The intense back and forth of this episode grabbed my attention at first, but then kind of failed to keep me interested. It is a solid episode, for sure, but the previous one is a pretty though act to follow. I have to say that, as always, Ruth and Wendy prove to be very important key characters in this story, with Marty becoming a little too insensitive in terms of family and a little too involved in terms of business that he can't even see all the mistakes that he's making. By the end of the episode, though, I don't know how he's going to be affected by what he did.
Ruth and her father Cade engage in some criminal activity that is so much more than just that; I feel like she somehow wants her dad to be proud of her. They start robbing boat parts, but they get almost caught. In trying not to be caught, Ruth gets overwhelmed by the whole situation and starts panicking. After her torture, it is clear she still has problems dealing with some sort of post-traumatic stress due to the experience. She made me weep a little, especially when she claims that she's not "a fuck-up".
I love Julia Garner so much. Her intensity when playing Ruth is never out of line. It's always well-balanced and courageous. She truly is a badass character. I would not consider her the scene stealer of the show, because she's so much more than that: she is a fully dimensional character and a flawed but charismatic human being. That moment of honesty with her dad in the car turns out to be both tender and dangerous: she tells Cade where she thinks Marty's money is, at the funeral home probably. Oh boy, what will this mean for Marty and Wendy?
The best part of the episode is the conversation between Wendy and Mason. It turns out Wendy grew up in a religious family, with an alcoholic father and a troubled past. She tells Mason that she was very reckless and that she tried everything, from booze to drugs. It is an honest moment that we are not used to seeing on the show. Mason, on the other hand, is convinced that God is someone you need to get closer to when everything else around fails you. I loved Laura Linney, but I loved Michael Mosley even more. He plays Mason strongly and passionately. His portray of him is of a guy who sees God in everything he does, but in this episode he "simply" plays a father who wants his child back. It is so honest and intense that I can't take my eyes off him during that scene. He is outstanding throughout the whole episode.
Let's talk about Marty for a second. He kills Mason, after bringing him Zeke back (with the help of Wilkes pulling some strings) and after defending Wendy, who had just wounded Mason. It was difficult to watch, because you can tell that Marty was just trying to save Wendy. The reaction he has after pulling the trigger is one viewers are not used to; Jason Bateman had never played Marty as someone who reacts to things happening to him; here, what he did will haunt him forever, and we get to see it this time. I like how Wendy tries to comfort him, saying that she will take care of him like he did with her.
I enjoyed this episode, not as much as I enjoyed episode 6, but I liked how Ruth and Wendy took center stage and owned everything. You get to see two women who firmly react to what happens to them and have no problem facing fear and pain.
Favorite line:
Wendy: "Evil comes when the righteous path is so hidden, it just looks like there’s only one way out".
What do you guys think is going to happen next? Will Marty face another problem now that Ruth has talked to her dad about the money?
Let me know in the comments below!
