The suffering started early for Deborah, and that's why the bottle has been her only solace.

How things went so wickedly wrong between her and Brady wasn't discussed on Mr. Mercedes Season 1 Episode 4, but there were indications that perhaps Brady had issues early in childhood that made connection difficult.

The deaths of her husband and young son so soon together must have broken the once sunny cheerleader, turning her into a dark person ripping from her any potential understanding of motherhood she might have had.

I'm not making excuses for her. I'm trying to imagine how a once beautiful blonde upbeat young girl can become the incestuous, alcoholic mother of a serial killer.

Tragedy of the kind the two of them experienced didn't pave the way for happiness. 

Some people can spin the most tragic moments of their lives into something beautiful, helping others and ensuring nobody ever feels the pain they did in the way they did ever again.

Deborah tried to erase her own pain through random sexual partners, with alcohol and by abusing her son. She's a peach, and her strategy has obviously been a stunning failure.

Considering the incredible happiness Brady shares with the world, his approach of making the world suffer in his attempts to mitigate the pain is also a world class disaster. 

They are two of the most miserable people in the world. 

Deborah: I think God gave your father all his light at once, and he died in the glory of that light.
Brady: And what was the Almighty's plan for Gerald?
Deborah: He was so special, God just had to take him early.
Brady: So why'd he send him back?

• Permalink: So why'd he send him back?

Younger son and brother Jerry first skirting death by choking was very lucky. Falling down the basement stairs, not so much. Did we see the entirety of that story? Did Brady, by any chance, push his little brother down those stairs? The story felt incomplete in the way we saw it.

It gave Brady his first thrill of the hunt, in any event. Watching his little brother gasp for breath for the last time was something he wanted to see again. It excited him.

How many times throughout his life has he sought out and satisfied his urge to see that look?

What I loved about the way the reveal of his first view of that "look" played out was Brady picked someone the audience couldn't stand. Ryan, the Express customer, was a jerk. 

He's mouthy, rude, a bigot, watches the wrong news, sports an American flag lapel pin and is getting a divorce from his wife. You just know he treated her poorly because of the way he treated Lou. It rubbed everyone the wrong way when he spoke to Lou and got preferential treatment from Robey.

Still, they were just words. Ryan was insulting people and wasn't being kind, but they're words. Remember the old adage sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me? We lost sight of that a long time ago. 

The problem is, there is still truth to it. It's not easy to step back and focus, knowing with certainty the person standing before you is nothing and you, standing before him, are something. Words sting. But they do not physically hurt if we do not let them.

Too often, we allow others to determine who we are with their words. So, that's the guy Brady chose as his latest victim. The meanie. To me, the guy was a blowhard coward. He's like a pufferfish. When it came down to it, he was probably spineless. Where's the thrill in that kill (yes, I just said that)?

Still, what was so great about how all of it played out is how many people no longer think like that. Too many will be overjoyed at the thought of seeing a guy like Ryan mowed down. Woo hoo! Shut him UP! He's taking up precious air.

So as he's gasping for breath, Brady says:

I've seen that look before.

Brady

• Permalink: I've seen that look before.

And the reveal about little Jerry pours out, and the thrill of the kill for the rest of us slides away because we'd find nothing satisfying about little Jerry dying on the quest for his firetruck. It's nauseating and upsetting. 

Suddenly, the idea of killing anyone is laid bare before us as what it is, and it's ugly. 

Having the life of a bigoted jackass on your hands wouldn't be worth the momentary satisfaction his death would bring. Not for the sane and the compassionate.

That was one of the most spectacular cutaway moments I've seen in ages. Just brilliant.

It's also ironic that Brady picked Ryan as if it meant something. 

Brady has nothing over Ryan. Brady who was laughing at first, while Lou was crying at the store in despair. Brady who in a fit of rage after his plans to make a specific purchase at the hardware store fell through, shouted, "FAGGOTS!!" So much for his understanding and caring for LGBTQ issues.

What makes him any different than Ryan? Oh, he's a mass murderer. Score? Brady is much more like Ryan than he will ever be like us. Ryan killed one of his own.

There is one thing we know after watching "Gods Who Fall," and it's that Brady is becoming more volatile and willing to reach beyond the walls of Bill's house to ruffle his feathers.

Despite everyone's best efforts, Jerome is still very much in the picture helping with the case. Thank God. He knows more than an entire police force.

Once again, I watch too many police shows. I was floored to discover nobody considered the possibility nobody could have gotten the key from Olivia's house from a means other than the keys being directly in the ignition of her car, nor did they consider that the fob signal could have been nabbed.

By the time of this crime, that sort of offense was the norm on crime procedural television and news programs.

Even more disturbing was discovering the truth about how far Bill's "dislike" of Olivia went. No wonder he has such an interest in solving the case. Not only did he not have a taste for her, but he might also have helped drive her to suicide.

Hodges had no proof Olivia left her keys in the car, and the inept police never looked for any other possibility of how someone could have gotten her keys (shame). Still, to put her in her place, he had her name in headlines in an attempt to humiliate her into feeling how he and everyone believed she should feel – guilty.

It puts an icky spin on his budding romance with Janey, doesn't it?

Janey is sassy and kind and cares about Hodges reconnecting with his daughter. With the way he's helping her with Olivia's case, she might have been talking about him as HER god who will fall if she ever discovers his dirty secret about Olivia. 

And being close to Hodges isn't good for anybody. Not while Brady is in self-combustible mode.

He thought he recognized Jerome in a local diner, but couldn't put his finger on it until he saw his beautiful dog outside. That's when he sprung into action and decided to kill the dog. 

Now, I'm sorry, but we all know there are certain lines we do not cross, and they begin and end with killing the animals. Some people think killing cats is quite alright. I disagree. Cats, dogs, and horses are, frankly, off limits. Since we have a Fred, let's add turtles to the list.

Pets are off limits. There, that's the easiest route to take. Brady, just don't consider it again if you want ever to see a kind word written in this column about you. Oh, you've not seen one yet? Well, I knew what was coming. Just sayin'.

This one was right up there best, mostly because of how the cutaway from could steer viewers from pleasure to utter disgust as Brady mentioned seeing "that look" before. What did you think?

I know there aren't many of you with AT&T Audience Network, so let's make the best of this brilliant series and talk about it while we're together. Hit me up in the comments!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.