Rabbit Hole Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Playbook
Rabbit Hole Season 1 Episode 6, “The Playbook,” is a generally underwhelming episode that follows Weir and company as they try to turn Senator Evers against Crowley, which goes about as well as expected.
It’s a nice change of pace to see them in action, pulling a con to get the information they want. A lot of the season has featured them hiding out and theorizing, so it’s refreshing to see them doing something that gets them out and about.
This time around, Weir and company — and Evers’ security guard — are doing a heist at a vault.
Heists are always a good time. There’s a lot of tension to play with, as well as seeing our characters branch out and turn into someone they’re not for a bit. Ever’s guard steals the show, and it is fun having someone new interacting with Weir and company for a bit.
Even though Ed is relegated to being in the van, he contributes a lot to this mission — he knows exactly where Evers was taken.
So much of this show involves us having to buy into a theory or take the time to piece together clues, and so it’s great that it’s not always hard to figure something out. Some things our characters will just know.
In this case, it makes sense that a financial investigator would be aware of all the vaults that the rich and powerful like to use. Rabbit Hole doesn’t try to stretch our belief in Ed’s knowledge. This was literally his job, so he doesn’t need a lot of information to figure out where Evers was taken.
At the end of “The Playbook,” Weir appears to have received a message from Miles on the Magic Squares app.
I don’t trust it. A lot of seemingly impossible things have happened so far on the show, but Miles went splat on the sidewalk. I don’t think there’s any way to fake that unless this is some intense body double situation, which is doubtful.
Rabbit Hole has hinted throughout the season that Weir has a tendency to spiral down (rabbit) holes, so it is far more likely that Weir is suffering a psychotic break of some kind. Right now, it’s hard to figure out why the show is choosing to have Weir go through this, and what it will ultimately mean for the story.
The only thing we know so far is that it makes Weir a liability.
Weir slips up and makes a rookie mistake in the vault because he’s not focused during the heist, and if he’s having fake conversations with Miles, it is likely that Weir is going to make another, potentially bigger mistake that could cost him someone’s life or maybe let Crowley slip out of their grasp.
It’s also unclear what this series is trying to accomplish in general.
Initially, it looked as if the series would be following Weir’s journey as he tried to clear his name after being framed for murder. But then Rabbit Hole shifts focus and turns more into a conspiracy thriller where we are trying to stop Crowley once and for all.
With two episodes left, it doesn’t seem plausible that Weir and company will be able to clear his name or thwart Crowley and bring him to justice.
The show has built him up too much as a formidable big bad, and there hasn’t been enough progress made on taking Crowley down. Weir and company have determined how Crowley launders money and what his current plan is, but that’s it.
So, since there hasn’t been any substantial progress on either front, the show doesn’t appear to be building toward any resolution.
It is starting to feel as if the finale will simply be a cliffhanger or some big setup for something to unravel in a yet-to-be-announced second season, which will be frustrating if that’s the case.
Maybe Rabbit Hole will surprise me in these last two episodes, but unfortunately, I doubt it.
Stray Thoughts
- I have no comment on Weir and Hailey. My past reviews have made my feelings about them pretty clear.
- Following Crowley and his minions around (even briefly) is boring and serves no purpose.
- The flashbacks are also pointless.
- Crowley killing Evers and her guard shows how brutal he can be.
What did you think of this episode of Rabbit Hole? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Rabbit Hole premiere Sundays on Paramount+.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).