Under The Bridge Episode 3 Fact-Check: 10 Biggest True Story Changes & Inaccuracies

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Under the Bridge and the true story upon which it's based.

Summary Rebecca Godfrey was not in Victoria to write a book; she was already finishing one when she learned of the Reena Virk case.

Changes in Under the Bridge, like leaving out the Russian sister, impact the plot significantly, altering the dynamic between characters.

The miniseries alters details like the location of a cigarette burn on Reena, shedding light on the racial motivation in the attack not otherwise discussed in the series.

Hulu's Under the Bridge episode 3 includes many factual inaccuracies and changes to the true story that impact the miniseries. Based on the book by Rebecca Godfrey, Under the Bridge follows the investigation of the murder of a 14-year-old named Reena Virk in the Victoria suburb of Saanich, Canada. The first two episodes set the scene for the crime and introduce the characters who play a major role in the crime and the investigation.

Under the Bridge episode 3 finally gets Cam, the police officer, and Rebecca, the writer, working together on the case, which will undoubtedly propel the rest of the miniseries forward. The story also offers major foreshadowing about what really happened on the other side of the bridge that night. While episode 3 is narratively compelling, it does include numerous factual inaccuracies about the true story of Under the Bridge which will influence the fictional aspects throughout the rest of the miniseries.

New episodes of Under the Bridge are released every Wednesday on Hulu.

10 Rebecca Godfrey Didn’t Come To Victoria To Write A Book

The Torn Skirt Was Already Almost Finished When Rebecca Came To Victoria, Canada

One of the biggest changes within the Hulu miniseries is how Rebecca learned of the Reena Virk murder and why she was in Victoria. During Cam and Rebecca’s conversation in Under the Bridge episode 3, Cam reasserts that Rebecca is in Victoria writing a book. In real life, Rebecca Godfrey was living in New York City when she learned of the Reena Virk case.

According to her interview with Electric Lit, she’d just finished her book The Torn Skirt, only returning to Victoria because friends told her that her book’s plot was coming true with the Reena Virk case. When traveling back to Victoria, she took on a job as a journalist with a women’s magazine to get close to the case and victims. Therefore, her comment about Cam not being able to stop her if she’s a journalist has more truth than Hulu’s Under the Bridge shows.

Related What's A "Bic Girl"? Under The Bridge's Nickname For The Seven Oaks Teens Explained In Hulu's Under the Bridge, the Seven Oaks teens, led by Josephine, refer to themselves as "Bic girls" — a moniker with a deeply awful origin story.

9 Josephine Took Reena Virk’s Shoes In Real Life

Kelly Had Reena's Shoes In Under The Bridge Instead Of Josephine

At the end of Under the Bridge episode 3, Josephine finds Reena Virk’s muddy shoes in Kelly’s closet, signaling to Josephine that Reena is dead. According to Godfrey’s true crime novel, Reena’s jacket and shoes were left at the schoolhouse by the bridge, presumably by Kelly. The jacket was taken by a couple named Ernestine and Tim, thinking that the jacket belonged to Ernestine’s friend’s grandson. However, the boots were left there. At some point, Josephine retrieved this from the schoolhouse.

Later, Josephine took a bus downtown with Dusty and dumped the shoes in a green dumpster. This change serves a big narrative purpose. Kelly putting the shoes in her closet in Under the Bridge provides proof for Josephine that Kelly killed Reena. Additionally, the original story would’ve muddled up the storyline, providing confusion about whether Josephine and Dusty were involved in Reena’s murder, instead of just her attack.

8 Under The Bridge Changes The Name Of Warren’s Girlfriend

Syreeta Was Changed To Samara In Hulu's Under The Bridge

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While most of the changes are bigger, the Hulu miniseries makes one peculiar change that seems strange at first glance. In the characters of Under the Bridge, Warren Glowatski’s girlfriend is named Samara Bailey. However, her real name is Syreeta in Rebecca Godfrey’s source book. While the name change is momentarily noticeable in previous episodes, she plays such a small role that it’s easy to miss. However, the name change is extremely obvious in Under the Bridge episode 3 because Samara plays a much bigger role in the plot.

While there’s no given explanation for the name change, it’s possible that the writers changed Syreeta’s name so they could preserve the privacy of the real Syreeta. Because she wasn’t charged for any crimes, Syreeta’s name wasn’t withheld from publication. As such, it was published in numerous newspaper articles at that time. However, Syreeta was still a minor at the time of the incident, meaning she should have the same privacy as all the others.

7 Syreeta Wasn’t Doing Laundry With Warren

The Laundry Scene Hints At Warren's Guilt In Under the Bridge

One of the first hints that Warren killed Reena Virk in Under the Bridge is the blood spatter that Samara sees on Warren’s white clothing while doing laundry together. However, this doesn’t match up with how the situation is described in Rebecca Godfrey’s Under the Bridge. Firstly, Syreeta was washing Warren’s clothing because he didn’t have a home anymore; however, her friend Dmitri was helping, not Warren.

Secondly, Syreeta was half-blind and didn’t immediately recognize the blood as she does in Hulu’s Under the Bridge. It took her quite some time before she saw it. Lastly, there wasn’t blood spatter all over the clothing. Instead, Syreeta reported that she only saw two spots of blood about the size of a quarter. Additionally, she said that Warren told her that he was in a fight with a First Nations man, explaining the blood away in her mind.

6 Character Omission From Under the Bridge Episode 2 Impacts The Story In Episode 3

The Russian Sisters Are Omitted From Under the Bridge Episodes 2 And 3

Under the Bridge episode 2 omits two Russian sisters named Nadjia and Anya who played an important role in the investigation of Reena’s murder, a detailed in Godfrey’s book. These two heard about Reena’s murder from their friends and continued to ask questions to the people involved. Additionally, they asked Josephine to take them under the bridge and walk them through everything that happened. Instead of using these two real-life people, the fictionalization of Rebecca Godfrey did all the activities of Nadjia and Anya in Under the Bridge episode 2.

