‘Ragdoll’ Recap: ‘Episode 3’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for Episode 3 of ‘Ragdoll’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that how we view evil has changed throughout the years. For back in the day, way back in the day, in fact, it was nothing more than an unseen force. A malicious nothingness that somehow influenced everyday people to commit horrible acts and as the years progressed, that void evolved into something tangible. A fallen angel that loved to tempt humanity into committing evil acts so that our souls could be claimed by it. But all these fantastical notions did for us, was deflect from the unfortunate reality that we understand today. In that, man is what is truly evil in this world, and it is man that makes an active choice to become so.
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But while that is a chilling realization, it is one that is recent enough in our history that we don’t quite understand the true nature of evil yet, and why people are eager to commit to it. We simply know it exists and that it is cruel and that it loves to toy with humans to see how far it can press us and/or break us and those latter indulgences from evil are top of mind today… because they served as the focus of the next episode of Ragdoll on AMC+. For when we catch up with the task force in this one. They’re still reeling from the fact that the Ragdoll Killer managed to use an everyday lawyer to do their bidding and kill the next person on their list and well… planning ahead and making sure to utilize every tool at their disposal… is clearly part of their plan to exert pressure over the team, in an effort to see how long it will take to break them.

Which it would seem, they are getting close to accomplishing. For their successful actions and their desire to toy with DS Nathan Rose and prompt him to believe that he is somehow responsible for all of this, is helping to drive quite the wedge in the team. For a great deal of this episode saw Rose and Edmunds and Baxter at each other’s throats or questioning one another. Simply because they were afraid of failure and were rattled by being bested by a phantom of sorts, and because Nathan was doing his best to stand tall with an old stereotype revolving around mental illness. In that, one has to appear strong and in control when they have concerns about their mental health, and well… all of those elements put the team on serious edge and applied the pressure in question and hopefully they can come together soon before these stresses do indeed tear them apart.

But while that particular brand of chaos could have carried this episode through and through, it still had more to explore in regard to evil. Specifically, how it loves to watch its plans come to life and the joy it receives from harming others in the most poetic way imaginable. A feat that this story accomplished, by taking us on quite the ride with the third person on the list. Since the Ragdoll Killer was all about assembling an intricate plan involving their target, one that would showcase their mental prowess and terrify those involved and well, that led to one hell of an intense and unsettling sequence. One that we simply cannot spoil in the slightest, since you the viewer, need to experience its wonder firsthand. But what we can say, is that it hammers home the central theme, and said theme is taken to a whole new level at the end of this tale. Which we also won’t spoil, for that too is epic.

But instead, what we will discuss, is the sheer majesty of this episode and how it did a wonderful job of exploring the nature of evil to a tee. Plus, it also impressed by finding a way to truly put the team to an emotional test. One that genuinely pushed them to the limit through and through and created the potential for genuine strife between them down the line. Also, this episode deserves credit for briefly exploring the whole ‘stay strong’ mantra that we expect people going through a mental health crisis to adhere to… since that kept the show’s powerful examination of how we view mental health, alive, and all this episode does, is leave us starving for more. Because the case is heating up and the stakes are high, and it is quite likely that all of us will be counting down the minutes until next week’s entry. So, we can see where this stunning story is going to take us. Until next time.

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