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The previous episode ended with Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) leaving the house in a rush and speeding off to the command center. Whatever had happened at that point was obviously something bad. And we now know in this episode just how bad it really was. Spoiler: it’s really bad.
This week’s episode wastes no time and begins on a heavy note. Sarah comes to find out that three of the soldiers recently deployed to Afghanistan were killed in action—one of them being Craig (Corey Knight). Graphic images of Craig’s corpse are strewn across the computer monitors within the base’s command center. The audience had some inkling as to what may have happened, and, deep down, I already knew that Craig was gone. But after seeing Craig who was filled with life only a few episodes ago now, well, lifeless, it felt as if an anvil landed on my heart. But that could never compare to what his best friends were slated to feel in the next coming scenes.
The following morning begins solemnly. The flags of each deceased soldier’s home country are raised out of respect, and the schoolchildren are ushered into the gymnasium to hear the grave news. Britney (Francesca Scorsese) rushes in, distraught and in tears. Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón) receives a text that reveals that Craig was one of the soldiers killed in action and collapses to the floor out of grief. Danny (Spence Moore II) fully understands the situation without needing a word to be said. The camera closes in on Danny’s fist, as he snaps a pencil with the force of his grip. From what can be gathered from previous episodes, the main emotion that Danny seems to express—quite well and uninhibitedly—is anger. Throughout the episode, we see just how much rage Danny truly contains within himself.
The gravity of the situation hits when the entire base stands still for a moment of prayer, whether someone’s standing on a flight of stairs, in the middle of the grocery store, or in line at the post office. No smiles for miles.
During a briefing, Sarah explains the situation to her fellow soldiers and emphasizes that the soldiers killed in action were trained and ready, but this unfortunate event was a matter of chance. None of the soldiers seem happy with her response, alluding to the bigger question of Sarah’s authority as base commander. If anyone had any doubts as to whether Sarah was fit for the job in the first place, the recent deaths of these soldiers don’t make a good case for her.
While in class, Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), Britney, and Caitlin witness students debate over the ethics of war. One student believes that the people who killed Craig and his men deserve to be tortured, while another student reasons that the U.S. military invaded Afghanistan. Fraser states that deceased soldiers’ coffins are filled with rocks to compensate for the limbs they lost during a bombing or explosion of sorts, causing Britney to break down into tears. Everyone is taken aback by his insensitive claim. When it comes to war, death is expected. But it hits so close to home when death takes people from your side of the fence. The debate ends there with every student now despondent.
During lunch, Caitlin questions Fraser’s intentions for being extremely insensitive in class. Fraser says that it’s the truth and asks, “Is everything gonna change now?” Well, duh! Caitlin’s original posse may have had its ups and downs, but Craig remained to be a vital piece of the group. Now that he’s gone, how could they ever go back to what they used to be? Everything’s different, and there’s no going back. Fraser exclaims that Craig was a soldier, hinting that it’s unsurprising that Craig had died and that he possibly deserved it. Caitlin immediately slaps him for being so insensitive and matter-of-fact. I’ve always taken Fraser to be an eccentric child, but it was even surprising to me just how cold and tone-deaf he could be. It doesn’t matter what point Fraser’s trying to drive home, now is not the time for it.
The next scene is of Danny obviously grief-stricken. The camera wobbles, mirroring Danny’s shaky movements as he shambles around the base with the weight of Craig’s death heavy on his shoulders. Once he’s off the base grounds, he sprints off to Valentina (Beatrice Barichella) on her scooter where they ride off to who knows where. They both loved Craig dearly in different ways, so it makes sense that they would share this moment together.
