S01.E12: Part 12

[radishcake]

 

Danny's past and present troubles became a threat to the Rayburns. Sally confronts her family.

 

Please note that you should NOT discuss episodes that are numerically after the one in the thread you are in. Thanks!

 

[thuganomics85]

Going to try and catch the last episode tomorrow, but just got done with this one.  Holy crap, I am surprised they had Danny die in this one.  I assumed that was going to happen in the finale.  Can't wait to see what is going to happen now.

 

When John and Diana were telling the kids not to hang with Danny again, John gave this look (when the daughter made some smart-ass remark to him), that reminded me how scary Kyle Chandler can be.  I almost thought the couch she was on was going to burst into flames.  Have to remind myself that he might have that folksy charm, but he is no someone I would want to piss off.

 

This show keeps making me switch allegiances all of the time.  For the majority of it, Danny was totally a tool, and way too gleeful about getting in everyone's head.  And, yet, I totally cracked up when he revealed himself at the dinner table, and John realized that Wayne's man didn't take him out like he had hoped. 

Edited March 28, 2015 by thuganomics85

[enchantingmonkey]

This will likely be my favorite episode of this season.  My only disappointment is that I was sorta-kinda hoping they'd kill Danny in a way that he could "come back from the dead", as silly as that is.  

 

With this episode, I'll have to credit the writers with maybe making me understand why Danny became such a rotten human being over the past several episodes.  I don't know that it would hold up if I went back and re-watched, as his shift was abrupt, but it's working for now.  

 

Chelsea O'Bannon may be the smartest character on the show.  Yes, it was stupid to give Danny her keys but I felt like she did it knowing that it was a bad decision.  

 

I had to chuckle when Danny walked away from Kevin telling him to get in the truck.  Way to be intimidating with a guy, Kevin.  Overall, Kevin has been a pretty big flop.  

[flutist4fun]

Whoa. I wasn’t expecting it to go down like that. Thought it would be more of an accident. I’ve continually been switching sides too, as the Rayburns all try to top each other in lying, cheating and general bad behaviour, but I’m still feeling a little sorry for Danny. He’s been kind of screwed his whole life (and now he's been murdered). It sounds like Dad was a complete psycho and everybody suffered from it. Yet he dies and gets the nice funeral, like he’s a hero. (Though it’s still hard for me to believe Sam Shepard was a bad dad, haha. Though I totally buy Sissy Spacek as a bad mom.) And now John will be messed up too. Like Danny with Sara, although that was an accident, I don’t think John will ever recover from drowning his brother. I liked John admitting to Danny that he’s had a better life and apologizing for not sticking up for him, but that was just before he killed him, so… I think the apology gets cancelled out.

 

Totally agree that Kevin is a tool. With all that’s going on, he's drinking and doing drugs, waving a gun around and whaling on John over the phone to ’take care of it'?? And why did he point the gun at Danny on the roadside? He couldn’t really shoot him on a busy highway in broad daylight. He’s so lame, I was laughing at him along with Danny. He is truly the younger brother who always messes up and counts on his older bro to fix it.

 

I did like both John and Danny finally talking straight to their mom, John telling her to listen to his warnings and trust him, and Danny calling her out b/c she'd never protected him. Finally! Not that she will learn. Meg has the right idea: leave town. And yay, Marco has seen the light and dumped her. And he’s not taking crap from John either. I have no idea how they will end this, aside from I guess showing how John hides the body. But I really want to see Sally…what? Suffer some consequences? That’s harsh. I guess I’d just like all of them to get away from her. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

[whyjen8]

I'm relieved these are not real people or I'd feel bad about feeling such glee when Danny broke his mother's heart.  I hate Sally!  I'm hoping she'll be like Skylar White and spend the rest of her life chain smoking, drinking, and staring off into space....in a crappy apartment because she lost her hotel.

 

Sorry but I'm not getting Danny deserving to be murdered....he hasn't done anything that merits that.  He's an ass but we can't just go around killing asses...damn talk about a full time job.

[Guest]

They did sort of imply they had no choice but to murder Danny, earlier on.  Really it was just a plain old crime of passion.  Kind of a misdirect, to make it more mysterious.  I was originally thinking, "What could this family's secret possibly be that they would kill a sibling to keep it quiet?"  So it is a little disappointing that it was just anger and money.  

