HBO's "The Night Of" mini-series

[Carson Dyle]

I just looked at what is being said about a second season and it looks like HBO is considering it, but it would be a new story. Some speculation that they might possibly bring back a couple of characters, like Stone and the DA.

 

[Charmonium]

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[smackababy]

I just looked at what is being said about a second season and it looks like HBO is considering it, but it would be a new story. Some speculation that they might possibly bring back a couple of characters, like Stone and the DA.

I series with just Stone having some part would be fine. Different stories how different moments play out.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I still can't figure out if he did it or not. I don't know if that's even the point of the show, but it's so good. I think that they will have a tough time with reasonalble doubt unless there is some last minute twist. The supposed murder weapon in his possession with her blood is just too damning.

 

[pcslookout]

Is this show worth watching ?

 

[Kazukian]

http://imgur.com/FTLqYeZ

 

[MongGrel]

Is this show worth watching ?

No it was originally a one season show, that looks like they might make into an extended run. It really sux that badly. Even when HBO has a history of killing off relatively popular shows before their time.

It's not even a long thread, why bother posting that.

 

[Kazukian]

I missed something, why did they guy threaten Naz and then kill himself?

 

[Charmonium]

It was the guy Freddy killed who threatened Naz if I'm not mistaken. the guy who cut his wrists was the one sucking the other guy's dick. Apparently, he was forcing the suicide guy to do that w/o Freddy knowing. That pissed Freddy off since it was the suicides mom who was bringing in the coke in her snatch.

 

[Kazukian]

It was the guy Freddy killed who threatened Naz if I'm not mistaken. the guy who cut his wrists was the one sucking the other guy's dick. Apparently, he was forcing the suicide guy to do that w/o Freddy knowing. That pissed Freddy off since it was the suicides mom who was bringing in the coke in her snatch.

Ahhh, missed the sex scene, so none of it made sense.

 

[KLin]

Well, I was sort of underwhelmed by the final episode.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I didn't see the ending coming. It seems they have a way to do a second season on a continued story line if they wanted to, but I think it would be better to do a different story.

 

[pyonir]

Well, I was sort of underwhelmed by the final episode.

Me too. It was too 'neat and tidy' for my tastes. I'd have preferred an ambivalent ending.

 

[KLin]

I was hoping the rumors were right that john stone was the killer. lol

 

[Carson Dyle]

I loved how the story played out. It was some of the smaller things, the side stories, the characters, that I found to be the real story, though, even though they all revolved around the main whodunnit.

In the end, who won?

Naz is broken. He'll never be the same person. He's seen things in the world and in himself that he almost certainly wishes he'd never seen, and they've changed him. His relationship with former friends is changed. His relationship with his mother, with whom he was very close, is irrevocably damaged.

His parents have lost everything they had paying for his defense.

Chandra's career is ruined.

Box is miserable in retirement.

The DA loses the case, smokes a cigarette, moves on to the next case.

Freddy lost his unicorn.

And Stone is right back where he began. Except now he has a cat that he's allergic to.

 

[smackababy]

Me too. It was too 'neat and tidy' for my tastes. I'd have preferred an ambivalent ending.

Had they simply left out the part about finding the real killer, I'd have much preferred the last episode. Him being ambiguous as the killer was fine. The characters used for reasonable doubt was fine.

Honestly, I think another season won't be as good. Even in a whole new set of characters. Similar to True Detective. The first season was a guy's life's work and the second season was a team writing in like a year.

 

[Charmonium]

Me too. It was too 'neat and tidy' for my tastes. I'd have preferred an ambivalent ending.

A hung jury is pretty ambivalent. Although you probably mean the part about the financial advisor. I agree, that was a bit tidy but it did make a nice segue to the second season.

I loved how the story played out. It was some of the smaller things, the side stories, the characters, that I found to be the real story, though, even though they all revolved around the main whodunnit.

In the end, who won?

Naz is broken. He'll never be the same person. He's seen things in the world and in himself that he almost certainly wishes he'd never seen, and they've changed him. His relationship with former friends is changed. His relationship with his mother, with whom he was very close, is irrevocably damaged.

His parents have lost everything they had paying for his defense.

Chandra's career is ruined.

Box is miserable in retirement.

The DA loses the case, smokes a cigarette, moves on to the next case.

Freddy lost his unicorn.

And Stone is right back where he began. Except now he has a cat that he's allergic to.

