Well, the girl did let the cat out into the back yard in episode 1 due to Naz’s allergies, and we don’t know if she locked the back door. I don’t know if we’ve learned yet if there was an easy way for someone from the street to go into the back yard. Presumably the investigators would have checked this out. However, the show seems to be demonstrating that there’s quite a bit of incompetency across the system, as well as individual motivations that appear to have nothing to do with getting to the truth.
I’ve been following this show. I like it a lot and wonder if it’s going to end up being more about the harsh realities of the urban criminal justice system or more of an engaging crime drama. Probably both.
I love the character development and agree about the noir quality of the filming. This series takes its time and I appreciate that. Box is fantastic as the lead detective on the case. He manages to convey empathy with all the players while still relentlessly obtaining everything he needs. “Subtle beast” is perfect. And he’s right – it’s a slam dunk case, and that’s what makes it so suspicious. If only the character of the defendant lined up with all that perfect evidence.
Some further thoughts and observations:
The pristine nature of the inhaler was interesting, along with a couple of other things. It might even have been exculpatory evidence. Nas was dressed in clean, non-bloody clothes (presumably his own) when he woke up at the kitchen table. He had no discernible blood on him at that point. If Nas had committed the murder, he would have been covered in blood, whether nude or in clothing. He might have showered – but if he did, then there would have been discernible blood in the shower drain. Something they would have checked for sure. All the cops should have been struck by the fact of Nas’s tidiness at the time of his arrest.
Box taking that asthma inhaler and giving it to Nas would never have happened in any real criminal investigation. It was evidence at the crime scene and pocketing it to return to the defendant would be a big no-no. But ok; I get poetic license.
I don’t understand why Nas grabbed the knife on his way out of Andrea’s place, but he could have gotten the blood on his hands that he also transferred to various areas of the cab from simply handling the knife.
The back door being left ajar from letting the cat out is, to me, meaningful.
And why was the refrigerator door hanging open when Nas “awoke” at the kitchen table?
Agree there is something creepy about the stepdad, and I am another who thinks there is more to that story. However, for my money at the moment, the favorite “other suspect” is the companion of the black fellow who identified Nas on the stoop in the first episode, before Nas and Andrea went into her brownstone. The companion – who was never referenced by the eye witness Box questioned and as a result, is not even on the cops’ radar – turned back and eyefucked Nas hard before going on his way with his buddy. What was that about? Jealousy? That look seemed awfully meaningful to me. Could be nothing, but…
Anyway, it’s an excellent series so far. Everyone is well cast and I’m enjoying the ride.
When Stone was talking to them about his fee, the father said they only had $8000 in the bank. Sounds pretty poor to me.
At the eczema support group, there was one guy that I thought for a second was Steve Buscemi, the guy talking about dating, and then in the credits was the name Michael Buscemi, turns out he’s Steve’s brother!
I’m really loving this series so far!
It wouldn’t be an HBO crime series without Michael Kenneth Williams showing up! Always enjoyable to see him on screen.
I found that interesting, in contrast to the scene from an earlier episode with the police clerk lady saying something like “We are prohibited by law from recommending an attorney for you.” Now we cut to evidence guy handing out business cards. That felt super ambulance chase-y to me.
Good catch; I didn’t even notice.
Didn’t we actually see her making those scratches during the sex scene?
There is no cure for eczema, sadly. Treatment is mostly a bunch of old wives’ tales. The doctor recommending crisco and saran wrap isn’t far off from the state of medical knowledge on the subject.
I’ve dealt with eczema for the past 20 years, but with proper management (keep moisturized, don’t use harsh soaps, don’t take hot showers, etc…) I haven’t had any visible irritation for well over a decade. I do miss hot showers, but oh well.
…and just for the record, that support group scene was like my own personal nightmare. Jesus Christ.
I have to say, that scene where the doctor told him to put Crisco on his feet and then wrap them in plastic wrap was one big WTF??? moment for me.