[Fen]

I thought it had got to a level where they felt they had no other option, though.  There was absolutely no reasoning with Danny.  Nothing was ever going to be enough to redress the balance of the wrong he felt had been done to him.  He had managed to get to a situation where he had effectively supplanted his father at the inn, had rebuilt relationships with his siblings (who wanted him cut back into the family business), his mother's affection and trust, and a burgeoning relationship with an old flame - but he still couldn't get past that cassette tape.

[Hero]

I hate Danny! I know his life sucked, but he is a leech that sucks the energy from everyone he comes in contact with. He grew into a sociopath that wanted everyone hurt. 

[LateJuliet]

Danny, through the entire series, has been playing a very long game.  He's been Hoovering up info about everyone, making very clear that he has it, and is absolutely not afraid to use it.  Sun Tsu wrote to never fight on death ground and that's where the siblings went wrong.  At this point Danny has nothing left to lose - he knows John was willing to let him die, he's marked for death over the missing drugs, Mom and Meg have thrown their lot in with the rest of the family, Kevin has always hated him and has the untraceable revolver.  Some men just want to watch the world burn but Danny gets that and something even more delish on what he knows is the way out - he turns his siblings into what he's always been, a person carting around an awful weight...some of which he made himself and some of which was unfairly tethered to him by others.  The big ugly family secret that's been corroding the family from the inside doesn't die with him, in fact he gives them a whole new sibling death and cover up to deal with - one far worse than what went down with Sarah.

 

Awesomely gothic and twisty and fun.  Gonna be sorry to see this series end.

[Pogojoco]

I think, in John's mind, Danny had to go as soon as he took Janie out on the boat. That's when he knew that Danny could no longer be reasoned with. The drugs through the family business, the casual threats and manipulation was all negotiable, I think. But taking the kid so casually like that, he was a dead man. 

 

This show is tense. 

[Guest]

I thought it had got to a level where they felt they had no other option, though.  There was absolutely no reasoning with Danny.  Nothing was ever going to be enough to redress the balance of the wrong he felt had been done to him.  He had managed to get to a situation where he had effectively supplanted his father at the inn, had rebuilt relationships with his siblings (who wanted him cut back into the family business), his mother's affection and trust, and a burgeoning relationship with an old flame - but he still couldn't get past that cassette tape.

But is murdering a sibling ever justified?  Even if they couldn't stop Danny from making them lose the inn, even if John believed he might hurt his kids, there are legal options, better options.  You can't just go around killing people who annoy you, scare you and cost you money.  I felt like John, as a cop, knew that, but lost his temper.   

[SallyG]

Just finished E12 of Bloodline and I'm mystified as to why in the flashback scenes Danny is wearing the seersucker suit, because he wasn't originally drowned in it!  How does John get the suit on a wet dead guy?  Also, anyone remember when Voiceover John mentions how he doesn't know where his brother is now, but he hopes he's happy.  I thought he was talking about a live brother who left or ran off.  Does he mean Kevin?  Does Kevin have to leave b/c of the drug people?  Or is John talking about Danny being in the afterlife?  Good Grief!  Going to watch the next one tonight.  Hopefully this will answer all my questions.  I read online that Netflix is planning a season 2.  If Danny is really dead, I can't imagine where they will go with that.  His vendetta fueled the whole show.  Love to hear anyone's thoughts.

[Hero]

Just finished E12 of Bloodline and I'm mystified as to why in the flashback scenes Danny is wearing the seersucker suit, because he wasn't originally drowned in it!  How does John get the suit on a wet dead guy?  Also, anyone remember when Voiceover John mentions how he doesn't know where his brother is now, but he hopes he's happy.  I thought he was talking about a live brother who left or ran off.  Does he mean Kevin?  Does Kevin have to leave b/c of the drug people?  Or is John talking about Danny being in the afterlife?  Good Grief!  Going to watch the next one tonight.  Hopefully this will answer all my questions.  I read online that Netflix is planning a season 2.  If Danny is really dead, I can't imagine where they will go with that.  His vendetta fueled the whole show.  Love to hear anyone's thoughts.

I wonder if they will use Danny in flashbacks or he will become a character like Sarah, haunting his siblings. 

