A Friend of the Family Season 1 Episode 7 Review: The Great Deceiver
B. is able to thwart every attempt to implicate himself in the second kidnapping of Jan Broberg, all while he intensifies his campaign to marry her on A Friend of the Family Season 1 Episode 7, “The Great Deceiver.”
This episode is frustrating, but it’s a frustration that has been building since the first episode. We are into the second half of the harrowing nightmare the Broberg family endured for years at the hand of friend and neighbor, Bob “B.” Berchtold (Jake Lacy). It’s a point where we want to see the bad guy’s scheme start to crumble, for him to slip up, and for the traumatized family to get some sort of win in his evil game, wherein an innocent young girl is the pawn.
Bob (Colin Hanks) and Mary Ann (Anna Paquin) are an incredibly naïve couple. Mckenna Grace, who plays teenage Jan, in an interview with TV Insider says that they are “the perfect victims.” Pair the perfect victims with a perfectly evil sociopath and the result is this bizarre and horrifying situation that no parent ever wants to imagine can happen.
On A Friend of the Family, it is the performances that drive this fear home for the viewer. From the vulnerable victims to the sinister villain, the portrayals of these people who lived the nightmare in reality are intensely dramatic, but still rooted in truth. Empathy and understanding comes easier when the actors deliver earnestly raw interpretations such as these.
Lacy continues to disturb—B.’s persistence to be allowed to marry young Jan is sickening and hard to watch. He’s made this character so vile which adds a whole other uneasy layer to the madness knowing that a man groomed an entire family like this in real life.
On the other end, Grace projects Jan’s abject fear in a very affecting manner. B.’s evilness played against Jan’s innocence and vulnerability through these actors’ studied portrayals increases the unsettling feeling with the audience.
All I want is for B.’s plan to have a setback or for Jan to have some agency, but he is too diabolical. Every time they get close to a break in the case, B. evades and comes out smelling like a rose. It is infuriating, but in an entertaining way that only really good drama can provide.
With two episodes left in the limited series and Jan’s 16th birthday approaching, the chilling drama will only increase, and I am excited to see how these capable actors bring the unbelievable story to its conclusion.
What did you think of this episode of A Friend of the Family? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of A Friend of the Family stream Thursdays on Peacock.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.
One thought on “A Friend of the Family Season 1 Episode 7 Review: The Great Deceiver”
The bishop should have reported B to the authorities for what B did! B lied and never repented.
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