Perpetual Grace, LTD Review: A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel (Season 1 Episode 10)

Walker hasn’t the foggiest as everyone keeps to their lies on Perpetual Grace, LTD Season 1 Episode 10, “A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel.”

The framing of the episode, of Walker getting in his final questions as the whole ordeal makes less and less sense to him, is such a rewarding way to close out the season. The episode does right by every one of its main characters, allowing each one of them a moment to shine and to stand out.

Ben Kingsley and Jacki Weaver spend a sizeable amount of the season in absolute silence, their mere presence together always saying so much about their characters. They are inseparable, a knot impossible to break, making Pa’s choice to take down Hector this event that’s always been coming the moment he placed danger on Ma. Byron is not going to let that slide for a moment.

Terry O’Quinn’s Walker, Texas ranger is this undeniable paragon of good that comes across as a villain for simply being too good, O’Quinn able to say so much with just a flicker of his eyes or a quick inflection of his voice. He plays flabbergasted just under the surface so well, and giving him a starring role on the finale to sniff out the lies is such a treat.

A lot of shows would have shown New Leaf’s parents as a punchline to such a happy moment after being crushed by the semi truck, but Perpetual Grace, LTD brilliantly holds on New Leaf’s joy of being accepted by James and Paul.

The allure of becoming Mr. Success turns the easily receptive New Leaf into a helpful participant, Chris Conrad playing the scenes with a heart-warming emotional acceptance of a new life while letting go of his old. It’s a new, new leaf.

Everly Pirdoo showing each and every sign of lying in quick succession is one of the absolutely magical moments of the show. Michael Chernus is a fantastic physical actor, able to make the small tics into something of a masterclass of timing and making them appear natural and unnatural at the same time.

Valerie continues to easily change people’s hearts, this time with a surprise return of Felipe G. Usted, almost first Mexican on the moon. There’s such a cool, collected nature to her, likely a far better leader to take on all of these challenges. Dana DeLorenzo brings this enthralling calm to this character, making her hard to read, but she’s always in control of what’s around her.

Hector going from happy ending to worst ending possible for him is an inverse for the plan James has of no harm coming upon anyone. Byron Brown is no saint, his past full of violence and this single shot to the chest this burst of a season’s worth of waiting to have the upper hand.

After spending so much time with Hector, it’s a harsh truth that Pa is a violent force, with nothing good waiting for James and the Special Boys upon his return. Luis Guzman’s hopeful narration as he heads to his doom, and even during his doom, is a fitting close to his character, going from bumbling sheriff to too kind for his own good.

Paul gets to do incredibly impressive kung fu moves, which is as cool as a character can get on Perpetual Grace, LTD. Damon Herriman’s portrayal of his prison survival is such a bizarre series of scenarios, Herriman rolling them off with such sincerity.

That last moment, of James standing before everyone at the funeral as a few stragglers in information piece together and catch up mentally, is like his final judgment, both fake Ma and fake Pa on either side of him. It’s all in front of the Our Lady of Perpetual Grace, the fraud on display.

As a final scene, it’s in line with the first season of Patriot, where the thing fought so hard for is likely now out of grasp. Both Patriot and Perpetual Grace, LTD end so sudden, as the sharp truth of losing control after spending so long to hold on starts to seep in.

Jimmi Simpson has so many standout moments on the show, but this last moment, standing in silence, completely uncertain of what comes next, is one that leaves a lot of the heavy lifting on him. There’s this sinking feeling of being unprepared, standing in front of the class, that exudes from the scene, and Simpson makes it endearing and excruciating as he struggles to find the words to get out of it.

A lot of loose ends remain in the air. Deloash is perched at the funeral, gun in tow; the plan is completely unraveled in Walker’s eyes; and Ma and Pa are on their way home. In this light, it’s an incomplete closer.

But at the same time, this becomes an emotional close to the season, a cathartic moment of nearly everyone metaphorically under the same roof watching James as he desperately searches for a way to riff out of the mess. He’s gotten them into this, and they’re watching him for a way out.

It’s about the great lengths to get what you want, only for a simple snag to take it all away, and what happens next to try and get it all back. That’s where Steven Conrad and Bruce Terris shine, giving these quirky and memorable characters what they want to the point where they can nearly taste it, only to pull it away a little farther down the road.

The style continues to be off the charts. The episode, directed by co-creator Steven Conrad, is full of marvelous choices. The scene with Walker speaking with the sheriff in the bar, the light obscuring his features at first until finally it creates a halo effect around his head, is this heavenly appeal of placing Walker on a beautiful pedestal, as the show’s characters themselves do.

The episode continues the use of obscured faces through dirty windshields, this time of James through Walker’s truck window. And my favorite of the episode, the blurred images of every lead crossing by, one by one coming into focus before becoming obscured again as they head to the funeral, before ending with the wonderful image of James’ spaceman father marching behind them all.

“A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel” is immaculately made, capping off a season of inspired filmmaking.

Perpetual Grace, LTD becomes a titan of the year, so specific in its vision and voice that nothing else like it currently resides on television. The detail in every word spoken, to the very speed the story is told, both melodic and methodical, all give such an intimate view of its characters, all having lost something and wanting to gain some semblance of redemption back for past misdeeds.

Perpetual Grace, LTD Season 1 Episode 10, “A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel,” may threaten to take that redemption from them, but by doing so it gives us a masterpiece of noir. Perpetual Grace, LTD is exactly what television needs right now.

 

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Perpetual Grace, LTD airs Sundays at 10/9c on Epix.

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