The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 5 Review: The Never Dry

It’s surprising how quickly The Last Thing He Told Me flips its narrative from a slow mystery to a fast-paced thriller. The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 5 “The Never Dry” further proves that good things come to those who wait.

“The Never Dry” picks up where things left off in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 4. We’ve known all along that this series has a condensed timeline, and it’s more evident than ever now.

The discovery topples dominoes right away. Hannah and Bailey launch their quest to discover more about who the mystery woman is, and why she looks so similar to Bailey.

The pacing of The Last Thing He Told Me has skyrocketed since they got all of the exposition out of the way. I still can’t help but think about how this show would have been received if it had a different distribution strategy, letting us binge more at a time. Because each episode leaves me wanting more.

“The Never Dry” marks a subtle turning point for the story’s main relationship. There’s a scene between Hannah and Bailey as they’re leaving the campus library, where Bailey tells Hannah that she going to The Never Dry. This time, she’s asking Hannah to come with her.

For all of the random flashbacks in this series, most of which I’ve criticized for destabilizing the plot, this is the first time those flashbacks had a purpose.

We know that Bailey was hesitant about her father’s relationship with Hannah. And we know that Bailey still hadn’t warmed up to her stepmother even up to the day of Owen’s disappearance.

So this is a key turning point for their dynamic. Bailey can finally learn to trust the only person that she currently has left. I’m continually impressed by Angourie Rice’s performance as the teenager.

There are layers to her character. Sure Bailey is a moody teenager, but she’s also deeply vulnerable. And the only parental figure she has, has broken his promise to always be there for her. Rice has great material to work with in The Last Thing He Told Me, but she also has a bright future ahead of her.

Another helpful way of upping the stakes in is the increased involvement of Grady, the US Marshall. Now that he’s no longer just sulking outside of Hannah’s houseboat, his role’s urgency allows us to infer more about Owen’s past and disappearance. 

Augusto Aguilera is fun to watch, making the case that maybe Grady’s part of the story could have started earlier. The thrills would amp up from the beginning. It’s exciting to see him and Jennifer on the same page moving forward, though the circumstances are unfortunate.

Back in the Bay, it’s funny how The Last Thing He Told Me is committed to keeping Jules and Jake in the conversation. They’re doing duplicative work, uncovering Owen’s past in the same way that Grady is.

It’s helpful that they’ve found Owen’s will, sure. But we don’t actually know that Owen is dead. Can a ghost mail a phone to the US Marshall’s office?

And with only a couple of episodes left in the series are we really going to make it back to Sausalito before the story ends? Especially with Bailey “missing” in Austin?

Aisha Tyler and Geoff Stults are wonderfully cast and have a fun dynamic. But the problem with having such an engaging mystery in two geographic locations is that we’re always going to be missing part of the picture.

The new addition of Josh Hamilton in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 5  changes the game significantly. Now that we know Charlie is Bailey/Kristin’s uncle, and that Owen sold out his in-laws for their involvement in the mob, it’s exciting to have this new ambiguous character in the mix.

He seemed to deeply care for his sister if all of the photos still hanging in The Never Dry are to be believed. But he’s also quick to call his father when he discovers Bailey’s identity.

The music cues surrounding him seem sinister. That, and the darkness of the bar where most of his scenes might be clues to his motivations. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens next.

There was enough in “The Never Dry” that leads me to believe Bailey is not actually missing, but rather paying a visit to Andrea. There’s not enough information on this other new character yet to know whether or not she’ll be a force of good or evil.

Now that we’ve caught up to the initial flashback in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 1, and we know it was Grady in Hannah’s hotel room, the premiere cut scene feels more impactful.

It’s only because we knew somebody is in the hotel that “The Never Dry” has a heightened sense of urgency. With Charlie, Nicolas, and the mob involved, watching that scene in “real-time” is more nerve-wracking.

It didn’t captivate me the first time, but I was certainly on the edge of my seat this time. Maybe the key all along was just to let it simmer.

Stray Thoughts

• I know Bailey is a teenager and childhood isn’t that far away, but who could remember something from such a young age?
• Love that they included the Austin Bats and 6th Street into this show. It’s the whole Austin experience!
• Hannah and Owen’s chemistry just isn’t there for me. Maybe we just don’t have enough Nikolaj in The Last Thing He Told Me.
• The fact that Bobby was able to just track down Andrea’s address is a little startling. Helpful, but creepy.
• I wanted to see Jules and Jake searching for Owen’s safe. Wish we had more of them.

What did you think of this episode of The Last Thing He Told Me? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Last Thing He Told Me airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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