HBO's "The Night Of" mini-series

[Carson Dyle]

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.

Exactly. It played a critical part in the outcome of the story. If Box hadn't pursued the case and shown what he had to the prosecutor, she gets a new trial, Naz goes back to Rikers, and there's no resolution to anything at all.

And there is _still_ the possibility that Naz killed the girl. Ever consider that? There really wasn't anything more than circumstantial evidence against the boyfriend/accountant. Box had a lot of nice pictures of the guy on the night of the murder, and some phone and bank records linking them and offering a possible motive, but not much else.

 

[Blackjack200]

Exactly. It played a critical part in the outcome of the story. If Box hadn't pursued the case and shown what he had to the prosecutor, she gets a new trial, Naz goes back to Rikers, and there's no resolution to anything at all.

And there is _still_ the possibility that Naz killed the girl. Ever consider that? There really wasn't anything more than circumstantial evidence against the boyfriend/accountant. Box had a lot of nice pictures of the guy on the night of the murder, and some phone and bank records linking them and offering a possible motive, but not much else.

Sure, it's possible. But why? Hot girl brings you back to her place, give you drugs and has sex with you... and you kill her? Then blackout, wake up, don't remember what you did, discover what you did, panic, run out of the house without your jacket and keys, etc. etc.? That's just not compelling to me, I didn't get the sense that there was any chance he killed her.

Also, didn't Box tell the accountant that they had his semen at the crime scene? Or was he bluffing? I thought that's why he walked out of the court room when the DA told the jury that only Naz's and the girl's blood were there.

One more question, was it definitely Box that dropped off the DVD of the lawyer kissing Naz? I didn't like that they ruined her at the end like that. I thought she was one of the more sympathetic characters.

 

[smackababy]

Sure, it's possible. But why? Hot girl brings you back to her place, give you drugs and has sex with you... and you kill her? Then blackout, wake up, don't remember what you did, discover what you did, panic, run out of the house without your jacket and keys, etc. etc.? That's just not compelling to me, I didn't get the sense that there was any chance he killed her.

Also, didn't Box tell the accountant that they had his semen at the crime scene? Or was he bluffing? I thought that's why he walked out of the court room when the DA told the jury that only Naz's and the girl's blood were there.

One more question, was it definitely Box that dropped off the DVD of the lawyer kissing Naz? I didn't like that they ruined her at the end like that. I thought she was one of the more sympathetic characters.

I thought it was Freddy that gave Stone the DVD (he got it from the guard).

The decision to retry could have been purely for financial reasons. Having to do rediscovery for all the witnesses called (which is kind of BS, as they'd have done that before and simply not refused to question them) would have been a ton of work. The detective clearly had no intention of looking at any other suspect (despite there being evidence others may have been able, with motive and means) who also broke chain of custody on a piece of evidence, why not the rest? And, in a high profile case where a judge refused to declare a mistrial when it was apparent the defending and main lawyer had very inappropriate relationship would get leaked by Stone and someone (a real lawyer, as he stated) would likely take the case.

There was no reason to include another (and especially very compelling) suspect at the last minute. If it had been as ambiguous as the rest of the suspects, I'd have liked it much more. If the detective realized he may have been a bit overzealous on his last case, fine. If he solves the murder in a day or two... wtf?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Sure, it's possible. But why? Hot girl brings you back to her place, give you drugs and has sex with you... and you kill her? Then blackout, wake up, don't remember what you did, discover what you did, panic, run out of the house without your jacket and keys, etc. etc.? That's just not compelling to me, I didn't get the sense that there was any chance he killed her.

Also, didn't Box tell the accountant that they had his semen at the crime scene? Or was he bluffing? I thought that's why he walked out of the court room when the DA told the jury that only Naz's and the girl's blood were there.

One more question, was it definitely Box that dropped off the DVD of the lawyer kissing Naz? I didn't like that they ruined her at the end like that. I thought she was one of the more sympathetic characters.

1. Box was bluffing
2. He walked out after the prosecutor said "there are no other people who could have killed her"
3. At first I didn't think it was Box....but.....with the new evidence it is very possible he tried to get them a way to a mistrial so they could present the new evidence. However, it is also possible that Freddy did it and Box had nothing to do with it. He was the one who got the DVD from the guards, and by the closing things he said before he left jail, it sounded like he really believed Nas was innocent. He knew enough about law to know that this could be used...however SOMEONE would have had to have seen this footage and told someone for it to begin with, which sounds more like something Box may have been told by some inside friends. This part was a bit ambiguous the way it was presented so it could have went either way.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Also, didn't Box tell the accountant that they had his semen at the crime scene? Or was he bluffing? I thought that's why he walked out of the court room when the DA told the jury that only Naz's and the girl's blood were there.

Yeah, Box was bluffing, but he was convinced the guy was seeing Andrea, so it wasn't really. Still, that would prove nothing more than the financial advisor was Andrea's boyfriend. If he was, then of course his semen would be somewhere to be found.

