‘I Am the Night’ Recap: ‘Dark Flower’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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If there’s one thing I truly love when it comes to a limited television series event, it’s the sheer fact that the story wastes no time in getting down to business. That means there are no filler episodes, and no wasted moments, just a brisk and engrossing plot that chugs along and that’s precisely why I’m enjoying I Am the Night on TNT so much. Because this series is taking full advantage of every single second it’s on the air and last night’s episode of the show, ‘Dark Flower’, was no exception to that rule since it did a fine job of moving the story along in engrossing and fascinating fashion.
 
The fascinating aspect of this story, came from the fact that this particular tale really took the time to explore Jay Singletary and what makes him truly tick, and that matters because, while we understand that Jay is driven to clear his name and close out the story that’s haunted him…we’ve never fully understood why this is so important to him and really, it all boils down the fact that Jay thinks he is worthless at this point in time. He was somebody in the war, a hero and revered. But now that that the war is gone and his writing career is on the skids, he’s lost, lonely and desperate to feel as though he has anything to contribute to the world and this, and the brief exploration of his severe PTSD was simply fascinating to watch, and it added some magnificent depth to the character.
 
But, while I am a sucker for quality character growth, we of course have a grand mystery to explore revolving around Fauna and her mother, and Fauna felt the need to press a little further when it comes to the truth about her mother in this tale. Because she still firmly believed that Corinna was lying to her about everything really, and it turns out her suspicions when it comes to that were completely and utterly warranted. For an impromptu investigation of Corinna’s house revealed that Tamar is indeed alive and well since she discovered correspondence from her mother, lying in the trash, and as an added and unwelcome bonus, she came to discover that she is in genuine danger after all when it comes to her search for the truth since George’s lackey Sepp…was everywhere in this tale causing all kinds of disturbing trouble.
 
After all, he violently murdered Fauna’s aggressive suitor, Nero when he didn’t like what he had to say to Fauna, and of course, he tried to drag her into a bar, and he was looking for her inside the house and honestly, if it wasn’t for Jay, who knows what would have happened if he had dragged her into the car and really, it’s the danger that matters most in this particular episode. Because it was truly everywhere in this story, and I fully agree with Jay in that, he and Fauna are incredibly close to something since both the LAPD and Hodel’s lackey seem to be ratcheting up their game in order to push them off the trail and that is simply fascinating to say the least. Because clearly, George is scared about having something discovered and the question now is, is it the truth about the Black Dahlia case that has him jittery, or the sheer fact that Fauna and Jay may instead reveal the fact that he’s stark raving mad to the world…
 
Either way, I really enjoyed this episode through and through, and I love that every single moment in this tale was electric and lively and that the show continues to reveal just enough when it comes to Jay and Fauna’s investigation. For every little nugget of truth that comes our way is powerful and relevant, and it is a huge deal to discover that Tamar is alive, and that George is mentally ill, and it really is a matter of time now before the truth begins to pour out about everything, since Jay and Fauna are starting to unravel the tapestry of lies that George has created. And I really cannot wait to see what the next three episodes have in store for us as we barrel toward grand reveal after grand reveal. Until next time.

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