I've always wanted to challenge myself to take a shot at episodic reviews. Not so much because it's something I necessarily think I want to do, but more to see if I can do it and not hate the output. I figure Rectify is the perfect show for this for a few reasons. One, the third season is just six episodes, so it's not a crazy commitment. Two, I really like it, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to say. Three, it's not a show with a super-large following, so I don't feel like I will only being saying things others have said. If you've never seen the show, the first two seasons (a total of 16 eps) are on Netflix and Amazon. This post will still be here when you're done catching up.
The marrow of a television show is the characters, which makes the story the blood, I suppose. This means you need both to stay alive, to carry the analogy to its natural conclusion. Film can function with one or neither of those, because a meditative movie (think Under the Skin or Waking Life) doesn't need us to keep tuning in every week to enjoy the work as a whole. If instead we are going to spend 6, 10, 13 hours or more with a work, there needs to be some story driving it along that keeps our interest, and that story needs to involve characters we care about.
It would be silly to argue that Rectify doesn't have the character part down. Every member of the Holden-Talbot clan is a well-drawn unique piece of the tapestry of Southern life that the show weaves. The tougher argument, given the show's pace, is that the story is superb. I would argue that it's actually its strength.
For me to successfully defend that, it's of utmost importance to remember that plot does not equal story. Rectify is inarguably light on plot. The central thread of the show - the machinations around Daniel's innocence or guilt - has often been secondary to other goings on in Paulie. That the show lacks a great deal of plot does not mean there is not a rich story to tell. Just the opposite, Daniel's release and subsequent actions have affected every character in the show and advanced them all to a different place in life. With a couple exceptions, little of this has been through the typical life-or-death stakes that a plottier show would employ (there are no ticking clocks on the Sundance Channel). Rather, Rectify has become perhaps the best show on TV at using emotional stakes to tell a gripping, yet moving story.
The best examples of this in the third season premiere both involve Teddy*. The first comes early when Teddy joins dinner in progress. Daniel's mother tries her best to please her son by getting the BBQ she knows he used to love, but we soon find out that her memory is imperfect**: The restaurant didn't even open until Daniel was incarcerated, and it was instead Teddy who loved the food. Later, Janet goes to visit her (effectively) adopted son. The two share a heartbreaking conversation about the troubles in Teddy's life, which ends with Teddy pointedly calling her by her name and Janet expressing regret that she ever asked him to do that. In these two scenes, Rectify shows its mastery of story in two main ways. One, it makes reference to episodes past, with allusions to Daniel's own faulty memory and Janet's request to Teddy (from the Pilot!). Two, it tells the story of how Teddy's whole well-being is dependent on acceptance from his family, and his surrogate mother. By displaying the shows commitment to the emotional stakes of the proceedings, we can see how Rectify tells a story as important as anything on TV, without minimal violence or extraordinary physical duress.
*That Teddy is the standout of this episode is a testament both to Clayne Crawford for his acting and to the writers for taking what could have been a one-dimensional character and making him whole.
**This is a beautifully subtle way to circle back on the theme of memory and the lack of clarity it can provide. Like her son, Janet isn't able to recall everything she'd like to.
The episode succeeds in other ways, as well, most notably with Amantha's journey post-plea deal. More than anyone on the show, the effort to clear Daniel's name has been the lifeblood for Amantha for nearly two decades. Now that it's effectively over, Amantha needs to figure out what her life is going to be; something she's been able to put off for years. Not only does the plot of episode move this forward, but so does the tremendous (as always) acting from Abagail Spencer. Whereas we typically know Amantha as brash and sharp in her voice, she now comes off as calmer and slightly more removed. This doesn't mean she's lost her ability to trade barbs...see her (final?) conversation with Jon. Still, as she sits in a meeting with her boss, trying to decide if she wants the promotion she's being offered, we see a rare bit of hesitance from Amantha. In all, Spencer's work in the episode is lovely, and offers us an insight into what will probably be one of the most intriguing story lines of the season.
And with that I've come full circle. The stakes in Amantha's life are low by the standards of most television (and even of most real life). But that doesn't make it any less important to her story going forwards. By investing us in the authentic lives of its characters, Rectify is able to tell a story as graceful and fascinating as anything on TV.
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