# "Rectify" - new TV series on Sundance channel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417 "2013-04-22T17:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/1 "2013-04-22T17:41:14Z")
[Link to the NPR review](http://www.npr.org/2013/04/22/178417883/rectify-an-ex-con-navigates-the-world-outside). The reviewer liked it. Six episodes. Will be more if it’s a success. A couple of the _Breaking Bad_ producers are involved, and it was written by Ray McKinnon, Rev. Smith from _Deadwood_. It’s about a man convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend. DNA evidence leads to his release after many years in prison. We won’t know right away if he’s guilty or not. I’ve set the DVR. Anyone else planning to watch? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/2 "2013-04-22T18:23:13Z")
The wife saw this news - we’re certainly going to record it tonight. I’ll definitely give these producers a chance any time they create anything. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/3 "2013-04-22T18:51:04Z")
Thanks for the alert. Will definitely give it a shot. McKinnon and Walton Goggins have a film company and that means it has to be some good writing and production values. Hal Holbrook can’t hurt either. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/4 "2013-04-23T02:35:46Z")
Anybody else catching this? It’s a new series, “from the producers of Breaking Bad”, whatever that signifies. It’s about a guy that has been released (but not exonerated) from death row after being in prison for 19 years because of new DNA evidence. I like it, so far. It’s deep. It seems a little slow-moving this first episode, but I expect it to pick up as we become familiar. I especially like the character of Teddy, the main character’s brother-in-law. The guy that plays Teddy really plays him true to life, I think. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/5 "2013-04-23T02:43:19Z")
Or maybe I’m confused on how Teddy is related. Now I’m thinking he’s the son of the main character’s (Daniel’s) mom’s husband. Which would make him Daniel’s stepbrother. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/6 "2013-04-23T03:12:45Z")
I just watched the first hour – saving the second hour for later. I liked it too. I haven’t seen all that many movies featuring guys released from prison. _Shawshank_ and _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_ are the only ones I can think of right now. _Blues Brothers_ doesn’t count. 🙂 This one seems like a realistic example of the disorientation. Hell, I’m disoriented coming home after a short vacation – imagine what Daniel is feeling. I don’t like Teddy but I get where he’s coming from. It’s almost a prodigal son type thing – that’ll be interesting, to see how that plays out. Does the sister live at home then? And the younger brother – he must have been very young (or unborn) when Daniel went to prison. What happened to Daniel’s dad? Did he die while Daniel was in prison? And Trig shooting himself – guilt over the old murder or guilt that he knew some other truth and didn’t speak up? I liked seeing Johnny from _Deadwood_ again. Maybe some of that will be answered in the second hour. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/7 "2013-04-23T03:28:04Z")
I didn’t see the answers to those questions, either… it seems to be the kind of show that doesn’t readily supply answers but it’ll come out as it goes on. The ending of tonight’s episode was… interesting. It’s not that I _like_ Teddy, but I find him to be very typical of who he would be, if that makes sense, and acted quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/8 "2013-04-23T03:58:11Z")
I’m liking it enough to keep watching so far. Good production values, decent writing. The acting is pretty good too. The only thing I’m not really feeling is the Forest Gump-like nature of the lead. I feel he will come around but right now he seems autistic. I know he has been locked away for a long time but he had access to reading materials. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/9 "2013-04-23T04:01:18Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > I’m liking it enough to keep watching so far. Good production values, decent writing. > > The acting is pretty good too. The only thing I’m not really feeling is the Forest Gump-like nature of the lead. I feel he will come around but right now he seems autistic. I know he has been locked away for a long time but he had access to reading materials. Ha, yeah, autistic is a good descriptor of him right now. He seems fairly normal in his flashbacks to prison when he’s talking to his fellow prisoners. Now it’s like he’s talking in riddles or something. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/10 "2013-04-23T04:53:09Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I didn’t see the answers to those questions, either… it seems to be the kind of show that doesn’t readily supply answers but it’ll come out as it goes on. The ending of tonight’s episode was… interesting. It’s not that I _like_ Teddy, but I find him to be very typical of who he would be, if that makes sense, and acted quite well. I get’cha, and after watching the second hour, I agree. **White SIFL** , Daniel’s deliberate way of speaking, choosing his words, reminded me of Forrest Gump too. Then I started to wonder if it was a reflection of the books he’d been reading. And then I wondered if it’s because he’s simply thinking before he speaks. Whatever it is, he’s a joy to listen to. Unless he’s talking about rape, of course. But even that was beautifully done. Looking forward to the next installment. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/11 "2013-04-23T05:05:30Z")
