Round Two: The Night Of

The Night Of: Season 1, Episode 2 “Subtle Beast” (B)

I’m still not completely captivated by this show or its pacing just yet, but I’m willing to give it at least another episode to see where it goes. What’s clear is that Naz is in way over his head, and he’s one of the luckier ones who actually has a lawyer advocating for him, trying his hardest to argue that what the district attorney puts forth as undeniable evidence is merely a summary of the charges and not proof of any wrongdoing. Detective Box denying that he blinked when he was asked whether he thought Naz was guilty was an unfortunate indicator that he really is certain that Naz did it despite the poor young man’s continued assertion that he did nothing wrong. We’re seeing everything play out in a very literal, matter-of-fact mode, with Jack gone from the police station because he’s on the subway scratching his feet or emptying his pockets of so very many things in line to get in to the courthouse. We met a new character in this episode, played by recent Emmy nominee Paul Sparks, Don Taylor, who had no particular fondness for his stepdaughter but still seemed shaken by the visual confirmation of her death. Naz’s parents are intelligent people who seem at a loss to understand the gravity of what their son is into, but I think it’s becoming increasingly more apparent that this is not something that is going away anytime soon and is going to dominate their lives for quite some time.