Aquarius Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Sick City
Elizabeth Harlow
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Hodiak continues the investigation on Karn's connection to Manson on Aquarius Season 1 Episode 8, pulling in some outside help in an attempt to track down leads.
Meanwhile, Shafe's drug investigation gets more complicated after the alliance he brokers between Jimmy Too and Roy's bikers goes in an unexpected direction.
Out at the ranch, a producer visits Manson, who experiences some performance anxiety and takes out his frustration on his followers. Emma finally shows an awareness of the situation she's in, but her father insists on her emancipation to protect himself politically.
Father Mack appeared again, only to end up dead at the hands of a fellow member of the clergy. I can only assume that the impact this has on Hodiak will be come up later, because otherwise, what was the point?
I wasn't invested enough in Father Mack to be that upset, and Father Rowe the gambler doesn't seem to connect to any other cases.
The investigation into Manson's missing hooker was much more interesting, and was relevant to the main plot. The threads of the Manson/Karn story are starting to come together, and I can't wait to see Karn's life fall apart in the process.
One thing I was baffled by was why Tully was left out of this episode. We've seen before that she's the one that deals with booking prostitutes, and she seems to handle a lot of paperwork, so she would have made a logical choice to help Hodiak.
Hodiak is still making less-than-wise decisions, such as sleeping with former pro Martha. His drinking may be impacting his life negatively, but seeing Grace thrown so completely off her game was worth it. He was able to repair his relationship with Cutler, which should make his work life smoother.
Shafe continued with his undercover work, but things went a little sideways when he tried to connect Jimmy Too and Roy. Lucille proved that she is not to be underestimated when she seduced Roy into betraying his new alliance. Their hit on Jimmy Too is going to leave Shafe with some interesting decisions to make.
Roy Kovic: Nice suit. Is that the same threads you had on the other day when you fell down in the dirt?
Jimmy Too Butano: Nah, threw that one out. Plenty more where that came from. Doesn't smell like you can say the same.
Across town, Karn finds out he's up for an important spot on the Nixon campaign. Grace is not the only person in that marriage obsessed with image. While the sit down he gave his wife was off putting, it probably wasn't necessary -- Grace likely would have acquiesced without the the veiled threats.
His decision to emancipate Emma was ice cold. The worst part was that she finally seemed ready to come back home, only to be rejected by her "Daddy." He may think he has the problem of his wayward daughter solved, but she knows one of his darkest secrets, and now doesn't have a reason to stay quiet.
I am glad that Emma is finally realizing what a mess she's gotten herself into. Her little adventure may have been fun at first, but now she's out there alone. Without her parents support, she may end up returning to The Family.
Manson was off his rocker in "Sick City," overly stressed by the appearance of a music producer. He takes his paranoia out on Emma, and blames his performance on the group. I was skeptical of NBC's ability to produce a creepy enough Manson, but I am so, so glad I was wrong.
Manson: There's a cop in my head, distracting me, stealing my thoughts, because of you.
Emma: I know, I'm sorry. What can I -- What can I do?
Manson: You can start by making the music man happy so he'll stay. I don't care how. But if he goes, I will care about that.
Walt is still missing, but the news clip that Hodiak watched made reference to fighting near Cambodia, supporting Walt's claims. With five episodes left, this plot better pick up soon if there's going to be any payoff.
One of my favorite parts of the episode had little to do with any of the plots -- Mike Vickery. His interactions with Shafe and the comedic outcome to his nervousness over meeting with Lucille were great. It may be a smaller role, but Jason Ralph certainly squeezed everything he could from it.
We're past the halfway point of the season now, so plots should be coming together quickly. Watch Aquarius online and share your thoughts on "Sick City" in the comments.
Elizabeth Harlow was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the organization in October 2018.
