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The Night Of - new crime limited series - HBO Sundays - 90 on Metacritic

jond76

Banned
With all the focus and flashbacks to the incident, I can't help but feel shafted not knowing exactly what went down.

Also when Box was going over the video of
Ray.......
at 4am, was that outside her apartment? If so, why did they decide to stop there?

Good questions. They could have easily watched the video to see if he entered the apartment. Lots of weird decisions on the part of the writers.

Also, I remember the hubbub about the deer head on the wall... Haha. Guess it was focused on because it looked cool.

Not getting the actual story was a bummer.
 

jond76

Banned
yep. it was pretty obvious that as soon as he got the cat his feet got better. his rashes were due to stress and loneliness as evidenced by his massive outbreak when he's preparing for his closing remarks. he got nervous, stressed and boom.

As soon as he found out he was up to make the closing argument, his stress level skyrocketed and the condition flared up. Thought that was pretty clear.....

Waiiiiitt.. I get it now.... The main mystery wasn't the murder, it was the cause of Stone's eczema! In that respect we did get a complete story and conclusion!
 
In trial by jury, the vote has to be fully unanimous, right? Meaning even if it's 9 saying guilty and 1 saying innocent, the defendant walks?
 

akileese

Member
Good questions. They could have easily watched the video to see if he entered the apartment. Lots of weird decisions on the part of the writers.

Also, I remember the hubbub about the deer head on the wall... Haha. Guess it was focused on because it looked cool.

Not getting the actual story was a bummer.

I think they stopped it there intentionally to not give you any closure on how this all played out in the end. It felt very deliberate.
 
Riz Ahmed was just on Colbert and neither Colbert, Pedro Pascal, or myself knew Riz was British. Shocking to hear his real accent, especially since I only know him from The night of and Nightcrawer.

Check out Four Lions if you haven't.

As far as the ending of the show, it ended off about as well as it could. I wasn't expecting anything more out of it. Not sure if I'm stoked on it but it is what it is. The drug mule stuff is completely unbelievable to me though.
 
I enjoyed this series greatly. But watching Chandra's character devolve into nothingness made me reflect on all the other female characters.

Honestly, I think they all only served as foils to some male counterpart. Be it the cold big firm defense attorney/Chandra/prosecutor and their thematic relationships with Stone or Naz's mother and her disbelief in contrast to his father's never wavering faith.

Kind of disappointing.
 

Harp

Member
I found this show pretty boring and overly drawn out after episode 2. I watched every episode just to find out how they were going turn it into the typical hollywood "see our justice system does work" scenario. And it was even more disappointing then I thought it would be. The evidence against him is his blood at the scene, an eyewitness, that sees him leaving the seen of the crime and he was caught with murder weapon within the vicinity of the crime. And long behold he gets on the stand and say he doesnt even know if he did it or not. And still the maybe it was the black guy defense works!?!??!. Only in America!
 

KodaRuss

Member
I enjoyed this series greatly. But watching Chandra's character devolve into nothingness made me reflect on all the other female characters.

Honestly, I think they all only served as foils to some male counterpart. Be it the cold big firm defense attorney/Chandra/prosecutor and their thematic relationships with Stone or Naz's mother and her disbelief in contrast to his father's never wavering faith.

Kind of disappointing.

Ill agree with this as well. Chandra was just an idiot, Nas was pretty dumb as well but you can say he did what he had to do to survive for the most part (not sure why he kept tatting himself up in visible places for the jury/drugs).

Other than those two things really I loved the show. Great ending I believe, it would have been cool to see exactly what happened but I dont think it was necessary. Loved the ending overall, I thought Nas was going to get popped right away for the drugs that he bought.

Wife and I need another show to watch now and I think we are going to start Stranger Things on Netflix.
 

Tugatrix

Member
Dafuq just happen in court, this is nonsense a jury can't mutiny against the judge and out of thin air the DA just take the charges, even if Box dug out a suspect
 

Corpekata

Banned
Dafuq just happen in court, this is nonsense a jury can't mutiny against the judge and out of thin air the DA just take the charges, even if Box dug out a suspect

They can. Hung juries are a thing.

