Gary McCurry reviews the ninth episode of Bloodline…
“Let’s talk about Danny” is the closing line to Part 9 of Bloodline. That’s what the majority of this installment gives us, many conversations involving or about Danny Rayburn.
Jump ahead of the welcoming sight of Kevin Rayburn wielding a baseball bat to find out what is so interesting about Danny that everyone is talking about him.
You’ll also find spoilers so be extra careful.
With a flash of a grin or a few choice words we see Ben Mendelsohn’s character, Danny throw away his alliances to his family and although, you can argue that his siblings drove him to this point, he sure is enjoying it.
Throughout we have numerous moments that bring out a little more in terms of Danny’s future plans as well as his past. For instance, we discover he operated a restaurant in Miami and all the money saved up from his drug running is being posted to his previous address. This has an intriguing way of keeping us longing for the moment that all of this will come to the surface.
Vibrant colours are once again in effect here for the flashbacks. A young Sally Rayburn (Sissy Spacek) packs a bag, boards a bus en route to creating what we now know as Rayburn House. During a leisurely drink, Sally points out “we all have secrets” and it seems we got a glimpse into one of hers.
John (Kyle Chandler) takes the step away from brother and moves toward cop as the DEA are itching closer to taking the case from his grasp. Investigating a notable drug criminal, the DEA agent asks if he knows any of his associates and points out Eric O’Bannon. A genuine shot of worry hit me, an honest-to-God moment of “that’s too close to Danny.” The thing is, Danny has been involved in many questionable situations but I still kinda like they guy. He’s the friend you can’t really go out with but you always love to hear the stories of his latest adventures.
You rarely see John without some kind of alcoholic drink far from his reach in the helping of Bloodline. Could the most stable member of the Rayburn clan finally be coming unhinged by events that surround him? His wife, Diana has told him she is no longer comfortable with Danny being around their kids. That same brother could be in trouble with the DEA and your father has just died. Seems to me that it’s fair game to have a drink or thirteen.
Now, let’s talk about loose ends. Kevin. Oh, Kevin. Popping up randomly to try and flesh out his own plot. All we get is snippets. A wee bit here and there of him trying to destroy cars or shouting at owners of said cars. Not really relevant anything.
There is so much depth to many characters here. Caves so deep that we have to walk further inside to understand it better. We’re so far in now that we can’t turn back and the only way out is to go through. Not a ton of story here but a wealth of character development.
Gary McCurry – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published May 27, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
