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The Night Of - new crime limited series - HBO Sundays - 90 on Metacritic

I can not stand the actress who plays the DA. What the hell is wrong with her? She can barely move, speak, or muster facial expressions. She's slurring her way through this shit Marlon Brando style, except without being famous or talented. Her face is an immovable mass of steak that barely lets words come out of it.

lmao yeah her face looks stuck.

alright episode. i'm enjoying this series quite a bit but the writing has devolved, a lot of sloppy characterization and case/trial work in here. still looking forward to that finale for sure.
 
My wife theorized that Naz gets acquitted of the murder but he basically gets nailed for another crime in prison (like Petey's murder tonight). Freddy setting him up to keep Naz inside since he's pretty much proven to be a loyal soldier.

Basically, given enough time, a good kid goes bad thanks to the slow wheels of justice That's our lesson.

I think the "lesson" is more about preconceived notions and dispositions and that the justice system tries harder for a conviction than finding the truth
 

duckroll

Member
What the fuck was that? That was a pretty terrible episode all round in terms of writing. The performances are still top notch, the direction really milked the tension at the end for all it was worth, but goddamn the trial scenes ruined everything. I wouldn't be so bothered if it was just one scene that they wanted to use to make a point, but the entire episode was framed around the numerous witness questioning sessions throughout the trial, and they blew it. The writing was piss poor, really artificial, and the scenes went on and on long before there should have been an objection from either a lawyer or the judge.

It really bothers me because the show prides itself as a character study about the processes in the criminal justice system, and for something as important as the actual trial I was hoping for something more realistic. Every single cross examination was nothing but character assassination and one side making fun of the other. Really weird and out of character for a show like this.

What happened to this show? :(
 

Sanjuro

Member
I enjoyed the episode, and I'm glad the program has some hammy elements sprinkled throughout. The program is not lacking bleak moments.

I've said it before, much of this show is going to come down to the payoff. I understood the kiss. Just not positive why it was needed with all else going on.
 

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
In defense of the court scenes being lame - it was two people inexperienced in a trial of this magnitude up against a wax figure from Madame Tussauds.
 
This show started out so well and now it's fizzling into crap.

Terrible episode that did not move the plot much other than show that Naz is becoming what they are a causing him of.

That prosecutor comes to the set drunk? Because I've never seen anyone act like that I'm a courtroom.
 

Vyer

Member
Really feels like there is way too much to be wrapped up in one episode. Makes me feel like the finale will be very open ended.

I can not stand the actress who plays the DA. What the hell is wrong with her? She can barely move, speak, or muster facial expressions. She's slurring her way through this shit Marlon Brando style, except without being famous or talented. Her face is an immovable mass of steak that barely lets words come out of it.

Yeah, I've had a tough time with that character since the beginning.
 
This show started out so strong, but it's kinda falling apart IMO. More often than not, it's frustrating to watch, with seemingly impactful yet nonsensical plot developments that are simply dropped moments later.
 

Vyer

Member
The cat demonstrates Stones state of mind and his desire to help even when it is harming himself.

Yup. The cat is even 'locked up'.

Well, that and him being put out in the first episode sets up the back door being open for the 'other killer' possibility.
 

taybul

Member
I think the cat is really just there to give Stone someone to talk to at home who isn't a hooker or his eczema.

I don't think this show is as deep as it's setting itself out to be or they're intentionally ignoring key elements in the case (
Duane Reade and the hearse driver. The barista was put on the stand but these two weren't?
, for example) so you don't figure it out too early.

I had
Duane Reade
pinned from the start because
the camera ominously focused on him for quite some time.

But now I'm not too sure and am also quickly losing interest since they're really driving home the fact that Naz has had anger issues before (and again lying to Chandra/Stone about the second person he put in the hospital in HS) and he's settled in quite well in prison. Obviously at the end of the series he's going to have a choice, regardless of the outcome of the trial, whether or not he'll want to stay in prison. Only way I'll see him wanting out is if someone kills Freddie since he won't have any more protection.
 

dave is ok

aztek is ok
I wouldn't be surprised if we never find out what happened - it's the defenses job to show that Nas maybe didn't do it, not find who did.
 
