IR TV Review: CAPE FEAR - EPISODE 9 (“The Scar”) [Apple TV]
The building of tension in this series uses the initial basis from the original story but in this episode uses an inherent reflection of family and misdirection to make it work. After Anna’s revelation to her daughter about her alcoholism in a previous episode (specifically her blackouts), the idea of fallacy in human behavior across the spectrum shows that all parts of this corner of humanity (and specifically the characters in this series) are broken. As this episode (Ep9 - "The Scar") begins, Natalie, the daughter of Anna, finally is showing understanding of what she is up against although her problems stem likely from a hereditary point. We do get a better picture of Crystal Cady (Juliette Lewis) in this episode versus the enigma she had been characterized as before. The interaction between Adams and Lewis is interesting both with the back history of Lewis to this material but also in the angling of who is really losing control.
Ron Perlman as Max’s dad is perfect casting much like Charlton Heston as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s boss in "True Lies" in comparison. Granted everything really comes down to the houseboat though the build in this story is definitely different from the previous two. Still the fact that Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are involved as executive producers bodes well to where it is going but also interspacing more modern references. Bardem’s Cady is more evil than Robert DeNiro’s Cady in certain ways but he is also a biproduct of his father Robert (Perlman) who locked him in a cage as a child. But there are also other secrets looming about. The question is who is really telling any sort of truth. Cady here just has an end game and he is obviously supremely intelligent but the brain injury he suffered in prison definitely is a part of it. But with one episode left, it is still a matter of the endgame which usually ends badly for Cady but narrative structure can be about going against the grain which this series definitely has done. B
By Tim Wassberg
