaks foster home. The entire story is filtered through the perspective of two adults involved in the investigation – Lily Gladstone’s Cam Bentland and Riley Keough’s Rebecca Godfrey.

These two Under The Bridge characters have a prior relationship that becomes important to the plot. In Under the Bridge, Cam met Rebecca Godfrey when she was a teen living in Victoria, British Columbia. The two became extremely close; however, the death of Rebecca’s brother seemingly severed their relationship. Cam and Rebecca reunite due to Cam's Reena Virk investigation, which collides with Rebecca's research for her book at the Seven Oaks foster home.

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Cam Reveals She Briefly Lived In Under The Bridge's Foster Home As A Teenager

Cam's Attendance Of Under The Bridge Isn't Directly Explained

When Rebecca goes to Seven Oaks in Under the Bridge, she mentions that an old friend used to live there. Cam later reveals that she was the one who lived in the foster home briefly. Episodes 1 and 2 of Under the Bridge don’t directly confirm why Cam was living at Seven Oaks; however, it’s possible to extrapolate the reason based on Canadian history. Cam would have been a child during the 60s or 70s. In the 50s and 60s, the government phased out residential schools but still wanted to remove First Nations children from their homes (via Indigenous Foundations).

According to Indigenous Foundations, this caused an event called the Sixties Scoop, where First Nations children were taken from their homes, often involuntarily, at exponential rates and placed in the custody of the government. This period of history lasted from 1961 to the 1980s. Cam was likely removed from her family of origin as a part of the Sixties Scoop. As such, she would’ve been placed in a foster home until a suitable, Euro-Canadian adoptive family could be found – since the government didn’t reunite First Nations families.

What Cam's Past With Seven Oaks Means For Her Role In The Police Force & Reena's Case

Cam's Past Influences Her Treatment Of The Seven Oaks Girls

Cam’s past at Seven Oaks makes her role as the officer on Reena’s cast more complicated in the Hulu show. She has a deeper understanding of the messy relationship between girls at the group home. Unlike other police officers, Cam also doesn’t view the kids as disposable, since she was once in the same position. As such, she’s more hesitant to believe that the kids at Seven Oaks are responsible for Reena’s death in Under the Bridge. Even when it becomes obvious they played a part, she attempts to understand them rather than demonize them.

Source: Indigenous Foundations