Nas' lawyers don't object to anything. It's maddening.

The entire trial has been egregiously unrealistic to the point where I just had to turn my brain off. They clearly made a creative choice to shed the burden of accuracy and free up the writing in the courtroom scenes. In principle, this isn't a problematic liberty to take, though I'll admit it has been a little jarring in this show, which initially set itself apart by sprinkling realism throughout its narrative.
 

pj

Banned
I was looking for an actor's name on IMDB and saw this on the show's page..

"Just about everything related to inmate security in Rikers Island and court holding cells is wrong. As an accused murderer, Khan would only be out of handcuffs while in a jail cell, he would not be mixed in with inmates charged with lesser crimes, he would absolutely not be led in to a "family funday" visitation meeting with other inmates and their families; he would not be uncuffed during arraignment."

And the thing about Freddy getting another murder put on him to have him moved back to Rikers. What? Why would they send you back from maximum security prison to a city jail to await trial? It makes no sense. MAYBE if the trial was actually going on he would have to be in the area, but why would he be allowed to walk around freely like it's summer camp?

Edit: Another thing that annoyed me is the scene of them selling/pawning all their valuables. A couple scenes later the dad ends up taking the medallion buyout anyway. Why get rid of stuff with sentimental value for a few hundred bucks when you have 75k on the way? Contrived drama is why.

I have no idea how the cat would tie into anything. What is your theory?

The galaxy is on orion's belt

What happened to this show? :(

Nothing, it was never very good to begin with. It is kept alive solely by how well made it is.
 
That rapist guy in prison needed to be get got. I applaud Nas and Omar for taking the scumbag out.

Chandra's moment with Nas was the lowpoint in the series for me. It was out of character and felt forced/tacked on. I think the show is really great when focused on the slow burn. As it veered into the familiar territory of courtroom drama, the focus is shifted away from Stone and others. This episode was the best and worst of the series. Best parts were Stone trailing the cougar trap dude and digging into his past. Stone's familiarity of the justice system and finding a purpose with this case was the hook for me. Stone looking like a hobo that sleeps in trains was added layer of fun. The courtroom stuff is not terrible or anything. It's just that we've been spoilt senselessly with FX's impeccable The People vs OJ Simpson so the bar is set very high.

The prison scenes are alright, despite people complaining on the details. The broader point is Nas' descent, which I still find abrupt.
 
I was looking for an actor's name on IMDB and saw this on the show's page..

"Just about everything related to inmate security in Rikers Island and court holding cells is wrong. As an accused murderer, Khan would only be out of handcuffs while in a jail cell, he would not be mixed in with inmates charged with lesser crimes, he would absolutely not be led in to a "family funday" visitation meeting with other inmates and their families; he would not be uncuffed during arraignment."

And the thing about Freddy getting another murder put on him to have him moved back to Rikers. What? Why would they send you back from maximum security prison to a city jail to await trial? It makes no sense. MAYBE if the trial was actually going on he would have to be in the area, but why would he be allowed to walk around freely like it's summer camp?

Edit: Another thing that annoyed me is the scene of them selling/pawning all their valuables. A couple scenes later the dad ends up taking the medallion buyout anyway. Why get rid of stuff with sentimental value for a few hundred bucks when you have 75k on the way? Contrived drama is why.



The galaxy is on orion's belt



Nothing, it was never very good to begin with. It is kept alive solely by how well made it is.

Did he take the buyout? I thought he was selling all of the family stuff to pay for his third of the new cab or something.
 
Great episode. Wasn't a fan of the kiss, however; it's plausible, but felt a little out of place.

Fakedit: shit, next episode is going to be longer? Alright alright alright
 

pj

Banned
Did he take the buyout? I thought he was selling all of the family stuff to pay for his third of the new cab or something.

