Trust Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Silenzio
Caralynn Lippo
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Paul and Angelo made their escape – and nearly succeeded.
Trust Season 1 Episode 5 was a terrifically tense and exhilarating hour, as the two young men fled Primo's murderous wrath... only for the entirety of the mafia-led town to descend upon them.
As I mentioned in my review of Trust Season 1 Episode 4 and earlier, this series is pulling off something remarkable. The writers have managed to take a story that virtually every person watching knows in some way and make it exciting and unpredictable.
I don't know about you, but I went in knowing the general story of the Getty kidnapping. I had no idea that it featured so many twists and turns between his capture and eventual rescue.
Of course, Trust is only based on true events – the disclaimers make clear that some events and dialogue have been imagined to fit the needs of the story they're trying to tell.
I'm not sure to what extent Danny Boyle and the writers have taken creative liberties. Regardless, what they've rendered on screen is extremely effective.
"Silenzio" picked up shortly after where "That's All Folks!" left off: with Angelo helping Paul escape after Primo decided to kill him.
The bond between Paul and Angelo didn't have much time to develop, but it was believable.
Angelo was essentially an innocent. We still don't know how he wound up working with Primo (which was unfortunate, if you ask me). But we did learn some things about him that clarified his character and motivations.
Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!
Angelo was one of the most clever boys in his class and because of that cleverness went to Naples. He was close with his Nonna, with whom he lived.
Clearly, he got in way over his head. And unfortunately, that cost him his life.
Angelo's compassion and his dislike of Primo led him to follow his conscience and spring Paul at the risk of his own safety.
The escape scenes as the two were fleeing were fantastically done. The performances were solid, the cinematography was fittingly frantic, and the score was perfection.
All in all, each element contributed towards having a heart-in-your-throat sensation throughout the sequence.
Perhaps the best part of this installment was the way the writers managed to get viewers excited for Paul and Angelo's future lives together in New York City. Obviously, we all knew that wasn't going to come to pass – but it was hard not to get your hopes up listening to the two of them chat on the back of that train.
Paul, naive and loyal as he is, swore to Angelo that he wouldn't leave him behind and that he'd be rewarded and brought to New York (along with his Nonna) for his part in saving Paul's life.
Related: Trust Season 1 Episode 4 Review: That's All Folks!
Sweet, silly Paul. He really thought that would all work out.
It was heartbreaking to see Angelo start to come around to that idea and get excited about the idea of going to New York, only for it to end so suddenly and violently.
It was evident from the moment that Paul and Angelo decided to trust the elderly couple that it would end poorly for them. But wow – what a gut punch it was when the scene quickly cut to the old woman praying quietly in her room.
You knew immediately that they had betrayed the boys.
Primo, ruthless as ever, burst through the door without a moment's notice and let loose a shotgun blast into Angelo's head.
That's all folks!
Primo
On the sort-of bright side, it's doubtful Angelo had even a moment to be afraid of what was happening. That's, um, kind of a silver lining, I guess.
Paul, on the other hand, saw the entire, brutal killing. The blood even splattered across his face as Primo turned the shotgun on him. It was an incredibly effective and truly awful scene.
I applaud the writers for being able to make us care about Angelo and his fate in such a short amount of time – only two episodes! That takes serious skill.
Once again, Luca Marinelli gave a fantastic performance as Primo. The guy's got those crazy eyes down pat.
I particularly loved the wild opening sequence, as morning-after Primo flashed back to his crazed behavior at the gas station while he was drunk and hopped up on coke. Even his interactions with the gas station attendant the following morning were the perfect combination of humorous and menacing.
You never know when Primo is going to pop off and kill somebody for no reason at all.
I'm also really intrigued by the tense relationship between Primo and his uncle Salvatore, which was first introduced on "That's All Folks!" and deepened on this current installment.
The two are definitely at odds regarding their plans for Paul. Primo flat out wanted to kill the "Golden Hippy" while the more experienced don was confident they'd be able to squeeze money out of the Getty family one way or another.
Speaking briefly to Gail on the phone probably helped convince Primo that they could get money out of the family after all.
It was clear, from her voice, that she genuinely cared about her son and would do anything she could to save him. That alone might've been enough to save Paul's life.
Speaking of Gail: Hilary Swank has been giving a superbly subtle performance. She doesn't have many lines, but the pain and emotion in her eyes speak volumes whenever she's on screen.
Another great moment of the hour was when Gail voiced her frustration with Fletcher (and the other men in her life) taking charge of situations and failing to handle them properly.
I don't know why I get talked into things. Every time. You, Paul, Lang. Let the men deal with it, we'll sort it out. And this is what happens.
Gail
We also zipped over, briefly, to Getty in England.
Though it was just for a quick little scene, it was enough to establish that in his strange way, Getty has worried about Paul's whereabouts. At the very least, he seemed perplexed about why the kidnappers hadn't responded to the ransom offer.
The scene also provided a moment of levity, when Getty's assistant informed him that people around the country had been sending him their own money to "fundraise" for the ransom.
I didn't say I couldn't pay it. I said I wouldn't. There's a difference.
Getty
That made me laugh out loud – particularly Donald Sutherland's grouchy and pissy delivery of the above line.
Other Thoughts:
- The gardener is still on Bullimore's mind. It was only a brief glimpse, but we saw the butler once again looking over the list of flowers his new friend had given him during their earlier moment together.
- Primo voiced his desire to take over the family business from his Uncle Salvatore. At this stage, I'd bet his lofty aspirations will be his eventual undoing.
- Also the fact that he's a cocaine addict. That probably won't help him in the long run.
- More Brendan Fraser, please. Seeing him for 15 seconds as he tried to fix an air conditioner wasn't nearly enough.
What did you think of "Silenzio"? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget that you can watch Trust online here at TV Fanatic anytime!
Caralynn Lippo is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
