To really dig into the third episode of Apple TV’s Cape Fear, we have to start with what happens at the very end. More specifically, we have to discuss WHO shows up at the very end. At the tail end of the episode, we see Max (Javier Bardem) return home after a road trip (more on that later) in which he wound up with a hefty settlement from a private prison company to the tune of more than $4 million.
Upon entering he sees an envelope on the coffee table and a busted-up TV with a pre-loaded video. I guess Max Cady, unlike the rest of us, still has a VCR. Once Max hits play, we’re greeted with the mysterious masked woman who’s been following him. She reveals herself and – surprise – it’s Juliette Lewis, Academy Award-nominated actress and star of the 1991 film version of Cape Fear.
It’s unclear if Lewis is playing Dani, the once-teenage heroine of Martin Scorsese’s theatrical adaptation (probably not) but boy does she make an impact when she shows up here. Her character addresses Max directly and begins singing a slow, creepy song. This triggers something in Max; he flashes back to his time spent in a cage as a boy and has a seizure-like episode. After opening the envelope and finding a dog collar (so many questions there), Max flies into a rage and bludgeons the TV (maybe like he bludgeoned his wife all those years ago?) before the screen cuts to black.
It’s a shocking and unsettling ending to what, to this point, had been a relatively slow, meandering affair. Much like the previous two episodes, “Phantom Sensations” is full of ominous, strange occurrences that provide further (potential!) evidence that Max is terrorizing Anna (Amy Adams) and Tom (Patrick Wilson) Bowden and their family.
The episode starts with a menacing couple trespassing on the Bowdens’ property. Maybe they were sent by Max. Maybe they were just lost. As with much in Cape Fear, their motives are unclear. Later, Anna mirrors her son Zack’s (Joe Anders) phone after suspecting he was being catfished by Max, only to be led to a girl named Navaeh at a local diner. Navaeh claims she was actually flirting with Zack and Anna forces her to break up with him.
Later, Navaeh shows up at a pool party where the Bowdens’ daughter Natalie (Lily Collias) is in the midst of being harassed by a bunch of fellow teenagers. Navaeh, who tells Lily her name is Amber, rescues Natalie, gives her drugs, and makes out with her. It seems this girl with multiple names has her eyes on the Bowdens. Is it at the direction of Max Cady? I’m guessing we’ll find out soon enough.
Later, in the episode’s most incredulous storyline, Anna agrees to go on a road trip to Atlanta with Max as he pursues “justice” against the private prison company who he claims wrongly incarcerated him. She’s on a mission to build trust with Max and find out what he’s really up to, not to mention snag a 40% slice of whatever settlement Max lands for her employer. Along for the ride are a pair of documentary filmmakers who are capturing Max’s post-release life in an effort to land a deal with Netflix or HBO.
Back at home, Tom is working on a case involving a woman accused of murdering her husband. After perhaps the season’s most meme-able scene to date, in which Tom takes out his frustrations on a set of free weights, Tom grows close to his colleague Lex – it’s implied they almost had sex previously – before the two take drugs together and make out.
This all adds to the generally mysterious and opaque nature of Cape Fear. Buried secrets abound and bad vibes are plentiful. Whether it’s Max slowly slicing a tomato in the Bowdens’ kitchen or creepily licking ice cream off a woman’s cheek, Bardem continues to imbue Max with charismatic evil, propelling the story whenever he’s on screen.
The cinematography and overall ambiance of the show continue to shine, giving a rich, intoxicating tone to the generally morose subject matter. While this week’s episode at times borders on ridiculous (Really, Anna? You’re going to take a 12 hour round trip car ride and stay overnight in the same seedy motel as the man you think is terrorizing your family?), Episode 3 builds on last week’s strong foundation and keep the wheels of this pulpy, dreamy show slowly turning.
All of this culminates in a barnburner of a final scene, a meta whammy of a moment that leaves me with a million questions ahead of Episode 4. “Phantom Sensations” may not be quite as strong as Episodes 1 and 2 of Cape Fear, but it’s still a great time.
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