‘Parish’ Recap: ‘Blood in the Water’

4/8/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Giancarlo Esposito as Gracián ‘Gray’ Parish in Episode 102 of ‘Parish’ – ‘Blood in the Water’. (Photo Courtesy of Alyssa Moran/AMC.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Parish’. To revisit the Series Premiere, click here.

Each and every one of us, hope for nothing more than to live a life that is devoid of serious trouble. Specifically, the kind that could have massive repercussions and jeopardize our safety and the safety of our family. Because deep down we know that kind of trouble could wreak havoc upon our lives and leave us in a difficult and scary that place is unfamiliar and potentially dangerous. So, we stick to that straight and narrow and enjoy a life where the worst-case scenario in our minds, is not getting that big promotion or perhaps coming to discover that we want more out of life. But such a worry does leave us to wonder… how exactly we would handle such a problem if it came our way.

Simply because, our minds like to wander, and we always want to ponder upon wild scenarios to help reinforce our need to steer clear of such matters and to just think about our potential in times of crisis. Which is why we often to turn to stories to satiate that curiosity. Simply because stories can ponder deeply upon such possibilities no problem and well, that’s why this week’s episode of Parish on AMC is of note. Simply because ‘Blood in the Water’ took the time to reflect upon what it would be like if by chance someone we could consider to be ‘everyday’ plunged themselves into a bad situation that would indeed put a squeeze upon them. Which this episode was able to do, by picking up right where we left off.

Wherein Gray and Colin were stuck with the cleanup of that lawyer’s body, in Gray’s garage no less. And while Gray has been part of this world before, he has spent so much time away from it, that having it retake the center stage absolutely would lead to disaster, so Gray did what he had to. He cleaned the body up, made the shop look amazing and then hid the body in his own home for a few hours until the time arrived to finally dispose of it with Colin. A process that was testy and unpleasant, but understandably so. Because in between that disposal… were lies and deception. Because Gray had to do everything within his power to keep that secret going, with his wife and his daughter in the house and that was no easy task, since it messed with Gray’s psyche deeply.

Zackary Momoh as Sheperd ‘The Horse’ Tonga in Episode 102 of ‘Parish’ – ‘Blood in the Water’. (Photo Courtesy of Alyssa Moran/AMC.)

Which did indeed explore what the worst-case scenario would be like for us, but we’ll dive deeper into analysis on that in just a moment. Because what made this episode special, and equally as worthwhile, is that it pondered upon more than just what that might look like for the everyman. For as we noted in last week’s recap, Gray is a man torn, emotionally, and he’s looking for some kind of fix, some kind of purpose, some kind of feeling and he went after that with gusto in this tale. Because anyone else, would have been done with the criminal underworld and any potential payouts, after dealing with a reckoning like that, and after coming to learn what Gray learned here about the Horse and his organization, in that… they deal in human trafficking. Yet, Gray was still working with them here.

But the chance to make some money, and the chance to be around a world that felt familiar, that could offer thrills and chills and provoke that sense of feeling… kept Gray around them. Yes, he tried to leave, but that’s just logical and he could have done more to step away since his debts were paid in full. But that darkness compelled him to keep at it and of course that led to real trouble. For a simple cruise with Shepherd, aka ‘The Horse’, and his son in the car, turned into all out war on the streets and a fight for survival. One that saw Gray’s precious ride be utterly destroyed and where The Horse’s son watched his father drop from a bullet in the midst of a firefight, and of course… that left fates up in the air. Something that could have been avoided… if Gray truly let go of what this world gives him.

However, he is that broken, that desperate and that eager to be in the thick of it again, and now he’s surrounded by death and lies. And speaking of those lies, well… those made it clear that we are right to want to avoid what Gray encountered here, because it will bring about hurt to our family, hurt to ourselves and damage so much. Making this episode nothing short of a cautionary tale. One that warns us… to stick with the straight and narrow since we will happier that way, and to deal with our pain, so we don’t crave bad behaviors to cope with the ache within. Which is of course, easier said than done in some instances, especially for Gray and truly… it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for him, now that his push to feel has buried him in darkness and sorrow. Until next time.

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