I Know This Much Is True: Season 1, Episode 6 (B-)
This episode started with another insanely depressing development that meant we barely got to see Thomas anymore following his apparently accidental death at the falls. Harris Yulin’s Father LaVie delivered a moving eulogy that favorably compared Dominick to the brother that Cain should have been to Abel, praising him as his brother’s keeper. He also had kind words for Ray, who we saw through Dominick’s tortured flashbacks would be incredibly cruel to Thomas, with him banging on the closet door begging to be let out particularly haunting as he now lay trapped in the coffin. Dominick chose a very public moment to confront Ray about his abusive behavior, shouldering plenty of the blame for not standing up to his stepfather and being complicit in bullying Thomas to death by trying to toughen him up. Ray maintaining that his conscience was clear wasn’t the right response, and his own subsequent decline was enough for Dominick to step in and care for him the same way he had for his brother. Dr. Patel encouraging Dominick to return for sessions and Lisa refusing to agree that Dominick’s arrogance killed his brother were comforting last visions of those supportive characters whose presence Dominick didn’t always perceive as helpful. While much of this episode was well-done and superior to everything that ran up to it, I wasn’t impressed with the fact that the answer Dominick always sought was right in front of him the whole time, with Ray fully aware of who his father was. His new connection to an uninterested Ralph Drinkwater wasn’t all that compelling, and the same was true of the miserable flashback to Domenico having his wife committed so that he didn’t have to fight for influence over his daughter. This series did feature some strong performances, particularly from Mark Ruffalo, but it felt too much like it was drowning in its own melancholy to be truly effective.
Series grade: B-
Series MVP: Mark Ruffalo
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