Sunday Morning Sidewalk #68

Spoilers

A Knight of the Seven Nine Kingdoms

I finished the HBO Max show A Knight of the Seven Kingdom, which ended with Egg telling Duncan that there are actually nine kingdoms and not seven. It was a funny little bit at the end of the series.

This final episode was mostly wrap up after last week’s major Trial of Seven. You could how many people were blaming Ser Duncan for the death of Prince Baelor, which is completely unfair considering the circumstances.

Prince Maekar Targaryen was very resentful toward Duncan, but he did request that Duncan take Egg on as a squire while Duncan’s own training continued. Duncan refused stating that he was done with princes.

However, Duncan changed his mind under the condition that they were free to roam. Maekar rejected this idea as he said Egg was a prince and would not live a life of poverty.

At the very end of the show, Egg approached Duncan telling him that his father had changed his mind and accepted the condition.

I knew immediately that Egg was lying. I did not expect to have that confirmed in a mid credit scene where Maekar was searching for Egg. I feel for Duncan and worry that this is going to lead to another problem for him down the road.

However, with this series concluding, perhaps we will not see either of these characters again. As someone who never watched Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was a lot of fun and an enjoyable story. Episodes were short and easy to digest and I did not feel as if I needed the Game of Thrones to enjoy this show (although I might have missed some Easter eggs I wouldn’t have if I had more knowledge).

Next week, the Sunday Morning Sidewalk continues starting with the four episode documentary on Netflix based on the life of Hulk Hogan, entitled Hulk Hogan: Real American.

Widow’s Bay S1 E1

Spoilers

“Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”

I was watching the YouTube show Fatman Beyond with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin the other day when Marc talked about a new Apple TV + show that he started called Widow’s Bay. He spoke highly of the show and said how he planned on continuing to watch it. It piqued my curiosity so i watched episode one tonight.

There are four total episodes released at this point, three in the same night. I have to say that this first episode does an amazing job of grabbing your attention and I find myself fully into the show, excited about watching the next episode.

The premise of the show is there is a small time mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is trying to increase the tourism to the island where they live, but he is having trouble from the locals who are about as superstitious as you will find. Sadly, the superstitions are having the same affect on Tom as he is becoming paranoid and uneasy.

However, clearly there are strange things going on with this island, including some potentially soul-stealing fog.

This show is right up my alley. It feels like a throwback to a combination of LOST, Stephen King and Jaws. I loved the final shot of the first episode with an electric chair way beneath the town in a tunnel. What does that have to do with the bizarre events that have Tom so spooked.

The show has done a great job of building tension and creating an air of paranoia among Tom and the viewers. With the supernatural elements in existence, the town’s truth is the central mystery. It is appealing and compelling.

One of the best characters so far is played by Stephen Root, which is always awesome. This character is being set as on the opposite side of Tom, as he pushes the crazy ideas of the island.

I will be continuing with Widow’s Bay on Apple TV + moving forward. I’m hoping to get to the second episode sometime tomorrow.

Gary

Spoilers

Who saw this coming?

A prequel episode of The Bear dropped on Hulu this week starring Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The episode, which is leading into the final season of the Bear later this year, sees the two friends on a “mission” for their Uncle Jimmy delivering a box to Gary, Indiana.

Jon Bernthal is an amazing actor. This gave him an opportunity to dive deeper into the character of Mikey prior to his suicide which was a kick off of the show The Bear.

Set five years prior to the first season, this show had a look at the relationship between the “cousins” and each man’s issues.

The scene where Mikey verbally attacked Richie in the bar was brutal and heartbreaking. The show was able to give us examples of Mikey’s mental illness without making it obvious.

Even more than that, the end of the show left us with a cliffhanger, as Richie, seemingly back in the present day, gets t-boned by another car. Did something horrible just happen to Richie heading into season five?

The duo were unbelievable together and their acting skills were on display for this hour episode. It is amazing that it just appeared without any huzzah or promotion.

It was a powerful episode that was written by Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach.

I’m not sure if this is considered an episode of The Bear or if it is something of its own. Either way, this was a great surprise.

Lord of the Flies E3, E4

Spoilers

“Simon”

“Ralph”

These two episodes were remarkably dark and heartbreaking as the community on the island took a turn into one of savagery and chaos.

Jack started out that third episode coming to Ralph’s camp and offering everyone meat. They had killed a pig and invited all to come share it at their camp.

It was a terrible mistake to go.