One more question, was it definitely Box that dropped off the DVD of the lawyer kissing Naz? I didn't like that they ruined her at the end like that. I thought she was one of the more sympathetic characters.

I didn't get any hint from the show that it was Box. It could have been anyone that Freddy mailed the envelope to.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I didn't get any hint from the show that it was Box. It could have been anyone that Freddy mailed the envelope to.

But how would Freddy know about it? Did I miss a scene where Nas told him he kissed her?

 

[Carson Dyle]

But how would Freddy know about it? Did I miss a scene where Nas told him he kissed her?

He might have. But Freddy also has many of the guards in his pocket and someone may have reviewed the video and given it to him.

Which brings up a question I had. Why does that kiss compromise the defense, and why would it potentially be grounds for a mistrial or professional discipline for her? I mean, can't a girlfriend defend her boyfriend in court? Now, if it had been the video of her pulling a condom-full of pills out of her coochie and giving it to the prisoner, that's different.

 

[smackababy]

But how would Freddy know about it? Did I miss a scene where Nas told him he kissed her?

The guard gave Freddy a DVD of some kind of footage he had just shown him. Then a DVD shows up at Stone's door and Box denies all knowledge? I find it hard to believe that Box somehow obtained the DVD and tried to get the case thrown out. That just isn't his style. Freddy, on the other hand, was just fine doing shady shit to get what he needs. Naz already "replaced" Freddy's way of getting drugs into prison.

 

[Zee]

Is this show worth watching ?

no this show is terrible. go back to watching Full House on netflix

 

[Blackjack200]

He might have. But Freddy also has many of the guards in his pocket and someone may have reviewed the video and given it to him.

Which brings up a question I had. Why does that kiss compromise the defense, and why would it potentially be grounds for a mistrial or professional discipline for her? I mean, can't a girlfriend defend her boyfriend in court? Now, if it had been the video of her pulling a condom-full of pills out of her coochie and giving it to the prisoner, that's different.

Maybe someone's a lawyer here and can correct me, but the consequences for the kiss seemed a little overblown to me. I think it was just a plot device to give John Turturro the closing statement.

One other thing; Naz's performance under the cross examination was absolutely terrible, like, beyond belief terrible. The single most incriminating thing he did was grab the bloody knife on his way out, he had to be more ready for that question.

 

[Charmonium]

Maybe someone's a lawyer here and can correct me, but the consequences for the kiss seemed a little overblown to me. I think it was just a plot device to give John Turturro the closing statement.

One other thing; Naz's performance under the cross examination was absolutely terrible, like, beyond belief terrible. The single most incriminating thing he did was grab the bloody knife on his way out, he had to be more ready for that question.

I haven't practiced in a very long time and when I did, ethics requirements were probably quite a bit looser than they are now. At the time, it wasn't a big deal to boink your client. I represented my gf at the time in municipal court and didn't think twice about it. Maybe today there are some restrictions. IDK. It might depend on the kind of law you practice, for example I can see having a rule against divorce attorneys sleeping with clients because it gives you undue influence over them. But if you're going to make a rule for one kind of practice, it's kind of hard not to apply it across the board.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Finally had a chance to watch the finale. Ended generally as I expected since I never thought Naz killed the girl. This really seemed to be more of a take on how one person getting accused of something can basically ruin/severely impact their lives and the lives of those close to them.

I'd definitely support a second season but would like to see some level of continuation. Doesn't necessarily have to be the same case but would like to see at least a couple of the same characters. Stone, Box, and the D.A. should be sufficient.

 

[Kazukian]

I liked it quite a bit, the mood and filmography was good, casting was great. Stone's character was very well cast and played, and the others were spot on as well.

 

[BrokenVisage]

It was good, but ultimately forgettable. If I were Naz I would've been more enthusiastic that I didn't do anything in the beginning. It didn't seem like he was struggling with the "did I really do it and not remember?" thoughts until the end, and by then he found a niche in jail anyway and probably resigned himself to his fate, but before all that where was the fist-pounding and eagerness to save himself? I didn't get that, he was a smart kid and should've been more vocal about what happened up front with Stone, not a damn mute.

Other things annoyed me, like the thing with Stone's feet was almost too much, why keep playing that up? The cat thing was cute and I'm glad he saved it in the end yet again, but another thing they focused on a little too much I thought. Box's investigating was good, I love shit like that and thought his character was the most well acted. The muslim attorney did a good job too, I liked her acting the next best, but did not believe for a second that she would smuggle drugs into jail for Naz, give me a break with that. Then the surveillance of them kissing gets out but not the drug passing? If I didn't have enough questions about how the video got to Stone in the first place I would harp on that point too.

So yeah, it was good but I don't share the love-fest for it, too much stuff that didn't jive to me.

