‘Kin’ Recap: ‘Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Kin’.
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Death is an element that is akin to oxygen in crime dramas, and it makes sense as to why. After all, the ‘unsavory’ people that populate this darker corner of the storytelling world, deal with death in the same way they deal with air. They simply breathe it in and don’t think twice about it because murder and mayhem and death and destruction are just an everyday part of their lives and the people that die in this universe are often such ugly characters that mourning them seems downright silly. For that would be a celebration of an awful person, and we are taught that we only celebrate good lives and good people in death and really, crime dramas tend to stick to this mantra, simply because they are meant to serve as the anthesis to our world.
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But believe it or not, it is possible to add humanity to this genre, and perhaps creative minds should more often. Since criminals are people who simply made a different choice than the rest of us and seeing them in a realistic light might change our perceptions of crime and thankfully… there is a series out there that is trying to humanize this genre in a revolutionary manner. For Kin on AMC+ is making a point of showing the human side to crime and it is also working to add depth and meaning to death in this harrowing genre, as evidenced by this week’s episode. For ‘Episode 2’ picks up immediately following Jamie Kinsella's passing and rather than treat the audience to the traditional saber rattling and calls for revenge that death seems to inspire in these tales, there was nothing less than shock and sorrow and heartbreak present here.

For Amanda and Jimmy were devastated over the fact that their baby boy was gone, and once Jimmy and Michael were released from custody and questioning, she and Jimmy did their best to process this new reality and that led to some powerful and raw moments. The kind that genuinely made it clear that this story is going offer up a realistic examination of loss, since every moment with Amanda and Jimmy, felt real and raw and visceral and would likely be the reaction of any mother or father, regardless of what career they chose. But what made their plight even more heartbreaking in this tale, is that Frank had to work hard to cover up Viking’s actions. Because of course, Eamon Cunningham got word of what happened and informed Frank that Viking basically started this fight and that motivated Frank to take some shocking measures with his family.

Because one can never forget that living away from the rules that the rest of us abide by, sows’ powerful temptation and machinations of revenge and that’s why Frank told Viking to not say a word of what happened and why he ordered Jimmy to not retaliate. Because he knew that Jimmy would want justice and if he learned the truth, he would first make Viking pay dearly for his arrogance before turning his attention to Caolon Moore, and that action would bring about more heartbreak and strife and outright war with the Cunningham family, and for a brief moment there… it seemed as though Frank’s appeals for humanity and calm would win. But Amanda and Jimmy’s enduring pain was too much to overcome and that motivated her to ask her husband to exact revenge and that in turn, motivated Jimmy to ask Michael for help with that and sadly, it would seem that the clock is now ticking on a bloody and dangerous vendetta.

But while we wait to see if they follow through with this arrangement, we can reflect upon one powerful and quality tale. One that really did a fine job of adding gravity and depth to an element that is glossed over often in this genre. For we truly felt the power of loss in this story, and we understood how much it hurt the Kinsella family to have one of their own gunned down and struggle with the devastating reality that their only recourse to heal and find justice would be to retaliate in kind. Which helps us to understand how difficult a life of crime can be and well… all of this made for one brilliant episode. One that truly served to remind the viewer that Kin is hands down the most original crime drama on the air right now, all because it injects an unprecedented amount of realism into its storytelling and now, all we can do is wait nervously for next week’s chapter in this harrowing saga, to see if by chance… Jimmy and Michael can be convinced to back away from a horrible decision. Until next time.

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