Holly visits Lou ahead of her psych evaluation. Jerome accesses Rothstein's records and uncovers an unexpected connection to Ida. Hodges and Montez look into the death of Stan McNair. Morris and Alma are caught in the act.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Audience Network's Mr. Mercedes.
"Love Lost" was written by Jonathan Shapiro & David E. Kelley and directed by Jack Bender
The show continues to be obsessed with the mystery of Brady Hartsfield. It is not confirming one way or another if he still exists inside Lou's mind or if that's a complete fabrication. The audience certainly gets to experience the terrifying sights that Lou is subjected to. It's an ongoing question throughout this hour whether or not she will pass this psychological exam. That was the pressure delivered to her by the judge simply because he didn't want this case to advance to trial. He saw the lawyers as puffing their chests and refusing to back down. Of course, he is doing the exact same thing because he thinks he knows best. He may only think that though because it's an election year. He needs to appease as many people as possible. That may not be easy when he's handling this high profile case. It would be convenient if the doctors could point to some reason why Lou isn't mentally fit to stand trial. It would be the simpler solution if she were to just spend the rest of her life in a psychiatric facility. At times, she believes that may be the most comforting place for her to be. Before she knew Brady was a killer, he was the closest thing she had to family and a friend. She has really struggled to move on after he stabbed her. She shouldn't be willing to listen to what he's telling her though. Holly may be terrified to set foot in this facility because of the trauma she experienced in a place just like it. And yet, she is determined to fight to ensure that Lou gets the kind of justice she deserves. There isn't any hope that can come from this facility. Holly understands that better than anyone else. But it's not through talking about her personal experience that she manages to break through with Lou. Instead, that comes from her being more forceful and demanding Lou to take control of her life without it being dictated by Brady Hartsfield. Sure, her entire trial is fundamentally about how broken the system was. Lou felt like she had to kill him to ensure that the federal government didn't allow him to go free and possibly hurt even more people. People are still hurting from the first mass murder event he caused. That has motivated so many people in this world. It means Morris feels the world closing in on him. He is growing more desperate to retain the unpublished John Rothstein manuscripts. He knows how lucrative those can be. Alma knows it as well. That's the only thing she really cares about. And yet, these people were monsters and traumatized long before Brady began his reign of terror. That has long been seen as the central event that damaged this community. It isn't though. Every single person carries their baggage with them through life. Danielle wants to connect with her boyfriend. Instead, she sees the darkness that has long swelled within him largely because he was taken advantage of at a vulnerable age by Alma. Danielle ultimately pays for that with an ax to the head. That is so traumatic. It proves that Alma is just as lethal and dangerous as anyone else in this world. She now has a body in her freezer. That's chilling and significant. But again, all of this feels like the show slowly teasing the plot for this season. Peter's father tells him that his secrets won't stay buried forever. They will always come out. Ida experiences that as well because Hodges and Jerome learn about her affair with John Rothstein. She sees that as her greatest shame. That paints her in a different light. When Hodges sits down with her, the narrative is no longer focused on death and its investigations. Instead, it's simply about two friends trying to understand the choices they made in the past and how to best move towards the future. Hodges is there for Ida in her time of need. Things may only get more complicated for her. That may be true of all the characters. Lou passes her psych exam but the audience still doesn't quite know what to believe about her communications with Brady. That does drag the narrative down significantly even though it is a delight to see Hodges singing in an Irish pub.