I’m just quoting the above because it is the break between eps two and three (which I haven’t seen yet).
I wonder if maybe we will never find out what really happened and that the show is about the justice system in general.
A guy who could be guilty as hell but garners alot of sympathy vs a guy who seems so not guilty but is a total victim of circumstances…depending on how you look at it.
I watched the 1st episode again last night, and it did show her briefly scratching his back. It cut away, so we didn’t get to see the full extent of the scratching, but it seems like that’s what caused it.
I watched with CC on, and when Naz asked her about her dad, she said he was nice, and Naz caught on that he was gone. This is something else I wasn’t quite sure of.
The dope smoking witness, Trevor, when being interrogated, said he was walking alone. No mention of his glaring companion. Trying to keep his buddy from being hauled in? Did they get separated after encountering Naz, and glaring companion went back - and this is what Freddy knows?
I need to watch the 1st episode again. My gf reminded me that there was also the weird limo driver who put out the cigarette on Naz’s cab. He was giving them the stare down. Could he have followed them the whole way?
That was a hearse, not a limo. He said something like “You should quit or you’ll end up being one of my passengers.” As in, smoking will kill you. Or possibly he was referring to the lit cigarette in a gas station aspect.
Thanks. Now I really need to watch again. I remember I was a bit inebriated after a bbq that first ep.
Plus they can only afford 1/3 of a cab.
When Turturo asked whether they owned their house I didn’t catch a response… just some kind of look between mom and dad. Not sure what that was about…maybe just an “Is he serious!?” look.
I am pretty solidly middle class, but I don’t have $8000 liquid in the bank right now. The taxi cab is also much more expensive than simply buying a car. There is all the extra equipment, inspections, maintenance on a vehicle that runs 24/7, permits, etc. I didn’t understand why the cab was there for Naz to use. If there were three operators of that one car, one of the other two guys should have been driving it. A cab sitting in a parking space is costing money, not earning it.
True, that is a common arrangement among NY cab drivers. Maybe one of the three was just part owner, but didn’t drive. But the taxi should never have been idle that long.
Three-way splitting a car for three eight-hour shifts every day makes sense, but surely they take some kind of weekend off, right? Even if it’s just one day a week.
I can understand working hard, but working eight hours a day every single day, forever, without ever taking a day off for anything, is beyond my comprehension.
My guess is that they take one day off per week for the Sabbath (or whatever equivalent if that’s not the right word) and this story happened on that one day.
I’m not familiar with the rules and regs of NY cab drivers. Can’t they just take the hack license or whatever it is and transfer it to a new car?
Or maybe just sign up for Uber. 
It does seem a lot of people want a piece of Naz. I do think Stone is out of his league and Alison, with the backing of a large firm with resources and talent, would do better at representing him than some precinct hustler with a heart of gold.
And why would Freddy want to help Naz out? Lots going on here.
Gotchas on the fact that you only need 1/3 of a car to drive it 8 hours a day.
re the $8000…it sounded to me like that was the extent of their capabilities not just liquid assets.
… and I’m going with the look between the two about their house being just an “is he serious” look. No one has come up with anything else.
I suspect that they would take a night off on, say, Monday. The day of the week with the least opportunity for business. These guys don’t seem super-religious, and as hard working immigrants, would not miss an opportunity to add to the family finances. Unlikely they would take a weekend night off.
I think you’re right. I was thrown by the scene of Naz praying in prison, but yeah, his family doesn’t seem particularly devout.
I re-watched the first episode, and yeah, I saw some things I missed the first time. For one, the mustache guy clerk at the police station desk released the evidence to the wrong person and so “broke the chain of custody”. That’s not good for the prosecution at all. Nas claimed that he was read his rights, but I didn’t see them do that. Maybe missed it, but that seems like a pretty important thing for the writers to have happen off camera. And it was Friday night. It was a little unbelievable that the dad didn’t notice the cab was gone until he went outside to get it to drive to the police station.
Once again a very good episode last night, and now we know how Stone gets back in.