Run Review: Run (Season 1 Episode 1)
Would you drop everything and run, given the chance? Run Season 1 Episode 1, “Run,” throws that decision at Ruby and Billy and they dive headfirst, consequences be damned.
But where the episode leaves its mark is in the emotional drive of both of them, where they want to relive a connection they share and are willing to blow it all up for even just a temporary reprieve from the normalcy that’s held them in its clutches for years.
It’s fascinating how those initial five minutes that open the episode makes us feel we know Ruby really well: she feels trapped in a marriage where she baby talks and wears scarves she’s not particularly into, and while it may be a normal life, it looks like it’s not the kind she envisioned for herself. But then that final moment of Billy seeing her phone background changes that perception, because not only is she leaving behind a marriage, she’s walking away from an entire family.
There’s this moment of realization that while most of the episode is dedicated to feeling each other out after all of these years have passed, pushing buttons they know so well, perhaps they’re running away from a sense of permanence. Billy’s outburst on the Youtube link he’s sent is his likely reason for running, that humiliating video going viral changing his potential prospects.
But while Ruby and Billy are slowly getting back to their old rhythm together, they are still guarded. It’s fascinating how they both attempt to portray ideal versions of themselves that still house traits from back in the day, but both are walling off how they really feel. They rather be those ideal versions than deal with the very real issues they face.
Those real issues keep trying to find a way to worm in, too. Ruby’s husband is naturally freaked out by her disappearance, though its initial mundaneness over being unable to be there for a delivery shows how disconnected he is from Ruby, where she’s drawn to Billy’s text because it’s a sense of excitement that her life simply doesn’t have.
Billy’s life is fairly less damaging of a blow-up, as least based on what we learn. His celebrity and running away from that clip plays more to his vanity and embarrassment, where, compared to Ruby, it’s less of a blow than leaving behind an entire life. But the way he panics and becomes self-destructive at the thought of Ruby leaving him behind on the train at the end of the episode speaks to something deeper.
It also speaks deeper to Ruby, that she has an out to return home but instead ends up back on the train. She wants to see the end of this, either out of curiosity or out of the connection she has with Billy. Both are still attracted to each other, as we and the man near the bathroom know, and while they tempt that a few times, they are still careful not to overtly push each other to act on it.
They’re feeling each other out still. It’s where both performers excel on the episode. Merritt Wever portrays Ruby as though she’s always at play, trying to find a way to pick apart Billy to make him do something she likes. Domhnall Gleeson is equally riveting as Billy, who enjoys being picked apart and knows Ruby’s buttons just as well. It’s like a game of cat and mouse, where both think they’re the cat in the relationship.
Both are flawed, in the end. It’s what makes them so human. They are running from full lives, wanting to relive the limitless youth they shared together, but it’s probably a pipe dream. How long can this last for, leaving their lived-in lives behind?
Run Season 1 Episode 1, “Run,” doesn’t want to answer that, because we’re only just beginning. It’s about that initial thrill of leaving it all behind, about rekindling something long thought lost and seeing how far things have changed despite both Ruby and Billy trying to convince each other, and themselves, nothing has changed.
But it’s also about the impeccable writing by Vicky Jones and the unflinching, pitch-perfect performances by Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson. We see their characters at their best and worst, and only just met them. Both may be locked into this scenario for now, but there’s a larger question of whether or not honesty will eat away at them, or if this will become a bigger game of chicken with real life beyond the train.
What did you think of this episode of Run? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Run airs Sundays at 10:30/9:30c on HBO.
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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.