[ShellSeeker]

I wonder if they will use Danny in flashbacks or he will become a character like Sarah, haunting his siblings. 

 

Oh, I like this idea! Ben Mendelsohn was so fantastic in this role. It would be awesome for him to continue to be in the show in some capacity.

 

I was not expecting John to kill Danny. From the previous episodes, it seemed like he, Meg, and Kevin were all in on it together. The crime of passion scenario was more realistic to me than the 3 of them conspiring to kill their brother.

[Hero]

Oh, I like this idea! Ben Mendelsohn was so fantastic in this role. It would be awesome for him to continue to be in the show in some capacity.

 

I was not expecting John to kill Danny. From the previous episodes, it seemed like he, Meg, and Kevin were all in on it together. The crime of passion scenario was more realistic to me than the 3 of them conspiring to kill their brother.

This is the first thing that I have seen Ben Mendelsohn in and I was not disappointed. He seriously should win an Emmy for this, he was amazing. He and Kyle Chandler blew it out of the water. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Suzy123

[millennium]

Fredo Danny had to be murdered.   He flat-out told John he was going to make his life miserable and did not rule out the possibility of doing harm to his family including his children.   His menacing, his drug use, his alcoholism and the fact that he has chats with a dead sister were just one great big recipe for mayhem, let alone that he had already placed all the Rayburns' lives and livelihoods in jeopardy.

 

And I'm sorry, but his siblings lying all those years ago doesn't justify any of it.   Danny is one of those people who gets pissed off at others rather than admit his own guilt.   Nothing's his fault, it's everybody else.  He took Sarah out alone on the boat but he blames John.   That's b.s.

 

Having said that, and having seen John murder Danny with his own hands, I still fully expect to see Danny warming up the charter boat when John arrives back at the inn.

Edited May 3, 2015 by millennium

[MarysWetBar]

My goodness this ramped the hell up these last few episodes! I'm in the minority but my heart really hurts for Danny and also John. Meg is not a nice person and i just can't stand Kevin at all! I know Danny is a sociopath and dangerous but it just seems inconceivable that the only answer was to kill him. John is a cop with an apparently great reputation. I would have set my brother up with some of that coke stash and had his ass off to prison before i would ever kill him with my own hands.Meg and Kevin were more worried about the damn business than they were about Danny.

If Ben M doesn't get am Emmy for this portrayal, i will be pissed.

[Rahul]

Ben Mendelsohn doesn't look passable as a mid forty year old to me. He looks like mid fifties to a hard fifty to me.

Kinda disappointed in how it all went down on the beach. I thought it would've been premeditated and agreed upon by all the younger sibs.

[Inquisitionist]

Mendelsohn is actually 46, according to IMDb.  I think he was supposed to look "rode hard and put away wet" in Bloodline,  as opposed to his real life look.

[lovinbob]

This show has been a little too slow overall. My husband commented that it could have been a two-hour movie. Probably could have. But this episode has me really, really wanting to see the finale, and also to watch anything and everything Kyle Chandler has ever done. And maybe to let him drive me around the Florida Keys in his truck.

[lovinbob]

Danny, through the entire series, has been playing a very long game.  He's been Hoovering up info about everyone, making very clear that he has it, and is absolutely not afraid to use it.  Sun Tsu wrote to never fight on death ground and that's where the siblings went wrong.  At this point Danny has nothing left to lose - he knows John was willing to let him die, he's marked for death over the missing drugs, Mom and Meg have thrown their lot in with the rest of the family, Kevin has always hated him and has the untraceable revolver.  Some men just want to watch the world burn but Danny gets that and something even more delish on what he knows is the way out - he turns his siblings into what he's always been, a person carting around an awful weight...some of which he made himself and some of which was unfairly tethered to him by others.  The big ugly family secret that's been corroding the family from the inside doesn't die with him, in fact he gives them a whole new sibling death and cover up to deal with - one far worse than what went down with Sarah.

Agreed. I think Danny was ready to shed this mortal coil and wanted to make sure he ruined the Rayburns' lives and legacy. I I thought it was interesting that Danny did not act scared for his life, at all. He walked right in to the bait and tackle shop, where Lowery could have disposed of him immediately and without remorse. He took a huge chance but his con was to insure that Lowery would keep him alive so that John would be the one to take it. He did everything he could to antagonize and terrorize everyone. Danny knew that Kevin would try and fail to rise to the challenge of bringing him down, and that John would rise to the challenge to protect his family.

