What I’m Watching: Manhunt Unabomber

Manhunt: Unabomber: Season 1, Episode 5 “Abri” (B+)

Once again, we didn’t see Ted at all, and this entire episode took place in the same time period. Yet this was easily the most gripping hour yet, showing how easy it was for the Unabomber to be identified when the right person saw exactly what they needed to see. I don’t think that Mark Duplass, a great quiet straight man in some more serious comedies like “Togetherness” and “Your Sister’s Sister,” would have been my first choice to play the brother of the Unabomber, but in the context of this episode it makes some sense, since it’s a pretty straightforward portrayal of a man who is concerned about his brother’s wellbeing even if he is a mass murderer. Fitz was more than ready to abandon his kids at the movies when he got the call about a letter that was too close to what the Unabomber wrote to be anything but the man himself, and Ellie isn’t anywhere close to ready to forgive him. He pushed Natalie away when they collected all the evidence and she misread the moment, and then he threw Tabby under the bus by refusing to stick up for her since her alleged misdeeds directly benefited him. Now, an isolated Fitz is finally being listened to and everyone knows that Ted is the Unabomber, but there are still three episodes left in this season, so I’m really curious to see how the capture plays out and to learn more about what transformed Ted from who he was into the Unabomber.