The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Judgment

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Crowded Room being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 10, “Judgment,” is a powerful, emotional, and hopeful ending to a complex discussion about mental health.

The season finale sees Danny Sullivan take the stand as his criminal trial enters its final stages, and the jury must decide if he is guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity. Additionally, it touches on the hopeful aftermath of his trial.

“Judgment” is The Crowded Room at its very best. This is because its pretense of being a mystery thriller is dropped, and it focuses fully on the important themes it has been slowly exploring throughout the season.

This results in an episode that is very emotional and powerful to watch. It provides a visual depiction of mental illness that is quite striking by taking the show inside Sullivan’s mind again.

In a moment of weakness, Sullivan’s alters grasp the chance to take over and threaten to ruin the defense Rya Goodwin and Stan Camisa painstakingly created for him.

However, this time, Sullivan fights back. He forces himself to be in control of his mind and to face the things that his alters have been trying to protect him from this whole time.

He goes way back in his mind until he finds Adam, who he finally admits isn’t his brother.

In one of the most heartbreaking and powerful moments of the season, Sullivan admits, “Adam is me.” Few shows so poignantly capture the difficulty and pain in a survivor acknowledging what happened to them.

His admittance to being Adam doesn’t come easily, but with much pain and emotion that clearly affects every person in the courtroom.

What’s even more tragic is that he previously indicates that Adam “wanted” to be abused and that the abuse was Adam’s fault. It’s a classic example of victim-blaming and further proves how badly Sullivan wants to protect himself from the terrible things that happened to him.

However, the episode brilliantly combines his victim-blaming with Adam’s arrival on the scene, portrayed by child actor Zachary Golinger.

The glimpse of the innocent, young, and angelic-looking Adam is enough to renew feelings of grief and fury over the suffering he endured. It’s a tragic but unforgettable illustration of how atrocious and unforgivable child abuse is.

Danny’s testimony is followed by another powerful moment when the jury declares him not guilty. Again, it’s a small moment that packs so much power and meaning as it shows viewers what a victory for abuse survivors and the mentally ill looks like.

However, “Judgment” also makes it clear that something as dramatic as an acquittal isn’t necessary for a victory. The really powerful part isn’t that the jury makes a judicial decision, but that they listen, hear, and care about someone else’s pain.

Even if they don’t fully understand it, they acknowledge that Danny’s story matters, and that’s where the power lies.

While it might’ve been tempting to end the season with a big victory, the show makes the correct choice to end on a quiet, hopeful note.

Two years after his acquittal, Sullivan’s life isn’t magically fixed. He’s living in a psychiatric hospital and still coming to terms with his trauma and his mother’s heartbreaking choices.

However, he looks beautiful. Tom Holland is such a recognizable actor that it’s hard to imagine he could look so different from scene to scene, but he truly looks like a different person in the epilogue.

He manages to completely reflect brightness, clarity, and health in that scene, which will bring a huge sigh of relief to viewers.

His transformation demonstrates hope. His past and the trauma he endured didn’t disappear, but he did find a way to cope with something that so many viewers can’t even begin to imagine.

It leaves viewers with a message that no matter their situation, there is hope for healing.

After a season filled with topics and situations that were important but difficult to navigate, The Crowded Room ends where it needs to, on a note, not of darkness and tragedy, but of hope for a better future.

What did you think of this episode of The Crowded Room? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Crowded Room season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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