He didn't look very happy and one of the other guys handed him what looked like a cashier's check. The one guy said he doesn't want to work with the father of a murderer. I'm fairly certain he took the buyout.

The courtroom stuff is not terrible or anything. It's just that we've been spoilt senselessly with FX's impeccable The People vs OJ Simpson so the bar is set very high.

Sorry but no, the courtrooom stuff has been terrible. It's not even Law and Order quality.
 

Vyer

Member
The show is still black & white. We've just learned that he's actually white when we were initially told he's black.

IMO it's showing those shades of grey. Getting in fights or reacting to bullying doesn't necessarily mean you are stabbing a girl 22 times. Yet it would be enough for some to start doubting, if they have anything but the pure as the driven snow angel. That's the point of it, I think.
 

Helmholtz

Member
Man it's a real bummer that this show steadily declined in quality with each subsequent episode. I remember I was losing my mind over the first couple episodes, recommending the show to anyone that would listen. Now I'm not so sure I would. It's still good, but it doesn't really have that ultra gritty intensity the first couple of episodes were teeming with.
Here's to hoping it at least ends as strong as it can with the longer runtime finale.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
The complete lack of focus on the lack of blood on Naz is infuriating. Where did all the blood go from stabbing someone 22 times?

Also what happened with Stone chasing down Duane reade? Did I just miss that or did they just skip over it?

Also the sin bad tattoos are ridiculous, as was Chandra kissing Naz.

Why do stone and Chandra not push the DA to investigate Duane reade, the hearse driver, or the step dad? Theres enough grounds to push for a recess for further investigation I would think. Especially given it looks like there is significant $ motive for the step dad to kill his step daughter.

That's not even mentioning the police bungled chain of custody, which you would think the defense would investigate, which is basically grounds for a mistrial I think?

Either way Naz has a very strong appeal case.

Show has been going way down hill since the 2nd episode.
 
Yeah allow me to contribute to the general opinion, that this show went downhill. From episode 2 I posted about something feeling "off" in comparison to the pilot, and by now it's clear that the quality, realism and pacing already took a hit since then.

Here's hoping for a decent finale at least, but with the build-up being this inconsistent I don't expect much.
 

Helmholtz

Member
The complete lack of focus on the lack of blood on Naz is infuriating. Where did all the blood go from stabbing someone 22 times?

Also what happened with Stone chasing down Duane reade? Did I just miss that or did they just skip over it?

Also the sin bad tattoos are ridiculous, as was Chandra kissing Naz.

Why do stone and Chandra not push the DA to investigate Duane reade, the hearse driver, or the step dad? Theres enough grounds to push for a recess for further investigation I would think. Especially given it looks like there is significant $ motive for the step dad to kill his step daughter.

That's not even mentioning the police bungled chain of custody, which you would think the defense would investigate, which is basically grounds for a mistrial I think?

Show has been going way down hill since the 2nd episode.
Yeah. My knowledge of how these things work in real life courtroom settings is really lacking, but even I can tell something's not right. It all feels too simple and stupid.
They never revisited him chasing Duane. Guess that was just a stupid waste of time?
Lack of blood is pretty ridiculous. He was like completely devoid of blood on his person after the murder. If he had a shower, wouldn't there be a lot of blood residual in the bathroom/shower?
Yeah allow me to contribute to the general opinion, that this show went downhill. From episode 2 I posted about something feeling "off" in comparison to the pilot, and by now it's clear that the quality, realism and pacing already took a hit since then.

Here's hoping for a decent finale at least, but with the build-up being this inconsistent I don't expect much.
Pilot was one of the best episodes of television I've seen in a while. Felt like a great thriller movie.
Then the show devolved into a mostly by the numbers jail/legal drama that isn't all that interesting.
 

Matticers

Member
I must be the only person in the world who wasn't shocked by the Chandra kiss and didn't think it was that out of place. They showed her kind of staring at him a few times in previous scenes like she might be attracted to him. They also had the scene with her and Stone where she says she broke up with her boyfriend while they were drinking. With it being HBO, I was half expecting them to cut to a scene of her and Stone going at it.

