Top 35 Shows of 2014: No 2 Rectify
I’ve posted a lot about Rectify these past 2 years because it is a show I desperately want more people to discover and watch. It has a tiny audience and a small fanbase but such a beautiful series deserves a whole lot more.
Aden Young brings something seriously special to the role of Daniel Holden and there is a whole never level to the character this season. If S1 was about the first week of Daniel being free from prison then S2 is about his desperate fight to cling to that freedom and the effect it has on his own sanity and his loved ones. The mystery of what actually happened the night of the murder wasn’t explored in great depth in S1 but as Daniel faces a potential retrial the events of that night start to become clearer.
Rectify is an in-depth character study but it also a look at just what prison does to people. Whether Daniel is innocent or not his 19 years away from home stuck in a cell has damaged him greatly, in his own words he may just be too broken.
What I really like this season is how the supporting characters have been developed. You have Sheriff Daggett trying to strive for justice against popular opinion and the advice of his superiors. Even if the town loathes Daniel, the Sheriff knows it is his job to bring his attackers from the S1 finale to justice even if Daniel resists his help and at the end of this season Daggett decides to follow up on potential suspect Trey. With Teddy Jr you get a brilliant performance from Clayne Crawford trying to deal with his attack and failing marriage. The heartbreaking forbidden love between Tawney and Daniel continues to be a highlight. Then you have Amantha attempting to move on with her life. There is just so much depth to the show and so much great being done by everyone involved.
Sundance TV are proving themselves to be one of the most exciting networks around, with Top of the Lake last year, the continuing brilliance of Rectify and the excellent Honourable Woman mini-series this summer.
Favourite episodes: Donald The Normal / Unhinged