Jennifer (Faith Alabi) and Maggie (Alice Braga) take down Thanksgiving-themed decorations from the room to be used for the memorial of the three fallen soldiers. The brightly colored tinsel, festive autumn leaf cutouts, and golden balloon letters spelling out “Happy Thanksgiving” are such a stark contrast to the despair that permeates this episode. Jennifer reminisces about Craig and how friendly he was every time he came over to their house. She says she can’t stop thinking about him and has an epiphany, mid-breakdown, that if she wasn’t distracted from the kids then maybe she could have somehow changed the turn of events, hinting that her relationship with Maggie has served as a distraction all this time more than anything. Maggie is taken aback by Jennifer’s outburst, and Jennifer states that Maggie would understand Jennifer’s plight if she actually had children of her own, echoing a sentiment shared by Sarah. Jennifer has crossed a line, unintentionally ending her relationship with the woman. Maggie says what has been apparent since the beginning of their affair in which they both never believed that it would last between them, although she also expresses that she hoped Jennifer wanted it to work as much as she did.
In previous episodes, it was apparent to me that Maggie is treated almost like an outsider by both Fraser and Sarah. What she shared with Jennifer seemed to be borne out of a genuine connection between them and an opportunity for Maggie to finally feel like she had something real of her own and belonged somewhere. But the illusion, as is inevitable for most moments like these throughout the show, is now shattered.
Maggie leaves Jennifer behind, a grieving mother, mourning the loss of someone who was like a son to her and now a grieving lover, mourning the loss of someone who was probably good for her. Jennifer really tried to understand her partner, while Maggie, on the other hand, made an effort to truly know Jennifer and her life story. However, Jennifer always kept Maggie at a distance and shut down as soon as Maggie was getting too close to knowing the real Jennifer: the part of her that she has spent years burying for the sake of Richard, her children, and an American dream she continually chases but is never fully within her reach. She’s caught in the middle, but the part of her life she had with Maggie seems completely over now. What is she to do now?
The scene cuts to Valentina and Danny alone on the beach, sharing a passionate kiss. This didn’t seem to come from a secret romantic love they have for each other, but rather an act of desperation to purge themselves of the grief they carry so that the other person may carry the burden instead. This kiss is really nothing but sad.
The group eventually reconvenes in silent sadness, but Danny can’t contain his rage any longer. He repeatedly bashes what appears to be a wrench against a metal beam. All the pain and anguish is evident within each swing. Nobody cares to stop him, and it’d probably be best to leave him be. Sam (Ben Taylor) leaves, and Caitlin runs off as soon as she sees Fraser, leaving Britney behind to witness Danny’s breakdown. They’re all trying to cope in their own way, regardless of the pain it may cause others down the line.
At Craig and the other fallen soldiers’ memorial, the members of the friend group are situated at opposite ends of the room. While Craig’s death may have seemed to be an opportunity for the group to regain their initial closeness, that doesn’t necessarily seem like the case after all.
While Sarah gives a somber speech to the memorial’s attendees, Richard (Scott Mescudi) makes snide remarks about her without caring that everyone in the room can hear him. At some point in the evening, Richard is obviously heavily intoxicated and makes a scene in front of everybody. He publicly criticizes Sarah’s choice to deploy the men even though they weren’t fully prepared to go to Afghanistan. She attempts to comfort Caitlin, but she brushes her off, indicating that Caitlin blames her as well. Richard begins violently shoving other soldiers in attendance who try to placate him. He eventually breaks down in tears within Jennifer’s arms. Richard was in command over the troops who were killed in action, which reveals that he also blames himself to some degree. While Richard initially looked like an asshole who was merely capitalizing on an opportunity to finally shame Sarah, at the end of the day, he’s mourning the loss of soldiers for whom he felt personally responsible and deeply cared about. Nobody is coming away from this unscathed.
The group of friends leaves the memorial, but they give Caitlin an ultimatum: leave Fraser behind and join them or she’ll get left behind herself. Fraser tells Caitlin to go, as he agrees with Sam that he was never truly one of them anyway. Caitlin leaves with the group while Fraser ambles around aimlessly. Back at the memorial, one of the soldiers working under Sarah takes her aside and questions her decision in private. He states that Sarah didn’t have the right to take away the 90 days from the soldiers scheduled for deployment. Those 90 days were to mentally prepare soldiers and help them develop a mindset they need to survive the environment of the tour. Nobody seems to trust Sarah’s authority at this point.
