HBO’s procedural The Night Of started off brilliantly before sputtering, ever so slightly, in the season (series?) finale. As our own Brian Grubb put it in his recap, “I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be dumber than Naz… but then his lawyer went ahead and made out with him in front of a prison video camera, smuggled drugs in for him, and then put her drug-addicted teenage murder suspect on the stand where he could be cross-examined.” Yup.
Chandra falling for Naz would be easier to swallow (no pun intended?) if there was any buildup. There wasn’t, really. One second they’re lawyer and client; the next, she’s risking her professional career for him, because… reasons?
In a recent interview with EW, actress Amara Karan (who, it’s worth noting, was very good) explained her character’s poor decision-making. When asked about Jessica Chastain’s “complete idiot” tweet, Karan replied, “I would say that I understand why people, including Jessica, are really keen to fight for great roles for actresses. For me, the part was really interesting. It was full of contradictions, and I found that to be challenging and surprising, and I really liked that Chandra wasn’t so noble and straightforward in the end. I would have felt a bit patronized as a woman of color if suddenly Chandra took us right up to the end and then became some sort of a hero.” She added, “I was fascinated by the things that unravel her. And I think it could be seen as a comment on the system, which just spits her out in the end.”
Karan’s defense isn’t half bad, but it doesn’t answer The Night Of‘s most pressing question: when are we getting that vaping prosecutor spinoff?
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
