The cat! The inmates! The lawyer!
The plot shifts and clues this week were fairly subtle, leaving many questions unanswered. I keep running through seemingly brief moments that I just can't get out of my head.
In "A Dark Crate," we see Naz (try to) settle into Riker's Island, observe the domino-effect of his arrest on his family, and revisit the crime scene with attorney John Stone.
As I said last week, this is a slow-moving show, meant to be an eight-part movie, so instead of summarizing the play-by-plays of each hour-long episode, we're plotting out all the new clues, suspects, and reemerging information.
So, follow along every week for a collective brainstorm.
We're also posting all our crazy theories here (and some that you guys submitted!)
Spoilers ahead.
New Suspects
We finally got to meet Michael K. Williams' character, Fred E. Night, a.k.a. Freddy. A former boxing champion, his nickname was "The King of Queens," according to a fictional cover of The New York Post he hung in his prison cell. It's clear that Freddy ruled more than just the boxing ring. He was in charge of the streets, as well. After an arrest for armed robbery and possession of crack cocaine, he has made himself at home in the creaky corridors of Rikers. Where Freddy goes, he is feared and respected. He has the security guards under his thumb and is sleeping with the main female officer of their unit. It's clear to Naz after only brief encounters with the jailhouse celebrity that the guards aren't in charge — this is Freddy's prison. Naz is smart enough to know that he won't survive prison without cozying up to Freddy, but what will that mean? Why is Freddy so interested in Naz? (He gives him a pair of shoes "for traction.") Obviously, Freddy himself could not have killed Andrea Cornish, but it wouldn't be that shocking if he knew the person who did.
We finally got to meet Michael K. Williams' character, Fred E. Night, a.k.a. Freddy. A former boxing champion, his nickname was "The King of Queens," according to a fictional cover of The New York Post he hung in his prison cell. It's clear that Freddy ruled more than just the boxing ring. He was in charge of the streets, as well. After an arrest for armed robbery and possession of crack cocaine, he has made himself at home in the creaky corridors of Rikers. Where Freddy goes, he is feared and respected. He has the security guards under his thumb and is sleeping with the main female officer of their unit. It's clear to Naz after only brief encounters with the jailhouse celebrity that the guards aren't in charge — this is Freddy's prison. Naz is smart enough to know that he won't survive prison without cozying up to Freddy, but what will that mean? Why is Freddy so interested in Naz? (He gives him a pair of shoes "for traction.") Obviously, Freddy himself could not have killed Andrea Cornish, but it wouldn't be that shocking if he knew the person who did.
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As he mentions during a conversation with Naz in his spacious cell filled with phones, drugs, and leather-bound books (literally), he knows and controls a lot of people on the streets. His comments seem weighty. Could he perhaps know any of the men that Naz ran into while he was with Andrea before the murder? Next week, Naz will have to decide if he wants to play Freddy's games or not. In the good man's own words, “Nasir, do you want my protection? Or do you prefer dead in the shower with your brains bashed in and guts on the floor? It’s up to you.”
While I don't think Naz's father's friends, the other owners of the cab, are responsible for Andrea's death, I do believe they are about to play a major role in making things worse for Naz. They're definitely going to throw a wrench in this already-wonky justice system. They are desperate to get that cab back.
I still believe Andrea's stepdad, Don Taylor, is a suspect. He stands calmly and quietly next to Detective Box while they read out the charges against Naz in a live broadcast. They describe the crime as "sexual in nature" and quickly identifying Naz as "Muslim." Does Taylor not need an alibi? Why did he lie about recognizing Andrea's body? He says he lives in Queens — does he know Freddy?
Debunked Theories
Unless this cat is the most street-savvy feline in all of Manhattan, there's no way it was the same cat that we saw in the final scene of episode 1. There's a theory brewing that if Naz's brother is involved, he could be the one transporting the cat back and forth, but that has basically been debunked, because he doesn't have access to a car. And he'd be the world's worst brother. I do feel like the cat will still come into play by contributing some evidence. When Stone tries to drop the cat off at the animal shelter, he clearly has a feeling that the cat is important. He asks the attendant, "How long do you keep them before you kill them?" The kids answers, "10 days." Let's hope Stone, who is allergic, gets some Benadryl and goes back for that cat. Also, the grim reaper hearse guy was creepy, but I don't see him popping up again as a potential suspect. If anything, I think he will be brought in as a witness.
