"The Night Of" on HBO

This is the ending I would vote for at an audience screening poll..

 

Naz had scratch marks all over his back and chest, and his skin was under her fingernails. Now, it can be argued that it happened during sex, but the scratches seem indicative of the victim trying to fight him off. I really don't know if Naz did it. At this point, I think the three prime suspects are Naz, the victim's father-in-law and "Duane Reade." If it wasn't Naz, it's possible that the father-in-law was working with "Duane Reade." Perhaps the father-in-law hired "Duane Reade" to do his dirty work.

 

I like this one.

 

I would hate this ending. Sounds like a bad crime novel when the crime is solved with characters or elements that werent present for 80% of the plot

 

I'm not so sure I would like this outcome or not, but it's a good theory as to how it could shake out in the end.
I would hope we all get surprised somehow and are not left with some kind of teaser/cliffhanger because they decide at the last minute that they will continue the show in another season, This is supposed to be a one season show as far as I know.

 

One season plan can change if you get a 90% metascore / best evaluated show of the season

 

I've been thinking about the ending. There are enough potential suspects other than Naz to, at the very least, make us question whether or not he did, or could have done it. But maybe it's not about that. It could be we don't find out at all. Maybe...this is really about what time in prison does to a person and how quickly it changes them.

And there is not going to be a season 2. That's why it's being billed as a "limited series". This is a one-and-done.

 

Blog post for The Ringer that I read yesterday suggested something similar. Don't see why it can't be both.

 

This was one of my first thoughts about a week ago, basically that this pot of a story doesn't necessarily come to a boil because it's more about getting there, so it simmers off into the sunset hopefully leaving you with some deep thoughts about our society in general with the justice system at the core of it.
I personally think that it has been a great and well crafted effort so far, and part of me would feel cheated if it didn't have a clever, or at least more emotionally satisfying ending.

 

finale tonight....don't forget, almost 2 hours long.

 

The one thing that sticks out for me is why Naz wasn't covered in blood, there wasn't a drop on him and the crime scene looked like a slaughterhouse....there was no mention of the shower or towels being used to clean himself up, I'm sure that's one thing they would look into, crime scene investigation 101 type stuff. Also why was the supposed murder weapon in the kitchen and not in the bed room? On the flip side if it was someone else who was planning to murder her, why risk going in there on that night when there's a potential witness (also not knowing where they would be in the house) and why would he still be alive? the murderer might as well finish him off and eliminate a potential witness. They should've called this show the Night of the Red Flags.....

 

In what might be s throw away comment early on, as in the first episode or two early, it was mentioned that the knife found on Naz was "within a half inch or so" the same knife that killed the girl. Implying that maybe a different chefs knife killed the girl, but what Naz had was the knife they were playing with before they went upstairs.

 

I remember way early on the blood splatter and subsequent lack of it on him, did bother me and seemed to be too obvious an aspect of investigating such a crime to not have come up in the story more -Naz did look pretty clean.
The killer probably saw them both passed out, Naz may have been trying to leave in a stupor and passed out elsewhere in the house or was moved as he was passed out. Maybe the killer had a way to spike their drinks and was surveilling them somehow, possibly through a hidden camera (the deer head?) -or just moved Naz and figured if that worked out then (because they/he were planning her murder anyway) they would be giving the cops a ready made suspect, if Naz had awakened the outcome may have been different, but the individual would not be caught red handed at murder if Naz were to sleep through the whole process. Maybe the father in law had been watching her and waiting for an opportunity to do this and have the blame fall on a hapless person such as Naz.
But yes he did not shower as I recall, just dressed and left.

 

he could have take a shower just after the murder, but I'm pretty sure forensic guys would know if the shower was used and dna would be all over

 

Maybe the show isn't about "who did it" but a commentary on the justice system, I'm sure that's a big part of it however I'm sure viewers want closure of some sort, I know that I do.

'The Night Of': It Doesn't Matter If Naz Did It (Commentary) »

 

Whoever killed the girl would have left blood trailing on the way out. The murder took place on the second floor. That's a long way to go and not leave a trace of blood on the way out. Whoever did it would have had to clean up in some way. So if Naz didn't do it, somebody else either showered or managed to travel down a flight of stairs and out the door without leaving a drop of blood behind on the way out.

