The Red Line Review: One Day We May Be More Than a Body/We Turn Up This Music Louder Than a Mother’s Cry (Season 1 Episodes 5 and 6)
Things really start to heat up, and for good reason on The Red Line Season 1 Episode 5, “One Day We May Be More Than a Body” and The Red Line Season 1 Episode 6, “We Turn This Music Up Louder Than a Mother’s Cry.”
It’s clear to everyone involved that this issue with Paul Evans isn’t just going to go away, but it isn’t going to be resolved in a timely manner either; there’s too much politics involved. So Tia, Jira, and Daniel have a rare moment of clarity and unity when choosing to take a stand.
All through “One Day We May Be More Than a Body,” Tia and Daniel find themselves grappling with a level of trust in Jira that they didn’t realize they’d need to have. For Tia its because Jira is her daughter but she didn’t raise her. And for Daniel, it’s because he now realizes just how dangerous life can potentially be for his daughter of color.
The most compelling part of these two parents dealing with this is that they do so not knowing that the other is going through a similar thing. In what could’ve been a bonding experience for them both, Tia and Daniel remain blissfully unaware of the other’s fears.
While this does drive the character development of Jira forward, think activist in training, its a misstep with regards to the parents.
Thankfully, on “We Turn This Music Up Louder Than a Mother’s Cry,” they are finally able to come together in support of each other’s fears and concerns. Becoming a cohesive parental unit is what Jira is going to need driving into the final two episodes and ultimately the result of Paul Evans’ indictment.
Jira is the character to talk about for these two episodes because she shows the most amount of growth out of everyone. This continuing conflict with her heart and her mind about her father’s murder is creating a strong fierce female out of a young girl who started off so quiet and timid.
Aliyah Royale is a powerhouse who deserves an Emmy for her performance. Every episode she takes us on a journey that really gives us an insight into who Jira is and who she wants to be.
The emotional moments are so raw and real that you feel they are happening to you. She manages to break your heart one moment and fist pump in pride for her the next. It isn’t an easy task to undertake, but the young Royale takes it on spectacularly.
With every installment, I try to highlight one scene that really captures Jira, and with these two episodes, it’s no different. It’s difficult to choose between two very emotional scenes from these two, but ultimately my favorite to watch is the scene between Jira and Tia when she finally breaks down and tells her that she isn’t strong but knows that she has to be.
Jira starts that conversation off very confident and sure of herself on the heels of calling out Gordan for his backward behavior towards women. Slowly, she lets her defenses fall and lets her mom know that she wanted to watch her in order to learn from her how to be strong.
Through all of this, we have to remember that Jira is a representative of so many children who watch their parents get killed every day. Jira wants nothing more than to just feel safe in her own skin, something that was taken from her by Paul Evans.
Speaking of Paul Evans.
I have stated many times that The Red Line doesn’t shy away from showing just how messy the truth can actually be. The tragic story of Paul Evans is their greatest example of that.
Up until the ending of “One Day We May Be More Than a Body,” I truly believed that Evans was a good guy caught in a bad situation. Did he make mistakes that night? He sure did, but I still sympathized with him.
However, watching him walk away from his father during a medical emergency that ultimately took the man’s life scares me. At that moment, Paul Evans shows us and the world that he has a very disturbing pattern starting.
All through “We Turn This Music Up Louder Than a Mother’s Cry,” Noel Fisher continues to astound us all with his emotional acting. His portrayal of the breakdown of Paul Evans deserves him an Emmy as well.
Everything about it is tangible and riveting. It also sets the stage for how this story could possibly end. So far this season Paul hasn’t shown any of us a reason to believe he will gladly take responsibility for his actions.
With his indictment looming, Paul is just going to become more and more erratic, a character journey Fisher is really adept at handling — as witnessed with his role on Castle Rock. It’s a breaking point that I am really going to enjoy watching mostly because I love a good mental breakdown and the chaos it creates.
It’s really inspired writing that we have been able to go on this journey through each of these characters and their possible breaking points. We enjoy seeing it on our television screens because we’ve been seeing these breaking points play out on the world stage for years now.
The protest that the students staged on The Red Line closely mirrors all the Black Lives Matters and gun control protests happening almost daily all over the country. It puts a voice to the action and throws it even more in our face.
The physicality of the protest is astoundingly accurate, the cinematography of which really adds to the chaotic yet empowering feel of it all. Even the song choice, “Buddha” by Macy Gray, really drove home the feel and vibe of the whole scene.
Ultimately, the entire event causes our blood to boil because we watch as a well known, mild-mannered character — Liam Bhatt — gets arrested and called a terrorist. Then at the station, we hear a female cop tell Daniel they are busy protecting the citizens of Chicago, implying that Liam isn’t legal.
These moments are there to get us upset, to make us feel because all of the best stories do that. By creating that visceral reaction The Red Line is ensuring that we will continue to pay attention and wait to hear the final verdict on Paul Evans.
With the season finale ahead of us we can’t help wondering if all of the loose ends will be sufficiently tied up or if we will be left wanting more. It is my sincerest hope that the ending will satisfy us as well as the whole season has so far.
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What did you think of these episodes of The Red Line? Share your thoughts in the comments below! You can also catch up with our review of The Red Line Season 1 Episodes 3 and 4, “For We Meet by One or the Other/We Need Glory For a While” right here!
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The Red Line season finale airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.