‘61st Street’ Recap: ‘Sins of the Fathers’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘61st Street’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One thing that fans of the AMC/ALLBLK series, 61st Street, can agree upon… is that this is a show that has done an incredible job of challenging its characters. Because each and every single person in this story, has faced incredible odds and incredible obstacles, the kind that has upended their world and transformed them before our eyes. To the point where their experiences have been nothing short of an assault on our senses and where it appears as though… there’s no way they can be put to the test further. For the story has to give them a break at some point, right? Well, as evidenced by the next episode in this harrowing tale… the creative minds behind this story want this to be as real world as possible, which means… much like the rest of us, these souls will be pushed to their limits during a stunningly difficult time.  
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For ‘Sins of the Fathers’ saw our trio of primary characters, continue to face stunning challenges during this difficult chapter in their lives. Detective Logan for instance… found himself at a terrifying crossroads. Wherein he was truly caught between two worlds and conflicted as well. Because at every turn, the villains he works with and the men on the street wanted a piece of him and wanted him to follow their path and that left him concerned and worried about where his life is going and what he should do about it. To the point where he started to think about taking up the same mantle as his late partner and wear a wire to bring hell down upon Brannigan and well, that decision will be a difficult one for certain, since Brannigan knows people have been gunning for him, and it was just fascinating to see Logan be pushed in this manner as he grieves and tries to figure out a way forward.

As for Moses Johnson, well… he spent his time in prison trying to maintain his moral core. Because Moses continued to want nothing more than to be left alone and stay true to himself, but prison life quickly taught him in this tale, that’s just not possible. Because his father revealed to him that the gang life was the only life that mattered to him, and he refused to take this opportunity to teach his son valuable lessons about life or reconcile. He only demanded street loyalty and repayment for taking the time to protect his own flesh and blood. Which in turn forced Moses to compromise his integrity and get along to get along. A move that clearly disturbed him in this tale and left him unsure of what comes next in prison, since it is only a matter of time before his father demands more and it was equally as incredible to see Moses face these kinds of moral challenges and really question if this is what the world is all about.

As for Franklin, well… his new challenge in life, was figuring out how to balance his borrowed time with being a hero and he is definitely struggling with such a task. Because he went full bore into this case, to the point where he was able to recover the bullet that Detective Rossi fired off as a warning shot… but at quite the cost. Since he continued to neglect time with his son and of course, put off telling David that the end was coming soon for the father he adored and that wasn’t the end of his troubles here. Since Martha came to realize that her husband’s push to basically toss himself into an early grave by pouring his soul into this… would leave her at a crossroads. One where she would not only have to grieve the loss of her love but figure out how to care for their son while starting a new career, she wanted more than anything and this was a moving storyline… since we so rarely see these kinds of issues and challenges addressed in any plot revolving around the end of a life.

In the end, if there was a central theme to apply to this episode, it would have to be that this tale was simply a slice of life. Specifically, what it looks like when the universe tends to kick us while we are down and well, it did a fine job of showcasing that and of challenging these dynamic characters once again. Because they continue to just face incredible odds to get ahead or enjoy some semblance of peace in this tale… and well, the show deserves a round of applause for that. Since it stays true to its desire to present everything here in the raw, and it will be interesting to see how every challenge here will be confronted or resolved or abandoned as we inch toward the end of this powerful season of storytelling. One that continues to find new ways to take our breath away and remind us of the cruelty of the world and of the justice system we treasure but refuse to fix. Until next time.

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