Simon had told them that it was a trap, and it absolutely turned out to be a mistake to attend.

Simon was the focus of episode three, and that really made me nervous for him. When he wound up being stabbed to death by Jack’s camp when they mistook him for “The Beast,” I remembered that scene from previous variations of the story. It really was a tough thing to watch and seeing Simon’s body drift away into the sea was heartbreaking.

The death of Piggy was even worse. In this version, Piggy is hit on the head with a rock thrown by Roger, but he is not killed immediately. In other versions, including the novel and the movie, this blow to the head lead directly to Piggy’s death. Here, Ralph is able to get Piggy out of the camp and into the jungle. Piggy survived for awhile, but it was clear that his time was nearing an end. The extra time between Piggy and Ralph made this moment even more painful to watch. Seeing Ralph dig a grave for his friend was another tragic moment.

I was not overly clear on the “Beast” in this version, but it did turn out to be a parachuter who had died, entangled with his parachute. The kids’ imagination and own fears made this to be even worse.

I do not love the ending of the show, which feels fairly faithful to other versions I have seen. The arrival of the British naval officer, attracted to the island from the smoke of the fire that was set to flush Ralph out of his hiding place by the Hunters. I want to know more… what happened to the boys? To Jack? To Roger? These are murderers, as Piggy said at the beginning of episode four. We saw the break down of civilized from the boys and I wish to know consequences for their actions. I did not feel for Jack, whose shocked stare was the last imagery we saw of him. He had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing, but he consistently chose the path of cruelty.

Piggy had wanted to give Jack a chance to do the right thing, after a raiding party arrived in episode three and stole his glasses in the middle of the night. He was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it only led to tragedy.

Once again, young boys are among the worst out there and without a strong hand, they will become savages. That’s the take away here, right?

This was an emotional adaptation of a dark and brutal novel. The performances were really strong, and the adaptation was excellent. The episodes are each about an hour long and can be viewed on Netflix.

The Boys S5 E6

Spoilers

“Though the Heaven’s Fall”

The new episode of The Boys continued the march to the show’s finale with major moments. I have to say, there were some moments that also felt really dumb and out of place.

The bad:

  • The talking fish that dies with Deep. Too much of a cartoon for this tone.
  • The bleeding out of his ass in the background was iffy.
  • Not sure how I felt about the swinging ball sack…

The Great:

  • Paul Reiser. He is fabulous. His scene with Homelander was sensational.
  • Sister Sage’s arrogance right up to the point where Soldier Boy gave the V1 to Homelander. Sister Sage trying to help the Boys was a shock.
  • Homelander got the V1 and injected it in his veins.
  • The showdown with Hughie and Starlight against Oh Father. Hughie should play poker with his bluffing skills.
  • The Deep murdering the new Black Noir after Noir confessed that he broke the pipeline killing a bunch of the fish.

The theme of living forever is throughout this episode. Golden Geisha brought it up and we find out that Kimiko and Annie had discussed the problems brought about by immortality.

I think Mother’s Milk is starting to regain his mental capabilities after some real anger issues.

Soldier Boy and Bombsight fight was rough, but, in the end, it was words that stopped the violence and led to Soldier Boy handing the V1 to Homelander. By the way, the dialogue they give Soldier Boy is so funny and Jensen Ackles delivers the words so perfectly.

Two mor episodes to go and a potentially immortal Homelander may have made the virus irrelevant.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E8

Spoilers

“The Southern Cross”

The second season of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney + had its finale tonight in a dramatic courtroom showdown that turned into a brutal desperate slugfest inside the courthouse.

Matt Murdock, after getting medically aided by Jessica Jones, had Mayor Wilson Fisk summoned to the court to testify in the trial of Karen Page. Once I discovered that Fisk was going to go through with the appearance, I knew what Murdock was planning.

Murdock got Fisk on the witness stand and was hitting him verbally with all of his crimes, which was being objected to and sustained. But Murdock kept pounding away at it, until he was able to use the video of the first mate’s testimony.

The DA said that the video could not be admitted without someone to collaborate the details, which was exactly what Murdock wanted. You could see what Matt was preparing. In fact, it seemed clear that Fisk was understanding what was about to happen too. He called Matt a fool.

In a moment that would have made Tony Stark proud, Matt Murdock turned to the packed courtroom and said “I…am… Daredevil.”

Secret identities in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a rare thing, with, I guess, Spider-Man being one of the few remaining.

