S01.E05: The Artist In His Museum

[formerlyfreedom]

Cam's hallucinations make him question his own participation in a gruesome crime. Also, Madeline receives a cryptic message and leaves town to confront the sender.

[blackwing]

Painting is by Charles Wilson Peale.  Here is the image to look for:

 

[Guest]

Thanks.  I was looking at that in Wikipedia earlier and what I didn't notice until I read about the painting is that is taxidermied stuff in the foreground, and in the cases in the grid.  Maybe Jack's going to taxidermy something this time, like Norman Bates.

[Cardie]

The image as a whole is a bizarre one for them to fit into the show.  I'll be interested to see how they bring it off.

[sjohnson]

I would love to see the man hose!

That said, Sophie's apartment/studio has walls covered with her self portraits. Perhaps that will play into the reveal?

Edited July 20, 2016 by sjohnson

[blackwing]

I doubt they will get the image exactly right.  Last week we just saw the doctor in a dress lying on the grass.  We didn't see the house or the barn in the background which are important details of the painting.

For this painting, I imagine we're just going to see one of the men pulling up the drapes of one of the windows in the house.  I'd be surprised if we got a dead turkey or mastodon bones or other taxidermied animals.

[Free]

On 7/18/2016 at 1:06 PM, blackwing said:

Painting is by Charles Wilson Peale.  Here is the image to look for:

 

Thanks, the paintings are interesting to learn about.

[Happytobehere]

Okay, there is barely a story being told and there are still 8 episodes to go.  

Tonight's episode did not exonerate Cam.  This band of walking talking morons calling themselves police (Brady still on the case, stupid female cop blatantly doing things that even a public defender, let alone a Hawthorne heavy hitter can use to throw the case out, was the testing of Cam's DNA even legal, Tessa has no standing to authorize it and since Brady failed to effect an arrest, he had no legal right to the sample, won't someone ask where, when and how he got it, what will he say then) just assume that the blood belongs to the killer.  And to quote Felix Unger of the Odd Couple TV Show - "When you assume, you make an ass of you and me."  Given this, I'm going to double-down on Garrett not being the killer, but the blood is his based on his getting rid of one of the bodies, likely the one Cam is flashing back to.  Based on what we have seen of Garrett's relationships with his family thus far, and his statement to his father, the most likely killer is Cam or Tessa, they seem to be the only ones Garrett would sacrifice on this level for.  I don't think it was the father because we know Murder Mommy did him in because he wants to come clean.  Seems unlikely that he would be willing to tell the truth if he actually did it, although that would mean that he was willing to throw one of his kids under the bus.  Given this and his shady business dealings, it could have been him.

I will however accept Garrett as the killer if the rest of the series is devoted to him doing in a member of his family every other episode, because while he gives of crazy killer vibes, the rest of them are just plain unlikable if not downright despicable in their own rights.

[Cardie]

My latest crazy theory regarding this incoherent mess: Dad or Garrett (or both) killed the doctor's dad with Cam's belt and took the body away and posed him to look like a victim of SBK. The twist is that this last victim was actually SBK and perhaps tried to kill Cam. Mitch's sleuthing identified him and for some reason he needed to get rid of him rather than just call the cops. This would explain why the killings stopped, why Garrett fled, and why he is obsessed with the man's daughter.

The only problem with this theory is that it's way too soon. So perhaps it turns out that Mitch was wrong and the man was not SBK and the killings start again. (You can see that I'm really jonesing for more killings.)

[sjohnson]

Eh, not as funny as other episodes. Admittedly the extortion subplot whizzing by was entertaining. And the car in the flower bed struck me as funny, God knows why. Dr. Christina, unlike dang DNA Dana, just impresses me as peculiar, not funny.

[Free]

2 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

Okay, there is barely a story being told and there are still 8 episodes to go.  