The only thing that stretched credibility in that regard is how fast they reached that decision.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Ill agree with this as well. Chandra was just an idiot, Nas was pretty dumb as well but you can say he did what he had to do to survive for the most part (not sure why he kept tatting himself up in visible places for the jury/drugs).

Other than those two things really I loved the show. Great ending I believe, it would have been cool to see exactly what happened but I dont think it was necessary. Loved the ending overall, I thought Nas was going to get popped right away for the drugs that he bought.

Wife and I need another show to watch now and I think we are going to start Stranger Things on Netflix.

one of the best shows ive seen in years. you are in for a treat.

i think this is a show about idiots. A lot of people are calling Chandra an idiot for what she did in the finale and comparing it to the pilot as if Naz didn't make a million stupid decisions in the first episode. Same goes for the cop who contaminates the scene of the crime by throwing up, Box for stealing evidence to try and get a conviction and the two idiot cops who couldnt put two and two together until the very end. And thats just the first episode.

Even Stone makes a bunch of dumb decisions like running after Duane Reed alone. We are so used to seeing smart people shows making all the right decisions that we forget human beings are fucking dumb in nature and fuck up all the time. it was kinda refreshing to see people being idiots.
 
Dafuq just happen in court, this is nonsense a jury can't mutiny against the judge and out of thin air the DA just take the charges, even if Box dug out a suspect

This is like the 30th post declaring something that happened in this show is impossible, when this stuff happens. Hung juries happen in around 12% of trials. People miss things and make dumb decisions. Evidence in a criminal trial is rarely perfect. If it was, they would plea bargain. Stone even says as much.
 
Fairly bland and unsatisfying ending, as I expected.

I would happily watch the pilot again, but the rest of the show dropped in quality quickly and never regained focus or quality.
 
Just finished watching this show...I don't know. I liked it, but I also didn't understand some things.
Like the character of Box: why doesn't it investigate in the beginning? I mean, he's not a lawyer that needs to cover up tracks or he lose a trial, so why he doesn't do his job?
And then there's the sudden kiss with Naz, where that comes from??
 

gun_haver

Member
Just finished watching this show...I don't know. I liked it, but I also didn't understand some things.
Like the character of Box: why doesn't it investigate in the beginning? I mean, he's not a lawyer that needs to cover up tracks or he lose a trial, so why he doesn't do his job?

At the start of the series, Box was pre-occupied with retiring and so he was uninterested in spending a long time investigating every possible angle to Andrea's murder when he had, due to the really fuckin strong evidence against him, a suspect who's only problem is that he didn't really seem like a murderer. There were some other inconsistencies, but with his retirement coming up, and a lifelong career focus of getting convictions for his cases, he went with the path of least resistance and focused on Naz entirely.

Then he actually retires, and he finds himself with a lot more time on his hands to think. Being as it was his last case, he dwells on the things that didn't feel right about it, and the fact Stone needled him about him knowing it wasn't the right man for the crime probably contributed. So he decided to look into it a bit more, maybe just for his peace of mind, exploring some of the other possibilities ie looking at Andrea's movements earlier in the night before she met Naz. This led him on to find what at the end of the series looks like a more likely culprit of Andrea's murder than Naz. His cop friends are bemused as to why he is still hanging around the office when he has officially retired, but he doesn't know what else to do, and this is bugging him now.

He decides to take this evidence to the prosecution, who reject it, and then after Naz is acquitted, he decides to help apprehend this person who is now looking likely to have killed Andrea. So he gets some small measure of personal redemption for himself, but in fact he did nothing at all when it was crucial and was almost responsible for a man nobody can prove is guilty spending the rest of his life in jail, and he likely has been before in his life, and doesn't even know it. He just trundles along, not solving half as much as he hopes he does, and ruining countless people's lives in the process, whether he has the right culprit or not, a 'subtle beast'.

That's basically Box's character arc. Pretty clear cut to me.
 
