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

Sanjuro

Member
Why would it be his fault if the detective gave it to him?


Couple of things:

-I dislike how the lawyer is easily some guardian angel, who also seems to be doing this out of some kind of kindness or love for the job. I also already dislike his "I'm a snappy New Yorker lawyer, who is also charming" trope.

-Hated how the detective new who the religious figure was, and was able to describe him perfectly. Just totally unbelievable and just a stupid inclusion in my opinion. I just dont buy something like that at all and it just made me roll my eyes.

-Are the parents immigrants? I wish theyd talk in their native tongue when they talk to each other. Making them speak English to each other feels like something for the audience. Not to say that they wouldnt speak English, but every immigrant parents I know always speak their native language to each other, including mine. Just a personal annoyance


Anyways, I like a slow build, and Im hoping we get some solid scenes with Naz in prison.


Oh btw, shouldn't naz have a shitload of blood on him? He barely had any considering the crime scene.

I'm not sure how you can describe John Turturro's character as "charming". He doesn't seem like a snappy New York lawyer at all. Has more in common with Breaking Bad's Saul.
 

Sanjuro

Member
Gonna watch the second episode tonight, I'm quite excited! Hope the quality stays top notch.

It's a tad of a let down due to the lengthy wait between episodes. This episode is still great, but a bit slow in the process. This show feels like a virtual ride through the American judicial process.
 
Awesome show, I saw the episode last night and have it on again now to rewatch.

Its weird, she says she wants to go to the beach, yet she lives in an apartment in NYC so should know there isnt a beach nearby, shouldn't she?

She then just says the river will be fine, but cant be more specific than uptown.

Its kind of like she was from out of town, wasnt really her apartment.

She said "he was ok" about her dad. Naz assumes this means that her dad has died, but she doesnt say anything more about it. It could be she has already decided to kill herself, hence is talking in the past tense.

She then says "do you ever wish you could transport yourself, like, something bad happens here and youre over there?"

She then says she cant be alone tonight.

Like she needed to have someone at her place.

She gives him heaps of drugs - this was to deliberately get him to fall asleep.

When they play the knife game, she enjoys being stabbed.

My theory is that she has asked someone to kill her, by being stabbed. To get someone to do this, she frames Naz. The way they repeatedly show the deer too, its like they were trying to say someone was watching them.

The person who killed her was the motorbike rider. The rider was watching Naz to see his reaction to the whole thing.

i picked up on the deer head too. noticed it the first episode and was very surprised with the focus on it in the second episode. i'm wondering if perhaps there's a camera behind one of the eyes.

i don't think the girl set naz up to be blamed for her death/murder though. she gave him a bunch of drugs because she's a party girl and that's what she does.
 
- Daily Beast interview: ‘The Night Of’: Bill Camp on Race, Injustice and ‘Subtle Beast’ Detective Box
When you read that description, “a subtle beast,” how did that inform the way you approached the character?

They are juxtaposing terms, those two words. It was something that was always in my mind in terms of his interactions with other people. There’s a kind of unanswerable diligence in terms of his methods and the way that he’s tenacious, but in a quiet way. Or an almost invisible way of going about his job and finding out the information he needs to know. And how he’s going to get that information. A “beast” is not necessarily someone who gets along with other beasts, or other people. There’s a certain kind of solitariness to him that is also present in that description.

In the second episode, we see Box start to manipulate Naz, allowing him to see his parents, but only so he can listen in on their conversation. Do you think he considers himself a “nice man,” as Naz’s mother describes him?

I kind of don’t really think that concerns him at all. I don’t even know if that gets on his radar or if he really cares. I don’t think he spends a lot of time thinking about whether he’s a nice guy or a good guy. He’s pretty single-minded in terms of his role, which is his job. There are no other ulterior motives to his job other than finding out who’s responsible for somebody’s else’s death. Deep down, I think Dennis Box is a good guy. I think that’s sort of his compass. But he’s been doing this job for so long. If somebody’s been doing a job like that, surrounded by death, if the subject of one’s vocation is death and murder, I think that in order to fulfill the job requirement as a homicide detective, the idea of whether he’s a people pleaser doesn’t even occur to him anymore. It may be a tool, something in which he knows how to be charming. He knows how to be a nice guy.
More via the link.

