'The Bridge' FX Reviews and Recap: Season 1, Episode 8 - 'Vendetta'
If any other serial killer show decided to reveal it's killer in the middle of the season, it could've been a huge mistake. The big reveal needs to be saved for the penultimate or finale episode of a season, right? Not on 'The Bridge,' which revealed the identity of the infamous Beast in last night's episode 'Vendetta.'
Last week, I wrote that the story wasn't over after Sonya and Marco nabbed Jack Childress, who obviously wasn't the killer. This week, I was a bit worried as it seemed Sonya would find out who the real killer was by the end of the episode. Well she did, and guess what? The story is even further from being over. This is what makes 'The Bridge' a phenomenal show. The environment and its characters are so rich and expansive, which gives the show so much more story to tell.
I'll admit that I only pinpointed who the real killer was when he made his first appearance in this episode. When I saw "Kenneth Hastings" heading off to a party with Alma, I had to wonder what this guy's real deal was. It turns out that her colleague's real name is David Tate, an FBI agent who faked his own death and has a vendetta on a couple of people in the world of 'The Bridge.' Two of them are Marco and Santiago Jr., a wealthy Juarez figure who wasn't so lucky in this episode.
The first part of the episode was a flashback from six years ago, in which Daniel Frye partied with Santi Jr., who decided to go for a drive while very intoxicated. This didn't seem to have anything to do with anything, until the very end of the episode. Marco gave the intel on Tate to Sonya, informing her how his former partner lost his wife and kid in a hit-and-run six years ago. The culprit was none other than Santi Jr., who's throat Tate casually slit at the end of the episode.
Another big reveal was that Marco had been sleeping with Tate's late wife at the time of the car accident, which doesn't bode well for Alma. With Tate's reveal, we now know his reasoning for having sex with Alma is no coincidence. He's getting back at Marco without either his or Alma's knowledge, and it's likely Tate wants the affair to end in a similar fashion as his wife and Marco's.
The reveal of all this information in one episode could've been silly, but all of it ended up making sense and opened up plenty of possibility for the next five episodes. None of it seemed far-fetched, when it all could've been. The only questionable aspect was that Marco hasn't seen Tate for six years, when he's working with his wife and obviously not in hiding. While it's clear Tate is going to harm and possibly kill Alma in the next episode, what else is he going to do? Has he been killing all of these people because he's still angry over his family's tragic death? Also, how did he know where Gina was and how did he put together Daniel Frye's connection to Santi Jr.? I'm confident that many of these questions will be answered soon.
The most surprising part about this episode is that it managed to include almost every other character in the show, who all have their problems. Charlotte and Ray's storyline is moving along, with Charlotte beginning to realize that it may have been a mistake inviting her former Florida fling back into her life. Linder is having some bad dreams involving Eva and Fausto Galvan, which is causing him to lose his s--t. And Emily Rios shined as Adriana in this episode, which further explored her family life and how her being a lesbian may not bode well with her mother. All of these storylines may not directly connect to the main serial killer plot (yet), but they all fit in the world of the show. These stories are what make 'The Bridge,' and I can't wait to see where they lead next.
Stray Bullets
- As of this episode, it's unclear whether Sonya has actually been diagnosed as having Asperger's on the show. In a very awkward moment, Tim calls her out for being an idiot savant that gets special treatment, which clearly hurts her feelings as she knows she's different.
- Later, Sonya explains her social problems to Gus, who has secretly been sending her chocolate. Sonya doesn't know how to handle this and she knows it's wrong, but it's evident she can't help but feel a connection with Marco's son. I just hope this doesn't lead to where I think it's going to lead, because that will be very uncomfortable for all parties involved.
- The transmitters in the guns are pretty obvious, which makes it seem that the ATF wanted Graciela and her crew to know that they're on to them? Regardless, Graciela's reaction was priceless.
- Daniel Frye survived to see another day. Yay!
- Poor Adriana. Her mother's "God won't forgive you if you don't find a boyfriend" was a bit extreme.
- Don't ever talk about Lt. Wade in Spanish. He'll know what you're saying.
- "Tim swallows that suck sauce like warm beer." Ray is a sleazebag, but you had to feel sorry for him in that tunnel.
- "I seem to have a monkey on my back." Poor Linder.
Check out a preview for next week's episode.