I loved it. My friends and family just thought it was "ok" but I thought it was great. I think two seasons would have allowed them to flush out the other suspects better and that could have provided some really suspenseful moments. But all in all, thumbs up.
 

orioto

Good Art™
Even if the show was never really as good as its first episode, i still really liked it. But i think it's not really about a coherent and realistic story here.. It's way more about the mood, the rhythm, the directing, the acting.. It was really classy television.

And i think the show has more soul and qualities in its globality than the sum of all its little problems. Its not a generic crime show, nor a perfect crime show, but it's a crime show with a nice soul to it.

Somewhat it's almost more a movie than a tv show.
 

BadAss2961

Member
So... This turned out to be a waste of time. Intrigue waned the further it got from the pilot. It reached a point episodes ago where the only interesting thing left was finding out (and showing) exactly what happened the night of, and we couldn't even get that. Also, each subplot aside from the eczema fell flat or had little to no payoff. Nas' dad and his partners... Chandra... The cat... "Omar," the prison life in general... Stepdad, Duane Reade, The Undertaker and their super shady motives and coincidences that went nowhere. "Bodie" being there for no reason. Box gets the best lead and likely finds the guy, but nothing is resolved by the credits.

You really have to nail everything to pull off that lack of closure, but this didn't come close. Blue balls, the limited series.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Good series, but I can't decide if it was too long or too short. The mystery investigation could have been stretched out more. But I thought Nas' transformation in jail and trail went by way too fast. Episode 7 and 8 stood out the most for drawing some things out while others just went into overdrive.

I'd still recommend it to friends. Standout performances all around. And those early episodes arw worth the price of admission.
 

taybul

Member
At the start of the series, Box was pre-occupied with retiring and so he was uninterested in spending a long time investigating every possible angle to Andrea's murder when he had, due to the really fuckin strong evidence against him, a suspect who's only problem is that he didn't really seem like a murderer. There were some other inconsistencies, but with his retirement coming up, and a lifelong career focus of getting convictions for his cases, he went with the path of least resistance and focused on Naz entirely.

Then he actually retires, and he finds himself with a lot more time on his hands to think. Being as it was his last case, he dwells on the things that didn't feel right about it, and the fact Stone needled him about him knowing it wasn't the right man for the crime probably contributed. So he decided to look into it a bit more, maybe just for his peace of mind, exploring some of the other possibilities ie looking at Andrea's movements earlier in the night before she met Naz. This led him on to find what at the end of the series looks like a more likely culprit of Andrea's murder than Naz. His cop friends are bemused as to why he is still hanging around the office when he has officially retired, but he doesn't know what else to do, and this is bugging him now.

He decides to take this evidence to the prosecution, who reject it, and then after Naz is acquitted, he decides to help apprehend this person who is now looking likely to have killed Andrea. So he gets some small measure of personal redemption for himself, but in fact he did nothing at all when it was crucial and was almost responsible for a man nobody can prove is guilty spending the rest of his life in jail, and he likely has been before in his life, and doesn't even know it. He just trundles along, not solving half as much as he hopes he does, and ruining countless people's lives in the process, whether he has the right culprit or not, a 'subtle beast'.

That's basically Box's character arc. Pretty clear cut to me.
I think that him raising that evidence actually helped Naz out in the end. Weiss seemed to struggle with the decision for a retrial but in the end must have made a moral judgment not to prosecute someone who claimed was not guilty and most likely wasn't despite the mountain of evidence that might suggest otherwise. Of course this would assume that what Box showed her proved his innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt but I think the writers made that intentionally vague. I had to give her some praise for that in the end.
 

n64coder

Member
I enjoyed the series. I agree with others about some of the plot holes and how it seems contrived that the financial adviser was the guy who did it at the end.

I liked how there was more people of color in this series than other typical shows. The only thing I did not like was that it seems 90% of the inmates were black. It would have been nice if the percentage was closer to 50% and that some better roles were given to them (e.g, judge or the detective, etc) so it doesn't give users the impression that blacks are the only criminals in society.