 

yup.

 

And as far as I recall without re-watching -there is no mention of where all the blood in the house was or any explanations otherwise, most notably not mentioned in court so far either. This is kind of a huge hiccup in the story in general really.

 

As I presumed on Aug 15, an unresolved ending, which is now standard for this type of show. The writers get to throw in as many red herrings as they like since they know the real killer will remain unanswered.

 

What about the financial adviser?

 

Just finished it. No spoilers, but Turturro has really earned my respect as an actor. (Not that I wasn't a fan before, I always enjoyed seeing him on screen, but his work in this show --particularly the last episode--took it to a whole new level).
The entire show had this stark, knife-edge, almost "noir" quality, the writing, acting, editing, all of it- just meshed to deliver some of the best "long form" TV I've ever seen (and I count myself a fan of things like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, etc.). There is a gritty aspect of reality to this- inasmuch as it portrays the worn out system, the jaded cops, jailers and others who work within the system ( I was a lawyer in NYC for 34 years, not on the criminal side, but the shabby buildings, dirty linoleum floors and dingy surroundings all added to the sense of despair. I couldn't imagine, or rather I could, what a nightmare it would be to get caught up in the gears of the system). And the editing hit the critical path of the story line- it was lean, without a lot of unnecessary "stuff" (part of this is the "noir" thing too- I don't mean the imagery as much as the terse, telegraphing of information to carry the story, something common to most of the writing in that genre).
I once asked Stanley Booth, a well-known writer (who wrote about the Stone's 69 tour that he was part of) what the common thread of music was for him: he was with Otis Redding, Keith Richards, Gram Parsons, and a long list of other fabled musicians back in the day, and wrote about them, but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the music he liked or the artists he wrote about. He told me he could sum it up as "redemption"-something everybody, at some level, in some way, is seeking in their life. This show reminded me of Stanley's observation.

 

great finale

 

I realize I'm in the minority on this one, but I was disappointed with the finale. I thought when the lawyer kissed Naz that it felt forced and improbable. That she'd go from that kiss to transporting drugs, risking her career, felt totally out of left field. When you take into account that she got busted for the kiss (btw - if there's video of the kiss, shouldn't there also be video of the drug exchange?), it only makes the drug angle more puzzling as it didn't advance the story in any way. When the detective was making his case to the DA, she cuts him off with "we've got more on the kid". I took that to mean she had more undisclosed evidence but the next time we see her in court she was making her closing arguments. Maybe I nodded off and missed something. I don't know, when I think back on the 1st episode and compare it to the last....it started off so strong but felt like it barely was able to limp across the finish line. The one constant strongpoint was Turturro, I felt his performance honored Gandolfini.

 

I read the prosecutor's decision as one which bothered her even as she made it- her comment about having "more" on the kid wasn't, as I took it, that there was more undisclosed evidence, but her way of saying, I'm going to finish this trial against Naz b/c the case I have, with all of the evidence against him (that was put in at trial) was "more" compelling than what Detective Box was bringing to her on the sidelines. (Her way of saying, don't screw up my case with some new theory). You can tell that she is troubled by it, though, in her closing argument, where she is tentative, halting, and at one point simply stops. Her decision later- after the jury comes back- and she looks directly at Naz- as well as her meeting with Box thereafter- show that she's now on the same page he is. Agree re Turturro's performance honoring Gandolfini's memory. I think they all delivered on that score.

 

Having now seen the whole season, I have to rate this show poorly. It has the look and feel of a high quality piece, but it's plotted very poorly. There are so many pointless detours that soak up way too much time, like the intense focus on Turturro's eczema and later the prolonged cat trials and tribulations for no real case payoff. Similarly, the prison scenes were uncompelling and hit all the usual tropes. The court drama also had many legally problematic scenes in the latter part of the season. Chandra's character was totally trashed from that WTF kiss scene to the smuggling of drugs in her 'wherever' and that courtroom breakdown.

It's only because of the excellent first episode that I give this show a 6/10.