- Washington Post: Why a skin condition is a subplot of HBO’s new drama
 

GorillaJu

Member
Why would it be his fault if the detective gave it to him?


Couple of things:

-I dislike how the lawyer is easily some guardian angel, who also seems to be doing this out of some kind of kindness or love for the job. I also already dislike his "I'm a snappy New Yorker lawyer, who is also charming" trope.

-Hated how the detective new who the religious figure was, and was able to describe him perfectly. Just totally unbelievable and just a stupid inclusion in my opinion. I just dont buy something like that at all and it just made me roll my eyes.

-Are the parents immigrants? I wish theyd talk in their native tongue when they talk to each other. Making them speak English to each other feels like something for the audience. Not to say that they wouldnt speak English, but every immigrant parents I know always speak their native language to each other, including mine. Just a personal annoyance


Anyways, I like a slow build, and Im hoping we get some solid scenes with Naz in prison.


Oh btw, shouldn't naz have a shitload of blood on him? He barely had any considering the crime scene.

His lawyer isn't a guardian angel character at all, an important part of the storyline is that it's a big case for him which he normally wouldn't be able to take and that he is going to use it to advance his career. Even the judge doing arraignments congratulates him on getting a murder case. He's not doing it out of the kindness of his heart, he's doing it because he sees potential for career development

I agree that he should have a lot more blood on him if he had stabbed her, but he could have killed her while they were naked, taken a shower, then managed to get small traces of blood on himself when he grabbed the knife off the table and put his clothes back on.
 

pj

Banned
So is this show going to be less about the mystery of her death than the minutia of the criminal justice process?

Ep 2 was sloooooooooooooooooow

I really hope there isn't a ton of jail stuff. I've seen the "good/soft kid in jail" thing too many times already.
 
So is this show going to be less about the mystery of her death than the minutia of the criminal justice process?

Ep 2 was sloooooooooooooooooow

I really hope there isn't a ton of jail stuff. I've seen the "good/soft kid in jail" thing too many times already.

i get the feeling that someone is going to look over the evidence and find something that implies someone else was in the house/responsible for the murder. right now it's not clear if it's going to be the lawyer or the detective though. from the way things are looking i'm leaning towards it being the detective.
 
i get the feeling that someone is going to look over the evidence and find something that implies someone else was in the house/responsible for the murder. right now it's not clear if it's going to be the lawyer or the detective though. from the way things are looking i'm leaning towards it being the detective.

I think it will be the detective as well. I feel like a major turning point will have something to do with the knife and how it always comes back to "possibly serrated" and the fact that it was in the same spot from the previous evening.

I REALLY want to know how
Michael K. Williams
fits into all of this. spoilered it because it was only in previews

I'm worried for Nas going forward, considering he's an Arab in Riker's Island and also because he has a sexual assault charge attached to him right now :(
 
Ah I missed the character's intentions completely then. But I figured he was being nice based on the fact that he doesnt take full payment from that one client. Cant it be both that he believes the kid is innocent and that he's happy to have a big case?


Also, did anyone find the parents reaction...underwhelming? I was expecting more bawling and the mom blaming the son for going out lol
 

iNvid02

Member
it builds up the tension so easily, one shot just lingered on naz's face when box was describing how relieving it feels to unburden oneself with the truth and the suspension killed me, thought naz was going to blurt out something stupid he'd come to regret
 
Ah I missed the character's intentions completely then. But I figured he was being nice based on the fact that he doesnt take full payment from that one client. Cant it be both that he believes the kid is innocent and that he's happy to have a big case?


Also, did anyone find the parents reaction...underwhelming? I was expecting more bawling and the mom blaming the son for going out lol

I think the lawyer is following his gut feeling, which is that everyone is guilty based upon all of his previous clientele. I'm assuming it'll be a major turning point when he begins to believe him. The only one I think who somewhat believes him is the detective.

the parent's reactions might be the worst part, imo. Shouldn't they show some kind of emotion? Some tears at least :|
 
Dammit, the show was going so well until that House of Cards author dude showed up. This guy single handedly ruined House of Cards for me.
 
I think it will be the detective as well. I feel like a major turning point will have something to do with the knife and how it always comes back to "possibly serrated" and the fact that it was in the same spot from the previous evening.

