The Night Of Recap: A Prison System

The Night Of closes its jaws around Naz

In its second episode, The Night Of has settled into its dark, slow routine. There is no action here, and those still hoping that the show becomes HBO’s Law and Order should jump ship now. That’s now that The Night Of, and it’s all the better for it. The name of the episode, “A Subtle Beast,” comes from a repeated phrase used to describe Detective Box. Box is a layered character, and even Jack — referred to as John several times this episode — Stone admits that he’s excellent at his job.

Mainly, however, “A Subtle Beast” is about the relationships that drive the criminal justice system forward. Naz is only a small cog in that wheel. Things kick off right where the left off, with Naz in lockup and his parents broken. In terms of clues as to what actually happened the night that Andrea was killed, the episode offers very little. It’s all about building and making sure the pieces are in the right place.

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His parents make the classic mistake of going to the wrong station, and while they’re there they are treated to some casual racism from an office about Naz and the case. Race is a major player in The Night Of, and this episode drives that point home even more. Multiple times Muslims are referred to derogatorily, even from Andrea’s father.

The one man who is above all of it is Box, who wows several officers with his knowledge of Islam. Box doesn’t care about Naz’s ethnicity, he truly only cares about the case. He also doesn’t care enough to correct any of the people around him.

Andrea’s stepfather, Don Taylor, is played by Paul Sparks, whom some may recognize form House of Cards. Don is not too happy to hear from Box concerning his daughter, and that’s even before he’s told that she’s been killed. We learn from their conversation that Andrea has had a deeply troubled past and has had problems with drugs. Don has been trying to keep his distance from her.

Multiple times Muslims are referred to derogatorily, even from Andrea’s father.

At first he even lies about recognizing her in the photos, but when pushed he relents. It’s obvious that his relationship with Andrea was strained, at best.

Throughout the episode, multiple people congratulate Jack Stone on getting tied to such a huge case. We learn that he usually only represents the underbelly, and this is a really big deal for him. A woman who is presumably his ex-wife congratulates him when she picks up their son from his apartment. His son and his ex-wife are African-American, another thread in the story of race that runs through the series.

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Another point that “A Subtle Beast” makes multiple times concerns Jack’s eczema, which isn’t getting any better. On the subway people avoid him because of it, and he uses it as an excuse to not take his shoes off during security in the court-house. The eczema is a metaphor for race and how people treat others without knowing anything about them. The Night Of doesn’t treat the topic in a heavy-handed way, but it is a tightrope walk.

Through conversations with both Jack and Naz we learn more about Box. He attempts to talk to Naz away from Jack, a tactic that Naz is now wise to. As Jack points out to Box himself, he knows that there is something not right about Naz. He feels something doesn’t fit, even though the evidence is as cut and dry as it could ever be. He refers to the case and open and shut, and from an evidence standpoint, he couldn’t be more right. When Naz refuses to talk to him and Box invokes religion to try to get Naz to confess, he officially charges him with homicide.

The eczema is a metaphor for race and how people treat others without knowing anything about them

Naz is eventually denied parol due to the severity of his charges, but even the judge congratulates Jack on the catch. Even for Jack, the case is not about Naz, not really. He may be the best hope that Naz has, and he may even believe that he didn’t do it (even though he states that he’s not interested in what Naz has to say about it just yet) but as of right now this is just another career move for him.

There are several scenes that show the criminal justice system moving. Box appears at Naz’s family home with a court ordered warrant, and he and his people systematically go through Naz’s room and take what they need. They are polite and fast, and before they know it it’s over. Naz is also treated to an Oz-like induction into Riker’s Island, which includes cavity searches and violence. This is his life, at least for now.

The Night Of is so gorgeously, tensely engrossing that it doesn’t need a score to drive the drama.

Earlier in the episode, Box explains to Naz that he, and the system, need people like Jack Stone. They function in something like a fraternity, even though it’s obvious that the cops around the station don’t care for Stone much. This is played out throughout the episode. The various sections of the criminal justice system work together to make sure Naz ends up at Riker’s, and The Night Of shows it in perfect detail.

While Naz is in prison, there is a fan in view. It then cuts over to Jack’s apartment, where he is relaxing and treating his eczema, also under the breeze of a fan. Jack is a professional, and his attachment to Naz’s case ends when he gets home. It may be a healthy way of living, but it also proves to be a sharp contrast between their two lives.

Next: Game of Thrones season 7 Delayed.

“A Subtle Beast” is largely without any music, and it doesn’t need any. The Night Of is so gorgeously, tensely engrossing that it doesn’t need a score to drive the drama. The show itself can easily be described as a subtle beast, and it knows exactly what it wants to do and how to do it.

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