 

[Charmonium]

One time I had to visit an inmate and I was instructed to bring him a couple packs of smokes. Of course those weren't illegal and this is before a lot of jails banned smoking so cigs were like currency. So it was a little different but neither I nor the partners that told me to do this thought twice about it. Also, we met in private with is common for attorney client meetings, so I easily could have passed him drugs. Of course if they patted him down on the way out I might have been in deep shit, but the hand off wouldn't have been a problem.

The thing about that that was unrealistic was having a guard in such close proximity so that he could eavesdrop on the conversation. That was really surprising to me. Also that the meeting was monitored by a camera. I'm not sure but I think that might have violated his right counsel since both things could be seen as exerting a chilling effect.

 

[Blackjack200]

It was good, but ultimately forgettable. If I were Naz I would've been more enthusiastic that I didn't do anything in the beginning. It didn't seem like he was struggling with the "did I really do it and not remember?" thoughts until the end, and by then he found a niche in jail anyway and probably resigned himself to his fate, but before all that where was the fist-pounding and eagerness to save himself? I didn't get that, he was a smart kid and should've been more vocal about what happened up front with Stone, not a damn mute.

Stone was insisting that Naz forget about guilt or innocence because he knew how bad the evidence was, and he wanted him to be thinking about a deal. He was right. A hung jury in a case like this, where a guy has a friggen bloody knife on him is real stretch. IRL he would have been convicted in 10 seconds.

Other things annoyed me, like the thing with Stone's feet was almost too much, why keep playing that up? The cat thing was cute and I'm glad he saved it in the end yet again, but another thing they focused on a little too much I thought.

Stone's character was a major part of the story. His estrangement from his family, and his social awkwardness were important parts of that. Remember that when the series began, he was just trying to get some money out of Naz's family.

Box's investigating was good, I love shit like that and thought his character was the most well acted. The muslim attorney did a good job too, I liked her acting the next best, but did not believe for a second that she would smuggle drugs into jail for Naz, give me a break with that. Then the surveillance of them kissing gets out but not the drug passing? If I didn't have enough questions about how the video got to Stone in the first place I would harp on that point too.

So yeah, it was good but I don't share the love-fest for it, too much stuff that didn't jive to me.

Agree on Box, that was great acting. I don't believe the other attorney would have kissed Naz or brought him drugs. No way.

 

[Kazukian]

The attny smuggling drugs wasn't realistic, the desperate mother I could see, not a hot, young attny.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

So, I'm almost done this and have shielded my eyes from previous posts. Omar light is really distracting from an otherwise great narrative. I wish they had gotten another actor for that part.

 

[zinfamous]

So, I'm almost done this and have shielded my eyes from previous posts. Omar light is really distracting from an otherwise great narrative. I wish they had gotten another actor for that part.

Would it have been any easier if James Gandolfini/foot disease Tony Soprano was playing Stone, as originally intended?

Actually, I kept imagining him in that role and how great he would have been--the heavy breathing and sweating added to Stone's revolting presence. That being said, Turturro was fantastic and the show really couldn't have been cast more perfectly.

 

[zinfamous]

I wonder how many angry letters HBO would have gotten if

Spoiler

"the cat didn't survive."

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I'm almost done. The actress that played the DA really bugs me. Did she have a stroke or some kind of muscle development issue? Her speech patterns are very strange.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I like the sub-plot with the cat. I hope they use it as part of the story. As a witness maybe.

Spoiler

FFFffuuu... I wanted him to go back and get the cat.

Oh shit, he watched that Sarah Mclachlan commercial minus the rights to the song. Checkmate, Turturro.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'm almost done. The actress that played the DA really bugs me. Did she have a stroke or some kind of muscle development issue? Her speech patterns are very strange.

Although they didn't do much to develop her character, the actress they chose and the portrayal of the DA was very interesting.

I think they tried very hard to make the DA out to be very competent at her job, but a bit of a journeyman - someone who might have been doing that exact same job for the past 20 or 30 years. In particular, there was her opening argument to the jury, which was very awkward. Maybe they tried a little too hard, or the acting wasn't done well, or this attorney really was supposed to be just that bad at making statements. She was much better in the cross-examinations and sliced up both the expert witness and Naz himself, but it was clear that she had all the personality of a block of wood, and had little ability to sway a jury. Contrast her arguments with Stone's closing argument.

The whole trial aspect of the series was about casting doubt in the minds of the jury, and there had to be some edge given to the defense in such a cut and dried case. Chandra completely blundered by putting Naz on the stand. The difference that led to the outcome was the attorneys arguing the case.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I got all of that. You didn't address what I said at all. The actress having a speech impediment really took me out of the scenes she was in. It was very distracting.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I got all of that. You didn't address what I said at all. The actress having a speech impediment really took me out of the scenes she was in. It was very distracting.

I wasn't attempting to address what you said, other than to talk about the character. I didn't notice any speech impediment.