Tonight's episode did not exonerate Cam.  This band of walking talking morons calling themselves police (Brady still on the case, stupid female cop blatantly doing things that even a public defender, let alone a Hawthorne heavy hitter can use to throw the case out, was the testing of Cam's DNA even legal, Tessa has no standing to authorize it and since Brady failed to effect an arrest, he had no legal right to the sample, won't someone ask where, when and how he got it, what will he say then) just assume that the blood belongs to the killer.  And to quote Felix Unger of the Odd Couple TV Show - "When you assume, you make an ass of you and me."  Given this, I'm going to double-down on Garrett not being the killer, but the blood is his based on his getting rid of one of the bodies, likely the one Cam is flashing back to.  Based on what we have seen of Garrett's relationships with his family thus far, and his statement to his father, the most likely killer is Cam or Tessa, they seem to be the only ones Garrett would sacrifice on this level for.  I don't think it was the father because we know Murder Mommy did him in because he wants to come clean.  Seems unlikely that he would be willing to tell the truth if he actually did it, although that would mean that he was willing to throw one of his kids under the bus.  Given this and his shady business dealings, it could have been him.

I will however accept Garrett as the killer if the rest of the series is devoted to him doing in a member of his family every other episode, because while he gives of crazy killer vibes, the rest of them are just plain unlikable if not downright despicable in their own rights.

It's basically red herrings galore until at least the finale.

[izabella]

2 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

Tonight's episode did not exonerate Cam.  This band of walking talking morons calling themselves police (Brady still on the case, stupid female cop blatantly doing things that even a public defender, let alone a Hawthorne heavy hitter can use to throw the case out, was the testing of Cam's DNA even legal, Tessa has no standing to authorize it and since Brady failed to effect an arrest, he had no legal right to the sample, won't someone ask where, when and how he got it, what will he say then) just assume that the blood belongs to the killer.  And to quote Felix Unger of the Odd Couple TV Show - "When you assume, you make an ass of you and me."

They didn't have enough evidence or reason to get a warrant for Cam's DNA when Brady took the hairbrush.  But they should have enough now with that picture of Cam wearing the belt that is the murder weapon.  So why didn't they get a warrant this time?

[Guest]

10 hours ago, blackwing said:

I doubt they will get the image exactly right.  Last week we just saw the doctor in a dress lying on the grass.  We didn't see the house or the barn in the background which are important details of the painting.

For this painting, I imagine we're just going to see one of the men pulling up the drapes of one of the windows in the house.  I'd be surprised if we got a dead turkey or mastodon bones or other taxidermied animals.

I laughed that they actually put the dead turkey in the picture!  I couldn't rewind to see what was in the other corner, but it's a drug dream, so hell- why not mastodon bones, too?  

Apparently the police don't think it'd be too odd to have a teen serial killer.  

Kind of odd that the body was in their house, if this is the work of serial killer.  

There is so much blue used.  The house is mostly blue (even some appliances), both Alison's dresses, Cam's clothes and bedding, the police station is painted blue, even Tess's house is blue inside, though baby blue, not the indigo the other places are.  And the other clothes are mostly gray, brown or drab green.  Tess had a yellow sweater over her olive green outfit, at least.  I like the odd color choices.  It reminds me a bit of Bryan Fuller shows.  

I wonder if there's more to Lila's story, Maddie's mom.  Who was this Caleb she mentioned?  Was there a first husband or something, for Maddie?  

[blackwing]

I don't think that Garrett was going to strangle Christina, that's too obvious.  But I didn't fully follow what happened next.  The neighbour came by and recognised him, so he wanted to get out?  Why?  The neighbour had left so it's not like she was going to ask more questions right then.  

How old is Madeline supposed to be?  Garrett is 38, and presumably her oldest child since she called Mitchell her husband of 38 years.  I suppose she could have had him at 18.  That makes her 56 at the youngest.   Then let's say add on another 18, and that makes her mom 74.  She looked older than 74.  Why is a 74 year old who is getting supported by her rich daughter still working?

The lady detective and her awful accent grate on my nerves.  I loved how she smugly said she had probable cause and started to shove past Tessa and then Tessa just shut her down.

