‘Manhunt: The Night Stalker’ Recap – ‘Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 2 of ‘The Night Stalker’.
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There is good reason as to why the old saying, ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,’ holds great weight in the modern world… because it is a problem that mankind has yet to rid itself of. Because despite the fact that we are indeed critical thinkers, the kind that can step back and look at things objectively, there are simply times where we believe sticking to a plan and forging ahead is the only way to solve our problems. Why exactly, when we know deep down that saying applies, is difficult to say... since every situation is different. But sometimes, our desire to stick to insanity… relates to failure and fear… an angle that was explored in great detail in the next episode of Manhunt: The Night Stalker.

For the next episode in this fascinating series, saw DCI Colin Sutton watch firsthand as the team continued to struggle with The Night Stalker’s ability to evade capture on a regular basis. To the point where it became obvious that the team was beating themselves up over such ‘failures’ and resorted to the same patterns of behavior because it gave them hope that maybe… their training and the basics would eventually vindicate them. But Colin knew otherwise and decided the time had come to really dig deep and look at a new plan of action to finally generate progress on this case and Scotland Yard loved his new plan. One where the department would no longer pour homicide level resources into the Stalker’s crimes, and instead treat them as robberies. So that the response time was faster and so that more resources were available and well, it’s a good thing they decided to go this route.

Because clues were indeed starting to pop up, and while not all of them led to anything worthwhile, freed up officers could follow up on said clues and eventually, that freedom nearly led to a collar. Because the fast response to a seemingly Stalker related crime, not only confirmed it was their guy, but it helped Colin to learn, that he liked to steal bank cards when given the chance and even asked for pin numbers to snag a little extra cash, and since the team was within striking distance of an ATM, one night after he committed that exact act… they nearly caught the monster. Which in turn, helped Colin to realize that even this new plan wasn't going to be enough to catch him. Because obviously, he was smart and careful and planned his crimes well, and was observant enough to know what the police’s response time looked like. 

So instead, Colin decided that in order to really catch this guy, they had to catch him in the act. Which meant that detailed surveillance had to take place as soon as possible, the kind that saturated the streets with officers in unmarked cars, in a specific hunting ground that the Stalker favored, so that officers could easily box him in when they finally spotted him committing a crime. But all of this was predicated of course, on multiple divisions of the Metropolitan Police agreeing to work together to make this happen and whether Colin could get the funding approved for such an epic operation and on the plus side… one of those two goals happened in this tale. Since every division agreed that this monster had to be stopped post haste, and offered Colin whatever he needed, and now all he has to do to truly pursue this monster… is get the brass to say yes to funding and they need to, quickly.

Because the emotional toll only grew in this tale since The Night Stalker continued to harm the mental health of everyone that he encountered on his twisted travels and his reign of terror has to stop and well, in the end, this was simply a phenomenal episode. Simply because, whether or not you know how this case ends, the story here sucks you in and vests you in a powerful quest for justice. One that genuinely offered up frustration and tension and lessons along the way. Since it took the time to teach us that setbacks and roadblocks, absolutely can put us on unhealthy paths, the kind where objectivity is our only salvation in that situation. Plus, once again, the acting was top notch and sold the horror of The Night Stalker’s actions… to the point where this writer was left infuriated and eager for more. Because we need to see this man in handcuffs, and our desire for that… is going leave all of us counting down the minutes until next week’s tale, so we can hopefully see justice take place. Until then.

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