With Murdock able to testify that Fisk was bringing the arms into the city through the port, the trial began to unravel quickly. Jessica Jones and the Governor strolled in to watch the remainder of the case. I loved the court room stuff. I thought this was easily the strongest part of the finale.

With Fisk in a freefall, the charges against Karen were dropped.

The mob of Daredevil-masked individuals were on their way up to the courthouse. There was a definite Jan. 6 feel to it, making it a bit awkward. Kingpin’s brutal murder of a bunch of these mob members was hard. The giant standoff with Fisk and the mob was not my favorite moment, but the final face to face with Murdock & Fisk was potent and I liked how it was not just another DD/Kingpin fight.

It was amazing how Murdock ended up in jail and Fisk wound up on a beach, but it definitely felt as if Fisk lost and Matt won.

The end of the episode with Luke Cage returning to Jessica and Danielle was awesome. Mike Colter strolling into the Alias Investigation office made me very happy.

There were so many things that were set up for a season three including with Heather Glenn putting the Muse mask on, The Jessica/Luke stuff, Karen survived, Cole made a face turn, White Tiger appeared and was kick ass, Mr. Charles has a new guy-Bullseye, and BB got her job at the paper.

Strong work overall. Great season.

Lord of the Flies E2

Spoilers

“Jack”

Our second episode focused in on our villain… humanizing him tremendously.

Jack seemed to be the real bully of episode one, one of the jerks on the island. In episode two, we see inside Jack’s doubts and fears, watching him trying to prove his worth. He had placed his worth on killing a boar, but he kept on adding responsibilities. He believed he could handle them all, but keeping the signal fire lit was too much.

Oh, and there was a boat.

Shoot.

Jack struck Piggy, breaking his spectacles. This led to the split of the camp with Jack heading off to lead a second camp, the fun one.

I did find myself rooting for Jack through this episode, until the point where he hit Piggy. To be fair, this version of Piggy is a little annoying. Past Piggy characters that I have seen were more lovable than this version. That does not excuse the way Jack is treating him.

I am fascinated by the “beast” that is, apparently, coming from the water. Even Jack seemed to be concerned with this turn of events. I want to know what it is and why it is doing what it is doing.

I do think this is going a bit too fast. Maybe the pacing will feel better later, but I do think, at this point, we needed more before splitting apart.

Lord of the Flies E1

Spoilers

“Piggy”

The brand new Netflix four episode limited series that proves young boys are the worst people ever dropped on Netflix today with a new variation of The Lord of the Flies.

The Lord of the Flies is a classic tale that has been retold several times over the years in movie format. This time, the BBC redid the story into a limited series.

The group of boys, after surviving a plane crash on an isolated island, form a society of their own in an attempt to bring some order to the chaos. As I mentioned earlier, young boys are the worst anything and their grouping only leads to trouble.

The first episode focuses on Piggy (David McKenna) and his tragically doomed character. We are introduced to Piggy (real name Nicholas) doing his best Jack Shepard in the jungle on LOST imitation. Piggy comes across Ralph (Winston Sawyers). Ralph, who is supposed to be the good one, immediately screwed Piggy over by telling everyone that his name was Piggy, even though he was told that he hated that name.

Of course, Ralph is nowhere near as much of a jerk as Jack (Lox Pratt). The blonde bully is already scheming how to grab more power. Lox Pratt is going from this and into the role of Draco Malfoy on the new Harry Potter series. I wonder if he worries about being typecast as a villain.

There were some more LOST connections as the boys find the pilot in the jungle, dead. They basically shove him off the mountain because they could not carry him. Piggy seemed to be the only one who had any problem with this.

No one was listening to Piggy either when they nearly burned down the whole island with their too large fire (which they started with Piggy’s glasses in one of the more uncomfortable moments). The episode ended with the implication that one of the kids, the one with the birthmark on his face, was lost in the fire.

The first episode of the new Lord of the Flies was solid. I have been a fan of the book and other versions of the story for years and I thought this was well done, well acted, and full of a darkness that you would expect from this IP.

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E3-E4

Spoilers

“I Will Light You On Fire”

“The Witness”

Another pair of tension-filled, anxiety-creating episodes in this Netflix limited series. I have been extremely creeped out by this show, especially episode 4.

