Mary Kills People Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Ride or Die
Diana Keng
at
.
Truth is tricky and on Mary Kills People Season 2 Episode 4 there are many ways that truth is revealed.
Things always go most smoothly when Des and Mary are on the same page. When they meet in the diner, Des is obviously upset by what they've done by killing Travis Bloom.
You know, I've been to jail but I've never actually felt like a criminal. But now, the packaging matches what's inside.
Des
Mary, on the other hand, is mostly relieved. She feels safe from Olivia now that Travis is out of the picture and is taking the events of the night before in stride with her usual "we do what we have to do" philosophy.
It isn't until they're doing what they do best, assisting Joshua with his suicide and knowing that the police may be beating down their door any minute, that they really have an honest conversation.
I like that they lay things out clearly for each other. Des is willing to "Ride or Die" with Mary, loyal to the cause they believe in. Mary will not let him go to jail again. It's the partnership they need.
Josh, on the other hand, is the wake-up call Des needs after Travis sends him into a tailspin.
Just when he's in the depth of his despair, literally stripped down to boxer briefs, his dreams symbolically torn up, the dying boy who longs to kiss the girl he loves shows up at his door, smokes pot on his couch, schools him in chess, and unwittingly gives him purpose again.
Des: You know I'm a drug addict, man? It's not really polite to smoke pot in my house.
Joshua: Well, I'm dying. So. Whatever.
Josh speaks his truth with no fear because he has no time left. And Des recognizes he had too little time in the first place.
Then there's Mary and Ben. It seems that they can't open their mouths without lying to each other. They get in each other's professional way. They are set out in diametrically opposing directions when it comes to every aspect of their lives.
In my line of work, Mary, just to survive this shit, I gotta put people in boxes. Good people, bad people. And everywhere I turn in this thing, there you are. With Grady, with Olivia, with Travis. It's you. It all comes back to you. Because you know why? You're one of the bad ones.
Ben
The most honest thing Mary has ever said to Ben is when she states that she will never stop what she does. And that leads them directly into the bedroom. Go figure.
I think the show is trying to sell us on irresistible chemistry such that the two of them cannot turn away. I don't think I quite buy it. Yeah, they make bad choices with each other, but they should be smarter than that.
I want Mary to be a caring mother, a good partner, an excellent physician.
She jeopardizes all three of those identities with the Ben complication. Although it does say something for the character that I'm still rooting for her despite her progressively more malleable code of conduct.
Y'know, maybe your work situation is bad because you kill people?
Nicole
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, he's siccing his police buddies on her in pursuit of finding Travis to nail Olivia.
And he's not making any award-winning decisions by hooking up with Mary again. Despite having sister Nicole in his corner which, in my mind, is pretty much the only point in his favor.
Annie remains the most truthful character in this cast of misfits. She's been straight-shooting from the start, voicing her concerns while incapable of turning away from the patients she refers.
If she proves to be collateral damage, she'd be the first one to admit that she entered the war-zone willingly.
You're like one of those people that blazes a trail. You're a single-minded visionary. And I gotta live in the wake of your chaos.
Annie
Sigh. And then there's (still) Naomi and Jess. It feels like being truthful is the be-all and end-all for Jess. Lies have soured her on her relationship with Naomi, eaten away at her relationship with Mary, and created a barrier between herself and her sister Cambie.
Naomi treats the truth she knows about Mary as a weapon to hold over Jess, but it seems to be hurting her as much as her victim. There was a single glimmer of redemption when she considered destroying the memory stick, but that was a big tease.
Related: Acorn TV Offers the Best of British TV with a Generous Female Edge
Nicole is always a treat to behold. That she knows Mary as well as she does gives her license to call her to account. When she confronts Jess about her drama, it's clear she wants to air out all the family secrets but holds back because they aren't her secrets to share.
Shading in the peripheral storyline here, we have Ben confronting Olivia with a mask of concern over the whereabouts of Travis. It is met with Olivia's icy mask of disinterest. The genius is in the details she's laid out neatly.
Nothing she states is technically a lie. She has been calling his phone and leaving messages to come home. She has no idea where he is. He has a history of drinking and has probably disappeared on benders before. They do not have a good marriage.
Ben: You don't seem to worried. About your husband, ma'am.
Olivia: I process my emotions in a very private way.
Ben comments to his supervisor that Olivia couldn't even be bothered to appear worried about her husband. That the supervisor takes that as evidence she is a player is a bit of a leap for me.
To be fair, the law enforcement aspect of the show has never been wholly logical to me.
Mary seems most at ease when she's ministering to her patients, at the hospital or their homes. She has a rapport with Josh and with Germaine that lacks the tension and darkness present in her interactions with her family, Naomi, and Ben.
Her scene with Brendan is rife with meaning and some unspoken truths yet so incredibly genuine in her advice to him.
Death isn't bad. It doesn't have to be. It's part of life. And you can say good-bye the way you want. Life your death as you would your life.
Mary
When you watch Mary Kills People online see if you can answer a couple of questions that are starting to bother me.
How the heck do people get rid of bodies in this show? Olivia's warehouse guy just got toted away in a refrigerator box?
Travis was dead in the back of Mary's car. What did they do with him?
What was the point of throwing away an unused gun? And if you're going to get rid of a gun, does throwing it into the water directly behind your house make sense?
And, seriously, what's with Mary and Ben jumping into bed together again? I didn't see anything in Josh's death or their scene on the pier that set the mood for that change in setting.
Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.
