The new crime drama Nocturne on Apple TV has a good hook and a premise. A boy missing for three years returns suddenly, but his sister remains lost. A former detective and a team are on the hunt for the girl and the truth, while a serial offender remains locked in a secure facility. But does he still have reach?
In season 1 episode 3, “Eyes on the Inside,” is all about trying to get closer to the truth from the inside. Let’s dive in.
Woman on the run
We begin three weeks earlier. We are at the home of Sally Gifford (Kersti Bryan), who used to work with Walter (Stephen Graham) at the hospital. But she’s been missing for three weeks. In episode 2, Jonah (Liev Schreiber) made it to her home, and it looked like signs of a struggle, or at least a quick exit. This week, we learn why.
It was a quiet morning at home for Gifford and her family. That’s when she spotted something through the kitchen window. Whatever it was alarmed her. She grabbed the shotgun and her family and headed for the family’s van. As they are loading the van, something approaches, and a shot rings out.
Now, back in the present, the search is on for Gifford. A lead has the van spotted on the road, so Jonah takes off after them. But by the time he arrives the van is in a ditch and there is no one to be found. Desperate to learn more, Jonah has a radical suggestion. He wants to make a public plea to see what shakes loose.
Jonah has gone to visit Michael (Landon Valentin) to get more information. Michael has mentioned the person who held him and his sister, someone he refers to as The Sandman. And The Sandman has a symbol, which is on the tree at the Gifford house and at some other locations.
Jonah convinces Chief Ellison (Bill Camp) to let him make a public statement. And he uses that platform to put the word out about Gifford. It yields an unexpected result. They get a call—from The Sandman—warning them to call off the search. The Sandman indicates he or she has Gifford and her family, and any further searches will be bad for them.
But Jonah’s statement got a response. And it wasn’t the only reason he wanted to make a statement. He was sending a message to The Sandman and to Saga (Zazie Beetz).
On the inside
Saga went undercover at Riverside last week. The goal is to learn more about the staff and who might be slipping out messages for Walter. But it hasn’t been easy. Jonah gave her a necklace to transmit, but when Saga gets her necklace back, it’s been switched. It doesn’t take long to see that another patient has it.
Saga tries to negotiate a trade. And it’s going well until the other patient flips out. In the ensuing fight, the necklace is destroyed. With no way to communicate, Nathan (Gary Carr) believes that the plug will be pulled on the mission. But Jonah has another idea. He wants to use the facility's cameras to spy for them.
So, Jonah convinces Nathan to break into the facility to establish access. He’s not pleased about it at first, but he is worried about Saga. So, Nathan agrees and manages to gain entry to establish the link. Jonah does his part by dropping verbal clues about the plan to Saga, who catches on and is able to use the cameras and the fact she’s being monitored to send messages.
The communication link is established, but it’s not by-the-book. That last part rankles Agent Quinn (Poorna Jagannathan), who worries they’ve gone too far. But Jonah is committed. He needs to get to the truth. He needs to make it work. And now that he’s established a link to Saga, he intends to get some answers.
The first two episodes really advanced the story and built a neat setup. This one felt more like a traditional episode in the middle of an ongoing mystery. We take some steps forward, and there are revelations, but it’s about putting the pieces in place. Still, it’s some interesting pieces and a compelling journey. I can’t wait to see where we’re going next.
Nocturne streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back next week as we recap all the action of season 1.
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