I REALLY want to know how
Michael K. Williams
fits into all of this. spoilered it because it was only in previews

I'm worried for Nas going forward, considering he's an Arab in Riker's Island and also because he has a sexual assault charge attached to him right now :(

i will say i'll be disappointed if the show doesn't dig into the mystery aspect of what happened. it would be a huge misstep in my mind with how deliberate the first episode was in regards to casting suspicion on various people who crossed naz and the girl's path leading up to her death.

edit: i'll also add that i found it strange that the two main people they cast suspicion on (hearse driver and guy on street in front of the girl's house) were black. that seemed a little off to me. however, considering the show is exploring racial bias perhaps that was intentional.
 

Jeels

Member
When he handed it to him I was screaming in my head "NO! You idiot"

I wonder why the detective is so keen on doing that. Is it just to try and gain Nazs trust or is the inhaler being on the bed next to her as evidence actually a good thing for Naz that he didn't want on the crime scene?
 

uncblue

Member
I wonder why the detective is so keen on doing that. Is it just to try and gain Nazs trust or is the inhaler being on the bed next to her as evidence actually a good thing for Naz that he didn't want on the crime scene?

I could see it argued for both sides. Defense will say it proves consensual sex. Prosecution could counter with fleeing the scene theme and was left behind due to hurry. But the detective screwed up big time.
 

jmood88

Member
I think the lawyer is following his gut feeling, which is that everyone is guilty based upon all of his previous clientele. I'm assuming it'll be a major turning point when he begins to believe him. The only one I think who somewhat believes him is the detective.

the parent's reactions might be the worst part, imo. Shouldn't they show some kind of emotion? Some tears at least :|
People react to trauma in different ways. The fact that they were willing to sit in the station for hours with no indication that anything would change should show how much they care without tears having to be present.
 

Sanjuro

Member
People react to trauma in different ways. The fact that they were willing to sit in the station for hours with no indication that anything would change should show how much they care without tears having to be present.

I don't know if it's just media stereotyping at this point. Generally we see middle eastern cultures to behave stoically. Guessing cultural or lost in translation issues in comparison.

My experience IRL are with younger individuals raised stateside, which makes Nas pretty relatable.
 

jmood88

Member
I don't know if it's just media stereotyping at this point. Generally we see middle eastern cultures to behave stoically. Guessing cultural or lost in translation issues in comparison.

My experience IRL are with younger individuals raised stateside, which makes Nas pretty relatable.
They didn't look stoic at all to me, though. They showed plenty of emotion in the first and second episodes, they just didn't break down crying.
 

Sanjuro

Member
They didn't look stoic at all to me, though. They showed plenty of emotion in the first and second episodes, they just didn't break down crying.

They show plenty of emotion. It's with much restraint to this point towards every character, including Nas.
 

Corpekata

Banned
Don't know why anyone would take issue with him knowing the religious figure. We've already had two scenes where the detective bristles at people being racist toward people like Nas (the witness that saw Nas with the girl, and the step-father) so it's clear the character has some sort of history with that.
 

smisk

Member
This show is really great, and gives a way more in depth view of the legal system than I've seen before. Really tense and terrifying, how you just get trapped in it.
It's killing me having to wait a week between episodes.
 

holygeesus

Banned
Wouldn't the scene have already been photographed before he removed the inhaler anyway? I wonder if there was any relevance to it being completely free of blood, yet in the middle of a bedroom that had blood literally dripping from the walls.
 
Wouldn't the scene have already been photographed before he removed the inhaler anyway? I wonder if there was any relevance to it being completely free of blood, yet in the middle of a bedroom that had blood literally dripping from the walls.

actually, i'm pretty sure there was a shot of the bed in last night's episode that showed the inhaler on it with one of the number placards they use to indicate evidence in crime scene photographs right next to the inhaler.
 
I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man
 

smokeymicpot

Beat EviLore at pool.
actually, i'm pretty sure there was a shot of the bed in last night's episode that showed the inhaler on it with one of the number placards they use to indicate evidence in crime scene photographs right next to the inhaler.

Yes there was. It showed it for a good couple of seconds as well. The detective knowing about all the religious is not that big of the deal.

Really digging this show though and like how every detail is coming into play.

I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man

Honestly heat of the moment. The dude just woke up in a kitchen after passing out. If he called the police same thing would have happened. Dude just wanted to go out with the basketball team. Wrong place wrong time.
 