Before I go on, I want to look at episode four. We are in a flashback where we see Rachel’s very pregnant mother Alexandra and Jay, her father, recording everything on a video camera in the year 1997, and part of their trip where they were eloping was stopping for ice cream. The drive up ice cream shop had a guy at the window that scared Rachel’s mother badly. If I did not know better, I swear this character was Rick from the comic book, Ice Cream Man.

I wonder how much of an inspiration, if any at all, this character took from Rick. The character’s name was Larry and, technically, he only sold custard. I wonder if the producers changed it to custard to avoid any comparisons between Larry and Rick.

Larry could have been tied to the Larry Poole from the stories on the podcast in episode one. Producers have said that this character was just a red herring, helping to build the suspense of the episode.

The storyline of the Sorry Man has seemingly been wrapped as we discovered that Jules, as a kid, had witnessed Jay and Alexandra on their honeymoon, when she started hemorrhaging from her eyes and nose and died in Jay’s arms. Then, he cut open her stomach to pull baby Rachel out of the womb. Jules saw all this and, in his mind, made the whole thing into a serial killer thing/monster.

Episode 3 had some powerful moments too as Rachel called a “family meeting” and wanted everybody to deal with their trauma over Victoria’s upcoming death. Rachel gets called out for not being a therapist, but everyone seems to go along with what she wanted to do. So much so that Nell expressed surprise with how much Rachel is getting away with from this family. Of course, Nell just simulated drowning Jules in the bathtub before being caught by Rachel, so maybe she is not the best choice for reasonability.

So, after episode four, it seems like the story is heading in this curse way, and there are only two days until the “I dos” as the show keeps letting us know. This is the halfway point of the limited series so I wonder where this goes next.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E10

Spoilers

“Where We Belong”

The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters concluded on Apple TV + this past Friday with a big titan slugfest between Kong and Titan X and the official switch from Cate to Kentaro of the stupidest Randa sibling.

It can’t be that Cate is the standout character on this show now, can it?

A few episodes ago, I would have celebrated had the show killed Cate off. Now, she feels like the true heart of the show, certainly moving forward into a potential season three.

What a character arc she has had this season.

The face off of Kurt Russel and Wyatt Russell in the opened rift felt as if it were a true goodbye for the flashback characters as they had been used less in the last few episodes this season. This feels like the correct moment to end those flashbacks as the show apparently is taking a new step in any potential season 4.

Keiko was such a bad ass driving her jeep around the gigantic Kaiju fight going on around her, but… girlfriend… where did you learn to park? As soon as she stopped that jeep and hopped out, I knew it was a goner. Why park it there? Geez.

The final shot of the season showed Lee looking out at a volcano and seeing Rodan sitting atop of it as the lava flowed around it. Rodan was last seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters leaving a ton of questions about this Rodan.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a hit and miss season for me. There were several moments where I considered dropping this show from my viewing schedule because I was just not enjoying it. I am happy that I maintained through the middle because the ending was much stronger than I expected. It ended strongly enough for me to watch the next season, if it is renewed by Apple TV.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #67

Spoilers

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

“In the Name of the Mother”

We started off with a few fleeting moments of a brutal battle, but Duncan takes a lance to his side and a blow to his head, sending him into an unconscious state and us into a flashback to Dunk as a kid.

At first, I did not want to go into the past and leave the Trial of Seven, but it did not take long before I was engaged with the story they were telling in the flashback. We met young Dunk and a girl named Rafe, stealing from a nearly dead knight whose horse had fallen on him. We learn that they are thieves, surviving by their wits. Dunk had been deserted by his mother, either from choice or by death.

I assumed that Rafe was going to meet with some kind of horrible fate since we have not mentioned her before, and, sure enough, she has her throat slashed by a crooked guard who had stolen the silver that they had “earned.” Rafe snuck the knife from the guard’s scabbard and it cost her her life.

This was where we see how Dunk meets Ser Arlan of Pennytree, who saved Dunk from the same fate as Rafe. Dunk is injured in the scrum and follows Arlan. Arlan ends up helping Dunk.

Then, the flashbacks were over as suddenly as they began, and we were right back to the Trial of Seven, where Ser Duncan fought his way through what seemed to be multiple horrific blows to force Aerion to rescind the charges and thus win the Trial of Seven.

When Baelor came into the tent to see Duncan, I knew what was going to happen. I had been spoiled about  Baelor’s death last week thanks to a Wikipedia page I was using for research. The head wound was brutal and I have no idea what will happen to Duncan in the finale.

The battle between them was brutal and hard to watch at times but unbelievably choreographed and full of emotion.