I loved the cat subplot. The way they handled that was perfect too - showing the ASPCA commercial, then showing his leaving as if he's going back to the shelter and then the cat sauntering across the dining room floor.

I use to work for some criminal defense attorneys and it really can ruin a family. People put up their house for bail then the defendant jumps bail and the house is forfeit. Or they take a mortgage out to pay attorney fees and they end up paying that off for the rest of their lives. That's one of the reasons I could never do that sort of work. You really do have to be something of a sociopath. I mean it's true that you get what you pay for and in most cases when you're paying a $20 or $50k retainer you're getting real value for your money. But still, if you stop to think about the affect that's having, it's beyond me how you can live with yourself.

Had they simply left out the part about finding the real killer, I'd have much preferred the last episode. Him being ambiguous as the killer was fine. The characters used for reasonable doubt was fine.

Honestly, I think another season won't be as good. Even in a whole new set of characters. Similar to True Detective. The first season was a guy's life's work and the second season was a team writing in like a year.

Well, True Detective tried going the 'whole new story' route and we saw what happened there. It ended with the show getting canceled.

There's something to be said for maintaining some continuity between seasons. Maybe you didn't need to continue the same story the way they chose to. I agree that was a little too tidy, although I wouldn't have objected to having the true culprit being discovered the following season as an aside to a different case.

 

[Carson Dyle]

The other subplot I thought was brilliant was Stone's eczema. And the biggest unanswered question of the entire series: Why did his eczema clear up for a time?

Was it the cat? Obviously, he's a lonely guy. Divorced, and his son wants nothing to do with him. His clients are all low-lifes and all of his colleagues think he's a hack. The eczema shoots hell out of his self-confidence and his sex life is nil. The cat, that he's deathly allergic to, is the only living thing he really cares about... other than Naz. Parallels between the cat and Naz are obvious.

Or was it the case? Probably the only serious case he's had, maybe ever. Utilizing all of the skills he's honed over decades. The first thing that's given him satisfaction in a very long time.

 

[Carson Dyle]

A hung jury is pretty ambivalent.

But a small detail that wasn't ambivalent was that the count was 6-6. I think many people might have thought Freddy had somehow gotten to someone and influenced the jury. But there would be little reason to coerce that many members to get a hung jury. This told us that the jury really was influenced by the defense's case and Stone's closing arguments.

 

[pyonir]

Had they simply left out the part about finding the real killer, I'd have much preferred the last episode. Him being ambiguous as the killer was fine. The characters used for reasonable doubt was fine.

Good clarification/point and I agree. Leaving out who actually (probably) did it would have made it better.

 

[Charmonium]

New The other subplot I thought was brilliant was Stone's eczema. And the biggest unanswered question of the entire series: Why did his eczema clear up for a time?

You want to say that it's stress related since it comes raging back when he has to do a closing argument that he knows could make the crucial difference in Naz's case. But then what was the stress relief that made it go away. And does that imply that he was in a perpetual state of stress. IOW, stress is his baseline?

So I'm not sure I buy that argument unless there are arguable markers for it. But what else can we attribute it to? The implication clearly seems to be that there is a psychological/psychosomatic element to the illness.

People with borderline personality disorder can manifest physical symptoms with no underlying ailment but he seems to be the polar opposite of a BPD personality.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Except now he has a cat that he's allergic to.

The other subplot I thought was brilliant was Stone's eczema. And the biggest unanswered question of the entire series: Why did his eczema clear up for a time?

(as a sufferer of psoriasis)....

I believe that while he had the cat his immune system was concentrating on his allergies, so his eczema died down/went away. He thought it was due to the stuff that street medic gave him. When he got rid of the cat, it came back. The added stress of having to finish the case didn't help. After the trial he got the cat back (again) and it went away again.

 

[Charmonium]

so basically the hygiene hypothesis - interesting

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841828/

 

[OutHouse]

amazing show, it better get a few Emmy's.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Had they simply left out the part about finding the real killer, I'd have much preferred the last episode. Him being ambiguous as the killer was fine. The characters used for reasonable doubt was fine.

So, I would agree, except I think this played a HUGE role in the end of the trial when the prosecutor decided not to redo the trial. She had her doubts too, even in her closing arguments, it was tough to tell if she was being effective to the jury, or having self doubts of his guilt given the new information that had been presented. Another words, I think this new guy IS the only reason she didn't push for another trial.