Every season there is that one gem of a show that does everything right, but just can’t find the audience that it so rightfully deserves. Unfortunately, this season,
Frequency is one of those shows. It has maintained even numbers in the ratings, but it’s still a low number. It’s a real shame that more people don’t watch this show because
Frequency consistently delivers tight and beautifully crafted episodes with powerhouse performances. While we’re only going to get to see the initially ordered thirteen episodes, not all hope is lost for this wonderful series. The CW is known for holding onto shows with a strong story despite mediocre ratings. All we can do now is hope that this show will be the one that CW decides to fight for. While we all nervously wait to learn the future fate of this show what really matters right now is the incredible episode that just aired. This episode took a long hard look at what makes the Nightingale tick and revealed some pretty big clues about him.
This was an episode about the past coming back to haunt. No matter how hard both Frank and Satch tried to run from their pasts they couldn’t quite escape them. In fact, for both of them, the past quite literally tracked them down. Frank, no matter how much he loves his wife and daughter has made some pretty big mistakes in the past few years. From the early 1994 flashbacks, it was evident how happy the Sullivan’s were as a family before he chose to go undercover. The fact he made that decision without Julie’s input does show a certain level of immaturity on his parts, but as a bright-eyed and semi-naïve young Detective, Frank thought he could have it all. He thought he could do great things working undercover and still be a good husband and father. What he fast came to learn is that there was no way for him to balance those two worlds. As he got further into his cover he lost a bit of himself to the job and suddenly the work became more important than the wife and daughter he left behind. While working the job he met Miracella (Alyssa Diaz) and she filled a void for him that was left by being away from Julie. I don’t think he ever intentionally set out to fall for her, but from their interactions it was evident that he did indeed develop feelings for her. She matters to him, more than he cares to admit. It’s really the ultimate rock meets hard place for everyone involved. Miracella loves Frank despite all the lies he told her. When she was in trouble she knew she could count on him which demonstrates a certain level of trust. Julie still loves Frank, despite everything he’s done and all the poor decisions he’s made, but ironically can’t be with him because of those same things. Even with Miraella’s existence known to her now she still can’t stop having feelings for him. That was quite evident when she was in bed with Ted (Nicholas Gonzalez) at the end. She pursued him, took him to bed, but it was evident she felt she betrayed her husband. No matter how much she wants to move on she can’t because love can’t just be turned off. The blank stare on Julie’s face was haunting given her possible future and said so much about her lingering feelings for her estranged husband. She patched up the woman he had an affair with yet still can’t bring herself to stop her feelings for him. Frank, on the other hand, has put himself in the worst position possible. He still cares deeply about Miracella, but his first love will always be Julie. Right now his entire life is about trying to save Julie and protect his family, yet it was obvious that it pained him to reject Miracella.
Frank is an amazing father, but he’s a flawed man who has made huge mistakes. Whether he wants to accept it or not, he did cheat on Julie. Every time he looked at Miracella or talked to her it was evident that even now he still harbors feelings for her. While he may have been working the case and was in many ways using her, somewhere along the line she secured a place in his heart. After all, he even tipped her off before the police raid so that she would be safe. There is no way to condone cheating, it is never right in any scenario, but at least he is trying to make things right now. He pushed Miracella away, but because he’s a good guy he can’t help but keep trying to protect her since he got her into this position. Still, he makes it very clear to her that trying to fix things with his family is his priority. Whatever you think of Frank, it’s admirable that he’s willing to accept the mistakes he’s made and try to fix himself so he can be the man his family needs him to be. Major kudos to Riley Smith for his portrayal of all the conflicting feelings Frank was experiencing this week. When Frank was pushing Miracella away there was this deep sadness in his eyes and even the hint of some tears to showed how deep his feelings for her once were. Smith is just a phenomenal actor who brings so much heart to Frank each and every week. He makes Frank a character that the audience can’t help but root for despite his flaws.
