Most of television nowadays is entertaining without really being thoughtful. The Bridge is starting to shift toward this end of the spectrum, as the story that’s now unfolding on screen is one of a criminal mastermind and the cops that are trying to catch him. That’s not to say the show is bad, but the tonal shift is evident.
Most of this specific episode involves Marco and Sonya trying to find Gus, and this storyline ultimately feels like a waste of time. Marco would’ve gotten that phone call from Tate no matter what, and their search feels like a wild goose chase. I suppose it could be spun so that a wild goose chase is necessary, as it heightens the sense of desperation felt by the two cops, but there are better ways to do this. Bichir and Kruger milk the hell out of their roles (the scene shown in the picture above is absolutely fantastic. It marks a reversal of their character roles, as last week, Marco was the one trying to inject optimism into the proceedings. This week, Sonya’s forced to comfort him and maintain a level of confidence.), but I find myself losing interest. This is especially the case for Tate, as his motivations are a bit muddled now. For example, why blame Marco more than anyone else? It’s these kind of inconsistencies that prevent me from really getting involved with this storyline.
I am interested, however, in Mathew Lillard’s Daniel Frye, a character whose layers are exposed in this episode. Lillard is wonderful throughout, especially in an AA meeting scene in which he goes from making a joke out of everything to breaking down and pledging to maintain sobriety. Lillard conveys a full range of emotions there, and it’s almost a moment of catharsis for him. Of course, then Mr. Omnipresent Tate walks up to him in the parking lot and abducts him. Enough with this kind of stuff, show.
The other side story of the episode involves Charlotte, a character that I have a ton of problems with. Right now, she’s just tangentially related to the search for Gus, and her scenes really feel out of place. I also don’t buy her sudden transformation into a killer. Yes, she’s been backed into a corner, but when I said I wanted her to become more of herself, this isn’t what I meant.
So, we head into next week with Gus in some giant barrel lit by a glowstick, and Marco and Tate driving together to get him. Of course, there’s always the possibility that they’re just going to drive off into nowhere and eventually meet up with Todd.
Grade: B
Other Thoughts:
-Or, maybe Marco will realize that he doesn’t care about Gus, and just shoot Tate. Or, Tate’s whole plan will revolve around Marco having a gun, and when they get to their destination, they find out that his gun is out of bullets.
-I like Alma and Marco’s scene, as well as Alma’s refusal to go with him. Yes, it may seem stupid and cold, but it makes sense if you think about it. She realizes that it’s Marco all along that has been the danger to her and her children.
-“Twelve steps can suck my dick.”
-No Linder. I guess he’s off eating ham sandwiches, disposing of corpses, and being his usual unintelligible self. I hope that if this continues for multiple seasons, his storylines just involve him wandering around doing whatever the hell he wants.
-Diane Kruger still looks great while injured.
Credit to FX and The Bridge for all pictures. I own nothing.
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