Rectify Review: “Weird As You”
(Episode 2.07)
While there were important side stories in this plot-moving episode, they pale alongside the journey Trey and Daniel take to George’s house. After a dream sequence in which the three men are standing in some misty woods (which appear to be related to the night of Hanna’s death), Daniel rides his bike to Trey’s to tell him “no hard feelings”. From that point on, Trey treats Daniel like his closest buddy as they take a long drive to George’s. Unbeknownst to Daniel, George is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. And Trey knows that because he found the body and threw it in the river weeks earlier. Before they drive off, he places the various items that he’d taken off of George into his truck.
After her shift at the market, Amantha and fellow employee Alicia get stoned and then get the munchies. The two end up at Teddy’s tire store to gain access to its renowned vending machine. It’s a fun moment, seeing a relaxed Amantha laughing and being chummy with Teddy who, although surprised, obviously enjoys the attention. But after the girls leave, he gets a visit from Sheriff Daggett and the senator, who asks Teddy to press charges against Daniel for his earlier coffee grounds assault. Teddy refuses, going so far as to say he made the whole thing up. But the senator will not relent and immediately sets his eyes on Ted, Sr. I believe Teddy is right in saying it will split the family. But he never should have told Daggett in the first place. Serves him right, I guess, since he told the family that Tawney was pregnant just after she he told him to keep it secret. She did, however, forgive him earlier that morning when they played lovey-dovey.
On his way to the airport Jon meets with the D.A., who offers a deal whereby Daniel would plead guilty and serve ten more years. Jon decides to not leave town. He fails to reach Daniel but tells Amantha, who angrily says no to any deal.
Upon arriving, and getting into George’s house, Trey and Daniel commence to heavy drinking and pill popping. Daniel’s naivety is just plain annoying. I understand that he hasn’t been out in the free world since he was a teenager—but, come on. Trey is the guy who claims to know everything that happened “that night”. Daniel is obviously suspicious of Trey’s intentions. But it doesn’t prevent him from getting sloppy-drunk and high with the guy. Trey tells him that, although George testified that Daniel had raped Hanna, it wasn’t true. “You couldn’t get it up,” says Trey, who has a hard time believing that Daniel still cannot remember what happened that evening. When Trey continues to call Hanna a slut he asks him straight out “Did you kill her, Trey?” But Trey tells Daniel that all the evidence actually points to him as the murderer, even though Daniel is still unsure.
Once Trey realizes that Daniel really, truly doesn’t remember anything from that night, he launches into a story of Hanna’s wantonness and Daniel’s embarrassment as some kind of motivation for killing her. That becomes too much for Daniel and he slams Trey against the wall while Trey laughs and calls him a “psycho killer”. Sean Bridgers’ portrayal of the manipulative, inebriated Trey is wonderfully twisted. And while we finally learn more of what happened that night it is still wrapped in lies and missing memories. The likelihood of Trey somehow implicating Daniel in George’s disappearance seems pretty strong. But where is George’s body?