There is one more episode of the show and I am sure it will deal with the fallout of the Trial of Seven. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I hope it hits the landing.

The Boys S5 E5

Spoilers

“One-Shots”

What seemed like it started out as another filler episode turned out to be one of the most significant episodes of the year.

The episode is split into sections featuring different characters including Firecracker, Sister Sage, Black Noir, Soldier Boy, and… Terror, Butcher’s dog?

Each of these sections focus in on these characters, seeing their real thoughts and their struggles.

And what a bloodbath…

We lose Adam Bourke to eels going up his butt while sitting on the toilet.

We lose Malchemical, Mr. Marathon are killed by Soldier Boy. The Supernatural reunion of these characters did not last long.

Then we lose Seth Rogan, Kumail Ali Nanjiani, Will Forte, Christopher Mintz-Plasse… all brutally killed as Mr. Marathon runs through them all… set up by Soldier Boy.

And… most shocking… Firecracker, as Homelander stabs her head with the eagle statue’s wing.

This was way better than it should have been. The different POV’s of the episode were truly amazing. It went from unbelievably hilarious moments to horrendous dramatic moments.

We get Sister Sage’s master plan. We get further trouble between Black Noir and The Deep. We get Stan Edgar broken, thanks to a threat to his granddaughter. Terror ate some chocolate and dreams of humping Homelander.

The show is rushing toward the finale. No one is safe.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E7

Spoilers

“The Hateful Darkness”

Whoa. Did not see that coming.

The penultimate episode of season two of Daredevil: Born Again dropped on Disney + tonight and, oh was an ending.

Prior to that ending, I legitimately pumped my fist when Matt Murdock walked into the courtroom to be a co-defense attorney for the trial of Karen Page.

Last week when Karen was at the gunpoint of AVTF goon Officer Powell, I worried about how she was going to escape that predicament without being killed. Imagine my surprise when she is walked into the cop precinct and fingerprinted, booked and placed in jail. I actually said, “They arrested her?”

It made a lot of sense when they talked about it. Fisk wanted to do everything by the book, above board, so they could put her on trial with their vigilante court… which, again led to Matt Murdock strolling into the court displaying his gigantic balls.

When Matt spoke with Karen, I had the move figured out, especially when the “previously on” segment reminded us that Matt Murdock as a “hero” according to Wilson Fisk. Even though I had it figured out, I still popped like crazy.

I wish Matt had more to do in the court. I wanted extended scenes of Matt cross-examining Powell or any other AVTF agent on the stand ( I see you Cole). Even with the limited time we got in court, I loved the Matt Murdock stuff.

Meanwhile, Daniel was preparing to deliver BB to Buck. BB figured out what he was doing and was able to convince him to let her go. Daniel went to approach Buck without BB and Buck brutally beat him to try and get him to reveal where she was. Daniel honestly did not know and he spoke to Buck, trying to get him to turn away from Fisk. It looked like he was going to convince him of it.

And then Buck shot him.

Screen to black. I sat here with my mouth agape for a good thirty seconds. I couldn’t believe what had happened. Watching Buck coldly readjust his suit and step over Daniel’s body was shocking. I suppose Daniel might not be dead, but it sure seemed as if it were a final blow to the young Gandolfini.

RIP Daniel.

Jessica Jones approaching Mr. Charles at the beginning was awesome. It is so great to see Krysten Ritter again. She is such a perfect casting of the role. Charles also dropped the name “Luke” during this conversation. Jessica told Matt about what she discovered (and met Cherry… who looks great after his recent heart attack. Great to see Cherry). Jessica is still basically out, needing to stay with her daughter Danielle.

Bullseye was given one good deed to do from Daredevil, and he took it. Bullseye saved the Governor from being strangled to death by an assassin sent by Fisk. However, he looked as if he left the assassin alive, which might be a great thing for getting Fisk. Prior to the attack, the Governor had decided it was time to get Fisk out of the New York mayor’s office. Here is something to help with that, perhaps.

Karen and Heather’s confrontation in the prison was epic. Karen showed how much of a bad ass she really was, not succumbing to Heather’s old true or false questionnaire that she screwed the Swordsman with. Karen got under Heather’s skin big time as Heather slapped Karen multiple times as Karen laughed at her. The image of Muse peering through the window was scary and certainly seems to be foreshadowing Heather’s own mental illness.

Next week’s finale is going to be huge. I hope the people who apparently aren’t watching this show come to their senses because this is wonderful.

