This week's episode is all about interpretation.
A knife is just a kitchen utensil, until it is found in the possession of someone escaping a brutal crime scene.
A Pakistani man is just an average college student, until he is the number one suspect being charged with murder after a night of drugs, sex, and booze with a mysterious woman.
An inmate is just a criminal, until he is taken advantage of and driven to the edge of his life.
And a trial is just a trial, until it becomes so saturated with pointed evidence that a (likely) innocent man will go to jail for a crime he did not commit.
Welcome to The Night Of, part 7, titled "Ordinary Death." It's hard to imagine the whole case getting wrapped up by next Sunday, but it must be done. Let's get into the stand-out scenes and information we learned in this heart-pounding episode. We have a new murder, a new romance, and the same ol' cat.
We're also posting all our crazy theories here (and some that you submitted!)
Spoilers ahead.
The Courthouse
Chandra gets some major action in front of the stand showing off her lawyer chops. If you were like me, then you were doubting her skills after that to-the-point (but pretty weak) opening statement last week. I'd love to see Jack Stone get front-and-center and really duke it out with Helen the DA. But, just as Chandra got into her flow, she had to go and completely knock us all of our rocker. THAT. KISS. WITH. NAZ. WAS. NOT. OK. At all. "Fuck" is right. The moment the prosecution gets their hands on that footage (which, let's face it, they definitely will), the defense is basically dead in the water. Or could there be a mistrial? (Ugh, Chandra! Naz does look good all buffed up from prison life, but that is so inappropriate.) Naz knows this, and immediately has flashbacks of kissing Andrea. From now on, will he picture death every time he gets intimate with a woman? Mr. Katz provides the key findings from his intense sweep of the brownstone back in episode 5. He finally gives us answers to some questions fans have been going crazy over: 1) Just because Naz had a knife does not mean that was the knife used to kill Andrea. There's not nearly enough blood, and it was part of a larger set of knives.
2) The front gate lock is rusted and does not close all the way.
3) The basement door was open.
4) There was a window left unlocked on a lower level that someone could have easily climbed into the home from. Naz has a weird moment of happiness and pleasure when his friend, Amir, is on the stand. Helen is grilling him about buying Adderall from Naz, and Naz seems to nod and grin at him to let him know it's okay if he tells the truth. It felt like a "No hard feelings, man" gesture. Or, he's just playing mind games with the kid now that he knows the proper way to intimidate people. (Thanks, Freddy.)
The Streets Of New York
"Just your basic uptown misdemeanor homicide," Box remarks as he shines a light down on the body of a young black woman stabbed to death. He's pointing out the clear disregard for the woman's body, found in the streets. Her death, unlike Andrea Cornish's, will not be avenged by the state. The one comment so clearly shows the disparity between the way murder cases are treated, especially when race and social status are taken into account. In Queens, Naz's father has officially lost his rights to the cab and as well as the support of his community. Someone even throws a brick into the window of their home. Their isolation brutal for the entire family, but it's affecting his mother the most. She basically calls Naz an animal, and stops coming to the trial because it's too difficult for her to hear. It does not look good that he does not have her support. She even ignores his phone calls.
Spoilers ahead.
The Courthouse
Chandra gets some major action in front of the stand showing off her lawyer chops. If you were like me, then you were doubting her skills after that to-the-point (but pretty weak) opening statement last week. I'd love to see Jack Stone get front-and-center and really duke it out with Helen the DA. But, just as Chandra got into her flow, she had to go and completely knock us all of our rocker. THAT. KISS. WITH. NAZ. WAS. NOT. OK. At all. "Fuck" is right. The moment the prosecution gets their hands on that footage (which, let's face it, they definitely will), the defense is basically dead in the water. Or could there be a mistrial? (Ugh, Chandra! Naz does look good all buffed up from prison life, but that is so inappropriate.) Naz knows this, and immediately has flashbacks of kissing Andrea. From now on, will he picture death every time he gets intimate with a woman? Mr. Katz provides the key findings from his intense sweep of the brownstone back in episode 5. He finally gives us answers to some questions fans have been going crazy over: 1) Just because Naz had a knife does not mean that was the knife used to kill Andrea. There's not nearly enough blood, and it was part of a larger set of knives.
