Rectify Review: The Future (Season 3 Episode 5)
Daniel remains in a state of purgatory on Rectify, “The Future.”
The episode opens with Daniel getting paint supplies to fix the pool after having ruined his paint job, hoping to atone for his mistake. It seems the very thing Daniel needs before he moves on to whatever is next is to finish something — anything. With Ted Sr. and Teddy taking over finishing Janet’s kitchen and not allowing Daniel to be there, the pool is the only thing he has to work on.
So, it’s fitting that once it’s finally finished, he asks his mother if they can leave in the morning. It also makes me think he was trying to buy a little time first (maybe subconsciously) when he sabotaged his paint job in the previous episode.
Unfortunately, the owner of the apartment complex tells Melvin that Daniel has to go, and he isn’t given much notice. You know, I’m not sure how much we can trust Melvin — just throwing that out there. But Daniel takes the news (from Amantha) in stride, as he usually does. He seems to be accepting of the fact that he really isn’t welcome anywhere.
So imagine Daniel’s surprise when Sheriff Daggett calls him in, not as a suspect, but as a witness for the investigation of George Melton’s death. Daniel doesn’t express how he feels in an obvious way — it isn’t expository. Imagine how different this show would be with some form of narration, and not in a good way. We can see what Daniel feels through his eyes, through his body language, and through the things he doesn’t say,
Every character on Rectify has grown and changed in some way since Daniel was released from prison. For Janet, she’s become more confident and more outspoken, at least from the moment we first met her in Season 1.
She may be returning to her old self in some ways — notice how her mood changes when we reminisces about her first husband and his ability to make doing anything seem like an adventure. This version of Janet seems a little more free and a little more relaxed.
When Janet learns that Daniel is no longer welcome at Amantha’s, she isn’t afraid to insist to Ted Sr. that her son return home. She has unconditional love for her soon, and though she says her heart breaks for Teddy knowing what Daniel did to him, her other son isn’t a bad person. He’s just been damaged, and she needs to be there for him as much as she can be.
That empty pool remains a significant symbol for the season as everyone gathers there for Daniel. A family pool party with an empty pool — it seems just right.
This is when Daniel asks his other if they can leave in the morning, as they lie there on pool chairs in the quiet, separate from everyone else. She obviously isn’t ready for him to leave just yet, even saying she was planning to throw him a party, but it’s what he wants. He asks for a road trip with just the two of them, and says he thinks he’d like to see the ocean again.
And as he talks to his mother, he just barely lets a tear fall down his face.
Daniel isn’t asking for much. He just wants to appreciate the little things — whether it’s classical music, reading in sunlight, or seeing the ocean. As an audience, we can’t help but want him to find happiness in small moments, or wherever he can get it.
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.
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.