I told you guys – Bloodline was going to have one of these place-setting transitional episodes every few hours. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially with “Part 7,” because after Danny’s epic bender and hallucinated suicide in “Part 6,” the show needed a breather. “7” is a step back from “6,” not necessarily in terms of quantity but in narrative propulsion, but the hour is dreamy and hypnotic enough to suck you in nonetheless.
Look how the camera hovers just outside of characters’ periphery. It’s voyeuristic to the point of being invasive, and the way the focus shifts from the foreground to the background gives the impression that the camera itself is in a daze. Nice work from director Tate Donovan, a longtime character actor who also has directing credits on episodes of Nip/Tuck and Damages.
“Part 7” dealt mainly with the fallout from “6,” namely Kevin and Chelsea hooking up, which turns out to be not that big of a deal. The only person really riled up about is Eric, and his reaction is less than ideal. Danny is too focused on staying on his hustle to pay it much attention; that, and he remembers how cruelly he spoke to Chelsea last episode. We see that Danny isn’t cashing his paychecks, but rather is sending money to some unnamed beneficiary. This hits a snag when the gas can delivery business dries up because John’s buddies have started surveillance on the port from which the traffickers depart.
“7” was basically side plot city. There was precious little of Danny, at least until the end, and no flash-forwards. We see that Meg and Sally’s treatment of Carlos is really stoking his resentment. That will come to a head, and it’s smart of Bloodline to remind us every now and then without beating us over the head with it. Hell, the show doesn’t need to beat us over the head (foreshadowing) because Ben fucking Mendelsohn plays Danny Rayburn, and he can say more with a glance or a head shake than most actors can with a page-long monologue.
John’s investigation is finally gaining some traction. Well, not the investigation itself, but the way it dovetails with the main plot. He and Marco are more or less stalled, as no one will admit to seeing or meeting the dead girls they’re looking for. For a second I thought it could be an equally interesting show watching the two of them navigate racial politics and distrust in the swamplands, then I realized I liked that show the first time it aired and it was called The Bridge.
It’s the not until the end of “Part 7” that the episode snaps itself out of its reverie. Two things happen that will undoubtedly have consequences down the line: first, Danny goes to the head of the trafficking ring and says he can help with the surveillance problems. What I think this means is, the Rayburn family boat is about to be used for the transportation of young girls. Second, Eric beats Kevin with a bat and takes the money that Kevin was going to use to buy the marina. It’s pretty heavily implied that Danny tipped Eric off; no one else knew about the money, and Kevin did just sleep with Danny’s girl. Bloodline is getting somewhere – slowly, to be fair, but that’s okay because the company is good and the scenery is beautiful.
A Few Thoughts
- A mea culpa: in my review of “Part 5,” a commenter rightly pointed out that Sara Rayburn’s name had been used many times. I don’t know how I missed that. Probably because I am terrible at my job.
About Author
