The Night Of returns to HBO tonight at 9 p.m. EDT, and will offer up an episode that is bound to be a lot less predictable than last week’s show ‘Subtle Beast.’ In tonight’s Episode 3 of The Night Of, titled ‘A Dark Crate,’ we’re likely to see more of Naz’s harrowing prison experience. Last week’s teaser certainly set the tone for some dramatic developments, including Naz’s newfound friendship with the other Muslim men in the prison. Yes, Naz is a Muslim so it makes sense he’d associate with his fellow Muslims, but Jack asked him specifically about his politics in the premiere episode. It matters. So far, Naz has made a number of innocent decisions with grievous repercussions and his renewed interest in his faith might be another one of them.
Last week’s episode of The Night Of explored the ominous. Naz was denied bail and sent to Riker’s Island to await trial with the rest of NYC’s captured criminals. The dank, overbearing and violent nature of inner-city prison life was on full display, complete with everything from a jailhouse beating to moody establishing shots of rippling puddles. Though admittedly a much slower episode than the premiere I felt myself still finding weight in small details. A long shot of the worn prison gate grinding to a close stuck with me as a reminder that as intense and insane as Naz’s story seems he really is just one of thousands of Americans this happens to every day. He may seem special to us, but to the system (and his lawyer) he’s just another case in a fat stack of cases.
This week’s airing of The Night Of should prove to be a lot less procedural. The teaser for episode 3 showed us that the case is beginning to get attention from the world at large. Naz is seen on the cover of the NY Post with the headline “Brownstone Butcher.” And the reputation for his crime is certainly making the rounds in the prison itself, where a guard invites Naz to talk to a mysterious inmate who seems to be running the show on the inside. The IMDb page teases the introduction of an inmate known as Freddy, It’s clear things are about to get high profile for Naz, but advancing the story could mean a shift in the way episodes have been structured so far.
Episode 3 of The Night Of could mark a transition to a more traditional approach to the narrative. The first two episodes were very much in the moment. We went through Naz’s journey hour-by-hour it seemed, and everything stayed focused in the present. The Night Of clearly strives for an authentic feel; however, this is at odds with how the criminal justice system operates. Naz is likely to wait on trial for weeks or months, so it’s doubtful the show will continue with such moment-to-moment pacing.
It is in the Sunday night at 9 p.m. EDT airtime, which is a sacrosanct locale on the HBO schedule. There aren’t going to be dozens of episodes in a row, the show is slated to run until Aug. 28. With only six episodes left I’d be surprised if The Night Of didn’t fast track the exposition a bit to get us in the courtroom, where we will undoubtedly see John Turturro shine.
