Rectify Review: Hoorah (Season 3 Episode 1)

The season premiere of Rectify, “Hoorah,” picks up where we left off at the end of Season 2.

In a quiet opening, Teddy is still waiting to find out whether or not the judge has approved Daniel’s plea deal – and whether or not he’ll actually press charges against Daniel himself. While he waits, he tries to buy a Twix that gets stuck in the vending machine. Of course. It’s tragic, and it’s a bit of a metaphor for Teddy’s life since Daniel came to town in the first place.

Carl tries to help, finally kicking the machine to knock the candy bar loose, just before telling Teddy that the plea deal has already gone through.

We don’t know if he Daniel actually murdered Hannah, and it’s not clear if he knows, either. But Daniel’s return from prison has turned his family’s world upside down, and he seems to think walking away will be best for everyone – including himself.

Walking away means being banished from his home forever. What he hasn’t thought through completely, however, are the repercussions of making such a confession. Jared sums up his expectations in a not-so-eloquent fashion, but there really isn’t a better way to put it.

Jared: Now he just leaves town while the rest of us have to stay here and eat shit.

Daniel has now confessed twice, despite the fact that it feels like he’s innocent. Being banished and taking the plea deal means there won’t be another trial and he won’t have to go back to prison.

But now he’s in a world that he isn’t all that familiar with – one he hasn’t been a part of for nineteen years. At least while he’s at home, his family is there to help him. But adjusting to life somewhere completely new? It’s going to be a terrible struggle. And no matter where he goes, that confession is going to haunt him.

Amantha is tired and frustrated, and ready to figure out who she is outside of her brother. She’s put so much energy into not just getting Daniel out of prison, but in completely clearing his name. So now, that confession, it’s an insult to everything she’s worked for.

Daniel’s decision to leave seems more and more justified, though. One of the most heartbreaking moments in this episode is when Ted Sr. denies Daniel the chance to finish working on the kitchen. It’s the one thing Daniel wants to do before he leaves home, and it’s for his mother. But Ted Sr. doesn’t want him around after knowing what he’s done to Teddy, and he suggests he find somewhere else to stay until he leaves town for good.

He does get one last meal with his family – well, with his mother, Ted Sr., and (awkwardly) Teddy. Janet gets takeout from a barbeque joint called Willie D’s, which she swears used to be Daniel’s favorite. Daniel says he doesn’t remember, but pacifies his mother by insisting the food is “real tasty.”

Then, in walks Teddy, who it’s hard not to see as the villain in this story. He joins them for dinner, making the statement that Willie D’s is his favorite. Janet has mixed up memories of her son and her step-son, which can only make Daniel feel more out of place than he already has.

Even though Amantha has told Daniel she’s tired of trying, he knows she’s still the one person he has who he can reach out to. And so he does. He packs his things and asks if he can stay with her for a while. She makes it clear she won’t be his keeper, but still offers him a “spare room and a blowup mattress.”

As usual, the season premiere of Rectify makes us re-examine its characters and our own opinions of them. The small details and the quiet moments create a poetic episode that leaves us totally intrigued and just a little unsettled.

What did you think of this episode of Rectify? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Rectify airs Thursdays at 10/9c on SundanceTV.