So it's not Cam, but it's someone in the family.  I would not at all be surprised if the killer is Madeline's mom.  At 74 (or older) she's still sly and crafty.  She could easily have killed people 15 years ago.

No Dylan Bruce this episode, I wanted to see where they take his character.  Best part of the episode was a minimisation of Psycho Jack and the complete absence of the irritating cat lady.

[Happytobehere]

6 hours ago, izabella said:

They didn't have enough evidence or reason to get a warrant for Cam's DNA when Brady took the hairbrush.  But they should have enough now with that picture of Cam wearing the belt that is the murder weapon.  So why didn't they get a warrant this time?

Because they are dummies who have never heard of fruit of the poisoned tree -- anything they get based on Brady's illegal DNA sample will be tossed.  Maybe that will be the finale, the Killer Hawthorne will be revealed but because of police incompetence he/she will go free as the family laughs in Brady and op chick's faces.

[wayne67]

These cops are the worst. No wonder they couldn't catch the SBK.

SMH at all the stupidity. 

I'm not sure what the hook is supposed to be. At this point I'm only watching this because it's not as bad as the other stuff on recently but I don't like any of the characters and I don't really care who the killer is. 

It's background noise at the moment. 

[sjohnson]

I think the thing about the blood on the belt is that it was preserved by being placed in the concrete, away from oxygen. So it was fresh blood. If that reasoning is correct and it is what the cops are thinking, the conclusion that it's the killer's is more or less accurate. (Less, in that it could be one of multiple individuals involved in the murders. More in that it's really kind of hard to picture a bloody belt just left around, instead of either being cleaned to save the leather, or trashed.) 

Therefore, on that basis the DNA does definitively rule out Cam. And the familial match does implicate a close relative of his. (Which does technically raise the issue of parentage again, although the police appear to be overlooking that.) By mystery standards, definitively ruling out suspects is major progress in the plot.

Virginia Madsen is the only known killer still, on that basis she's the best candidate still. Except I don't think a belt is a good ligature tool and it would take a great deal of upper body strength to strangle someone with a belt, especially a wide one. Plus the difficulty of carrying bodies around. 

As to the preposterous police "work" they're showing us, it appears to stem largely from the desire to show Tessa whipping Brady. That's a little droll but I don't think it's funny enough to justify screwing with verisimilitude. Addams Family vibe or not, there comes a point when goofiness about real world things messes with the suspension of disbelief. We don't really have free will, these things are not just a conscious choice.

Edited July 21, 2016 by sjohnson

[ghoulina]

This was probably my least favorite episode so far. I don't know if it was because I was really tired or what, but it seemed like an hour of Cam detoxing, all leading up to a big, dramatic reveal....that most of us saw coming a mile away. Cam wore the belt, but he isn't the killer. A family member is, however. Um. Duh. Can we move along in this investigation already? 

Back to thinking it's Mitchell, based on the flashback/dreams/hallucinations. But then, Garret's words still make me think it wasn't Mitchell, but that Garret still holds him somehow responsible. 

I actually did enjoy the bits with Madsen and her mother. 

[Guest]

I didn't like all the Cam detoxing stuff.  My impression was Cam was clean when this show started, then he used a few times.  I feel like that detox was more indicative of someone who'd been using heavily, solidly for months, if not longer.  And even then it was over the top, with all the hallucinations and convulsing.  

Garrett being presented as possibly about to kill Christina is getting old, too.  There is no way he's the killer, not with his obviousness from day one.  

I also didn't love the blackmail plot.  Who was that chick going to tell about the affair?  Tom already knows.  Would voters give a shit?  Who goes to work for a candidate they dislike enough to blackmail for a simple office affair?   They could've fired her without the hacking scandal and it'd still be one fired employee's word against theirs, like it is now.  

My latest crazy theory regarding this incoherent mess: Dad or Garrett (or both) killed the doctor's dad with Cam's belt and took the body away and posed him to look like a victim of SBK. The twist is that this last victim was actually SBK and perhaps tried to kill Cam. Mitch's sleuthing identified him and for some reason he needed to get rid of him rather than just call the cops. This would explain why the killings stopped, why Garrett fled, and why he is obsessed with the man's daughter.