I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man

The bolded is a rookie mistake often made by those who have never been processed before and burns the accused ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Especially if you are innocent, "explaining everything to the police" seems like the most reasonable thing to do when it is, in fact, one of the most foolish. This is not to say that he should have fled or shouldn't have called the police. He obviously should have stayed put and called the police. Fleeing is likely his biggest mistake. The point, of course, is that fear caused a young and naïve man to act irrationally.
 
The bolded is a rookie mistake often made by those who have never been processed before and burns the accused ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Especially if you are innocent, "explaining everything to the police" seems like the most reasonable thing to do when it is, in fact, one of the most foolish. This is not to say that he should have fled or shouldn't have called the police. He obviously should have stayed put and called the police. Fleeing is likely his biggest mistake. The point, of course, is that fear caused a young and naïve man to act irrationally.
this. you never speak to the police.
 

Prompto

Banned
Another great episode but two minor nitpicks:

1. I don't get why they keep highlighting that the lawyer has eczema on his foot.

2. That guy from House of Cards sucked in this. I mean I guess his character didn't know the victim all that well or wasn't close to her but instead of portraying indifference, it just came off as bad acting.
 
Wow, was not expecting the "Rocky"-esque buildup between Box and the Jack. A weird underdog story lol.

Meanwhile, Naz is just at the mercy of their game.

Loved episode 2.

I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man
What? The dude just woke up and saw a dead girl (who he just so happened to have sex with hours earlier). He panicked. It was a dumb move, sure, but obviously he was not in the right mindset.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
I love how antagonistic the whole defense attorney role is in the precinct and how its portrayed here.

Also my pulse went up when Naz was being transported. Into the fucking fire.
 
I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man

Never ever explain a thing to the police without a lawyer present.

As soon as Naz saw the body, he should have called a lawyer and stayed put. And not touched a thing.

Anything you say can be used against you, and there are plenty of people who get in a mess due to what they initially say to a cop before speaking to a lawyer.
 
I'm in the middle of the first episode and it's annoying as hell


how does Naz not fucking explain everything to the police or immediately call the police. His DNA is literally all over the crime scene. Like there is no way out of that one.

Trying not to get frustrated by this characters idiocy but what the hell man

He was in shock and had no idea what to do. He would look guilty either way and he knew all the evidence already clearly pointed to him.

It was dumb that he bailed without thinking but it's not hard to believe that someone would have the same reaction he had.

And never talk to the police. Especially in this case. Probably would've fucked him up even more.
 
Yeaaaa damn just finished the second episode.


This show is intriguing. I'm in. I'm getting The Wire-esque vibes from the way the story is told from each perspective.



And yea I guess it makes sense for him to be in that kind of shock. still the worst possible way to handle that.


Is it really the best option to not tell the truth in that situation ???
 
Is it really the best option to not tell the truth in that situation ???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

I am not American and I live in Australia, but I learnt a lot about what to do when you are accused of something - shut up and dont say a single thing, except to your Lawyer!

Also, notice how the lawyer doesn't even want to listen to Naz's truth, because he isnt allowed to lie to the judge by specifically stating that the defendant did not do something the lawyer knows the defendant did do. So the less your defense lawyer knows the better too, if you did do it and want to tell him.
 

jmood88

Member
Yes there was. It showed it for a good couple of seconds as well. The detective knowing about all the religious is not that big of the deal.

Really digging this show though and like how every detail is coming into play.



Honestly heat of the moment. The dude just woke up in a kitchen after passing out. If he called the police same thing would have happened. Dude just wanted to go out with the basketball team. Wrong place wrong time.
Plus, he was still high, which is the whole reason he was detained to begin with. People keep forgetting that he wasn't in his right state of mind both from shock and all the drugs he took.

The bolded is a rookie mistake often made by those who have never been processed before and burns the accused ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Especially if you are innocent, "explaining everything to the police" seems like the most reasonable thing to do when it is, in fact, one of the most foolish. This is not to say that he should have fled or shouldn't have called the police. He obviously should have stayed put and called the police. Fleeing is likely his biggest mistake. The point, of course, is that fear caused a young and naïve man to act irrationally.
Yup. I had a law professor who was a former police officer and he would tell us at least once every class to never say anything to the police if we were ever stopped or arrested.
 

