The Flight Attendant Review: Rabbits / Funeralia (Season 1 Episodes 2 and 3)
Ladies and gentlemen, The Flight Attendant has officially launched on HBO Max with the addition of The Flight Attendant Season 1 Episode 2, “Rabbits,” and The Flight Attendant Season 1 Episode 3, “Funeralia.”
“Rabbits” was written by Steve Yokey and directed by Susanna Vogel and “Funeralia” was written by Tom Vaughan and directed by Kara Lee Corthron and Ryan Jennifer Jones.
These episodes follow Cassie’s descent into what she describes as a nervous breakdown, as she attempts to figure out who the mysterious Miranda Croft is.
As Cassie gets into the thick of the investigation, she consults Annie as her lawyer. It seems very convenient that she would have a friend in the exact area of law that she currently needs who happens to serve mafia wives and other nefarious people. (I guess that explains the blood on the hands of the guy who called her a “fancy lawyer.”)
While The Flight Attendant Season 1 Episode 1, “In Case of Emergency,” was all about Cassie and her fellow flight attendants, these two episodes are more about Cassie and Annie and their friendship.
If Cassie’s relationship with Annie is similar to all her other relationships, Cassie seems to have trouble connecting, a problem not aided by her drinking and other lifestyle choices. Something Cassie seems to be realizing herself.
The Flight Attendant isn’t afraid to confront what’s brought Cassie to this point. This trauma and the events that are unfolding right now are setting up to be the impetus for change. She’s no longer going out with her coworkers on their route, she’s recognized how worried Davey is about her drinking, and she seems to want to make a genuine effort to change.
All of this happens while memories of her past are unfolding. When confronted by her apparition of Alex about the memory of her dad’s memorial service, the brief reflection on what has led Cassie down the paths he’s currently on does a great humanize her.
This is something that the series should lean into as the final five episodes progress. Cuoco’s acting is particularly interesting to watch as she takes Cassie from a bag of chaos to something more vulnerable.
We as viewers may be here for the wrongly-accused-murder plot, but it never hurts when your characters have multiple dimensions.
While the focus continues to be on Alex Sokolov’s murder, the show also does a good job of relieving tension where it can. An example is the scene in which Cassie confesses to the FBI.
It’s surprising when Cassie confesses to the fact that’d been with Alex in Bangkok, but Cuoco’s performance on “In Case of Emergency” was so intense that amping that up over eight episodes would have been too much.
The scene provides a release for a more calculated proceeding and yet still keeps the suspense.
Cassie does just about everything wrong in these two episodes from confessing to setting up Google Alerts and attending Alex’s memorial. In most situations where a character does this, I typically want to shake them and ask if they’ve been living under a rock and haven’t seen an episode of CSI.
However, Cassie seems to genuinely think she’s helping herself, and as much as it’s chaotic, it’s also kind of entertaining.
“Funeralia” leaves us in a place where we know that Alex’s company is up to no good. Have the suspicion that Miranda may have killed him, and still have no idea who’s really pulling the strings.
So far, The Flight Attendant has a knack for ending each episode on a cliffhanger centered on a revelation. As much as I want to know what’s going on, I am eager to see how the chase scene on the train goes down next week.
Stray Thoughts:
- There are moments in these two episodes that feel like not-so-subtle PSAs. The moment where Davey asks Cassie if she’s okay is one of them, but so is the scene at the scene outside at the funeral where her coworker calls out a young man for saying, “bitches, am I right?” There’s nothing wrong with these conversations, and I am glad the show is taking a stab at them, but the later of the two feels ill-timed.
- I’m actually starting to question the decision to deploy these episodes two at a time. These two episodes stand in stark contrast to one another. While Fogel leans into the caper and does some really tight camera work, Corthron and Jones have an approach that seems to read a bit more humorous. They give gravity where it’s due, but it does feel a little disjointed.
- I’m gonna start making note of when rabbits show up in this series. Cassie’s urgency to get her coworkers to adopt a bunny for that brief moment was cute, but now the rabbits are becoming a symbol.
- Meghan’s decision to steal files is an interesting subplot. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out but worry that her story may get overcast by Cassie and Miranda’s game of cat and mouse.
What did you think of these episodes of The Flight Attendant? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of The Flight Attendant premiere Thursdays on HBO Max.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.