The group ends up back in the Russian villa, the last place where they spent their final moments with Craig. Valentina offers Danny a drink, which he is usually quick to deny because of his Islamic faith, but he doesn’t put up much of a fight after Valentina tells him that there is no God. He accepts the drink, indicating just how broken he is. The group descends into a chaotic, drug-fueled madness, dancing without abandon and destroying the furniture within the villa. Sam breaks down into tears while the group stops their chaos and embrace him. If there’s any humor to be found in this situation, Valentina remarks that she’s only 19 but already a widow.
Danny ends up having a bad trip and starts violently swinging around a piece of metal, scaring the others. He exclaims that he and Greg “were supposed to fucking die together.” Sam, Caitlin, and Enrico (Sebastiano Pigazzi) attempt to restrain him, and he asks, “Is he dead? Did I kill him?” He dissolves into tears while Caitlin holds him. While Craig’s death was a fact of which he was made aware, it wasn’t until this moment that Danny finally accepted that Craig is gone. Craig was his best friend, and now a piece of him is gone forever. How do you ever make peace with something like that?
Moving on to Fraser, he makes his way to Jonathan’s (Tom Mercier) place only to, unfortunately, discover that Marta (Brixhilda Shqalsi) is also there. They’re both half-naked, which makes Fraser uncomfortable but he tries his best not to show it. Fraser requests for a glass of water, which surprises Jonathan. That’s genuinely something I’ve always wondered because Fraser only ever seems to drink alcohol, another problem that should probably be addressed sometime in the future. Marta remarks that Fraser seems lost, to which Jonathan responds, “He always seems lost.” While this whole situation is weird, they’re oddly welcoming and inviting towards Fraser. They eventually strip his top off and dance with him while still half-naked. Alarms start blaring in my head, as I realize once again that Fraser is only 14-years-old. Fraser seems to go along with Marta’s advances, but he mainly enjoys Jonathan’s embrace. However, Jonathan consoles him as if Fraser were a lost little child, while Fraser wants something much more and perhaps something much different than what Jonathan has in mind. Perhaps out of shame, he quickly runs off and dissolves into tears not far from Jonathan’s apartment complex.
Fraser always seemed like the type of person who never really knows what to do nor where to go. He just drifts around like a ghost and goes along with anything even if it may not necessarily be what he actually wants to do. Hence, why he’s so willing to dance with Marta even if he doesn’t really like her all that much. He seems a little eager to grow up faster than he needs to if that’s it what it takes to belong somewhere. The way that Marta and Jonathan talk about Fraser and entertain his presence seems somehow weirdly patronizing. They talk about him while he’s literally right in front of them, always making him aware that he’s just a kid to them. Fraser realizes that he’ll never truly be a part of Jonathan’s world and was stupid to believe that anything could happen between them. In the end, Fraser loses something that he never really had in the first place.
Craig is gone. Maggie and Jennifer are over. Sarah loses the respect and trust of her fellow soldiers. Fraser realizes his connection with Jonathan was probably never more than whatever he fantasized about and was misled by Jonathan’s mixed signals. All in all, this whole episode is about grief and loss, and the future seems bleak for everyone here. I admittedly cried several times while viewing this episode, as the cast, especially Spence Moore II, does an excellent job of portraying the roller coaster of emotions that follow grief. The pain and sorrow were palpable. Although the characters have finally been talking about some of the issues that were apparent but never verbalized, it just seems like there are still so many questions left to be answered. I suppose that’s a sign to keep on doing what we’ve been doing this whole time—just keep on watching.
If you want to watch the show yourself, tune in on Monday night at 10pm, ET on HBO.
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