The Night Of “The Art of War” 

I don’t know what it says about me, but a tiny piece of me has been concerned that Naz has been lying to us. To imagine that Naz, who is just so affable, naive, and upstanding, could have been an unreliable narrator has been my biggest fear. It’s felt too easy for our accused murder to be so defendable. I doubt this was the writers’ intentions, but “twists” are par for the course in so many TV series, acclaimed or not, and it’s made me a paranoid observer.

But as we reach the half way point of The Night Of with “The Art of War,” Naz has stated in front of the court — destroying his chance of a plea — that he doesn’t remember what happened that night. He woke up in the kitchen, and Andrea was dead. Although it isn’t new information, it’s the first time it’s been openly stated. Not the mutterings of a man in police custody trying to make excuses; but the admittance of a man on the brink of what would be an incredible, life-saving deal if he were guilty. So I think it’s safe for us to let out the breath we’ve been holding (or I’ve be holding), put our guards down, and commit to Naz’s innocence.

Even though Naz is involved in all parts of the story, “The Art of War” continued creating two distinct environments for us to exist in: Inside Rikers and everything else. And the scenes in Rikers have been enthralling and enlightening. The senseless violence, the structure, the rules, there’s so much to know.

Strategy is what Naz needs, but understandably, he’s been fumbling around without any idea what he should be doing. After getting boiling baby oil thrown on him by an inmate who was always strategizing a way to get revenge on types like his niece’s killer (i.e. Naz), we got to see Naz grow a spine right before our eyes. He’s on Freddy’s team, and everyone else better watch out.

Speaking of Freddy, it’s a bit baffling that the reason he deemed Naz worthy of his protection was because Naz is a “college-boy.” Freddy values knowledge and education, and consequently finds Naz valuable. Naz being educated is working to his advantage, which is the first time it’s come in handy since he’s been in jail. It helps his narrative of course, college kid with no history of violence, but narrative has nothing to do with survival in jail. It’s a combination of random chance, opportunity, and strategy. And it’s working in Naz’s favor.

On the outside, Alison Crowe ditching Naz opens lots of doors for our story, not just for more screen time with Chandra, but also with the possibility of John being reinstated. And although it never exactly feels OK to describe something as “fun” in The Night Of, John taking a stab at investigating more of Andrea’s murder was pretty close to it. Maybe it’s not as fun as John wrapping his feet in Saran wrap while listening to jaunty tunes, but at least it’s an exciting and different take to our usual proceedings.

We’re getting more clues, and John said to Box the very thing we’ve all been thinking — the detectives don’t care about finding out what happened that night. But John cares. And that’s why even after he’s been fired, he’s still out on the street trying to work the case. It’s become clear that he’s not satisfied with the day-to-day of his job as a disrespected billboard lawyer. This case is bigger than a paycheck — it’s giving John an opportunity to fulfill something that he’s never been able to before.

But with the information we got in “The Art of War” we’re inching closer to the truth. It’s all very vague. But this isn’t a traditional whodunnit. We get pieces, and we’re not expected to cobble them together to figure out who the murderer is. This story is always going to be more about the process than anything else.

So for now we get a glimpse of an argument between Andrea’s stepfather and an unknown man in the cemetery after her funeral, an illegal packet of information showing how frequently Andrea was in and out of rehab. And let’s not forget that the back door of Andrea’s home opens and closes freely. There’s plenty of evidence building to put reasonable doubt into the minds of a jury, which is the only thing we or Naz really need to hope for.

The Night Of airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.