The only problem with this theory is that it's way too soon. So perhaps it turns out that Mitch was wrong and the man was not SBK and the killings start again. (You can see that I'm really jonesing for more killings.)

I think Christina's dad was SBK's first victim, though, so he couldn't be a copycat.  And wasn't it the last victim whose DNA was found on the belt?  Or are you saying the same belt was used for multiple murders?  

Edited July 21, 2016 by Guest

[tennisgurl]

So a creepy guy you have known for like a week asked you to go with him to a place to "understand him" or something, and you decide its a great idea to go with him? Great life choice there, lady.

So its not Cam but its...somebody else in the family? ...what a twist?

The family is really shady and all, but that head cop lady is so smug and incompetent that I am hard core rooting for them to get several over on her. I loved Tessa telling her to screw herself with her illegal crap over and over. Way to become a better character!

My money is still on Madsen. I wonder if her mom will come into it?

[augmentedfourth]

Tessa standing up to the dumbass lady cop made me like her more. Still don't think she's bright enough to come up with the whole fake DNA in the hairbrush thing, but whatever. I also enjoyed the campaign manager screwing over the staffer after the blackmail attempt and Madeline seeing right through her mother's bullshit (expensive though it was).

 

Cam's detox dragged out way too long. And I guess it's 50/50 as to whether someone would just patch the broken railing piece back together or replace it entirely.

 

I'm torn between thinking the whole plot with Garrett and the doctor is completely dull and being curious as to where it's going.

[Enigma X]

With all this "misdirection" that it not being a family member (seems most people here assume that it will be Dylan Bruce), I sort of wish it will be a family member. In fact, I sort of wish that all adult members of this family turned out having a hand in the murders (even unwittingly and unknowingly due to TV amnesia).

[blackwing]

I have somehow been confused about the belt and the DNA.  They found this belt... it was tossed in with some faulty Hawthorne Concrete.  It had the last victim's DNA on it?  Weren't all the victims strangled?  Is there much blood when someone is strangled?  I guess if the skin is broken it's possible.

The part where I am confused is that they keep testing the sample on the belt and they wanted to test against Tessa and then Cam.  Why would the killer's blood be on the belt?

I think it'd be a great twist if everyone had done one of the murders or been involved.  Like in "Murder on the Orient Express".  Or, ending C of the incredible cult classic, "Clue".

[Guest]

I went back and checked in ep. 1 and they said SBK victim David Morales' fingerprints were on the belt, so they figure it's what strangled him.  He's Christina's father.  He was the first SBK victim, so I was wrong above about the belt being connected to the last victim.

I'm also not sure why the presence of ANY Hawthorne's DNA would mean much, given we already know it's Cam's belt and they say it was donated.  If true, you'd expect their DNA to be on the belt.  Maybe it was that it was blood and OVER the fingerprint.  

Edited July 21, 2016 by Guest

[Chaos Theory]

Are we supposed to hate Brody cause I want to punch him in the face.

i still say the killer is Tessa.

So while the mother is making a withdrawal the son is withdrawing.  Sorry something  is wrong with me.

The Hathorns get blackmailed by a millennial and a....older person at least they are equal opportunity.

This show is stupid fun.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Cardie]

4 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I think Christina's dad was SBK's first victim, though, so he couldn't be a copycat.  And wasn't it the last victim whose DNA was found on the belt?  Or are you saying the same belt was used for multiple murders?

I thought he was the last victim but admit that my mind sometimes wanders during the police briefings. Obviously if he wasn't the last, my theory collapses.

[LakeGal]

I am actually surprised Maddie didn't kill her mother.  She killed her husband to shut him up.  She seems to have more hate for her mother than she did for her husband.  Kill the mother, end the blackmail.  I would not be surprised by it. 