The same can be said for Mekhi Phifer because no matter how shady Satch has seemed the past few weeks the way Phifer plays him makes it impossible to not feel sympathy for him. Much like Frank, Satch has made a lot of mistakes in his life. Because of it, just like with Frank, he lost his family and to a degree it broke him. He became obsessed with the Nightingale investigation to the point that it was his entire life. That obsession cost him everything and in the light of recent events, it was just too much for him to deal with knowing that all the good he and Frank tried to do was being undone by this psycho. The conversation between him and Raimy in the car on the way to the camp was very insightful into what is going on inside of his head. I want to trust Satch, I think he truly cares about the Sullivan family as a whole, but the fact that he keeps protecting Stan baffles me. Stan has to have something on him because that’s the only logical reason I would think he’d willingly work with him. Either that or Stan really does have him fooled, but given how smart Satch is that doesn’t seem likely. The way he father’s Raimy, and tries to protect her, leads me to believe that after Frank died he accepted responsibility for his daughter meaning that he had to do whatever was required to keep Stan from messing with Raimy even if that meant doing his biddings. I like that theory a lot better than one where he is knowingly betraying the memory of his best friend by helping the man that tried to murder him. Phifer is perfectly able to transition his work between the two times seamlessly. In 1996, he’s bright-eyed and hopeful about the case and his career while in 2016 his eyes are dulled and the pain of the last twenty years of disappointments shows as a heavy weight on him. What the writers will ultimately do with Satch, the role he plays in Raimy’s journey is uncertain, but no matter why he’s talking to Stan it is evident that Raimy is someone he deeply cares about and I believe that he will protect her at all cost. He has known her since she was a little kid and her father was his best friend, so while I hate that Stan is even a factor I don’t think he’ll tell Stan anything that will cause any harm to Raimy. Now that he seems to be back at work he can once again act as a buffer between them.
While Satch cares too much about everyone else, Stan is a character that cares about no one but himself. Everything he does is to benefit his own future with complete disregard for everyone else. He enjoys screwing with Frank and those he cares about just to ensure that he gets everything he wasn’t out of life. At least Frank appears to be prepared to start to make a firm stand against him, but Stan doesn’t seem dissuaded and will likely keep taking jabs at Frank to either bring him into complacency or kill him. That willingness to take down anyone who gets in his way hasn’t changed over time, leaving Raimy to have to deal with him now. Raimy is Frank’s daughter and he’s shown no qualms about holding the same distrust for her that he did for her father. Granted, Raimy has proven to him that she knows more than she should, so she earned herself a place on his radar regardless of her last name. I’m glad that Satch seems to be back at work because the idea of Raimy having to report directly to Stan makes me cringe. The farther she can stay away from that miserable excuse for a cop the better. Anthony Ruivivar does such a phenomenal job playing Stan’s dueling sides of his personality. In one moment he can be calm and collected then in the very next one he can snap and a primal darkness surges through his eyes. The scene with Raimy in Stan’s office showcased that nicely. This is an unstable evil character and while I usually abhor the bad guys and don’t enjoy watching their scenes I can’t help by be enthralled by the work Ruivivar keeps doing. I don’t want to admit to enjoying Stan’s scenes, but I blame Ruivivar for the fact that I now have to admit to loving the scenes he’s in.