 

Finally: I'm still not convinced that Danny is dead.

[Shermie]

I completely disagree that this was too slow. A two,hour movie? No way! Thirteen hours were needed to slowly reveal what happened, to show why everyone did what they did.

I love the use of the repeated flashbacks, each time revealing a little bit more, sometimes completely changing what you thought you saw. Brilliant.

[Bec]

Maybe it's because of leftover goodwill from watching Kyle Chandler on Early Edition (anyone remember that show?), but I'm totally on John's side and not even the teensiest bit sorry for Danny. So Danny had a rough childhood and bad shit happened to him, boohoo. I'm tired of Danny acting so smug and put-upon (seriously these are his only two modes) when he's the source of most of his own troubles these days, now that decades have passed. John kept giving him chance after chance, and Danny kept pushing it and pushing it until he made John snap. And pushing John over the edge is exactly what Danny wanted to do because Danny is a psycho. Gah, I can't stand Danny.

 

If anyone deserves a damn break, it's John. He just kept trying to make everything okay for everyone around him, but he can't possibly please everyone because he is surrounded by people who expect him to fix everything for them.

 

But most of all, this show's characters suffer from not-talking-to-each-other-itis. Danny doesn't tell anyone he needs money to pay off a debt really badly (then he gets all ticked off that his family doesn't give him more money), John doesn't tell his kids why they should stay away from Uncle Danny. (Then he gets all ticked off that they have no idea about the seriousness of the situation - the kids thought their dad and uncle just had some stupid little argument that they'll get over soon, and it's a perfectly reasonable thing to think when so much information is being withheld from them on purpose.)

 

Ah, well, at least it's not just plot contrivance that the characters don't talk. It sort of makes sense in terms of the characters' motivations. It's still frustrating as hell watching all the misunderstandings that comes from them not talking, though. These people annoy me so much, I'm kind of rooting for them to all die. Maybe except for John. Though for a guy like him, living with killing his own brother might be worse than death.

 

As far as I'm concerned, good riddance to Danny. Offing him is doing the world a favor.

[peggy06]

I kept waiting for Danny to get up out of the water. Hard to believe he could really be dead.

 

So that was his aim? To goad them into killing him, so they'd know the guilt he carried all his life? That's messed up. I am missing the motivation here. I keep waiting to hear just what exactly John did to him, and it doesn't seem to be any worse than that John covered up for the father. Danny also covered up, and Danny of all people should know why that was necessary. Heck, their mother left because of their father. Danny's resentment on hearing the tape seems out of proportion. Of course, he's been living with guilt for 30 years. His substance abuse, recklessness and hallucinations show the damage that's been done. So I guess a normal reaction is not to be expected.

 

The necklace thing was way out of bounds, really bad. It was a definite threat. I can't condone murder, but I get John's frustration. Until they get something on Danny, there will never be peace or comfort for John and his family. Well, John's to blame, for hiding the evidence that could have put Danny away. (Although he is the slipperiest villain, even manages to kill the hit man.)

Edited August 11, 2015 by peggy06

[nicepebbles]

Danny crossed over into the hate category for me. Really? You expect a child, your younger brother, to stand up to dad and protect you? Really? GTFO! Yeah, his anger at his mom is totally justified. She failed as a parent. And then saying John should've been on the boat? Again, GTFO! How would that have changed the situation except both John and Danny being blamed. So much hate! Bec, you are spot on as far as Danny! 

 

LateJuliet, you are also right about the long game Danny was playing. Call me crazy but I think things would've worked out for the Rayburns had the drugs been found on the property. They're white, Meg's a lawyer, John's a cop, Danny's reputation, and the goodwill the Rayburn's have in that town. Just not thinking clearly. 

[Misstify]

The psychological games and the watery setting have been reminding me of Cape Fear (the 90s version). Especially with Danny playing off the teenage daughter's rebelliousness, and the fact that everyone has glass doors! Yeah, click that lock on your glass door. I totally expected Danny to rise up out of the water at the end. Still waiting to see how & why he ends up wearing the seersucker. A Weekend at Bernie's -like ploy?

