The idea of slow burn creates a certain possibility. In the third episode of "American Hostage", Giovanni Ribisi as Tony, the hostage taker, times it down. Behind the scenes of what is playing on television, he is uncovering problems at play which key into what he is actually fighting for. His attempt might be desperate in a way but smart enough to get the blue collar perspective (and locals) behind him. Fred, as played by Jon Hamm, realizes that a big story will always outplay him in a way because as his character tries to stay in control of the narrative, those investigating it are trying to make him adjust the narrative to try to make Tony flinch. What was absent in the first episode shows that law enforcement is coming to their senses.
However the town is starting to see that Tony is keying into their issues. The best aspect here is a side story by a new news intern who meets Tony’s sister and exposes in a way what his approach to problems is. However there is also a sense of empathy that plays into how Tony deals with it after the fact. The context is that they might be too late to save him. The story illustrates how the story will go the way it wants. People want certain things but real life doesn’t play that way. Hamm plays it fairly straight knowing that there is a certain expectation but he knows (as he has picked his roles diversely after Don Draper) that people expect a certain gravitas. Ribisi has always been great at showing a throughline of understanding of dark characters with a tendency of altruism. The issue here is that needs and wants are not necessarily met across the board. 82%/B
By Tim Wassberg