A lot of major things happened in the lives of the characters this week, but the biggest revelations came in regards to the Nightingale. They’ve likely found his very first victim and have a starting point for his murderous rampage. Now, they can begin trying to lower down their list of suspects. I would not be even remotely surprised if some familiar faces show up in the records of those that passed through the camp. A lot of big things are certainly about to happen in regards to this case now that they can start tracking the timeline from the start. It’s also worth noting just how much Raimy is like her dad. When she sets her find on something she becomes a bit obsessive about it. For her, the stakes are very high since it’s her mom’s life on the line, but she’s very much her father’s daughter. Once Satch showed her his room full of Nightingale research she immediately immersed herself in it. She didn’t even sleep in order to comb through as much of it as she could. That is certainly something Frank would have done. With her fresh eyes, Satch’s experience with the case, and her dad working the case from the past these three obsessed minds are sure to crack this case wide open sooner than later. I think the Nightingale is about to start getting pressured as this trio closes in on him. At some point in the coming episodes, I predict he’ll get his hands on Julie in the past, but some eleventh-hour save will allow them to recover her safe and sound. I still think that the knife Frank gave Raimy will come into play, especially since that knife got another reference this week. The writers want us to remember the Frank gave it to her. I would not be at all surprised if young Raimy has a big part to play in helping to save her mom. Hopefully, some big grand save from Frank will help his family come back together in both times. This episode was the middle part of the season and it setup a lot of things that I expect to get big payoffs soon.
The drama that drove this episode translated into some beautiful scenes. Without question, the most gut wrenching was the one where Julie confronted Frank about his undercover affair. Devin Kelley and Smith continue to have phenomenal chemistry. Even when the characters are fighting the way they look at each other expresses so much love. The tears in Julie’s eyes were because she was angry, but not at just Frank but at herself for loving him so much. She knows it would be easier to not love him yet she can’t turn that off. No matter what she tries she can’t stop loving the man that Frank once was. I found it particularly poignant to watch the flashbacks that showed how the family fell apart because it illustrated just how hard Julie did fight to try and get through to her husband. She knew the path they were on wasn't a good one and yet even after the fights and her knowledge of his affair she still can't let him go. When Frank looks at Julie there is so much pain in his eyes because he knows how much he hurt her. He made really stupid choices and because of them his family is divided, but the amount of love they share proves that this family may not be without hope. Kelley and Smith are so connected as performers that they always deliver powerful work together. They beautifully help elevate each other in every scene they have together allowing each of them to turn in some truly stunning performances.
This episode was jam-packed with beautiful dramatic moments and big reveals. The very nature of the episode required a heavy focus on the core group of characters chasing the Nightingale killer, which unfortunately didn’t leave room for Gordo or Daniel in the story this week. After three weeks with no Gordo, I need the next episode to bring him back. I’m also curious to see where Daniel is going to fit into all of the things that are happening. Last week set the stage for him and Raimy to have some sort of friendship or bond, so I hope that also gets addressed next week. Both Lenny Jacobson and Daniel Bonjour are such larger than life dynamic performers that when they aren’t in an episode their absence is noticeable. I’m very excited to see what the writers have in store for these two.
With the team growing ever closer to the Nightingale I expect him to start acting out. I think Raimy in the present will end up in some precariously dangerous situations as the Nightingale seeks to send a message. I suspect that there are some big time shifts on the horizon as well that will further complicate Raimy’s life as she desperately tries to solve the Nightingale case in enough time for her dad to find the man in 1996 before he can murder her mom. This was an important episode that changes a lot of things now that they have a solid starting point to use to find and stop the Nightingale. The performances delivered were all on point and full of intense emotion mixed with the first tinges of hope we’ve seen yet. When Raimy showed off her research regarding the documents they found plastered on the wall there was a genuine glimmer of hope in her eyes. I think for the first time this season Raimy genuinely felt that there was a real chance they could save her mom and set things right. Mark my words, when the season is over we’ll all be looking back at this episode as a turning point.
Because of the holiday, there is a short break, so be sure to not miss the next episode on
November, 30th at 9/8C on the CW. With the show in need of all the ratings, it can get to help ensure any hope of the story continuing beyond this season be sure to keep talking about the show throughout this short holiday break.
Hit the comments with your thoughts and theories about this episode. Is Satch in cohorts with Stan, or is he just trying to shield Raimy from him? Can Frank repair his marriage? Can Julie ever find it in her to forgive him? Will they be able to stop the Nightingale in time to save Julie?