This continues into the early part of Under the Bridge episode 3. Rebecca goes to Cam and tells her all the same things that the sisters told the police in real life. The sisters also offer to help the police officers with the investigation in real life, which Rebecca does in the miniseries. The producers likely chose to leave out the Russian sisters so that Rebecca would play a bigger role in the plot. Additionally, Rebecca’s involvement with Cam is a driving force in the story, which wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t pulled into the murder investigation.

Related Why Was Cam In Seven Oaks As A Teenager In Under The Bridge? The Seven Oaks foster home is a central location in Under the Bridge, and Cam staying there as a teenager directly influences the plotline.

5 Under The Bridge Episode 3 Connects The Death Of Rebecca’s Brother To Reena Virk’s Murder

Rebecca Godfrey Never Spoke About Her Brother's Death In Relation To The Case

In both the miniseries and real life, Reena Virk died from drowning under the Craigflower Bridge. The ending of Under the Bridge episode 3 implies that Rebecca Godfrey’s brother Gabe also died from drowning. This provides a direct tie between the two cases for the author, emotionally impacting her as she gets involved in the case. Factually, it is correct that Reena Virk died of drowning, just like the real Rebecca Godfrey’s brother, Jonathan Godfrey.

However, it’s unconfirmed whether the case of Reena Virk emotionally impacted Godfrey because of the familiar method of death. In fact, the real Rebecca Godfrey almost never talked about her brother, implying that this might not have been true. Still, the connection in the fictional Rebecca’s mind helps with her character development, giving her more of a personal drive to help solve the case of Reena Virk’s murder.

4 There's No Evidence Rebecca Godfrey Was Sapphic

Rebecca's Sexual Orientation Was Likely Fictionalized For Under the Bridge

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The relationship between Cam and Rebecca in Under the Bridge ties together the police and journalists in trying to find the truth about Reena Virk’s murder. Because Cam is a fictional character created for the miniseries, the relationship between these two people can’t be real. However, the difference between the actual story and the show goes further than that. There is no evidence that Rebecca Godfrey was anywhere under the Sapphic umbrella (e.g. lesbian, bisexual, pansexual).

Instead, the real Rebecca Godfrey married a man named Herbert Wilson and had a daughter named Ada. It is still very possible for someone married to a man to still be Sapphic, but it would be erroneous to conclude this about the actual Godfrey without anything supporting the assertion, especially when there's evidence she was attracted to men. As such, it can be concluded that her relationship with Cam was created simply for drama and to tie the author to the investigation.

3 The Conversation Between Kelly, Warren, And Josephine Happened At The Smoking Pit In Real Life

Under The Bridge Changed The Location Of The Conversation

During Under the Bridge episode 3, Samara works at a diner. While she’s working, Kelly starts whispering in Warren’s ear and visibly flirting. Samara goes over to confront them, telling Kelly she can tell her whatever she told Warren. This entire interaction occurred in real life. However, it occurred in a different setting. In the book, Rebecca Godfrey describes the scene as happening at a place called the smoking pit, where the teens would go to gossip and smoke cigarettes. Additionally, the book includes internal narration on Syreeta’s confusion about why Warren was suddenly hanging out with Kelly.

The setting change from the true story foreshadows Samara’s responsibility, which would contribute to her decision to come forward about what Warren tells her. The teen is responsible enough to work instead of hanging around with the gangs. The public setting also explains why Kelly and Warren would be whispering, rather than talking about the murder loudly.

Related What Happened To The Real Rebecca Godfrey After Under The Bridge After the Reena Virk murder case, the real Rebecca Godfrey built a career using the journalism skills developed while working on Under the Bridge.

2 Reena Virk’s Family Knew About Reena's Death Before The Police Came

Reena's Aunt Was At The Crime Scene In Real Life

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Under the Bridge episode 3 shows Reena Virk’s family finding out about her death through the police department. Additionally, none of the Virks were at the gorge when Reena’s body was removed. However, this doesn’t fully match up with how the family found out in real life. Rebecca Godfrey’s Under the Bridge explains that Reena’s aunt, Amarijit, was walking through the park when the body was being pulled out of the gorge.

She asked the photographer for the Times-Colonist – a coworker of her husband – what was going on, and he revealed that an East Indian girl was dead in the water. She became certain it was Reena, calling her husband and asking him to call Reena’s mom. The family still likely received a visit from the police to inform them of Reena’s death, as shown in Hulu’s Under the Bridge, but this would’ve happened after Amarijit became aware that Reena was likely dead.

1 The Cigarette Burn Wasn’t Located In The Same Spot As A Bindi

Racism Appeared In Different Parts Of The Reena Virk Case

One of the most horrifying moments in Under the Bridge is seeing the cigarette mark burned into Reena’s forehead when her mom identifies the body. The location of the burn is just barely above the eyebrows on her forehead. This is the location where an Indian person, usually a woman, would place a bindi – a dot that represents the third eye chakra. This becomes an important detail down the line because Reena is Indian Canadian. As such, the bindi burn could point to racial motivation in the attack.

However, according to the autopsy information provided by Rebecca Godfrey’s Under the Bridge book, the cigarette burn wasn’t placed in this location. Instead, Josephine burned the cigarette above Reena’s right eyebrow. This change in Under the Bridge was likely made to represent the conversation about how and why racism played a role in Reena’s death. There is a decent amount of evidence to support this theory; however, the burn mark isn’t one of these things.

Sources: Electric Lit and Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey