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The Night Of Recap: The Call of the Wild

By Reuben Levine

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“The Call of the Wild” covers a lot of ground, and that’s a problem

There was some a few weeks back that The Night Of wouldn’t have enough time to wrap all of its loose ends. The series finale, “The Call of the Wild,” does a fair job of bringing the major stories to a close, but it’s not a perfect landing. That doesn’t diminish any of the power that The Night Of brought over the course of eight episodes, but it isn’t truly satisfying.

“The Call of the Wild” is not going to go down as one of the best series finales that HBO has produced. Although it never feels rushed for time, it does stumble over new roadblocks. The Night Of is a show about race, alienation, and the perceived failings of the criminal justice system. It expertly navigates those themes, placing the fate of Naz in the center. The court battles take place in the finale are the most compelling ones we’ve seen so far, and they are the most satisfying scene in the episode.

The undertaker, as interesting as he is, is nothing but a red herring and ultimately a waste of time.

John and Chandra have gone impressively far to, if not outright prove Naz’s innocence, then to sow the seeds of reasonable doubt. Trevor, Duane Reade, and the intensely creepy undertaker are all forced to take the stand. Trevor is his usual colorful self, and is put in his place several times by the judge, excellently played by Glenn Fleshler. Reade is unapologetic, sociopathic, and the easiest target for the defense. The undertaker, as interesting as he is, is nothing but a red herring and ultimately a waste of time.

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The Night Of, however, isn’t interested in resting with what we already know, and that becomes part of the problem. It turns out that the financial adviser is the linchpin here, a character we haven’t spent much time with. Andrea’s step dad is a serial user, manipulator, and a giant jerk, but he didn’t kill Andrea. Her financial adviser/boyfriend (likely) did, as uncovered by Box. Turns out that Box didn’t like being made to look like a fool in the previous episode, and so he does a little digging and tailing of his own.

Box’s investigation is interesting and well-done, but it shouldn’t be happening in the final episode. The Night Of avoids the “aha!” moment when the prosecution decides to continue following Naz (at first,) but this late game revelation feels flat. Also problematic is Chandra, a character ultimately underserved by having her fall for Naz. She smuggles in drugs for him after she insists that he take the stand, something which John rightly disagrees with. Chandra is too smart for any of this to be believable.

It feels like a throwaway, almost cliché scene that doesn’t do much to further Freddy’s character.

Her kiss with Naz becomes an issue when Freddy leaks the video footage to Box. Naz and John both decide to present the footage to the judge, throwing Chandra under the bridge, in order to force a mistrial. It doesn’t work, and Chandra is benched, potentially debarred, and then fired. The last we see of her she is silently cleaning out her desk.

When the jury becomes deadlocked, the prosecution declines to continue. And so Naz is set free. An innocent man is now a hardened criminal and a drug addict. He accuses his mother of not believing in him and eventually finds his way to the secluded spot where he sat with Andrea, his life in shambles. The story of Freddy, unfortunately, doesn’t quite get off the ground. He praises Naz for being innocent and tells him that he could smell it on him. It feels like a throwaway, almost cliche scene that doesn’t do much to further Freddy’s character.

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John’s adventures in cat-caring and eczema continue in “The Call of the Wild,” with his eczema making a spectacular comeback after it’s decided that he is to give the closing argument instead of Chandra. This leads the best scene of the episode, and possibly the most powerful of the series. John, covered in eczema and with labored breathing, emotionally details Naz’s innocence and points out that the justice system is what made him into the man who sits in court. Tattooed and cold.

The arc of John and his cat follows John’s own faith in humanity. Once the case goes south, he tries to give the cat up again. At the end, once the prosecution has dropped the case, the cat can be seen freely walking around his apartment.

So much takes place in silence in “The Call of the Wild,” with, as always, gorgeous cinematography work. The end of The Night Of is ultimately hopeful and nobody’s life will be the same. Except for Freddy, who is still happily the king of Rikers Island. Box, now a security guard, is called in to handle Andrea’s actual killer, and we are left to believe that justice will actually be done.

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Outside of some missteps that were never truly corrected, The Night Of has been a powerful ride. The ending feels right but isn’t focused enough. Still, we would be hard pressed to point out any real failings that would make it anything less than must watch television. HBO would do well to continue exploring this type of content in the future.

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