But yeah, some of the other stuff is silly. Not saying much, if anything, about the lack of blood. Duane Reade disappearing and not seeing him again since then. The lack of interviews with the hearse driver. I suspect we'll get answers in the final episode but it's definitely going to feel crammed in and rushed with them needing to wrap up everything in 90 minutes. This show definitely should have been 10 to 12 episodes since they were only doing one season of it. They could have fleshed things out more and fixed a lot of the issues people are mentioning.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
I'm not buying that Naz is this badass prison dude who's BFF with Omar. That's where the show lost me...

He did need protection so i can buy it, as he is probably one of the more intelligent inmates, so freddy wanting to talk to him makes some degree of sense, but i can't buy the sin bad tattoos. I think a murder suspect would basically be kept in iso though until trial, specifically so that he/she doesn't get shanked while awaiting trial.
 
I must be the only person in the world who wasn't shocked by the Chandra kiss and didn't think it was that out of place. They showed her kind of staring at him a few times in previous scenes like she might be attracted to him. They also had the scene with her and Stone where she says she broke up with her boyfriend while they were drinking. With it being HBO, I was half expecting them to cut to a scene of her and Stone going at it.

Same; they probably should have dropped the unrealistic prison drama and focused more heavily on a realistic portrayal of the investigation and trial.
 
Thought it was a pretty good episode - but I'll agree no subsequent episode since the pilot has been as good as that initial episode of television. It did feel like a great thriller movie as it was that impeccably produced. The show has devolved from those heights since then but it's still quite compelling and fascinating. I am enjoying it and am so glad we're getting a feature length finale. I have a feeling next week is going to be one hell of a final episode.

Looking forward to all of this reaching a resolution. Bring on next week.
 

Tugatrix

Member
The pathologist is my new hero, goddamn he owned the court.

Oh my Box planted evidence, color me surprised, the quiet ones are the worst. But the guy admit a break in chain of evidence, which is the least grave conduct, smart guy
 

Socreges

Banned
The pathologist is my new hero, goddamn he owned the court.

Oh my Box planted evidence, color me surprised, the quiet ones are the worst. But the guy admit a break in chain of evidence, which is the least grave conduct, smart guy
Box planted evidence? Must have missed that

The Stone/Box interactions are some of my favourite parts. Often too brief
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
That smirk at the end of his questioning was priceless.

It will be addressed, but the prosecution can simply explain that away as Nas taking a shower afterward.

Well, where did he take a shower? He was picked up on the night of. Its weird it hasnt been brought up at all in the show, not even by the defense. Where's the blood on Naz? Should have been one of the first things that came up in the police side as well.
 

btrboyev

Member
The only question I have that makes no sense is keeping Naz locked up in Rykers with all the other prisoners. Naz is on trial and hasn't been found guilty. Why would he be in the same prison as convicted killers? He needs to live through the trial.
 
The only question I have that makes no sense is keeping Naz locked up in Rykers with all the other prisoners. Naz is on trial and hasn't been found guilty. Why would he be in the same prison as convicted killers? He needs to live through the trial.

It's just a creative liberty the writers are using. Realistically he wouldn't be kept in general population with other prisoners - but then how could the compelling prison drama happen? There's a post by someone in this thread that explains it. Basically the show is not in the slightest bit realistic when it comes to prison protocol but that's intentional by the writers in order to create an interesting show. For example if the show went for realism then the guy would be kept in isolation for the entire trial's duration and that wouldn't be very interesting as a show.

Hope this helps! Fantastic series. Loving every second of it. Can't wait for next week.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
The quality of the series has been on a downward trajectory ever since the first episode, but this was the first time where I thought the bad parts outweighed the good. The trial/investigative scenes were always among the show's most compelling material, but this week's episode didn't even have that going for it. Yikes.
 
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