I’ve said over and over again how much I love The Bridge‘s stripped-down, spooky approach to its second season, but I couldn’t help but feel that “Goliath” was an episode that was only partially formed. It felt like the setup to something much more momentous, and while every show has to have those place-setting episodes every now and then, it doesn’t change the fact that they can be somewhat of a chore to get through.
That sounded harsh, because “Goliath” wasn’t a bad episode (I have yet to see The Bridge produce one of those). The performances were all predictably on-point, and director Jakob Verbruggen (Netflix’s The Fall) definitely got the memo saying that the audience shouldn’t be able to see a goddamn thing.
This was all about certain relationships crumbling, while others solidified. Sebastien Cerisola wants to get out while he still can, warning Fausto that he “can’t kill [his] way out of his one.” Fausto, stubborn as always, refuses and calls Sebastien a coward (and he calls his vape cigarette gay, which amused me). Sonya asks Hank for permission to team up with Joe McKenzie of the DEA, who also informs her of David Tate’s murder and Marco’s connection to Fausto.
The relationship between Marco Ruiz and Fausto Galvan has been lurking under the surface of The Bridge for a while now, and we knew it was only a matter of time before Sonya found out. Why, then, did the scene where she confronts him feel like a bit of a let-down? Granted, Sonya doesn’t know the damning extent of Marco and Fausto’s relationship, which I’m sure would have produced a more fiery reaction. I will say this, though, I really liked the blunt way Diane Kruger said “I don’t trust you anymore.”
Everyone is running afoul of the cartel tonight (but to be fair, is there another way to run of the cartel?). Frye accosts Sebastien in the parking lot of his son’s school, telling the kid that his dad is a drug dealer. He gets thrown into a shitty Mexican jail overnight, and he makes his feelings clear to Marco: all Juarez cops are the same. Marco protests, but it seems a bit futile. I love Frye’s devotion to Adriana; remember last season, when they couldn’t stand each other?
Sonya might be getting the rawer deal, as Fausto sends a hitman called the Chopper to take care of her. “Goliath” ends with him carrying her away, but I’m not really concerned. This isn’t Game of Thrones; hell, it isn’t even Sons of Anarchy (in terms of body count, not quality), so I’ m not worried about the female lead getting killed.
My favorite plot this season – and the one we’ve seen the least of – is that of Steven Linder and Eva’s quest for revenge.
Linder is season two’s most improved character, and in the best sequence of this episode, he delivers a harrowing monologue about his abusive father; this happens in voiceover while he stalks into the house of one of the men who abducted Eva, punching the guy and knocking him out. I see a very unpleasant time in a barn for this man. Thomas M. Wright’s mumbly yet confident delivery, which I think worked against him last season, makes for compelling narration, and the horrors he describes only get worse when told through his monotone voice. Wright might not get a whole hell of a lot to do here, but he’s definitely the Goliath of this episode.
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