Season 1 of The Bridge was at once a serial killer drama and a look at the goings on of the border between the United States and Mexico, a plot-driven David Tate story and a character-driven Marco-Sonya dynamic, a cliche and a unique take on sociopolitical climates. It seemed like various shows wrapped up into one package overflowing with good ideas, but ultimately without enough cohesiveness to elevate it to the top tier of television shows.
“Yankee” seems to be a continuation of the final two episodes of season one, an unfinished batch of episodes that, while a bit anticlimactic, were a refreshing change of pace after the David Tate storyline climaxed in the 11th episode. Unfortunately, there wasn’t nearly enough time to build up anticipation for season 2, and what we’re left with is a premiere that isn’t quite able to connect its storylines with as much fluidity as it would like. Now, that certainly could be the point: here’s a world in which the hunt for a serial killer blew up the lives of everyone involved, and they’re just trying to put the pieces back together, trying to search for answers. It’s also safe to assume that the threads will connect at some point down the road. However, as of right now, I need to wait to see how the season unfolds before it can (hopefully) pique my interest.
On the bright side, the show’s back to crafting its world at its own pace, rather than relying on David Tate to propel the plot at the expense of character and world building. Eleanor Nacht is a replacement of sorts, but she’s already an intriguing enough presence because the menace she exudes seems to be more grounded and because she’s mysterious without being a complete enigma. The dread surrounding her character builds up as the episode progresses, from the scene in which she sits to the side as her companion slices off a guy’s ear to the final scene of the episode, in which she’s washing blood off her tattooed body and asks for help from two teens. And of course, that final image ties back into the aftermath of a massacre we see in the wonderfully disturbing cold open, implying that Nacht was the cause of the bloody scene. The damage has been done, and our characters must find a way to fix it
As for Sonya, we’re seeing her once again struggle with connection; she wants to connect with her dead sister, and she does it by sticking with Jim Dobbs as he’s in his hospital bed dying. This eventually leads to her having sex with Jack Dobbs, and this certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen her embark on these sexual adventures on a whim. It’s an understandable situation and a coping mechanism for her, much like drinking is for Marco or Daniel. At the end of it all, the characters are all trying to find answers, whether it be for the money laundering case being tackled by Daniel and Adriana or for the question about why Dobbs would kill Sonya’s sister. Whether we’ll get answers is something they, and we, will find out.
GRADE: B-
OTHER THOUGHTS:
– “Now that you’re divorced, at least you can have sex with other people.”
-This is a show that knows how to portray a character with Asperger’s with the nuance she deserves. I’m not an expert in the field, but if anyone has any experience with the subject, feel free to comment below.
-No Linder, Charlotte, etc. This show’s in danger of becoming overstuffed if it isn’t already, but we’ll see how the writers handle it.
-Brian Baumgartner shows up as Frye’s AA sponsor, which is strange for me because I still remember him as only Kevin from The Office. Speaking of, I hope we get more Daniel-Adriana this year; they’re a very interesting coupling.
-Bob also shows up to take in Eva for Hank.
– “I don’t give a shit about polar bears.” That’s it, I’m done with this show!
Photo credit: FX, The Bridge
Polar Bears Watch TV 
Pretty solid premiere. I really love the Sonya character. I also hope get plenty of Daniel Frye this season. Lillard’s performance was one of the most pleasant surprises of Season 1 for me. Great review!
Hey PB – we’ve similar reactions. A lot to take in and a lot of unexplained details. Plenty of mysteries to be worked out. I liked the term you used – ‘cold opening’. For me it was cold too, but it wasn’t the subject matter – rather it was the look of the show. But I thought it became more familiar when the principals Marco and Sonya and Hank made their appearances. LIke the show took it’s time to settle in.
I enjoyed it more the second time I watched it – picked up on more things (like that the opening scene happened AFTER Franke and the guy went to the open house). Loved seeing Kevin in a Rush t-shirt. Charlotte is in over her head. Love the 2 reporters and their whole storyline. I was disappointed to see that the writers have taken out some of the Asperger’s that Diane was so good at portraying in Season 1. It’s not like she’s going to learn how to emote and have a sense of humor that quickly. Everyone comments on her casual sex scene, but not a work about Marco and his neighbor. I LOVE Hank, and LOVE Bob (Uncle Rico) even more. Can’t wait to see where they go with it, but I agree with you about last season – they should have ended it with the Bomb on the Bridge episode and started the rest of last season now. Other series do that too (The Walking Dead) by having a big climax way before the end of the season and then just dragging along.