As always, I enjoyed MK Williams performance. I liked Chandra but wished she was portrayed a bit better.
 
Dafuq just happen in court, this is nonsense a jury can't mutiny against the judge and out of thin air the DA just take the charges, even if Box dug out a suspect

This thread is turning into the new Interstellar thread. People getting outraged at things they thing aren't true/possible, then going silent when proven wrong
 
A couple more finale/series reviews:
- Sam Adams for Slate on the finale
Like a lot of ambitious TV, The Night Of is superlatively crafted, ambitiously themed, and somewhat hollow. Turturro and Ahmed had the flashier roles, but Jeanne Berlin’s jaded prosecutor and especially Camp’s world-weary detective were complex creations in their own right; the patient insistence with which Box ensnared Naz was like something out of Crime and Punishment. The show’s focus on systemic rather than individual flaws was right-minded and occasionally powerful, as was the crushing conclusion of Naz’s story. But Naz’s Rikers transformation was rushed and unconvincing, and leaving Berlin and Camp on the verge of reteaming to catch the real killer felt like a weak-kneed sop. Sure, they arrested the wrong man and put him through hell this time, but second time’s the charm.
- Matt Zoller Seitz for NY Mag
HBO’s legal thriller The Night Of is one of the most frustrating dramas in recent television: imaginatively acted and directed but inconsistently written; thoughtful and surprising in many ways but clumsy and occasionally inept in others. Although many of my colleagues have praised it, and I reviewed it enthusiastically based on viewing the first three episodes, I found my enthusiasm ebbing a bit more with each week, not because of the slow pace or overall gloominess (both qualities seemed organic to the material) but because The Night Of did extraordinarily difficult things with confidence and grace while neglecting basics.

Also:
- The Atlantic: How The Night Of Explored the Bias of Sight
- Riz Ahmed interview with Colbert (youtube)
 

jmizzal

Member
That actually does happen and it is the DA's choice whether or not to refile.

Yea plus the DA knew the kid didnt do it at that point, she would have been a real jerk to try him again after all the other evidence that points to other people that was never investigated before charges were filed on Naz.

I enjoyed the finale more than people seem to have.

Is there really a possibility to make a season two with a new crime?

Thats what i'm hopping for new crime with the same characters (Cops, lawyers, DA office etc.)
 

Ryde3

Member
The finale had me on edge, but I def had to ignore some glaring plot holes. All in all it never matched the first episode but I'm glad I watched until the end.
 

KahooTs

Member
Finale was the best episode since the first. But I agree with the reviewer up there on the series, hollow is an apt description.
 
I feel for Nas, he was less lonely in prison than he is outside. The bridge scene at the end of him imagining Andrea was touching hit me in the feels.
 

Saty

Member
Well, he kept the cat - not all hope in humanity lost, right?!

Pretty bad finale for a series that just kept going downhill. Don't recall a stronger case for a 8-episode show going from hero to zero. Didn't the creator had like months on months creating the pilot and then he did the rest 7 episodes in a more typical schedule for a TV series? Goes to show the chops you need to put out consistently good content.

First of all, the trite conceit that is detective Box was on full force this episode. The newly retired detected having last minute doubts on what he did, unable to give it a rest (driven all the way home with that talk his friends have about the ideas of a cop show) and suddenly actually doing his job and finding raft of new leads and evidence out of 'nowhere'.

Hey, how about you do your job in the first place? Or how about you hand this new evidence to the defense instead of being wish-washy about it? Make up your mind who you want to be and own it. It was all half-steps by him.

At least with the D.A. they had those 2 pauses in her closing speech where clearly she was thinking whether to bring this all to the halt but she then made the choice to continue and try to send Nasir to jail for a crime that she knows close to certainly he didn't do. At least that was a statement. That was probably a better way to show the 'failings of the system' than they did up to now!

But then came the ending with jury being deadlocked and it gave a new way out for the character and her actions. It's like the writers for some reason didn't want to 'taint' the character and wanted to offer some saving grace for the DA woman when they already had their chance at that (and chose otherwise) with her insisting going against Nasir even after knowing the new evidence.

