The Night Of Wasted Chandra
Chandra’s character arc didn’t go all that far
It’s officially been a week since The Night Of finale aired, giving fans and non-fans alike enough time to digest. Chandra was the only strong female character on the show, and her first few episodes presented someone who believed in a cause. As time went on, however, Chandra’s story ended up as something of a dead-end.
What started as one of the show’s strengths ended up as one of its most glaring weaknesses. Chandra, as it turns out, is manipulated by Naz’s good looks and growing dark nature. This causes her to lose track of herself, and then the case. It’s a twist of events that comes off as less than believable. So much so that it undermines not only her as a character, but also the show in general.
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Chandra is, unsurprisingly, disbarred. Or at least very close to it. Up until she chooses to kiss Naz, we are made to believe that Chandra is smarter than this. And she is, up until the very moment that she isn’t. There’s not all that much to be gleamed from Chandra’s end. She makes a mistake and is then punished for it, with both Naz and John choosing to her hang her out to dry. The conclusion is cold and distant, a stark contrast to the intimate arcs of John and Naz.
It then feels like we aren’t supposed to believe that Chandra was one of the main characters. Technically, perhaps, she never was, but her role becomes absolutely huge. There’s nothing to be gained from having her sidelined. If The Night Of is at least partially about human weakness, Chandra’s arc is a frustrating failure of that point.
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As we follow Chandra is her interactions with John, her preparing for court, we are never given any insight. Her choices, then, feel hollow without our ability to understand them. The Night Of is an excellent show about the criminal justice system and what it can do to people, as well as the effects of alienation. Everything else, however, feel unfulfilled. And Chandra is only one example.