Bloodline - S2E1 - Part 14
Previously on Bloodline
Bloodline wasted no time jumping right into the tension. Before I jump into the review, I want to point out that I only watch the episodes as I write so I don’t risk spoiling any readers unintentionally. Therefore, any speculation I might make regarding the future of this season is just that, pure speculation. If it turns out to be correct, well, that’s just because I am awesome.
If you watched the first season, then you remember that the big cliffhanger was Danny’s son appearing at John’s house during family dinner. This episode picks up the same evening, John driving around town dealing with the shock of his nephew’s appearance while evidently also contributing to the delinquency of that minor’s lungs.
Family Checkup
As is to be expected, no one in the Rayburn family seems to be handling Danny’s murder very well. Meg is currently living in New York with her big city job and her corner office. We quickly learn that Meg has buried herself in work as a coping mechanism. Can we all agree that if we were caught sleeping in the floor of our office, we’d be fired immediately?
After showing up late, but earlier than everyone else, to a meeting and being invited to help woo some clients over dinner, she proceeds to get white girl wasted on red wine and act completely inappropriately in front of the clients. Luckily for her, they are frat-boy douchebags who enjoyed her drunken shenanigans. Unluckily for her, her boss was also in attendance and she’s been remanded to a weekend off.
Kevin is doing the worst out of the siblings, and coincidentally he also is the worst. He couldn’t be acting shadier unless he were literally covered in Danny’s blood. He sells the boat they used to transport Danny on ice, and then orders it never to return to his marina, much to the buyer’s confusion. He tries to sell some rusty old scrap metal laying around, and then when one of his employees asks if he’s ok, calls that rather linebacker-esque black man one of the “little people” he will not forget as he scurries his little scrawny ass in the opposite direction.
He almost breaks down and tells his wife, Belle, about the murder, but eventually only admits to being broke. Not only is he acting very sketchy and twitchy, he has a crab pot full of stashed cocaine dangling from his dock. I feel like there is a joke about how easy it is to come across drugs in Florida somewhere in there, but Kevin is just too pathetic for me to take the bait. Also, we don’t see him once in the premiere without a beer in his hand or nearby him in any scene.
John seems to be doing the best, but that is probably because he has a bit of insight to the progress of the investigation and also because he’s obviously the only one who can handle himself. Not only is he dealing with the sudden appearance of Nolan, Danny’s son, he is also trying to hold together his crumbling siblings and steer the investigation simultaneously.
My money is on Kevin, John, or both dying at some point in this season. Kevin because I think John is going to kill him in a moment of frustration. John because I fear he might have a heart attack under all the pressure.
The Mystery Rayburn
We are introduced to Nolan and the fact that he is exactly like Danny in his attitude and challenging nature. After showing up during dinner, he snoozes on the couch while John fetches him some smokes. When John returns he attempts to look at Nolan’s phone, but it’s a password protected flip phone. But seriously, do those even exist? The next morning Nolan evasively converses with John and hands over his mother’s name and last known phone number.
Later they discuss the Miami apartment, and Nolan and John do an entertaining dance around each other, both trying to get the other to give them information but neither succeeds. The actor portraying Nolan (Owen Teague) is the same actor from the flashbacks of the young Danny from last season, and he’s doing an excellent job of convincing me that he is Danny’s son.
During the family dinner at the Rayburn House, Nolan snoops around John’s house. He does find a large wad of cash in a box in the closet, but it’s unclear if he takes it. At the end of this episode we learn that he knows Eric O’Bannon and is reporting his insider Rayburn info back to him.
The Investigation
John’s current plan of attack is to blame Wayne Lowry for the murder of Danny. At first it seems like a great plan, but I have a feeling that even before Lowry’s threats, Marco’s ass would have mucked it up. The DEA is also investigating Lowry related to his drug and human trafficking ring. As a result, John and Marco are not leading up the charge, merely active participants. After a briefing, Marco lets John know that he will also be pursuing other leads despite the focus being on Lowry.
One of the leads that Marco is pursuing involves Kevin, but I am not sure it would if he hadn’t acted shady as fuck. After doing some blow in the bathroom, Kevin takes a ride with Marco to see the burned out boat that was found along with Danny. Kevin understandably freaks out, but since he’s also coked up he has no chill. He starts blathering about a case of arson he saw where someone was trying to scam an insurance company before blowing up on Marco and storming off.
He calls John to relay this development, and you can see John physically forcing himself not to strangle Kevin in this scene. John is having none of his paranoid and guilty shit and finally calms him downby telling him to be smart and basically to shut the fuck up when people ask questions.
At family dinner, John catches everyone up on the progress of the investigation. Sally seems skeptical, but she has her reasons. I’ve missed you Sissy, oh how I’ve missed you.
Suspicious Sally
At the beginning of the episode, in the very brief check in with my favorite Rayburn, it is revealed that Lenny Potts is still around, and is keeping Sally informed of his findings with regard to Danny and her other children. Basically, Sally knows her kids are lying to her and she’s tired of their shit.
John tries to cozy up to her with a glass of whiskey to discuss his potential bid for Sheriff and she ignores his question to volley back a question of her own. She wants to know why no one told her what was going on before Danny was killed. John attempts to apologize, but she’s not having it. She gives him one last chance to come clean with her about anything else he’s hiding from her. As Moms are apt to do. He fails this test by saying he’ll let her know if something comes up in the course of the investigation. Sally says fuck this and walks off without a word, slamming the door behind her.
M.I.A. Mama
Once Nolan hands over his mother’s name to John, he initiates a search for her. John’s resources come up dry when looking for Evangeline Radosevich, and Nolan asserts that he doesn’t even know if she’s alive or dead. The plot thickens when Meg, contacted by her late father’s lawyer, discovers that Robert was paying someone with that name $5,000 a month. So either Nolan is lying or Dad knew about Danny’s offspring. Although given Robert’s feelings toward Danny, I doubt he would have paid off his baby mama, so my money is on Nolan being a rotten lying liar who lies.
The Tangled Web
Throughout this episode, Wayne Lowry is forced to deal with the mess that Danny left behind. First he meets with White Shirt Man to see one of his errand boys being turned into a popsicle. Then Marco secures a warrant to raid his house, and from what we learned of Wayne last season, he is not a man to be trifled with.
John meets him in the marina to learn that Danny has fucked him one last time from the grave. Wayne has a recording of Danny talking to John and informing him that he has told Wayne all of the secrets that would implicate him. Wayne simply wants the investigation to go away. Easy enough, right?
Final Thoughts: No John Leguizamo in this episode, but I am looking forward to his appearance. And obviously more Sissy Spacek, especially since Sally seems to be ready to kick some ass. All in all, it was a good season opener and I am digging that there is no ominous voiceover this season. I’ll be back next week to talk about Part 15