2) The front gate lock is rusted and does not close all the way.
3) The basement door was open.
4) There was a window left unlocked on a lower level that someone could have easily climbed into the home from. Naz has a weird moment of happiness and pleasure when his friend, Amir, is on the stand. Helen is grilling him about buying Adderall from Naz, and Naz seems to nod and grin at him to let him know it's okay if he tells the truth. It felt like a "No hard feelings, man" gesture. Or, he's just playing mind games with the kid now that he knows the proper way to intimidate people. (Thanks, Freddy.)
The Streets Of New York
"Just your basic uptown misdemeanor homicide," Box remarks as he shines a light down on the body of a young black woman stabbed to death. He's pointing out the clear disregard for the woman's body, found in the streets. Her death, unlike Andrea Cornish's, will not be avenged by the state. The one comment so clearly shows the disparity between the way murder cases are treated, especially when race and social status are taken into account. In Queens, Naz's father has officially lost his rights to the cab and as well as the support of his community. Someone even throws a brick into the window of their home. Their isolation brutal for the entire family, but it's affecting his mother the most. She basically calls Naz an animal, and stops coming to the trial because it's too difficult for her to hear. It does not look good that he does not have her support. She even ignores his phone calls.
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Jack Stone is followed and threatened by Don Taylor. Fair enough — Stone was getting a bit too bold in his past-time of checking up on Taylor's private life. Especially since everything Stone finds is very incriminating — Taylor has filed for bankruptcy twice before, and nearly choked an ex-wife to death. He is also already pursuing new romantic endeavors, clearly unaffected by the death of his step daughter.
Rikers
A suicide at Rikers shakes up both Freddy and Naz, but for different reasons. This is the second time Naz has accidentally found a young and lost person dead and bloodied. This time though, knowing what led Petey to take his own life, Naz helps to avenge him. He aids Freddy by acting as a decoy while Freddy cuts the throat of the man who had been forcing Petey to engage in oral sex. Naz's guilt stemmed from an earlier conversation with Petey's mother (the woman bringing in cocaine for Freddy) who said she was worried about her son. Freddy killed the man, who was the closest thing to a friend that the man has, because he was angry that he messed up his lucrative drug hook-up. Naz helped Freddy out because (thanks to his time in Rikers) he is now capable of such a brutal act.
A suicide at Rikers shakes up both Freddy and Naz, but for different reasons. This is the second time Naz has accidentally found a young and lost person dead and bloodied. This time though, knowing what led Petey to take his own life, Naz helps to avenge him. He aids Freddy by acting as a decoy while Freddy cuts the throat of the man who had been forcing Petey to engage in oral sex. Naz's guilt stemmed from an earlier conversation with Petey's mother (the woman bringing in cocaine for Freddy) who said she was worried about her son. Freddy killed the man, who was the closest thing to a friend that the man has, because he was angry that he messed up his lucrative drug hook-up. Naz helped Freddy out because (thanks to his time in Rikers) he is now capable of such a brutal act.
Thoughts
1) Chandra kissing Naz. I still can't get over it. 2) Stone being threatened by Don Taylor was pretty intense. Will he subpoena him next? 3) Naz’s parents are more hopeless than ever and it's very sad. 4) Naz and Freddy are now bound together by murder. This doesn't seem promising.
1) Chandra kissing Naz. I still can't get over it. 2) Stone being threatened by Don Taylor was pretty intense. Will he subpoena him next? 3) Naz’s parents are more hopeless than ever and it's very sad. 4) Naz and Freddy are now bound together by murder. This doesn't seem promising.
5) The aftermath of Box's embarrassment on the stand, as well as the real reason he is retiring.
6) Duane Reade and Mr. Day both need to be questioned on the stand.
7) What is up with Naz’s brother? He still hasn’t said a damn thing nor has he attended court with his family.
8) The financial bro, Ray, is a bit too eager to help — what's his motive?
10) The cat just wants to cuddle and is cuter than ever. Stone is getting attached and tells his medicinal doctor "I don't wanna get rid of my cat."
11) Naz needs to stop smoking crack.