The Bridge “Goliath” Review (2×08)

“I don’t trust you anymore.”

The series began with two cops on opposite sides of the El Paso-Juarez border coming together to work on a case, and it’s now taken multiple turns, ending up in a place in which the actions of one come into serious conflict with the morality of another. Now, Sonya’s retreating from those around her, pushing away both Hank and Marco after she finds out just how caught up they are in the cycle of violence of the world they live in (the Jim Dobbs realization followed up by the David Tate realization is awful for her). And, with every passing day, each character–not just Sonya–is experiencing a similar decision: there are two sides here with muddled states of morality, but how do you make it so that you yourself don’t end up a victim?

Fausto Galvan decides, fittingly, to kill his way out of his situation; he shoots two of his own men as he’s escaping his hideout, a hideout that, at the moment, is being attacked by Marinas. This comes not long after Cerisola warns him that he can’t kill his way out of things, and although Galvan escapes with his life at the end of the episode, Cerisola is technically right. There are consequences to every action, and while Galvan’s been hiding in his speedboat warehouse, those consequences have fundamentally changed the way things work outside of the bubble he believes himself to be in. Now, the outside world has caught up to him, and he can do nothing but run.

This, of course, places people like Eleanor Nacht and Captain Robles in precarious situations. What do they do now, and who do they side with? It’s a question Marco’s faced this entire season, and they’re now in the same boat together. They’re all facing decisions that are defined by the environment they live in, and they’re all tackling them while essentially alone. Even someone like Daniel Frye, usually tied to someone like Adriana, is now off on his own to confront Sebastian Cerisola; he ends up in a jail cell.

Eventually, the system will catch up to you, no matter how strong or independent or resourceful you are. Because, when everyone has his or her own standards and when those standards begin to get lost in the world around them, relationships strain and loyalty is tested. The Bridge has multiple lens through which to view the goings on of the El Paso-Juarez border, but they’re all part of the same system.

GRADE: B+

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Linder and Eva seem to be operating in a world of their own. I’m interested in their characters–especially considering we get some backstory here about what they faced in their childhood–but I don’t know how long the show can keep this up without them feeling extraneous. However, their actions at the end of the episode are fitting with the theme of the hour: consequences of dishing out revenge.

-Diane Kruger is especially pretty up there in that photo.

-Lucy’s still alive.

-The episode is directed by Jakob Verbruggen, and he has a very unique style that takes the show and turns it into something we haven’t really seen before. It’s a bit distracting how he utilizes close-ups every chance he gets, but it emphasizes the themes of trust and uncertainty; it’s all written in their faces. It’s an interesting episode visually, I’ll say.

Photo credit: FX, The Bridge

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