RW88

I feel like I liked the show better before this episode. It was just a lot happening all at once and it just took me out of it. It wasn’t even deep, it was just schizophrenic. Too many twists, too many turns and without any linear throughput. The twist with Meyer needed more bite. The reveal didn’t feel “earned” if you will. It wasn’t altogether shocking but it just felt like the breakneck pace in which it was handled left a lot of meat on the bone. Which you can’t really retcon later to add depth because of how it played out. It was the only interesting story and it was executed in the sloppiest way possible. The Joe thing made no sense at all. We could have “met the family” without him present. Didn’t really see that his presence added anything to that scene. It was really just another question mark without an answer. And I think that was this episodes biggest failure, the questions left aren’t interesting enough for me to care about the answer because Joe’s not fleshed out enough for me to care. It felt like watching someone try to be clever and failing. The Harriet phone call and dossier went completely over my head. I’ll probably go back and watch the scene for clarity but I think my brain was still stuck in a loop of saying “what?” to everything that happened prior. All that said, I did like the show a lot until episode 10. Upon reflection there are at least 4 or 5 characters they should have just cut completely because they just never mattered to the story at all. I’m thinking specifically about Jonah’s friends. The one dude was integral to the story but the other two just showed up occasionally for no reason and would disappear just as quickly. That time could have been better spent on the other thinly written main characters. As it stands, the remaining core lack cohesion and I don’t get why they’d go off to Europe together. If they get a season 2, I’ll probably watch it. But I’m equally inclined to forget it ever existed.

I really wish the "murder" had been more explicit. I think we're supposed to see it as Alex flying into a roid rage and killing Bryce, but the direction gave it an ambiguity that allowed for a reasonable explanation of "oops." Which is something I don't think they were going for in this scenario. It all happens really fast. Bryce is lurching and hurling accusations at Jess and Alex pushes him into the water. I don't know that him dying was the intention, which makes the convoluted cover-up all the more problematic. Sure, he falls in the water and begs for help, but he almost immediately drops below the surface and drowns. It's not like they stood there for a long time just watching. I can easily conceive of a scenario where they were both kind of in shock and by the time they snapped out of it, it was too late. That could have been reasonably explained without jeopardizing them or anyone else. Zach's culpability is far more problematic for me because he literally confessed to beating the guy to within an inch of his life, breaking both an arm and a leg for good measure and then leaving him there. As stated, without Alex and Jess showing up, he probably would have died anyway out there overnight with no way to seek help. And the police know this, because he told them. And then released him saying "don't worry about it kid,he drowned." Maybe he drowned because he was beaten near death and had no means to call for help. A reasonable person could assume that Bryce fell into the lake on accident while trying to drag himself towards help after being beaten. Alex's assist almost seems incidental. This is probably the biggest reason I don't look forward to them rehashing this storytelling in the final season. Tyler did what he did, I get it, but I feel like they put a pretty bow on even his creepy picture taking. A coffee house exhibit, GREAT! Not so creepy after all, but you know, still a little creepy. A crime he tried to commit, but ultimately didn't? How interesting is that really? Dead dude blamed for a murder that has like EVERYONE's fingerprints all over it? Eh. Who is going to investigate it? The Deputy who is already aware of all of it and even helped by burning his kids clothes from the night of the ill fated swim lesson? Really? The biggest mistake I think they made here was sort of saying rape=bad, murder=okay, if they were a rapist. Don't get me wrong, I too would have no problem with rapists "just disappearing" into a lake in the middle of the night. Fine with it actually. And if that was the narrative they were going for, I'd be all in. Dexter was one of my favorite shows, you know until it turned into trash. I don't need them in jail, just tone down the self righteous indignation. Zach was all about ratting on Tyler but took his sweet time to turn himself in. And of course no one cared anyway, because beating crap out of someone, breaking their limbs and cracking their skull is like not really a crime. It was in that moment of confession that I needed the "murder" to be more explicit. I was happy for Zach. I saw the relief in his face upon learning he hadn't murdered his "friend." I saw it and I don't think I'd convict Alex if the truth were laid bare. I'd totally think that dude who broke his limbs and cracked his skull was worse than the dude with the limp who tried to protect his ex from a raging rapist. I don't know, maybe that's just me,

Binged the whole season in one sitting. Okay, two sittings. Not entirely sure how I feel about it to be honest. I mean I liked it but I may need to go back and re-watch to be sure I buy the whole narrative. No actual spoilers forthcoming but ... A lot will be said about trying to give Bryce a redemption arc, but I took it more as pointing out that people are rarely just one thing. Evil or good. I think in the balance we'll all still remember him as the worst, but that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of being decent at times. Which I think was part of the hypocrisy they added at then end. Everyone is pretty gray but some are left to forever be tarnished because they're expendable, deemed unworthy. And these are decisions made by "good" people who in their capacity decide who is worthy and who is not. Don't get me wrong, the villains are still very much the villains but I think it becomes increasingly hard to figure out who the good guys are. For those still in the early episodes, Ani does become less annoying. And by less I mean they let her fade a bit into the background. By the end, it all made more sense but I still understand why people don't initially flock to her character. She's annoying and far too involved with little cognitive reasoning attached. I actually think you could have omitted her completely and still put forth a compelling narrative. She serves a purpose, I guess, but it could have been pulled off without her for sure.