The Old Man: Episode IV Review
[This review contains spoilers for The Old Man Episode 1-3]
The Old Man is proving to be a very competent work of art. While I had my doubts about the series due to the plodding pacing of the second episode coupled with strange, immersion-breaking decisions, I feel like the show is finding its footing. Starting out with a slower pace has helped to make expectations for the series easy to manage, as it's clear that the character study coupled with complex plot elements is the show's forte. That doesn't mean there isn't any action in this fourth episode or that the plot doesn't move forward. Both of these elements of the show are accounted for. But this episode firmly establishes that what we're seeing is the buildup to a larger character work at play here.
After escaping from the assassin's sent to kill him by old friend Harold Harper, our protagonist, Dan Chase, pulls a still-living Zoe from the back of his car. The two having formed a romantic bond coupled with Chase's attempts to still put his past life behind him, Chase decides to let her live, but is forced to take her hostage, not wanting to risk her getting involved in his feud with the US government. Disguising under assumed identities, Chase and Zoe travel to Los Angeles, with Zoe's fear at her new life palpable in her lack of dialogue throughout the episode. I think this turn of events makes sense for the series, but I will say that--once again--I'm a little disappointed in the initial execution. The end of the previous episode tried to lead the audience into believing Zoe was dead and stuffed in the back of Chase's car. But, obviously, that isn't the case, as she hops out alive and well at the start of this latest episode. With both the dream sequence of Chase killing cops in Episode 2 also ending in a fake-out death for Zoe, it takes a lot of tension away from what might happen to her character. If they've faked her death twice for the audience, then it's clear she's not going to be dying anytime soon. So, if she's ever put in a tense situation later down the road, I'm not going to feel that much tension surrounding it.
Personal nitpick aside, the direction the series is taking from here is interesting. It's clear from his behavior that Chase doesn't want to hurt Zoe, as doing so would mean a reversion back to his way three decades ago. This is underscored by flashback scenarios where Chase and former associate Hamzad infiltrate an enemy encampment, resulting in carnage that is implied to have effects on normal people as well as soldiers. I enjoyed the flashback not just on its own merit, but also because of what it adds to the series as a whole. Bill Heck does a great job at playing a young Dan Chase, capturing what the mannerisms and ideas of what a young Chase would look like. While we've yet to see an older version of Hamzad, I'm also interested to see how Pej Vahdat's performance fares alongside whoever plays his future counterpart. The acting, however, is just one piece of the larger puzzle. The content therein highlights how authentic Chase is as a person while implying it will be future events jumping off this moment that truly turn him into a fearful agent of chaos. I can't wait to see where this leads in terms of flashbacks, but also how this will weave with the present-day storyline. Very well done here.
Speaking of the present day, on the other side of the coin is the story with Harold Harper and the FBI, specifically his surrogate daughter of sorts, Agent Angela Adams--who, as revealed in Episode 3, is Emily Chase, Dan's daughter. A confrontation with the present-day Hamzad is starting to be set up, with Harper wanting to know what it is Hamzad wants. This storyline in the episode is void of much plot details, other than Angela deciding to ignore the whims of her father and continue digging deeper into what Hamzad wants (driven by a seemingly absent relationship with her mother, Hamzad's former wife). It was neat to get more details into what drives Angela, as up until the previous episode, she had been a background character. It was also cool to see how she handled suspicions lauded at her by CIA operative Raymond Waters, another agent assigned to the Chase case. Angela will definitely be growing more important as the series continues, and I for one am intrigued to see how involved she will become. She seems to be holding the most dangerous secret out of all the main cast, as her revelation as being Chase's daughter would have horrific consequences--especially with her positive relationship with Harper. It is coming. In a show like this, how couldn't it? And I'm at the edge of my seat as to how it will impact things.
Originally, when I sat down to write a review of this episode, I was going to discuss my doubts regarding this show. We've only got three episodes for everything to seemingly wrap up, and it seemed like the show was taking a little too much of its time. It still feels like a prologue of sorts to a much larger story that I wasn't certain would get a chance to be told. But, as of writing this entry today, The Old Man has been renewed for a second season, which gave me pause and led me to being a bit more forgiving of this episode now that I know there's a multi-season plan involved. The quality of the series tells me it deserves the renewal, and I'm glad it happened, as I want to see how the rest of this show plays out.
Be that as it may, I do feel as though the show's current pacing may need to speed up in order to ensure the building intrigue comes to a head in a proper manner. For example, given some of the events that happened in the latest episode, I can't see the Harper and Angela side of the plot keeping at the same slow, methodical pace the entire series has held thus far. In order for there to be a larger impact on the plot, some level of speedier development is in order. I don't say this because I dislike the methodical pace of the show--far from it. I enjoy how different the series is from others like it because it takes its time. What I don't want to see, however, is the steadily-held pace nullifying the impact of later plot developments. It's probably an unsubstantiated fear, given how well-handled the "Emily is Angela" reveal from Episode 3 was done. The writers seem to know what they're doing when it comes to how plot relevancy and pacing interact with one another. I just hope that will be the case when it comes to later, bigger reveals throughout the story.
But, I digress. Overall, this episode of The Old Man did a lot to establish where characters are right now, their relationships with and toward one another, and built intrigue into how the rest of the series will play out. It seems as though the next episode will be large in terms of plot development, and I can't wait to see where the ride goes from here. Dan Chase's mission to escape the FBI doesn't seem like it will have the happiest of endings from this point in the story, though the second season--or maybe even the rest of the first--might be able to turn things around for him. I do want to see him escape on his own terms right now, but who knows? Maybe whatever the present day Hamzad has to say about him will shake up the game.
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