[Guest]

I'm still thinking about the Caleb mentioned by Maddie's mom.  She said Maddie didn't let Caleb push her around like she did Mitchell.  Maybe that's why Garrett is the same age as the Hawthorne's marriage... because he's Caleb's?  

Which will probably amount to nothing besides another subplot to fill up an episode, if so.  

Not that they get science right, but the DNA on the belt should reveal gender.  And you'd think the new knowledge that it's a Hawthorne would lead to warrants for all the Hawthornes to submit DNA.  This world seems to be warrant-less, though, so maybe those strong refusals will keep that from happening.  

[Cardie]

7 hours ago, blackwing said:

Why would the killer's blood be on the belt?

It's because the blood is not Morales' that they assume it belongs to the killer. That there could be alternate explanations never crosses the minds of the dim-witted Boston's finest. The DNA taken from the blood should reveal whether it's from a male or a female, so half the Hawthornes would have been ruled out from the get-go. Apparently everyone on the show spent their leisure time in art galleries and never turned on CSI or any other police procedural.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Cardie

[Happytobehere]

7 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I went back and checked in ep. 1 and they said SBK victim David Morales' fingerprints were on the belt, so they figure it's what strangled him.  He's Christina's father.  He was the first SBK victim, so I was wrong above about the belt being connected to the last victim.

I'm also not sure why the presence of ANY Hawthorne's DNA would mean much, given we already know it's Cam's belt and they say it was donated.  If true, you'd expect their DNA to be on the belt.  Maybe it was that it was blood and OVER the fingerprint.  

I think her dad was the last victim. 

Yes, this DNA thing is such a gaping hole that anyone could drive a truck through it.  Let's not forget that Brady have the needle, turned it over to Tessa, she had it for what would appear to be several hours, Brady then takes it back and turns it over to his supervisor. Can we say chain of command, can we say these asswipe officers have effectively destroyed the case.  In all honesty, the best chance they have now is for the killer to become active again and for them to catch him or her in the act, which they happen to be recording. 

[helent]

After watching this last night, I ended up re-watching an episode of Banshee - was a nice reminder that Antony Starr can act beyond wide-eyed wild-card. Although he was a bit more varied in this episode - there was some nice, realistic sibling interactions.

[sjohnson]

2 hours ago, Cardie said:

Apparently everyone on the show spent their leisure time in art galleries and never turned on CSI or any other police procedural.

Personally, I'm thinking the time in the art galleries was well spent. Almost all television and movies seem like they were researched in other TV shows and old movies, anyhow. I'm finding this refreshing. 

Besides, in the grand scheme of things, isn't Keystone Kops vs. Addams Family the way it should be?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

I think her dad was the last victim. 

I couldn't recall for sure which it was, it does kind of seem like they've said it both ways, so I googled Christina Morales American Gothic and the episode recap sites said her father was the first victim.  

[iMonrey]

My complaint about this show is the same every week, so I sound like a broken record. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. We don't really know anything more now than we did after the first episode. I don't see how any of the so-called DNA evidence proves a damn thing.

Quote

I think the thing about the blood on the belt is that it was preserved by being placed in the concrete, away from oxygen. So it was fresh blood. If that reasoning is correct and it is what the cops are thinking, the conclusion that it's the killer's is more or less accurate.

Why? While we've established that the belt was Cam's, we've already been told it was (allegedly) given to Goodwill. Regardless of whether or not it has Hawthorne blood on it, there's no proof a Hawthorne was SBK. How did it's particular preservation in concrete prove it was "fresh" blood? 

And at this point even if they could prove the blood belonged to a particular Hawthorne, the way the cartoonish lady detective with the over-the-top accent keeps getting into everyone's faces is ridiculous. The Hawthornes are clearly a prominent and wealthy family - you'd think by now they'd have lawyered up so hard nobody could get near them let alone ring their doorbell and basically try to force their way into the house, or show up at a kid's school and just start interrogating them in the playground! This is laughable.