Thank God the DA doesn't need to live with her decision! Jury's deadlocked and she surrenders further prosecution, giving her a way to come down from her tree even though just minutes ago she sets up that ladder when she decides to continue her closing speech. It's like her swallowing her pride was too much.
How i think it should have went is either make her drop the case following the new lead or keep at it. Have the jury decide which ever way and make her live with her decision or sigh in relief when they Nasir isn't guilty. You definitely don't go to a deadlock and have the DA say 'well, never mind'.

--

The main problem of the show is that it had an agenda starting out. But in obsessively holding unto this agenda it lead to bad writing and plotting. The gaps in the evidence were ridiculous, salient points that demanded attention were left unmentioned, this bad tunnel-vision police work was exaggerated beyond belief. It screamed all the way as 'WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE A POINT HERE' instead of actually writing a more thought-out, complete and believable case of wrong-doing.

Where the fuck are the bloody clothes of the killer?! Must be one of the most stupid things i saw on TV. The fact this wasn't mentioned by the defense speaks for the failing of this show and it wasn't only omitted to 'say something about the judicial system'. And who the heck cares if you do having to say something about it when you are shouting crudely and incoherently. So keen they were tying to push a statement that 'The Night of' is more a testament of the 'tunnel vision' writers get pushing an agenda under the rapid schedule of TV work than any tunnel vision by law enforcement.

You have to do a major suspension of disbelief to accept this case getting this far along.

--

Nasir in prison and that location suffered from the same exaggerated depiction. You also couldn't tell or draw a line between stuff he's presumably doing to stay afloat or because he's liking and adopting it or if there was any line at all. At any rate, the greatest impression was it's pretty stupid of him to keep piling on tattoos - it's like every other scene i spotted something new. Rushed development in an exaggerated situation.

I also wouldn't read Freddy as only turning to be a friend helping out. Obviously, other than Nasir having to hold his own in smuggling drugs you gotta assume Freddy is going to use him outside and pressure him doing stuff for him and his crew, saying Naz owes him big time and so and so.

--
Ultimately, when you come out of a series feeling the show could use more episodes but at the same time was drawn-out, slow and not putting to good use of the runtime it had, it's most likely not something to recommend.
 

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
What was more upsetting than
not actually finding out who the killer was
is that Naz
continued using drugs and seems to be completely changed by the whole thing.
 

Marvel

could never
Just started it tonight, episode one was fantastic. I've set my Sky+ to download the whole series. Going to binge watch tomorrow.
 

iPaul93

Member
Just started it tonight, episode one was fantastic. I've set my Sky+ to download the whole series. Going to binge watch tomorrow.

You'll probably end up being disappointed.I had such high hopes for this serie after watching the first episode,but by the time I watched the last episode,I was pretty disappointed.Not that it's a bad or anything,but the show had so much potential.
 

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
LOL @ the guy earlier in the thread who said this is some of the best TV he's ever watched.

It was
until episode two aired.

Everyone in this thread should watch Rectify, it does everything this show was aiming to do. It's not a crime show, but there is a crime that takes place before the show happens which introduces you to the characters.
 
It definitely didn't build up to the heights I thought it would. But it still was really well shot and I do appreciate the lighter moments in such a depressing show. I feel alot was rushed in one season. Still a good HBO show in my book!
 

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
I thought it was pretty explicit that
the dude from Royal Pains was the real killer
? A few people have complained about not knowing, but there didn't seem to be much doubt there.

It could have been
him or the dad.
You're right that it's most likely the
accountant
, but we don't have definitive proof.
 

Haribi

Why isn't there a Star Wars RPG? And wouldn't James Bond make for a pretty good FPS?
Just finished the first episode. Holy Shit, what a ride. The first half was one of the most tense tv experiences I've ever had.

If the rest of the season is of the same quality, this might go down as one of my all time favorite shows
 

norm9

Member
Finished it after binging last four episodes on my day off. It was alright, I guess. Turned into Law &Order, but I like the characters.
 
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