In the light of his increasingly bizarre predicament Ethan Burke quickly gathers as much info and help as he can, little they may be. The episode has faster pace than the pilot, mostly investing in Ethan's investigation of his colleague's death while searching for an exit with Beverly. Within the span of a few days, Ethan looks very exhausted and deteriorated. The makeup as well as the way Matt Dillon portrays the character with persisting physical and mental ache succeed in creating a sense of urgency.
There is not much help beyond basic survival accommodation from the town folks. They might seem courteous yet always very distant. Terrence Howard as Sheriff Pope is openly rude, he presents a totalitarian figure in the contrast of seemingly friendly rural town. His body language and gestures are deliberately designed to mock Ethan. The episode also gives more light on Kate as the sole living connection to Ethan's past.
Almost like most result of an unexpected reunion, Kate is entirely different than her former self in a sort of Stepford wife kind of way. Her intentionally plastic demeanor is completely odd, not to mention rather annoying. Ethan does try to approach her again in hope for assistance or for the sake of familiarity. Some of the dialogues with other supporting cast are mildly mysterious, though they are slower build-up with more teasing.
The episode goes into high gear on the latter half, presenting a couple of twists as the mood gets darker and more malicious. Aside from that, the subtle details are appreciated. Visual gives several intriguing shots of the neighborhood or the drab indoor from occasional narrow angles. These heavily resemble old noir movies or horror video games, and they do give more attention towards the setting as crucial part of the show.
It's nice to see the show establishes the mystery with a faster pace rather than tedious development. It presents more suspense before the creepy neighbors gimmick overstays its welcome.
There is not much help beyond basic survival accommodation from the town folks. They might seem courteous yet always very distant. Terrence Howard as Sheriff Pope is openly rude, he presents a totalitarian figure in the contrast of seemingly friendly rural town. His body language and gestures are deliberately designed to mock Ethan. The episode also gives more light on Kate as the sole living connection to Ethan's past.
Almost like most result of an unexpected reunion, Kate is entirely different than her former self in a sort of Stepford wife kind of way. Her intentionally plastic demeanor is completely odd, not to mention rather annoying. Ethan does try to approach her again in hope for assistance or for the sake of familiarity. Some of the dialogues with other supporting cast are mildly mysterious, though they are slower build-up with more teasing.
The episode goes into high gear on the latter half, presenting a couple of twists as the mood gets darker and more malicious. Aside from that, the subtle details are appreciated. Visual gives several intriguing shots of the neighborhood or the drab indoor from occasional narrow angles. These heavily resemble old noir movies or horror video games, and they do give more attention towards the setting as crucial part of the show.
It's nice to see the show establishes the mystery with a faster pace rather than tedious development. It presents more suspense before the creepy neighbors gimmick overstays its welcome.