The police would never get anywhere near the family without a grand jury looking over the case first. The way the show is playing it is as though the cops might show up on their doorstep at any moment with an arrest warrant. Absurd.

Don't even get me started with this ridiculous mayoral campaign. The incumbent must be the most crooked politician in the state if the myriad scandals surrounding the Hawthornes hasn't already derailed Alison's campaign. 

BTW - is that a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cam's room? There's some weird, highly pixilated photo in the background on the wall and for the life of me I could swear it was SMG.

Edited July 22, 2016 by iMonrey

[Guest]

I noticed it, too.  I didn't think of SMG, but I see it now, just that it was a creepy-ass pic to have on a bedroom wall.  It's big, too.   So you'd be lying in bed with this big, sad, blurry ghost girl staring at you.  Everything else in the room is deep blue-- walls, carpet, bedding-- and this is the contrasting feature.  

[izabella]

It kinda looks like Tessa.  Or Kim Richards on a bender.

[sjohnson]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

.Why? While we've established that the belt was Cam's, we've already been told it was (allegedly) given to Goodwill. Regardless of whether or not it has Hawthorne blood on it, there's no proof a Hawthorne was SBK. How did it's particular preservation in concrete prove it was "fresh" blood? 

First, because the first thing Good Will people will do is, clean it. and anybody else who picks up the belt before it gets to Good Will is going to do the same. Who will carry around a belt with blood on it? Second, I suppose you could argue that SBK thought it would be dandy to leave someone else's blood on a murder weapon...but then burying it in concrete makes no sense. 

The basic picture of a victim struggling violently, scratching, tearing and maybe cutting, stabbing or bludgeoning (if they could) their attacker, who bleeds on the weapon, which is then buried without any effort to clean it, just doesn't strike me as silly. 

[Guest]

I do think, by itself, a belt with a specific Hawthorne's blood and the victims fingerprints isn't enough to convict anyone or even arrest anyone.  It'd be considered circumstantial.  But if they had a firm suspect, they'd know who to really focus on.  And most of the time on tv there's no concerns about if the killer is convict-able because the cops decide they cracked the case and the killer either confesses because they have no attorney present or is caught in the act of killing again, or burying evidence or something else totally incriminating.  

Though in this case I think it's most likely Mitchell so conviction isn't an issue, just ruining the family with the press and maybe civil suits.  

I don't think Goodwill cleans donated clothing before sale much less leather accessories.  A small amount of dried blood splatter on a brown leather belt with green paint stains would probably go unnoticed by most thrift shoppers, too, I think.  

[Happytobehere]

1 hour ago, sjohnson said:

First, because the first thing Good Will people will do is, clean it. 

Goodwill does not clean clothes, they ask donors to clean them before bringing them in.

[sjohnson]

4 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I don't think Goodwill cleans donated clothing before sale much less leather accessories.  A small amount of dried blood splatter on a brown leather belt with green paint stains would probably go unnoticed by most thrift shoppers, too, I think.  

 

3 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

Goodwill does not clean clothes, they ask donors to clean them before bringing them in.

Wasn't sure about what they do when the donors don't comply. I usually do myself but I didn't launder my wife's old clothes (it was hard enough cleaning out the closets and drawers and I just wasn't organized.) Personally I would have trashed a belt with blood and paint on it rather than try to palm it off on Good Will. (Especially since lots of people try to get receipts for taxes.) But I disagree very much about shoppers not noticing.

In any event, I'm not sure how that helps make it more likely that a belt that just happens to be Hawthorne-blood stained could have been picked up from some other killer. The show's presentation of police work and politics is the stuff of comedy (well, I'm amused,) but the notion that the blood really could be anybody's doesn't seem to be silly at all, much less as silly as that.

[thuganomics85]

Hate to say it, since I know it's a real life issue that can truly be tough, but I always get bored with "detox" episodes, and this was no exception.  Just a bunch of scene of Cam freaking out, seeing crazy shit, sweating, having to have people hold him down, etc.  Although, unlike Alison, I kind of got a kick out of Garrett hog-tying him.  Hey, whatever works!