Sanjuro

Member
Never ever explain a thing to the police without a lawyer present.

As soon as Naz saw the body, he should have called a lawyer and stayed put. And not touched a thing.

Anything you say can be used against you, and there are plenty of people who get in a mess due to what they initially say to a cop before speaking to a lawyer.

This is kind of amazing. Not picking on the posters, but Naz is completely ignorant to the process along with the I'd imagine a large portion of the viewers screaming at him to tell the truth at the television screen.

This program has a great balance of Naz's variety of ignorance seeping to the audience.
 

Sloane

Banned
So is this show going to be less about the mystery of her death than the minutia of the criminal justice process?

Ep 2 was sloooooooooooooooooow

I really hope there isn't a ton of jail stuff. I've seen the "good/soft kid in jail" thing too many times already.
Exactly the opposite for me. Time flew by and the criminal justice process stuff seems much more interesting than the murder mystery, there are tons of other shows for that. Fantastic second episode.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
So is this show going to be less about the mystery of her death than the minutia of the criminal justice process?

Ep 2 was sloooooooooooooooooow

I really hope there isn't a ton of jail stuff. I've seen the "good/soft kid in jail" thing too many times already.

Im assuming this is how its truly played out. Definitely protracted over procedurals which are basically the fast food equivalent of what we're getting here. For a one off series, its good to see the minutia
 
This is kind of amazing. Not picking on the posters, but Naz is completely ignorant to the process along with the I'd imagine a large portion of the viewers screaming at him to tell the truth at the television screen.

This program has a great balance of Naz's variety of ignorance seeping to the audience.

yeah, it would be hard for someone who had never been told that but was completely innocent.

Even the cops say things like - "that would make you look guilty if you dont get out of the car" or if you dont give a sample.

There is another thing in the video I posted about how a cop will never read you your rights until they have too, as they are allowed to ask you anything before they read you your rights whereas if they have read you your rights and you refuse to talk, they cant keep talking to you. Like how Box said he was going to play within the rules when the lawyer was outside drinking coffey.
 

GRIP

Member
Yeaaaa damn just finished the second episode.


This show is intriguing. I'm in. I'm getting The Wire-esque vibes from the way the story is told from each perspective.



And yea I guess it makes sense for him to be in that kind of shock. still the worst possible way to handle that.


Is it really the best option to not tell the truth in that situation ???

His lawyer sums it up perfectly in the episode. The truth doesn't help Nas. Every shred of evidence points directly at him, and his only defense for why he couldn't have killed her is, "I fell asleep". He was the only one seen with the girl that night, he admitted to being in her apartment and having sex with her, and he was even arrested with what is believed to be the murder weapon in his pocket. The truth makes him look guilty as hell.
 
Yeaaaa damn just finished the second episode.


This show is intriguing. I'm in. I'm getting The Wire-esque vibes from the way the story is told from each perspective.



And yea I guess it makes sense for him to be in that kind of shock. still the worst possible way to handle that.


Is it really the best option to not tell the truth in that situation ???

Aside from what others have said, I'm not sure why you expect characters in fiction to act in a completely rational manner. That's often what makes for interesting stories, and as others have pointed out, this is probably how many people would react during the shock of this situation.
 
People vs OJ also really hit this home, but after a certain point, the truth doesn't matter--it's the narrative that you sell to the judge/jury that matters. The goal, ultimately, isn't to simply tell the truth. It's to keep Naz out of jail. If telling the truth (with no evidence to prove the truth) gets in the way of that, then don't do it.
 

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
I really like how Box is written so far, you're not quite sure if he's truly out to find the truth, or if he was just playing Naz the entire time.

I believe he was playing him, as the "really honest and friendly" detective rarely exists in the real world, but they give you just enough to question his motives.
 
I really like how Box is written so far, you're not quite sure if he's truly out to find the truth, or if he was just playing Naz the entire time.

I believe he was playing him, as the "really honest and friendly" detective rarely exists in the real world, but they give you just enough to question his motives.

It's funny because before this episode I thought he was being such a nice dude.

He's been playing him ever since they first met.
 

Kwhit10

Member
I hope the inhaler is a big part of the evidence. Seeing it focused on and not having a spec of blood on it at all really bothers me if it was only used so Box could try and get something out of Naz.
 
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