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E2

Spoilers

“Bride-Shaped Hole”

The Sorry Man is not real.

Yeah, right.

Episode two may not have been as creepy as the premiere, but it was still very disturbing and unsettling as this bizarre family comes together for a wedding. But who knows if the wedding will ever come to pass.

It is four days before the wedding and Rachel discovered that her wedding dress was missing. She was sure it had been brought, but it all felt like some kind of machinations among this family.

As Nicky went to Cleveland to see if he could find the dress, Rachel was involved in a fitting using Victoria’s old dress. This degenerated into a weird and wild event. Rachel wound up wandering through the house, hearing all kinds of strange whispers and discussions between the others about her and the situation. It was very creepy.

Rachel found the dress hung up in the woods over an effigy. Meanwhile, Dr. Cunningham was digging a grave. This, understandably freaked Rachel out and she started running from them. Nicky was returning as she was running away and she wanted to leave immediately, but, also understandably, Nicky wanted to speak with his family.

Turned out this all had to do with a tumor in Victoria’s brain that is killing her. The wedding came up as a surprise and they were going use it as a way to bring all the family together for one last celebration.

Jude, Jules’ son, apparently took the dress and put it on the effigy as a way to confuse the Sorry Man. Jude had discovered blood that Rachel had dripped on the floor the night before when she had her bloody nose, and he was trying to keep the Sorry Man from coming and killing Rachel. His father made Jude repeat that the Sorry Man was not real.

Of course, the silhouette in the woods that showed up at the end of the episode told a different story.

Two episodes in and there are so many weird things going on that I sure hope pay off. I am invested in the story so far and these characters are all so sus that I can not imagine what the real situation is. Good stuff on Netflix.

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E1

Spoilers

“Never Get on One Knee”

That was really creepy.

I have had this limited series, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, on my Netflix queue for several weeks now. I had heard positives about the series that I wanted to watch it, but with the load of other TV and movies, not to mention comics and school, I was not sure when I could squeeze it into. However, I have gotten to a point where The Pitt, Invincible, Paradise, Shrinking were all done and Monarch is on its last episode. I only currently have Daredevil: Born Again and The Boys as active TV shows that I was watching, so I thought this was a good opportunity to start this show.

Man, what a creepy first episode.

It grabs you right away with a somewhat disturbing wedding and the reaction of the bride was unexpected. We then flash back five days prior to the wedding and things get even creepier.

The podcast they listened to in the car was unnerving too as it gave the story of Larry Poole, a man who sold custard and was a serial killer.

As this podcast was telling the story, we were suddenly at a rest stop and the story switched gears. Rachel and Nicky, who were the couple getting married, were driving to Nicky’s family cabin. Stopping at the rest stop, they find a baby inside a car, apparently deserted.

There were some real disturbing images at this rest stop including a dead fox in the women’s restroom. Rachel chose to go back and find a phone to call for help and Nicky would stay with the baby. This felt like a poor choice, but it is what happened.

Rachel found a bar that was mostly deserted, but the woman working there “Benjamin” was creepy and there was another man there who was apparently stalking Rachel. She ran off to her car after stabbing the man in the hand with her keys.

When she returned, the baby was gone and Nicky had been punched by the baby’s father, who thought Nicky was trying to steal the baby. The whole encounter with the parents happened off screen and something about it felt odd. There was a scream that Rachel had heard in the woods before Nicky came back.

They headed to the cabin, which is humongous. Rachel meets part of Nicky’s family when she was looking for ice for his head. Nicky’s sister, Portia, tells Rachel a story about when their brother Jules wound up lost in the woods as a child and supposedly saw the Sorry Man.

According to Jules, the Sorry Man came from Hell and murdered women by slitting them open and turning them inside out, trying to find his lost wife inside them. Rachel also mentioned a scream from the woods, which made me think about that rest stop and how the parents of that deserted baby had taken a stroll in the woods.

Things only got creepier as Rachel woke up with a bloody nose and wandered off to find Nicky’s mother who said that they would not be seeing each other very much. Rachel found a returned wedding invitation on the floor with the words “Don’t marry him” scribbled on the back.

There are so many weird and bizarre things happening that it truly did a great job of making me anxious as I watched it. The music was excellent in that manner too. I was full of suspense and I was feeling scared. Most of the time, scary things do not bother me that much, but I have to say that this really kept me on edge. I am excited to continue this limited series later in the week.