I just read in Alan Sepinwall’s column that _Rectify_ will also be on AMC, after _Mad Men_, starting on April 28. That might enlarge the audience a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/12 "2013-04-23T06:15:22Z")
AuntiePam, I agree the rape scene revelation was well done. It offered a bit of a peek under the hood. Time will tell, but it seemed to me it was a bit of a warning that he wasn’t as weak as he appeared. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/13 "2013-04-23T11:14:19Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/14 "2013-04-24T13:18:52Z")
Man, this is a tough show to watch. It’s slow, the production values are good - but skimping on things like a soundtrack (seems actually more of a deliberate choice than a budgetary one) keep the distractions down to an unnerving degree. My wife fell asleep on the couch, and after it was over and she woke, she asked, “Is he guilty?” I responded, “We don’t know yet, but everyone else in the town certainly is, of some crime or another.” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/15 "2013-04-24T16:14:20Z")
I like the soundtrack. Jimmie Dale Gilmore, for pete’s sake! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/16 "2013-04-30T15:43:09Z")
We watched the first episode last night and set the DVR to record the next two. It was a bit slow, but character development is important. It would seem that there may be several interesting story arcs, so we’ll stay with it to see if things pick up a bit. The lead character needs to display a bit more non-zombie personality, however. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/17 "2013-04-30T16:30:29Z")
Damn - was this last night? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/18 "2013-04-30T17:23:08Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Damn - was this last night? Yes. For a slow-moving show, the hour (or 46 minutes) went by awfully fast. Here’s what you missed: [spoiler]Daniel spent most of the day in his room, jumping on his mattress, tearing a pillow apart, flopping on a beanbag chair. Then he went to the attic and found some of his teenage stuff, including a mix tape Hannah gave him, and his old videogame system. Later, he left the house with his younger brother (Jared?) and rode his old bike while Jared and his friends skate-boarded. He was smiling, apparently having a good time. Jared is getting text messages threatening his sister Amantha. Amantha and her lawyer boyfriend went to the scene of the crime, where Amantha told him about how the place had become a local teenage haunt, where kids went to scare each other. The body of the guy who killed himself must be nearby but they didn’t find it. The lawyer visited Daniel’s attorney (Hal Holbrook) who revealed that the case files were destroyed. Daniel’s sister-in-law visited (she brought monkey bread!) and asked to talk to Daniel but Amantha told her Daniel was resting.[/spoiler] So some progress, but not a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/19 "2013-05-01T15:37:11Z")
Episode two was again frustrating regarding the main character. The guy is creepy, and a shot of his hairy flanks and his masturbatory scene ain’t sweetening the deal. He comes across as a bit of a sociopath. Also, I’m having problems with the relationships in this thing. Why is his mother insisting that the other dude not call her “mom”? He’s a stepson, right? Or is he Daniel’s half-brother? Either way, calling her “mom” shouldn’t be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417/20 "2013-05-01T15:57:09Z")
I think mom feels some guilt. In the first episode, it’s implied by the sister that mom didn’t visit Daniel in prison. Mom’s hug and the tears surprised the sister, and it looked to me like the sister saw it as fake, or maybe too little, to late. It’s likely that mom believed Daniel was guilty, or at least that she didn’t stand by him and support him. In the third episode, we learn that Daniel’s father had a heart attack and died while Daniel was on Death Row. Remarrying and making a new family would add to mom’s guilt. Her life went on as usual while her son faced death. I don’t see Daniel as a sociopath. He’s done nothing to indicate this. I can’t even say he’s behaving oddly, because I don’t know how one is supposed to behave after spending more than half your life – the most formative years of your life – on Death Row. And then to be released, when you expected to die. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rectify-new-tv-series-on-sundance-channel/656417.md?page=2)