The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Sanctuary
The final hour of Apple TV+’s latest limited series, The Last Thing He Told Me, closes the central mystery and reinforces the show’s actual focal point. After six episodes, The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 7, “Sanctuary,” leaves Owen in the past so Hannah and Bailey can have a future.
It’s a quietly devastating finale, where we get the hint early on that there is no path forward for Owen to reconnect with his wife and daughter. For everyone’s safety. But since Owen has had minimal screen time all season, (a consequence of being on the run), his relationships have never felt fully fleshed out.
It’s not until this finale that their bonds feel as deep as they’ve been described all season. The prospect of actually never seeing Owen again unlocks something in both Bailey and Hannah that changes their dynamic with each other and their situation.
That plays into the overall issue I’ve had with The Last Thing He Told Me. It’s been inconsistent in its pacing, starting glacially, getting good, and then coasting to the end. The inconsistency is in part due to the masked thesis of the show. It’s a mother/daughter story rather than a missing dad one.
But when The Last Thing He Told Me hooks us in on the mystery and then pulls a bait-and-switch, these pacing problems become evident. On one hand, the Hannah/Bailey storyline is incredibly compelling. Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice are dynamic together on screen.
On the other hand — once the mystery is gone, and the road looks grim for Owen, the story feels complete. Even if there are still a few episodes to go.
The clunky pacing in The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 Episode 7 can be attributed to the Grady of it all. Keeping tabs on the US Marshall’s involvement in both Hannah and Bailey’s disappearances takes the breath out of the actual exciting part of the episode — where Hannah ends up.
He’s an outsider to the core dynamic, and he feels like he shouldn’t be there.
The meat of this episode lies in Hannah’s interaction with Bailey’s grandfather, Nicholas Bell. And even that turns out to be a letdown. So much of The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 is spent building up a mysterious case about why Owen would leave his beloved daughter and new wife behind.
And sure, Grady makes the case against Nicholas. But the conversation between Hannah and Nicholas isn’t that intimidating. Without the physical presence of one of his mafia/mob clients in the picture, Owen’s reason for leaving feels underwhelming.
It also opens up a can of plot holes. Owen was living under a fake name in Sausalito. His involvement in The Shop’s fraud case had not been publicized when the news broke. So why did he flee right away? He had a solid 24 hours to explain his position to his family before making a run for it.
I don’t think the outcome would have changed, but Bailey and Hannah would have closure. And knowing Hannah, she would go straight to Austin anyway after hearing the truth.
Overall though, there is a lot of time wasted throughout the seven episodes of The Last Thing He Told Me. Unlike its source material, it doesn’t keep the pages turning over the course of its run, or within its episodes. There are too many unnecessary flashbacks that have no payoff.
The seven episodes, though short, could have been condensed. Or if we had been given them all at once to binge, the desire to find out what happens would mask the issues. Food for thought for Apple TV+.
For what it’s worth, The Last Thing He Told Me has its best moments when Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice work as a pair in scenes. The growth in their relationship plays out beautifully and the little throwbacks to earlier episodes in the finale tie the series together.
Their performances are the highlight of the limited series, and I can see Garner garnering support this awards season. Rice can also make a case for Supporting Actress, and I’d argue that she absolutely should throw her hat in the ring. She has a bright future ahead of her.
Stray Thoughts
- I really wish Owen had interacted with Bailey in the 5 years later scene. His moment with Hannah was heartbreaking.
- Bailey calling Hannah “Mom” was special. That’s what the whole story was about.
- I wish Aisha Tyler and Jennifer Garner had more scenes where they were physically together. They seemed like a fun pairing.
- What happened to Jake, Hannah’s ex? He just disappeared after they went to look for Owen’s Will.
- They missed their chance to expand on the novel and provide a resolution for the fraud case.
- I wish we had seen Bailey and her uncle and grandfather interact on screen. It would have been an interesting reunion.
- I think I prefer the subtlety of Owen’s return in the book’s epilogue instead of the show’s.
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 is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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Marissa Crenwelge
Marissa is an avid pop-culture enthusiast and "daylights" as a digital marketing manager for sports and entertainment brands. When she's not writing or watching new TV and movies, Marissa enjoys spending time with her Australian Shepard, Luna, and spending too much money online shopping. Find her on Twitter at @marissacrenwlge