'The Bridge' FX Reviews and Recap: Season 1, Episode 7 - 'Destino'
'The Bridge' on FX has taken its time building its characters, instead of being driven by its serial killer plot. While the serial killer known as The Beast has been very intriguing -- making a statement about the many unanswered killings in Juarez -- the actual people of 'The Bridge' are what makes the show great.
Alma's argument with Marco and her decisions were some of the episode highlights. Catalina Sandino Moreno has given a fantastic performance as Marco's lonely wife, and her character was further developed in this episode with her decision to sleep with her co-worker. This was a bold move for Alma, and shows that she's just as capable of adultery as Marco is. The dialogue in Moreno and Bichir's scenes, which are almost always in Spanish, are a joy to watch as well.
Diane Kruger continues to deliver an Emmy-worthy performance as Detective Sonya Cross. While at first Sonya was portrayed as the uptight police officer with Asperger's, who has no compassion or feeling for anyone, she is starting to show her layers. From her emotional scene with Gina in last week's episode to her showdown with Childress in this week's, Kruger has made Sonya into a protaganist we can sympathize with.
The big reveal in last night's installment 'Destino' was the potential identity of The Beast, Jack Childress. Sonya's lead pointed her to Childress, who had been on disability for the past 10 years. Sonya and Marco search his home, located in a desolate trailer park in the desert. To them and the viewers, it's almost clear that Childress is the guy they've been pursuing for the past seven episodes.
Sonya and Marco's pursuit eventually resulted in Childress's capture, but not without some casualties.
Poor Officer Stoker. In the most shocking moment of the episode, Stoker is in the middle of telling Marco a theory about The Beast and boom. Childress blows his face to bits. He just got his braces off too! The bloody sight was the most unsettling scene on the show so far. Sonya was also shot, so now she has another emotional event she'll be forced to deal with.
But is Childress really The Beast? By the end of the episode, Sonya doesn't seem to think so. The fact that Childress wrote a book about how he thinks Mexicans are extraterrestrials might just prove that he's actuallly insane. Our Beast may make some pretty bold decisions (leaving a tied up woman to die in the desert, planting bombs in cars) but he's not at all crazy. With six episodes left this season, it's safe to say that Childress may not be our killer and the story of The Beast is far from over.
Stray bullets
- In the first scene, Ray wants to transport guns through Graciela's tunnel. Graciela agrees, in exchange for oral sex from Ray in her SUV. Was I the only one who felt sorry for Graciela's driver?
- I'm not feeling Charlotte and Ray's storyline, but the shot of his head in between Charlotte's legs was a humorous callback to the first scene.
- Linder's new coyote mission failed miserably. He tried to kidnap Sara Vega and bring her to El Paso, but Galvan was there to put an end to that. I'm calling an eventual relationship between Sara and Linder.
- Frye is going through some painful withdrawal and has a seizure, and that's pretty much it. I hope he's not dead, as Frye and Mendez are another duo that's a joy to watch.
- The trailer park was full of characters, including a dancing naked man on bath salts. With Ted Levine on this show, this could've been a callback to "The Silence Of The Lambs."
- "Can I trust you?" -- Charlotte to Ray, in the middle of having sex. It's also obvious she wants his baby. Awkward.
- "We got him. It's over" -- Marco. It's obviously far from over.
Check out a preview for next week's episode.