‘I Am the Night’ Recap: ‘Matador’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

​One particular element that makes just about any mystery story great, is adding a sense of danger into the mix at some point or another. Because knowing our characters are in genuine trouble, and will likely find themselves in harm’s way, adds a whole different layer to the story, the kind where the stakes are suddenly higher and where the audience finds themselves invested further in the story since they’re dying to know if the hero or heroine and their friends will make it out of their investigation alive, and more importantly, whether or not they can overcome the incredible odds they now face, and it would seem, that all important element has finally arrived on TNT’s I Am the Night.
 
Because over the course of the past three weeks, Jay Singletary and Fauna Hodel have toyed and flirted with danger, since their investigation into the past has ruffled feathers and angered the powerful George. But thus far he’s only been willing to push the envelope enough to scare them in the hopes of throwing them off the trail. But last night’s episode, ‘Matador’, finally saw George cross the line and put both Jay and Fauna in genuine danger and well, I have to hand it to this series because this particular twist has indeed upped the ante in this tale, in spectacular fashion no less, since the attempt on Fauna’s life in this tale was downright terrifying and shocking.
 
That’s thanks in large part to the fact that said danger outright came out of the blue. Because a seemingly innocuous sequence at a strange art party, wherein Fauna and Jay showed up to speak to Corinna offered no clues or indications that danger was near. But Sepp knocking out Fauna changed things immediately and the story quickly dove into some dark places since we saw Sepp try and carve Fauna up like art and thanks to Jay’s quick thinking and soldier mentality, we saw Sepp die at Jay’s hands, which forced this duo to move without hesitation to dispose of the body and while this act should have left them terrified and ready to retreat, it instead had quite the opposite effect.
 
For now that Fauna knows what Jay is made of, and how far he’s willing to go to protect her and do the right thing, she opened up to him about some of the clues she’s uncovered, and she also offered to team up with him in order to find Tamar and well, that’s bad news for George. For this duo are beyond determined to uncover the truth and it would seem that putting down Sepp has only further emboldened them to press harder when it comes to this case since they exuded a confidence we’ve never seen from them before and well, while they are closer than ever to possibly uncovering the truth they so seek, the danger still remains real, since it’s becoming inherently clear now that George is a mad man, one that may have killed other women…all in the name of art and beauty and a bloodlust that cannot be satiated…
 
When all is said and done however, this ended up being a downright incredible episode through and through. In large part due to the fact that the danger present here outright sucked me in, but it also had more to offer than mere chills and thrills. Because Chris Pine’s performance in this story was the stuff of legend really, since he channeled some chilling savagery in this tale, giving us plenty to ponder upon when it comes to Jay’s addiction and his demons. But more importantly, the clues are coming together in rapid fire fashion now, and with Fauna and Jay working together, I would imagine the truth will begin to reveal itself faster now, especially if and when they find Tamar in Hawaii and well, I’m definitely hungry for more when it comes to this tale, for I too want to know the truth, but alas, I’ll have to wait until next Monday to learn more. Until then. 

---