The beautiful golden retriever lives to make us anxious another day.

As long as he remains alive, I'll be wincing every time Brady lays his eyes on him. Take out the freaks and weirdos, Brady, just leave the animals alone. I even feared for Fred on Mr. Mercedes Season 1 Episode 5. A moratorium on the animals, I say!!

I can't help but think something tragic is coming to Brady at his doing, and the perfect set up with delivered before "The Suicide Hour" was over.

There is more of an effort now to make Brady a bit more sympathetic in the eyes of viewers.

It's not easy when the guy is killing people and animals, breaking into homes and leaving traces of himself in the wind, but attempts are being made.

Brady was taken aback to discover he's in line for the manager position when Robey moves forward. He never expected Robey to "be nice" to him. Robey assured him he wasn't being nice at all, and in not being nice he was building character so Brady would be ready for the next step.

That sounds like drivel, but I always appreciated the teachers I had in school who respected me enough to demand from me my very best. I had teachers who were incredibly friendly, sure, but an afternoon visit didn't teach me geometry.

Demanding I show up on time, pay attention in class, and turn in error-free, thoughtful homework, so I earned an A in semantics, however, ensured I was incredibly well-versed in the subject and ready learn more.

Despite Robey's crass behavior, Brady needed more Robeys in his life.

As it stands, he had his mother. Deborah was and is a first class loser. She was unable to cope with tragedy or to seek help when she most needed it, so he crushed any life that remained in Brady. 

I'm skeptical Brady had much to go on and that his brother Gerald wasn't killed outright by his big brother, but had Deborah sought help, who knows what the outcome could have been?

It's difficult to ascertain exactly what she gets by stroking him off all the time. It drives her to drink even more to wipe away the shame and disgust she feels. 

With the increasing number of accidents she's having at the house, and the heart shaped, rat poison-laced hamburger patty in the freezer, maybe she'll die. It would be the nudge Brady needs to take things to the next level.

Right now, he's toying with Bill, toying with death. He's getting off to memories of his big moment, but that's been a while. If he's interested in doing it again, he has to start planning. He's a mother f*ucker. Literally. And now he knows Bill knows it.

Bill: Do you really think you're that good that you can make me eat my gun?
Brady: I'm just giving it the old college try.
Bill: [laughs] You never went to college!

• Permalink: You never went to college!

That stings. Brady doesn't like when Bill gets the better of him. He doesn't like toying around and coming out on the bottom of the heap. Surely, he's feeling the heat.

Bill is certainly feeling it. 

He was feeling pretty snazzy about his new job as a private dick, getting some action with Janey, possibly reconnecting with his daughter. 

In the relative blink of an eye (well, Janey's mother's eyes), all of that drifted away. 

Bill might have thought she looked dead the last time they visited, but she had no problem recognizing his "little pig eyes" as the ones who tormented her daughter, Olivia. Bill blanched at the idea she was about to out his terrible secret.

Janey: You know, the killer could have taken someone elses car, committed the exact same crime. Why did you have to treat her like that?
Bill: It wasn't as bad as your mother makes it sound.
Janey: I DON'T believe you! That's exactly the way Olivia made it sound. Hostile. You were hostile to her!
Bill: Yeah, well, truth be told, she was hostile to us, too. She cared more about her stupid car than she did about her victims. She treated us like assholes.

• Permalink: Yeah, well, truth be told, she was hostile to us, too. She cared more about her stupid car...

Nothing Bill could have said at that moment would have made any difference. Even after her death, Bill still can't see that Olivia was just as much a victim as those who were mowed down. In fact, she was Brady's first victim and possibly his intended target.

Is it worse to be killed or to live in the aftermath of a murder that wasn't your fault, but in which you are implicated through no fault of your own? Nothing Olivia could say or do could remove the stain from her life, but the smear of blood was across her just as though Brady had run her down with her own car.

Then using his brother's name to accost her further, subjecting her to mind games and physical assaults she went on to believe were hallucinations is outrageous.

Knowing all of that, Bill still argued with Janey instead of letting the past unfurl from his shoulders with the realization he was standing squarely where Olivia once stood, without the added measure of numerous deaths and injuries, nameless accusations, and his press tip added to the mix.

Bill is a little roughed up after everything that happened, though. Not only does the Mercedes killer know far too much about him, but it has to be disheartening to learn the guy is turning out to be a textbook version of everything he learned in serial killer school.

Not to mention that Janey opened up Bill's feelings again, and now that his secret is out, Bill is back home drinking alone. That doesn't mean she won't want to work with him to find the killer once she calms down or that Ida won't still be interested in him when she has some space, but for now? 

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Bill hasn't been making the very best choices. He has to start making better ones because his life and those he cares about are on the line. I think he knows that now, but he was living a little free and easy for a few days there.

And really, who could blame him? Don't we all get caught up in the moment? We aren't all chatting with a mass murderer who can get into our homes and go off at any moment like a ticking time bomb. 

What do you think is going to push Brady to the next level? He's not going to remain a perpetual masturbator for long.

If you've been watching, 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.