[MaryPatShelby]

Danny crossed over into the hate category for me. Really? You expect a child, your younger brother, to stand up to dad and protect you? Really? GTFO!

I do not understand what Danny wants from his siblings. They were all kids at the time, and Danny didn't even stand up to his father, but he expected his 7-year-old sister to and is going to make her suffer forever? Danny also told the police and the hospital staff that he was hit by a car, and to our knowledge never corrected that all through adulthood. So if he's not willing to speak for himself, I'm really not understanding what he expects John, Kevin, and Meg to do. Plus he's such a douche toward them...which is robably not the way to get people to do what you want!

[KaleyFirefly]

Wow, what an ending. Even though we knew in the flash-forwards that Danny dies, I wasn't expecting him to go quite like that. But at that point, I can totally understand why John wanted to kill him. I mean, it was still wrong because it was murder, but it didn't seem like the Danny problem was ever going to go away. Danny was determined to destroy all of their lives and was not going to stop. Threatening John's kid was over the line, and if John hadn't killed him, I think someone else would have -- either angry Kevin or the drug dealers. 

 

Basically, it was like Danny had a death-wish, or just didn't care if he lived anymore. He felt he had nothing to lose. He hated himself so deeply because of the guilt he felt over Sarah's death. No matter what he said, he knew deep down that her death had really been his fault. (We see this during his drug-induced hallucinations a few episodes back, when he imagines John telling him it was his fault). He has carried that guilt around for years and it was killing him. The guilt was then reinforced by his awful family telling him he's a screw-up all the time and making him into the "black sheep" of the family. 

 

The scene of John sitting by the water with Danny's body was just beautiful cinematography.

[Captanne]

I"ve just binged this series and agree with the Cape Fear reference made above.  

I think Danny's motivation is clear -- he wants to make his siblings lives as miserable as his own and he wants to be the direct agent of that misery.  Why does he blame them for what they did as children?  Because he's clearly unbalanced.  He's obsessed with the death of his sister, hallucinates her and holds conversations with her, he's a barely functioning alcoholic* and cocaine user willing to dabble in meth.  He shows questionable judgement in the people he consorts with (Eric and the entire drug dealing culture and only draws the line at immigrant immolation.)  

I also think, one of the refreshing parts of this show, is that people do talk to each other.  Someone above mentioned that they don't, and I have to point out that (for whatever reason), John told the DEA about the drugs, Meg told Marco about the affair, Danny told the family about the drugs, Ben has been telling everyone about the divorce, Ben told Danny about the one-night-stand, everyone confesses to everyone and asks forgiveness.  And, weirdly, up until the end of episode 12, everyone seems to grant forgiveness in one way or the other.

So, I think they do communicate and that this show is an interesting study in how, even if you do tell the truth, it still doesn't make things right.  People hold grudges no matter what they may say to your face.

*Alcohol and recreational drugs are a big part of the Keys' scene, I just think Danny goes to excess.  It's a question of degree.

[Curious5]

Just finished this episode and feel wiped out.  Granted - some scenes seem to drag on and I'm not a fan of flashbacks but then I don't have a alternate method  of slowly exposing the family's secrets.

I do think the show is well written and since the plot zigzag you never know what will happen next.  Danny is /was definitely evil and crazy - the plotting and  his ability to tie the family up emotionally was the scariest part.  Many psychopaths have this ability.  I'm glad Danny is dead but sorry John did it.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Curious5

[Inquisitionist]

Quote

 Why does he blame them for what they did as children?

They kept doing it as adults, and couldn't even own up to it.  John lied when he said that their dad decided Danny shouldn't stay -- the siblings decided that and put the blame on Dad.  (I'm feeling more sympathetic toward Danny after having watched the 2nd season.  I'm rewatching the first season with that in mind.)

[AheadofStraight]

I was hoping we might get to hear Danny's toast. Looked like several pages. I bet that would've been interesting!

[MsJamieDornan]

Quote

 (I'm feeling more sympathetic toward Danny after having watched the 2nd season.  I'm rewatching the first season with that in mind.)

If you ever had a brother similar to Danny, you would have no sympathy at all.