‘Troppo’ Recap: ‘Nasty Little Threads’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Troppo’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular habit that we all take part in when times are trying, or we are under extreme duress… is to keep our minds as busy as possible. Because down time and quiet time, forces our minds to wander and focus perhaps on all the unpleasantness we’ve currently been experiencing and that… can lead to disaster. Since it brings all kinds of difficult emotions to the surface and rattles us and scares us since we don’t want to feel such things and well, while most of us see that quiet time as a curse for those very reasons… there are benefits to silence. In that, it does in essence, force us to begin to stare down our troubles and potentially deal with them if we’re ready and well, this part of life is top of mind today, because it was put on full display in the next episode of Troppo on Amazon Freevee.
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For ‘Nasty Little Threads’ is a story that saw… a lot of downtime come Amanda and Ted’s way. After all, some of Jong Min’s remains were found, and his death was declared a suicide. Which meant… that the case was basically solved at this point. Which in turn, brought forth idle minds and trouble if you will. Because Amanda suddenly found herself pondering heavily upon the past and of course, the one man that had her back and his death. Which motivated her to dig deep into his death, and while that uncovered some odd characters and suspicions for certain, it also deeply impacted her mental state and left her rattled since this search reminded her of the tough road she’s traveled, and she wasn’t the only one with the past and troubles on her mind.

Because downtime also impacted Ted’s state of mental being. Because he too pondered upon the past and how his career came to a screeching halt and that left him in a shaken place as well. One where he simply could not figure out how to reconcile the pain this brought him and the destruction it brought to his life and even an attempt to face said past by way of helping Amanda dig through her clues… only put him in a darker place. And to make matters worse, he will have more questions to answer about what happened, keeping the wounds fresh. Thanks to the spray paint that went up on his house in the middle of the night when Ah Rah’s friends decided to get rowdy, and these two sequences were downright powerful for certain. Since they truly hammered home what idle time does to a mind that’s been through it and is nowhere near resolution. 

However, this episode didn’t solely focus upon that exploration from beginning to end. For there was an interesting development in the case. In that, Jong Min’s funeral revealed unto the world… that he wasn’t a faithful man to his wife. For Ah Rah confronted Olivia at the service and called her out for sleeping with her father. A revelation that suddenly brings forth all kinds of questions about motives and whether or not suicide was involved. Since a jilted wife could have been motivated to make a husband pay, or a jilted lover could have been eager to take revenge. But alas, our answers on those particular questions will have to wait for another time since the episode didn’t address them or hint at the answers in the slightest and that’s not a bad thing when all is said and done.

Because in the end, this was a pivotal episode for Ted and Amanda. Their chance really, to focus upon where they’ve been, where they are going, and how they are going to get there emotionally, which in this instance, involves resolving their past and finding peace within themselves. Making this story nothing more than a grand character study in the end. One that did a fine job of hammering home its point while setting the stage for all kinds of down the line conflict. Both external and internal since this duo are now on a collision course with their feelings and of course… the truth about Jong Min. For clearly… there is more than meets the eye to his death and it will be interesting to see what other revelations come forth about his life, and if Amanda and Ted will make peace with their sorted pasts, as season one continues along. Until next time.

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