City on a Hill Review: It’s Hard to Be A Saint in the City (Season 1 Episode 6)
As a show with its ideals on the larger brushstrokes of the city and its people, City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 6, “It’s Hard to Be A Saint in the City,” brings the view back down to the intimate as two families find hardships.
It’s a strong episode of threads long set up crashing down, on Jackie in particular, and for Reverend Fields secondarily.
Jackie’s marriage collapsing and his daughter Benedetta already getting revenge done in on her is a surprising turn. They are both story moments that did not feel so immediately imminent, and the severity of Benedetta’s injuries and attack comes as dark and devastating. Clay walking away and the two figures walking toward her after her heroin dose is such a gut-wrenching image.
Jackie’s mistress showing up to the door is an out-of-nowhere moment that works well; the first sudden raps at the door, in my mind I pictured Clay to be the one there, and for that to be the way events sprawled out of control.
But for it to be a pregnancy, and to be the final nail in the coffin of the marriage (at least, for now keeping it near-death) is a swerve that works with Jackie, who is too loose with his social life.
Jill Hennessy has such a strong performance in this moment and in the outburst at Benedetta. There’s this fierce betrayal, where Jenny has been walked all over and taken advantage for so long, that she’s lashing out when she finally senses freedom and all of the periphery is crashing down on her to tear it from her.
Kevin Bacon, too, is mesmerizing throughout. There are so many different faces and facets to Jackie here: from the jokey, playful manner, to the compassionate (though it’s hard to read if that’s genuine or transaction-based), to the devastated and the desperate. Bacon manages to make each piece completely compelling throughout a single hour that it’s hard to believe it all happens on one episode.
Decourcy’s confrontation with Fields is a major moment for his story. He can take a punch, that’s for certain. His story of standing tall against violence confuses the enemy is a revealing look into how he sees all confrontation; when he is attacked during the grand jury on City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 4, “The Wickedness of the Wicked Shall Be Upon Himself,” it’s another example of his reaction to violence.
Standing his ground despite the opposition is Decourcy in a nutshell. That he ends up scolded for standing up for Siobhan is a harder lesson for him to learn, though: some fights are better solo, and support is a better move than offense. Siobhan is more than strong enough to stand her own ground, as proven with turning the coalition against Fields at the end of the episode.
The Ryan family at the hospital is another classic look at a family on the ropes that can’t stand each other’s company. Until the very end of the episode, Frankie, Jimmy, Cathy, and the Ryan parents are more a slice of life piece, as has been the case for the last couple of episodes, not quite progressing the story as they’re in a holding pattern for everything else to catch up.
This isn’t a complaint, though; it’s been fun to enjoy their crazy company. But it’s a great step forward, as the walls close in for more money, that they end up planning another robbery. Surgery money is the right catalyst to cap off the rest of the season.
City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 6, “It’s Hard to Be A Saint in the City,” is a riveting episode, making up a lot of the more middling or diminishing moments that had started to creep in. Both Kevin Bacon and Jill Hennessy are fantastic throughout, making the Rohr marriage a vastly more interesting factor to the series while the bigger narrative heats up.
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.