As great as Ben Mendelsohn was as Bloodline‘s prodigal son, he is ten times better as the villain. Way back in my review of “Part 1” – I’m sorry I haven’t been sticking to the same daily reviews I did for House of Cards – I spoke of Danny Rayburn’s quiet menace, and perhaps the quiet is why the menace is so good. Danny never shouts, never gets close enough to physically intimidate; in terms of classic villainy, his is decidedly more laid-back, which matches nicely with Bloodline‘s dreamy locale. He’s two-faced in the strictest way possible; he’ll taunt Meg with his knowledge of her infidelity, but he truly seem to care about the hotel’s future.
The noose will close on Danny shortly enough, as John starts investigating his brother in earnest in “Part 9.” The dominoes fall nicely and believably: John checks out the bait shop where both Rafi and Wayne Lowry work; the DEA are building a case against Wayne, and show John pictures of his associates Rafi and Eric O’Bannon; John links Eric to Danny and starts checking out his brother’s checkered past. I remember wondering how John’s murder investigation would dovetail with the main plot, and I have to say I’m impressed. I should have had faith in Bloodline from the start, because the show has done nothing if not established its bona fides as a hypnotic slow burn.
This is all nicely insidious, but if I have one complaint about “9,” it’s the direction, from Simon Cellan Jones (Klondike, Magic City). It’s not subtle at all; when Danny unloads the drugs – actual drugs this time – from the fish crate, we see him look at that goddamn window about a thousand times, and Jones might as well put up a title card reading DANNY IS GOING TO GET CAUGHT. Ditto for when Carlos goes to deliver the drugs in the company van; there are a ton of closeups on the words “Rayburn House,” just so we know exactly where this is headed. It’s kind of a shame that such a good episode is saddled with such obvious directing choices. Bloodline isn’t that kind of show, and Jones handles the personal drama fine, so I’m not sure what happened here. All the same, it probably cost “Part 9” half a star. That blood is on your hands, Simon Cellan Jones!
Danny goes to apologize to John’s wife Diana, but in true Danny fashion he can’t help threatening here. “Don’t fuckin get between me and my brother again. It’s a bad idea.” That’s a terrible apology, Danny. I’m glad to see Bloodline giving Jacinda Barrett, as Diana, more to do. It goes a long way towards fleshing out John’s home life, it gives Danny someone else to intimidate, and Barrett is a talented actress who was being underused in previous installments (not gonna lie, writing “John’s wife” was starting to make me feel kind of sexist). Of all the Rayburns, natural or not, she’s the one who’s most obviously afraid of Danny – look at her reaction when Janey says he taught her how to filet a fish – but she’s also willing to stand up to him. It’s an interesting dichotomy, but then again, so is everyone on Bloodline.
A Few Thoughts
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Turns out Danny has been sending money to himself this whole time
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That was Sissy Spacek’s actual daughter, Schuyler Fisk, playing Sally in the flashbacks
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Those suits from “Part 1” – they were seersucker! – are from Meg’s wedding. That’s a nice touch
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Kevin smashes up Nick’s Porsche. I’m sure he’ll be embarrassed and apologize when he finds out that Eric was the one who robbed him
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