If you’ve ever seen a particularly talented group of acrobats at work, then you know what it’s like to watch The Night Of.
Hear me out for a second. When you watch such stunning feats of athleticism as acrobats are able to perform, there’s a pleasant sense of disbelief and amazement as they execute more and more unbelievable tricks. There’s a similar sense of disbelief when watching The Night Of, except instead of gleeful giddiness there’s an ever-increasing feeling of dread and horror as we watch the wheels of justice turn and grind the doe-eyed Naz into the dirt.
While I felt as though The Night Of’s first episode wasn’t without fault, I still found it to be pretty compelling television. Last night’s episode, “Subtle Beast,” lived up to its title, and more than delivered on the unsteady promise of the show’s debut.
We pick up more or less where we left off: Naz (Riz Ahmed) is in the precinct jail awaiting arraignment. Without really having much say in the matter, Naz has found himself with a lawyer to represent him: the eccentric John Stone (John Turturro). What Naz doesn’t know is that Stone, a well-known ambulance chaser, perhaps isn’t the most equipped to handle such a complex and high-profile murder trial.
This episode added in another factor in the investigation: Andrea’s (the murdered girl) step-father, Don (Paul Sparks), who, much like everyone else in the show, suffers a great deal of moral ambivalence. While he more or less came and went in “Subtle Beast,” his presence adds a huge potential for driving the story forward as the next six episodes air.
The Night Of is an excruciating walk through the American criminal justice system, where nobody seems all that concerned with getting to the truth so long as it makes the job difficult.
The camerawork and editing is still just as wonderful as it was the first time around. The scenes in the police station are all shot and colored in a very sterile and clinical way, making them seem appropriately frightening and foreboding, as though even the officers working there are trapped in the criminal justice system just as much as Naz is. (There’s a particularly great shot where one sergeant ends his shift at desk duty in the lobby by taking off his glasses, putting them in a case, and walking off, only to be followed by another office who arrives and performs the same actions in reverse.)
The writing of these two episodes has towed a fine line of implying more than it explicitly tells. So far, it’s doled out characterization very well, with the aid, of course, of the top notch ensemble cast. There’s not a weak link in the whole group.
Naz is an extremely interesting and compelling protagonist. What makes him such an interesting character is that no matter his place in society, he remains an outsider. He doesn’t fit in with the cool kids at school; he’s constantly othered by those around him due to his ethnic heritage and religion, even, ironically enough, by members of groups that are themselves othered. One of the only characters who seems to be on Naz’s side is his lawyer.
However, there’s an interesting dynamic being set up with Naz and Stone: they are both in their own rights outsiders. Stone, with his personality quirks and his eczema, which, like the color of Naz’s skin is a physical manifestation of the outsider status, is disregarded as somewhat of a sleazy opportunist out to make easy money. (His business card even bears the slogan: “No Fee Until You’re Free.”)
So, on its face, we have the story of the underdog helping the underdog. Or, perhaps more cynically, we’re stepping into the territory of the “White Savior” narrative. But, the social politics of the show are more complicated than either of those thematic agendas. Instead, Stone even sees (even if it’s only in some small way) that Naz is an opportunity for him to gain legitimacy as a big-time lawyer. Ironically enough, the person who seems to be most sympathetic to Naz (other than his parents) is Sgt. Box (Bill Camp), the lead detective on the case. He seems to know that all the evidence points to Naz, but just can’t seem to pull the trigger yet.
The themes and social commentary embedded within The Night Of are broad, complex, and almost painfully relevant. A wonderful job is done of presenting an unjust justice system and the effects of those trapped in it, from the detectives to the suspects to the lawyers. But all of that would be for naught if it weren’t so well executed as a compelling piece of long-form storytelling. This second episode effectively wound the spring tighter as we move into the middle chapters. Hopefully as the show that spring will uncoil with the intensity that we’re being promised.
