Miss you

Never too much

Season 1

Episode 3

Editor’s Rating

4 stars

****

Photo: Vishal Sharma/Netflix

While it may have seemed from the first two episodes of the series that the series would seem like a fairly straightforward thriller, the third episode – “Never Too Much” – adds twists that seem to make everything a little darker. We (or I) may have thought we knew what was going on (Josh was killed, it was bad dog guys, now they’re cat fishing with him, etc. etc.), but Is Josh really dead if Aqua had seen him in the park just six months ago? Or did Josh flee from Kat and his life to save not only her, but also his young daughter from whatever was happening?

That’s certainly my brain after hearing Aqua’s story at the beginning of the episode when Josh stopped by to check on the love of his life just months before. But at the end of the episode, I don’t know what to believe considering Aqua was the one who attacked Brendan and stole his phone. How does Aqua even know who Brendan is? Is Aqua somehow involved in this terrible dog-human ring? Or is Aqua just trying to somehow protect Kat from herself?

We also need to talk about this evil dog breeder situation. The episode shows that there’s more to it than just Titus and the other quiet guy, although it’s still pretty clear that Titus comes out on top. There is another enforcer and at least one (now dead) driver involved to help bring people onto the property. In his speech to the driver about why it’s important to hide in plain sight with very serious credentials as a dog breeder and dog handler, Titus suggests that perhaps this is all part of a larger ring. That makes sense when you consider how much money they take from every single person chained in that barn – every week it feels like millions of pounds, which is a lot for just two guys and a couple of dogs – but what could those be? hide? Are they creepy white supremacists? Weird militiamen? I’m excited to see what we find out.

I’m skeptical that this is all connected to the evil mafia boss Calligan, even though it was revealed in this episode that Kat’s very good, very laid-back father was on her payroll. The fact that he had a mistress makes you feel terrible for Kat’s lovely mother, but it also means there’s another face we’ll meet later. And really, Kat’s apartment is so nice that I can’t really blame her for not asking too many questions, even though we didn’t really know he paid for the whole thing anyway. (These flashbacks might as well have been about how happy she was that her father helped her move.)

That being said, it’s impossible for Stagger to tell the whole truth about everything. He covers up the fingerprint test, he lies to Nia and Charlie about what’s going on with Kat, and all of his after-hours work meetings take place at a nightclub, which just seems strange for a middle-aged cop. My guess is that he still has it out for Calligan and that he killed Clint either out of greed or because his friend threatened to leave the game and expose him. Maybe that’s why things seem to be going wrong for Josh after he goes to prison with Stagger to see Monte. Maybe Monte hinted too much, or Josh just caught a whiff of something that felt dirty. And what’s with Stagger taking Charlie and Pia off the Rishi case? Does this mean he is also involved in the dog ring? How deep does it all go?

Speaking of questionable assholes, what’s going on with Brendan’s Uncle Arty? At least he’s way too gullible when it comes to his sister just leaving town with some guy, buying a house in another country and ditching her son. (Dana Fells must have made a really convincing call.) At worst, he’s somehow complicit, although I suspect it’s the former. This show does a great job of absolutely belittling and dismissing Kat, and by extension Brendan, what really strikes you as a viewer at home. It’s incredibly frustrating, and I think that’s the point, but luckily Kat seems to be able to operate outside of the system without a problem.

However, danger threatens as Kat is still being followed through the city by a shadowy figure. Does he work for Calligan? For Stagger? For Titus? For Josh? Maybe it’s a lure and he’s a cool Interpol figure who wants to involve them in the ongoing investigation. (Doubtful, but that’s exactly what would happen law and order.) There’s also a lot of ambiguity and there are too many possibilities for where this show could go to really count. Let’s just hope these lovely dogs are all doing well.

• Left Field Theory: Clint had a love child with his mistress and that person is somehow related to Josh, hence the sudden departure, assuming he found out.