A quick review of tonight's “Rectify” coming up just as soon as I thought you'd be funnier…
“Until You're Blue” features Daniel Holden at his most self-aware as a person, and perhaps as a character on an unconventional TV show. When Jon asks why they're meeting at a merry-go-round, Daniel explains that “It's a metaphor.” When Janet notes that Daniel likes to talk about the concept of time, Daniel acknowledges, “It's a familiar theme of mine.” And when Amantha objects to the idea that Daniel might accept the plea deal, and the exile from almost all of Georgia that comes with it, he rightly challenges her to name anyone whose life has improved since his release.
Daniel knows who he is, knows the trouble that he continues to cause, and whether he actually had anything to do with Hannah's murder or not, he knows everyone he cares about is probably better off without him.
But there is one person whose emotional life at least has the potential to improve as a result of Daniel's presence, even if her circumstances seem lousy now. The miscarriage and Tawney's seeming lack of a reaction to it leads Ted Jr. to finally have it out with her over her feelings for Daniel, in such emotionally cruel fashion that the scene becomes almost unbearable after a point. But Ted is right that his wife cares more for Daniel than for him, and even if Tawney feels like she can't actually be with Daniel – like making the coffee grounds incident public, it would tear the family apart – it's become more clear over time that she should be with someone other than Ted. And that will probably be better for her in the long run, even if right now her life feels like one big tragedy.
Some great work as usual from Adelaide Clemens, and from everyone else. Sundance has yet to announce a decision on renewal, and I've been holding off on watching the finale until after I've written this. I'm not ready to let the show go just yet, and I'm wondering if Ray McKinnon wrote another cliffhanger of sorts, or if next week's episode offers slightly more plot closure – whether that's Daniel taking the plea and leaving town, or perhaps Trey's plan coming to fruition and sending Daniel back behind bars – than season 1. This is a show that's ultimately much less about its story than about its mood, and about the feelings of the characters in response to the tiniest of shifts of circumstance, so I don't need everything (or anything) tied up in a neat bow. But whether next week's episode is the last we ever get of this great show, or just the last we get until sometime next year, I'm hoping it's something that bends my own concept of time and lets me hold onto the feeling of watching it for a while.
What did everybody else think? And what are you hoping for from next week's show?