
Evolve or die, right? It’s a pretty apt title for this episode. I guess Daniel sees the wisdom in keeping his mouth shut about Bobby Dean. Part of me gets it. What will Daniel accomplish by putting his attacker behind bars? Most of the people in town would probably hate him even more for it. Amantha thinks Daniel’s letting Bobby Dean off the hook, but he’s not. He clearly has something mind that he’s not willing to share and that’s his choice. I can respect it. He tells Amantha to keep playing the game if she wants, but he’s done.
But I think he’s more done than anyone really knows. I think he’s also done with his old life. He trashes the things that I assume meant something to him from his life before prison, which I think could be a step in a healthy direction. He wants to learn to drive – and ends up taking the car for a joy ride. He even tries to talk to Teddy, which turns out to be an exercise in futility. But I like that Daniel’s trying to do what’s right for him, trying to discover what might be good for him. Maybe he just wants to be normal. Normal is only overrated to the people who think or know they aren’t.
Hollis, Jon’s death row inmate, claims that’s all he ever wanted. He knew he was wired different, knew that DNA was his even though he insisted it wasn’t. When Jon asks him why he lied for so long, put all those people through so much Hollis isn’t even sorry. It was fun. It was fun to pretend to be normal.
Other developments
Since the start of season two I’ve been pondering on a few things, namely the Teddy/Daniel incident and Amantha’s predicament.

We still don’t know what the heck happened between Teddy and Daniel. I think it’s only a mater of time before the truth comes to light, but in the meantime I find the aftermath fascinating to watch. I think Teddy needs control of something in his life and that thing to going to be this rim business. But as much as he’s trying to make an opportunity for himself and his business, he’s met with resistance at every turn. He doesn’t have enough collateral to get a loan so he either needs to put his house up or get Janet to co-sign the loan. The problem is that Tawney’s on the deed to the house and she’s hesitant to leverage it without knowing the business plan. And Janet’s dealing with Daniel so she doesn’t really have time to listen to Teddy’s proposal. It’s hard to feel sorry for Teddy when he’s treating Tawney so poorly though. And he knows he’s doing it. She wants a date night and he’s extremely unenthusiastic. And his tone when Tawney asks about the business plan? Not nice at all. Since they don’t have the type of relationship where Teddy feels he can confide in her, he’s just going to keep holding it in until it blows up. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to that because I think the explosion will be spectacular.

Amantha’s life is still on hold. I like that she’s the only one who seems to want to confront Daniel about his choices because, quite frankly, someone needs to. While I can see why Daniel decided not to name Bobby Dean as his assailant, I don’t completely understand his reasoning. But it’s not up to me to understand Daniel. I don’t know whether or not someone needs to “pay” for what was done to Daniel, but Bobby Dean seems to have no concept of his accountability in this. Maybe this act of kindness will help Bobby Dean to see the error of his ways. I doubt it. Back back to Amantha. I love that Janet suggested it was time for Amantha to go back to Atlanta for a while. I think Amantha has every right to be incredibly invested in her brother’s life, but she’s over invested. She needs to respect Daniel’s wishes. She might not understand his reasons, but for the first time in his life Daniel is able to make his own choices. He had so many things stripped away from him in jail. Now that he’s out, it should be up to him to decide what he wants and what he doesn’t. I do think Amantha’s heart’s in the right place, but why does what she thinks matter more than what Daniel does? One thing I will continue to love about her is her “public” face when it comes to her brother. I like that it’s her and her family against the world. I love how she is with Daggett too. I don’t think he deserves forgiveness (not that he asked for it), but I can respect that he’s trying to do his job now. I can also appreciate that everyone in town knows Bobby Dean did it and probably no one wants him prosecuted, but Daggett still did his job. And I agree that Roland Foulkes will keep coming for Daniel. One way or another Foulkes will make Daniel help him get into office.
Some great lines:
Amantha: “Obesity is the only thing still selling in this economy.”
Sheriff Daggett: “That boy sees a pile of sh*t on the ground he’s gonna make every damn effort to step in it.”
Amantha: “It’s always later.”
Teddy: “Sometimes we confuse feeling better with being well.”
Rectify airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Sundance TV.
Related posts
Classics
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People, which US audiences still have not been able…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
Interview: Henri Esteve on Grown-ish Season 3
An interview with Henri Esteve, who plays Javi on Freeform’s Grown-ish. He talks about his season three experience.
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…