Unless this cat is the most street-savvy feline in all of Manhattan, there's no way it was the same cat that we saw in the final scene of episode 1. There's a theory brewing that if Naz's brother is involved, he could be the one transporting the cat back and forth, but that has basically been debunked, because he doesn't have access to a car. And he'd be the world's worst brother. I do feel like the cat will still come into play by contributing some evidence. When Stone tries to drop the cat off at the animal shelter, he clearly has a feeling that the cat is important. He asks the attendant, "How long do you keep them before you kill them?" The kids answers, "10 days." Let's hope Stone, who is allergic, gets some Benadryl and goes back for that cat. Also, the grim reaper hearse guy was creepy, but I don't see him popping up again as a potential suspect. If anything, I think he will be brought in as a witness.
Predictions
Naz's new lawyer, Alison Crowe, seems shady AF. She clearly has an ulterior motive. Exibit A: She threatened one of the female journalists when we first met her and recruited a random employee (Chandra) to make her seem more legitimate when meeting the family. Exhibit B: She doesn't need to be rich, as she said, she just needs to get into the papers and onto the nightly news. Naz tells Stone that his family hired Crowe and that his services will no longer be necessary. It's a hard scene to watch, especially since moments before we saw Stone buying clothes for Naz. He may not be taken seriously by his peers (Crowe describes him as a "precinct crawler" and "barely a lawyer"), but he really seems to care about Naz and the case. I doubt we've seen the last of him.
Naz's new lawyer, Alison Crowe, seems shady AF. She clearly has an ulterior motive. Exibit A: She threatened one of the female journalists when we first met her and recruited a random employee (Chandra) to make her seem more legitimate when meeting the family. Exhibit B: She doesn't need to be rich, as she said, she just needs to get into the papers and onto the nightly news. Naz tells Stone that his family hired Crowe and that his services will no longer be necessary. It's a hard scene to watch, especially since moments before we saw Stone buying clothes for Naz. He may not be taken seriously by his peers (Crowe describes him as a "precinct crawler" and "barely a lawyer"), but he really seems to care about Naz and the case. I doubt we've seen the last of him.
Recurring Things To Think About
The back door to Andrea's brownstone was TOTALLY still open from the crime. Was anyone else frustrated that Stone didn't seem to notice that when he went to let the cat in? He is also the only one to see the door. Now that he isn't on the case anymore, will the information go unnoticed? All this talk about how much lawyers cost, and how little money the Khans actually have access to, seems like it could play a vital role in the prosecution. The fact that Andrea was wealthy will probably be used against Naz. The eczema emerges again! Stone visits a dermatologist and, to his dismay, is told to apply Crisco and wrap his feet in Saran wrap. In addition, we find out that Stone is even in a support group for others suffering from intense cases of eczema. The other men in the group are struggling with dating and even leaving the house. Stone seems to have it better, which puts things into an interesting perspective. Also, who was taking those pictures of Naz's father in Jackson Heights? Did Andrea's stepfather hire a private investigator on his own? Tell us what you thought of the episode, below!
The back door to Andrea's brownstone was TOTALLY still open from the crime. Was anyone else frustrated that Stone didn't seem to notice that when he went to let the cat in? He is also the only one to see the door. Now that he isn't on the case anymore, will the information go unnoticed? All this talk about how much lawyers cost, and how little money the Khans actually have access to, seems like it could play a vital role in the prosecution. The fact that Andrea was wealthy will probably be used against Naz. The eczema emerges again! Stone visits a dermatologist and, to his dismay, is told to apply Crisco and wrap his feet in Saran wrap. In addition, we find out that Stone is even in a support group for others suffering from intense cases of eczema. The other men in the group are struggling with dating and even leaving the house. Stone seems to have it better, which puts things into an interesting perspective. Also, who was taking those pictures of Naz's father in Jackson Heights? Did Andrea's stepfather hire a private investigator on his own? Tell us what you thought of the episode, below!