The DEA gets involved in John's murder case. Tensions rise between Meg and Danny. John digs into Danny's past. Sally reminisces.
Sally is the least developed character of the core Rayburn family. Every one of the siblings has their own story going on while Sally is simply wandering around her hotel just talking to people whenever it serves some narrative purpose. She doesn't have anything going on that is really and truly hers. That could very well be deliberate. She as a character is best defined by the actions the family does for her and how they talk about her. John, Kevin and Meg want to protect her from getting hurt. And yet, the only she's doing is proclaiming that they need to give Danny another chance - even though she was just as willing to give up on him at the start of the second episode. She really is nothing more than a vague mother figure who doesn't really play a part of the narrative thriller puzzle of the season.A few episodes ago, Lenny Potts told John that he thought it was suspicious that Sally took a trip out-of-town on the day that Sarah died. It was a seed of doubt planted in the audience's minds. Answers didn't come right away but we had to trust that the show would eventually start telling us things about Sally in a way that justifies having Oscar winner Sissy Spacek play the role. The show begins that process in this episode in showing that - much like Danny - she likes running away when problems get too hard. And yet, the show is still requiring even more patience from the audience. We now know that Sally was running away from something or someone on that tragic weekend, but we don't know what. We simply see her staring at a picture of the whole family with tears in her eyes while in the present day she's telling Danny that everyone has secrets.
The sooner Sally becomes a more active character in the narrative the better though. I believe the writers have handled her this way so far this season is so the audience underestimates her. Everyone is trying to protect her and thusly she doesn't really have a strong voice in the subsequent discussion. Danny believes she never had a say on how the hotel was run when Robert was in charge. She says she's always had a say. And yet, the way in which Robert ran the business, it's very easy to see her voice being pushed aside by the opinions of others. That is still happening in the present. Following Robert's death, Danny wants to change so many things at the hotel. The sole purpose of all of it is to keep his new criminal arrangement operating smoothly. Danny doesn't care about the family anymore. He's simply using those connections in order to get the money he wants. It's devastating and manipulative. Sally's getting the worst of it because she truly believes he is an honest and genuine son who has changed his ways.
Danny really is walking around with this ominous aura now. From the very beginning of the series, he has made family interactions more tense through his mere presence. But that was largely from the family waiting for something to happen from a lifetime of past experiences with Danny. They all opened themselves up to Danny when he showed an actual effort to staying in town. But now, he's actually acting in ways that are concerning to the various family members. Every single scene he shares with Diana is suppose to unease her - even when he's just claiming to apologize. He makes every interaction tense. It's a purposeful decision on his part now because of the knowledge and clarity he has in regards to the past events. He's taking out his frustrations on the family because he doesn't feel like he owes them anything. They turned their backs on him. And now, he's just trying to do what's best for him and not letting anyone get in the way of his plan.
Danny is taking on different strategies in dealing with each of his siblings. He is obviously playing a long con on John, Diana and their children. He is proclaiming that he wants things to be okay between them while still actively unsettling them at all times. Teaching John's daughter how to filet a fish is a very simple scene that would typically be a relaxed moment. In this instance though, it isn't because Danny is making this connection with her that should be worrisome. Diana has a right to be upset and concerned by Danny's actions. When Danny and Diana are alone, he doesn't wear the same facade he does when he's with John. Danny wants John to believe that everything is fine between them. Sure, he's still trying to stir up some trouble but it's suppose to be like two normal brothers interacting. However, John is starting to get a better idea of what Danny has really been up to. Sure, his venture up to Miami is a massive information dump showing us a lot of Danny's past life that the audience already knew about. Danny gets an ex-girlfriend, Beth, who fills in all the blank spots for John. That builds to the climatic conclusion of John hauling Eric down to the station to talk about Danny. That could present some interesting complications for John's investigation and Danny's criminal dealings. But again, that's all requiring the audience to be patient and wait for those things to happen in the future.
Meanwhile, the episode's best story actually revolves around Meg and her new dynamic with Danny. In the beginning, she was one of his biggest champions. She wanted him to come home because she wants peace amongst her family instead of tension. And yet, things have only gotten more tense for her and Danny. Danny's largest issues are with John as he sees John as the one who decided to cover up Robert's abuse of Danny following Sarah's death. But Meg is getting in the way of Danny's plans just as much as well. She doesn't want Sally to start changing things just because Danny is telling her to do so. She doesn't trust Danny anymore and that completely stems from the fact that Danny is holding power and influence over her. She is trying to life her live and she sees Danny as playing a destructive game on her mind. It's interesting that she remembers Sarah enough to have lived in fear of always being in her shadow but she doesn't recall the whole family lying about Danny being hit by a car. As an adult, she fully believes in the lie. It takes Kevin to bluntly say the truth in order for to really remember. Meg was the most innocent one in the whole cover-up. We glimpse her original interview with Detective Potts and she's the one who points the suspicion towards John as being the one to come up with the whole cover-up. She was valuable to Danny in the past but in the present she is just getting in his way. She, Marco and Sally are just having a nice time outside discussing wedding planning. It's calm and void of tension. The intensity goes way up once Danny enters the scene and starts pointedly saying a lot of things towards Meg about keeping secrets. Danny is keeping a ton from his family right now but he's still towering over Meg in this regard and that terrifies her. She doesn't want to play this game anymore and desperately wants to get out. And yet, she doesn't want to give her brother exactly what he wants either. She's starting to see him for who he really is - which could be very harmful for Danny in the near future.
Some more thoughts:
- "Part 9" was written by Jonathan Glatzer and directed by Simon Cellan Jones.
- Like Robert, Kevin fully believes that Danny killed Sarah. Even if it was an accident, he believes that Danny was negligent about something.
- Despite still being extremely injured, Kevin thinks it's a good idea to smash the windows of the car of the guy who he thinks ordered the assault on him. Yeah, he sure is working on those anger issues, isn't he?
- The DEA has also joined the investigation into Wayne Lowry. John hopes the two agencies can be civil and share information. But what are the odds of that actually happening though?
