Written by John Edward Betancourt
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘The Tower’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here. This article also contains discussions regarding domestic abuse and sexual assault, which may be triggering to some individuals.
More often than not, crime dramas that feature a heinous crime early on in the story, focus heavily on the manhunt that follows, and rightfully so. For a suspect is in mind and we are here to enjoy the thrill of the hunt for evil and the satisfaction that comes about with serving justice. So, sitting through a grand manhunt helps with that and keeps us engaged and truly leans into the entertainment aspect of storytelling. Since such a chase is vibrant and thrilling and absolutely isn’t realistic. Which isn’t an insult by any means, because we know what we are getting into when we tune in. But it is refreshing to see stories, now and again, that ignore the entertainment factor to lean into the realism of police work, since it offers up a break from the norm and when done right… can be just as compelling… and for proof, look no further than he next episode of The Tower 2: Death Message. For this particular tale had the opportunity to go the traditional route and take us on a thrilling manhunt that would be action packed and tense since Mark was out there with his little girl. But instead, this story slowed things down and looked at some unique aspects about murder and violent crime that are only now being explored in television. Specifically, the fallout that comes forth after a violent crime is committed. For instance, the moment when a family member must face the painful reality that someone harmed their loved one thorough violence. For Georgina’s mother had to be given the death message, and well that, brought some supremely powerful moments. Where we were able to see just how much such news will devastate a family member and sink them deeply, and there were more concepts in that line of thinking to explore in this story. Because Collins made significant progress on her cold case. To the point where she was able to sit face to face with Ray Walker and really show him the impact, he had upon his victims, in an effort to get him to finally admit to committing the crime in question. And while that was uncomfortable to sit through, and didn’t produce the desired effect, it was powerful, nevertheless. Because this sequence made it clear, that the lasting pain and damage that comes forth from the kind of sick actions that men like Ray take part in, is deep and devastating and we need to talk about that more in real life and acknowledge its ugliness in an effort to combat it. if anything, both of those sequences were stunning to say the least and really left us with plenty to think about and the show deserves a round of applause for taking the time to acknowledge the impact of crime and the realism didn’t end there. Because despite there being a full-on manhunt for Mark and some close calls in capturing him, the man continued to elude the Met, and there’s a lot of realism to that. Because officers of the law do have rules of engagement, and rules in how they approach a suspect, to maximize safety regarding the general public, and those were followed to a tee here… and that meant Mark was still free by the end of this tale. Which was as frustrating to watch play out as it is to hear about in real life, but the bad guys do escape and win sometimes in real life and that merely raises the stakes for this story and invests us further. Since we want to see this piece of trash behind bars. But above all, this too offered up some powerful realism to say the least, since it felt as though we were watching a real case play out in real time. All of which, made for another incredible episode from this series. One that really was unconventional and powerful and set the stage for so much more. Since Collins might have a new lead in that cold case and it would seem a violent showdown with Mark awaits since he believes the police are somehow at fault for his own disgusting actions. But while we wait to see how these cases played out, this episode really does deserve our awe. For having the tough conversations about domestic violence and sexual assault and for not shying away from the impact of that, and of murder, and if this episode is any indication, this journey is only going to get more difficult as the weeks roll on. Because this season of storytelling, is going to hold nothing back and take us on a devastating ride, one that is going to give us great pause from the lessons that lie ahead. Until next time.
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