***There are no major spoilers, but since this is a series review there are minor ones pertaining to character development and certain plot points***
Imagine finding yourself in a situation where you’re the presumed culprit of a heinous crime you swore you didn’t commit. How would that effect your life? Your family’s and friends’? Or the public’s perception of you and those related? Now imagine the realization that what matters isn’t whether you’re actually guilty or not, but whether you can tell a convincing enough story that casts reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case. These are some of the many cruel questions and realities HBO’s The Night Of uncovers in brilliant and engrossing fashion as we witness an instance of what can happen to a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The series begins with an introduction to the main character, Nasir ‘Naz’ Khan, a seemingly straight-laced Pakistani-American college student who lives at home with his parents and younger brother. He comes off as a quiet and reserved kid near the bottom of the popularity totem pole. However, his fortunes look to change when given the rare invitation to a party where he can experience that college lifestyle he craves desperately. Things do not go as planned, and instead of attending the party, Naz encounters a girl who charms him with her intense intrigue and good looks. After being swept up by her pressures, the pair share a mind-altering night of drugs and passion only for Naz to awaken and find the woman dead. This is the beginning of a speeding downward spiral as Naz finds himself in the crosshairs of a gruesome murder investigation, panicked and shaken, but possibly with a trace of doubt as to his own innocence.
If you are anticipating a crime show with quickly revealed clear cut answers and a focus only on the trial, then look elsewhere. Writers Richard Price (Clockers) and Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List) create something that goes against the standard norm of something like Law and Order, instead choosing a much slower paced process that is closer to the actual workings of an investigation and subsequent trial. There aren’t simple yes’ and no’s, rather a hovering dark cloud of ambiguity forcing you to question not only what actually happened that fateful night, and the effects moving forward for those connected, but how many real instances are mirrors of this series.
Price and Zaillian shine a bright spotlight on the operations of a case and the criminal justice system itself. From the initial crime scene investigation, to the morals and ideologies of everyone involved including officers, detectives, expert witnesses, and the lawyers on both the prosecution and defense, no stone is seemingly left unturned. There are harsh realities learned from these unveilings, with the most eye opening being all what matters isn’t if you actually committed the crime, but if you can just have a good enough story, or evidence in the state’s case, to convince a group of strangers to believe your side. This is what makes Naz’s struggle to regain his freedom all the more challenging and captivating as all signs point towards guilt. It forces the audience to constantly hypothesize how the defense will/could change the tide.
The prison life is another facet used in great effect to show how being behind bars introduces one to a completely different world and culture rarely witnessed by the public eye. This is where Naz must quickly turn from innocent boy to hardened man, or face the deadly repercussions if he cannot adapt. It’s a merciless learning curve for Naz as we see through subtle instances how vital attention to even the smallest detail is if one wants to survive in this foreign world. Examples being the importance of wearing certain colored prison jumpsuits and dress shirts, or having a look that says you’re not afraid to look someone in the eye without ever actually looking one in the eye.
Aside from the writing and storytelling being standouts, a lot of credit must also be given to the actor and actresses with the three most memorable performances being Bill Camp’s Sargent Detective Box, John Turturro’s Public Defendant Attorney John Stone, and Riz Ahmed’s Naz.
We first meet Detective Box shortly after the murder has been reported. With retirement just a short distance away, something he’s not too inclined to face, Box is given the opportunity to make this his final case and go out with a bang, if you will. Garnishing the reputation as a hard-working, no nonsense, and relentless detective who almost always gets his culprit, Box can be a cold asshole while also having a calmer, buddy-buddy side; but its his ability to know when to use or show these different personalities, made apparent through his interactions with Naz, that makes him elite at his job. It is Camp’s humanizing of Detective Box that also sets him apart from the other law enforcement as he digs deeper and deeper in his attempts to make sure the state’s case is iron tight, all while battling the dread of retirement and what awaits after. You’re able to understand how this job is his life, and without it he’ll be lost.
On the defense’s side, we have Public Attorney, John Stone, played brilliantly by John Turturro. Introduced as a bottom-feeding lawyer who will take any client attached with a check, cash, or money order, Stone quickly becomes one of the only people or things capable of saving Naz. He, like Naz, is a social pariah who only knows life from the bottom of a cesspool. With the knowledge of the hard truths of the court system, Stone becomes a quasi-teacher instilling these in Naz, while also giving his best effort to ensure Naz is given every fair opportunity to make it out. This culminates in a certain monologue that changed the pencil to pen when writing in the name for the Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award.
However, both Camp and Turturro take a backseat compared to Riz Ahmed’s work as Naz. His ability to be the part of an innocent and naive kid with a constant ‘deer in the headlights’ look, only to transform into someone completely different physically and mentally is a credit to his excellent acting range. Sure, the writing plays a factor with a character’s development, but its the actor/actress’ job to sell the sense of believability, and Ahmed nails it as we see the effects that prison time can have on someone. Look for this series to help catapult him towards stardom.
Two others I wish to touch upon briefly are Naz’s parents played by Peyman Moaadi and Poorna Jagannathan. Although their screen time diminishes as the series progresses, it is their actions, not words, that make them standout amongst the many other supporting roles. All you feel is sympathy for these two as they do everything they can to help save their son all while trying to repress the thought that they may have raised a killer. Through their eyes we see the public backlash from being connected to a suspected murderer, which is only intensified from the fact they happen to be Middle Eastern. It is guilty by association to the finest, forcing them to endure almost as much hardship as their son.
Despite all the positivity there are some negatives that prevent The Night Of from being an amazing show. One of them is the use of typical crime show tropes highlighted in one episode that seemed too much like Law and Order where we get a “Who did it?” through introductions of multiple suspects each with a fitting motive for the crime. There are also some actions committed by Naz’s other attorney, Chandra (Amara Karan), that serve as plot advancement aids, but at the same time come off too farfetched for a show that grounds itself in realism. In addition, Naz makes some seemingly unwise decisions while in prison, although I’ve never experienced prison personally, nor are we told exactly how much real time has passed from premiere to finale, so I can’t be overly critical toward his actions.That being said, a few holes do not sink this ship as the good far outweighs the bad in terms of the show’s quality.
HBO has once again delivered a series comprised of sharp writing, great direction, and outstanding acting. The Night Of may not give all the definitive answers desired, but it will tell a story focusing on rarely seen or discussed issues for the viewer to contemplate long after the credits finish rolling.
8.8/10
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