The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Family

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 9, “Family,” is heartwrenching and intense as the show becomes a full-blown courtroom drama while bringing mental health conversation to the forefront.

“Family” sees the first few days of Danny Sullivan’s trial play out. His legal team tries to make the court believe his dissociative identity disorder (DID) diagnosis but to persuade the jury, they must delve deep into Danny’s family history.

The courtroom proceedings play out realistically but with intensity as Danny’s lawyer Stan Camisa faces off with deputy district attorney (DDA) Patricia Richards.

Camisa really proves that he has changed his tune and cares for Danny’s outcome. Meanwhile, Carmen Ejogo makes an excellent villain out of Richards.

While viewers know that Richards is just doing her job, her complete lack of empathy and determination to destroy Danny and his defense with her rapid-fire, deeply personal questioning makes her a courtroom nightmare.

Between Richards’ mercilessness, the jury’s quiet thoughtfulness, and Camisa’s and Rya Goodwin’s desperate defenses, it’s impossible to look away from this fast-paced intense episode.

However, within the drama and excitement is a very sobering story of Candy Sullivan’s reluctance to testify in Danny’s defense.

Danny’s defense is falling apart because of how little the court understands DID. Candy is the only one who can potentially save it by testifying about Danny’s sexual abuse at the hands of her husband, Marlin.

Once again, Emmy Rossum puts up a phenomenal performance as a woman trapped in an abusive marriage.

Not only does it touch on the extreme manipulation and control that women are subjected to in abusive relationships, but also the inexplicable desire for human contact and love that contributes to their staying.

“Family” really dives into that constant question of “why do they stay” and points out that, even in a deeply abusive and unhappy marriage, some individuals simply can’t fathom being alone or facing the scrutiny that sadly often follows women who leave their husbands or allege abuse.

Candy is also struck when Marlin points out that she’ll be blamed just as much as him if she testifies about his abuse.

It’s a very sad, but eye-opening depiction of how women are often blamed for men’s actions or how the outrage over their failure to recognize abuse will sometimes be greater than the outrage towards the actual abuser.

Even though Candy’s refusal to testify for Danny is shocking and difficult to fathom, it’s necessary to truly examine the impact of domestic abuse and sexism in society.

In addition to delving into Candy’s situation, the episode tackles the stigma surrounding mental health at the time.

Before even meeting him or listening to his story, Richards has already dismissed that Danny has mental health issues and is determined to paint him as a violent criminal.

The snickers in the background that can be heard when she sarcastically brings up DID are infuriating to watch but truly shows how mental health is treated in the courtroom.

Some are so convinced that it’s a ploy to avoid responsibility for crime that they can’t even acknowledge mental health disorders exist or admit that a very troubled defendant may need help instead of jail time.

Sympathy for Danny is shockingly lacking, but it raises the question of how mental health is really handled in the courtroom.

Mostly what it does is simply implore viewers to see real-life situations from a different perspective. They feel for Danny because they’ve actually taken the time to get to know him, but this forces them to question how their perspective might change if they were merely watching him get torn apart in court without context.

With an intense courtroom setting, a shocking ending, and an exploration of family trauma, domestic abuse, and mental health treatment in legal situations, The Crowded Room is heating up and setting the stage for a meaningful season finale.

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 airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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