So, Tessa finally decides to let Brady test Cam's DNA and sure enough, the blood on the belt isn't his, but a familial match.  Honestly, I almost want to automatically suspect Tessa just because she actually asked what a familial match was and I just find it hard to believe that no one has heard that term before at some point in their life.  But, alas, I'm guessing it will be Garrett's, but he's still not the SBK, because come on.  They are going way too overboard at making him sinister, mystery, and creepy.  It always ends up being someone who seems more "normal."

Madeline's mom sure is a piece of work.  Although Madeline killing Mitchell has really warped me, because I was kind of wondering why she didn't just do that to scumbag mommy.  You've already crossed the line, Madeline.  Just embrace it!

Can't believe Christina is just going to go on a ride with Garrett, who has been so cagey with her.

Campaign stuff with the blackmail was goofy, but at least Naomi is proving that she's worthy every penny, I guess.

[iMonrey]

I still think regardless of whose DNA and whose blood is on the belt the chain of ownership could never be verified enough to warrant a grand jury investigation let alone an arrest on that evidence alone. Then again this is the same show where Brady can just produce a syringe and claim it has Cam's DNA on it, and no questions are asked. We're talking about a crime committed thirteen years ago and an old belt that was buried in cement. Not exactly the smoking gun that's going to lead to a clear-cut conviction. 

I think the problem here is that the belt - not to mention the hidden box of silver bells - is compelling enough for a story about the family itself and their sudden suspicions about one another. Where this show utterly fails, as so many others of this genre do, is in the police work. It's just not realistic, and the rabid detective like a dog with a bone is too much of a cartoon. 

[sjohnson]

Do have to quibble...pretty sure rabid dogs don't care about bones because they're, you know, kind of crazy. 

That aside, you are of course absolutely correct about the police work. It's Keystone Kops all the way. Fortunately for me, I'm watching it as if it's fundamentally a comedy (farce.) Maybe I've misunderstood worse than everyone else, or worse, the comedy in unintentional. But I'm enjoying my version pretty well.

[iMonrey]

I'm not sure the show would work any better as a comedy. I just think it's unfortunate that whoever is the driving force behind the show - the writers, producers, network, etc. - felt the need to follow a specific formula wherein a police investigation had to be included in the story. Apparently nobody felt that the family drama was, by itself, compelling enough, and that we had to have an ongoing criminal investigation in order to ramp up the drama. I think the show would have been much better off without it. It would have had better longevity potential as well. If you have a detective and/or police force as determined to nail one of these family members as this one does, you can only stretch that out for so long.

[Save Yourself]

20 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm not sure the show would work any better as a comedy. I just think it's unfortunate that whoever is the driving force behind the show - the writers, producers, network, etc. - felt the need to follow a specific formula wherein a police investigation had to be included in the story. Apparently nobody felt that the family drama was, by itself, compelling enough, and that we had to have an ongoing criminal investigation in order to ramp up the drama. I think the show would have been much better off without it. It would have had better longevity potential as well. If you have a detective and/or police force as determined to nail one of these family members as this one does, you can only stretch that out for so long.

Yes that's true, it's a creepy enough premise that one of your family members is a serial killer, there doesn't need to be a police investigation to make it 'more' interesting. I think if I suspected something like that in my family it wouldn't be a case of 'oh well, the police case is dead so it doesn't really matter!'.

[Guest]

The police element gives it urgency.  Some family members already know about the killer and have been hiding it this whole time.  No one would be on the edge of their seat going, "Oh my god, what if TESSA finds out!" if there was nothing at stake besides her no longer remaining ignorant (assuming she is now).  But the police investigation makes it so at stake we have their fortunes, careers and reputations.  

[iMonrey]

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The police element gives it urgency.

I'm sure that's what the writers/network thought too but it's terribly cliche. There have been many successful family dramas over the years; one wherein a serial killer is a member of that family would be enough of a novelty without the tiresome police investigation, especially given how "by the numbers" this cartoon investigation is playing out.