City on a Hill Review: What They Saw in Southie High (Season 1 Episode 2)
Decourcy can’t find his people on City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 2, “What They Saw in Southie High.”
He’s a man caught between two worlds, where both can’t find a way to trust him. Trying to do the right thing, while in the confines on the law, leaves him as a punching bag, and the church shooting isn’t helping matters.
The church shooting leads down an interesting avenue of seeing who does what when under extreme pressure and placed in fight or flight. Siobhan, Decourcy’s girlfriend, immediately goes to the dead man’s side while Decourcy simply sits back down at the pews and does nothing.
This can be read in different ways. He mentions he’s seen shootings before, so is it he feels he can do nothing about it, or is he freezing up when called to act? He does mention to Jackie he feels like he’s outside looking in at his own community, so perhaps it’s that.
But his expression is one of disappointment, perhaps in himself, rather than helplessness.
Jackie and Decourcy enjoying drinks hopefully becomes a common occurrence on the show, as it leads to the most fascinating scenes of the series thus far, just like on City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 1, “The Night Flynn Sent the Cops on the Ice.” Now, there’s this mutual respect, Jackie having more wisdom than he initially let on.
He’s a fountain of information and help, far beyond the somewhat corrupt image he has on the previous episode. Decourcy is starting to warm to him, revealing more of his actual life after admitting earlier he tells lies to fit in with the crowd, about Martin Luther King and how he lost his eye. Decourcy is starting to find someone he can confide into, for better or worse.
There’s a level of opportunity in how Jackie is treating Decourcy, as he reveals to Siobhan in their chat. He wants to be part of his political ascent, to use it to his own advantage. But first, Jackie needs to survive his home life.
His mother-in-law’s mind games and attempt to ice him out of his home is likely going to lead down some very bad paths. Jackie’s on edge, and will not take meddling well. We haven’t seen how dark and how far he’s willing to go, and the mention of him not being such a horrible person when threatening to smash the model airplane feels like a red herring.
Jackie is, very likely, capable of some very dark things.
The investigation is moving rather swiftly, thanks in part to good investigating, and Jimmy’s tips. It’s funny how his tip at the start of the episode places Tommy Hayes, the one person he has problems with, right in the cross-hairs.
The moves are placing too much collateral damage against Frankie, but Jimmy seems to be a live-in-the-now type, especially with needing the quick cash fix from Jackie and, he hoped, his brother. He appears to see others as transactions rather than those he cares about.
Jimmy nearly sniffing out Frankie’s stash behind the medicine cabinet comes as a little fast, so it’s intriguing he only suspects something off rather than fully reveals the cash.
City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 2, “What They Saw in Southie High,” ramps up relationships and their stakes at equal pace, keeping the show on a direction where all of these lives could easily blow up. They’re all looking to take a piece for themselves, not realizing the cost along the way.
As Jackie succinctly quotes, “If you go to hunt a lion, everyone will join, but you go to hunt a skunk, you are alone.” Decourcy is on a journey to build up his place, so he can join everyone, but for now, his team and Jackie are the only ones who have his back.
What did you think of this episode of City on a Hill? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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City on a Hill airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.