In The Dark Season 3 Episode 2 Review: I Know What You Did Last Night
Jasmine Blu
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You'll never say In the Dark isn't full of surprises.
And as far as shockers and unexpected twists and turns go, In The Dark Season 3 Episode 2 was full of them.
Between the gang splitting up in Canada for a year, Felix and Murphy's threesome, Darnell still covering for Murphy, and Jess' kidnapping, there was enough to leave one's head spinning.
The hour was a fascinating character study for the foursome, and it presented us with some things that will prompt you to analyze and reflect on who these characters are and what they mean to each other.
It's never been a secret that Murphy is a codependent person. She and Jess's relationship, in particular, have that element where they can't fully thrive without one another, and it's been to both of their advantage and detriment.
In many ways, the crux of the series is that dynamic and how intertwined these two best friends are through it all. But Murphy's codependency also extends to Max and Felix, and it was interesting to see an hour that touched on that a bit more.
But it's also fascinating to see those dynamics from Max and Felix's perspective, too, and that's one of the ways that this hour excelled.
Max is a fan-favorite character. We love him for many reasons, but at the center of that affection is his connection to Murphy and their love story. But the hour did us a solid by expanding on the blossoming dynamic, friendship, and kinship he has with Jess.
We've seen the fun chemistry he has with Felix before, so it's nice that the series is taking advantage of Deidrick's natural chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Max: Well, uh, I'm sorry that I freaked out back there.
Jess: It's OK. You don't have to be sorry. I know that we're not exactly best friends by any means, but you can talk to me. even if it's about Murphy. It's fine.
Max: No, it's not that. I'm done with Murphy. The thing is I didn't call my dad back at the station.
Jess: What, who did you call?
Max: No one. I just pretended to. Not a single person would come looking for me.
Jess: That's not true.
Max: You know what, it's fine. I was standing in that booth realizing that I have absolutely nobody.
In many ways, Max and Jess are in a similar boat. They both love Murphy so much that it's often to their detriment, and it's something they were able to bond over during the long process it took for them to retrieve their passports.
It's no getting around that on some level, they wouldn't be this deep into everything if not for Murphy, and some resentment has built up because of that. Jess killed someone for her, and Max buried bodies for her.
Jess lost things, including a life that she loved now, and Max feels as though he did everything for Murphy, and she bailed on him. His hurt runs deep, and he's not letting it go anytime soon.
It was the first real instance where the gravity of how Murphy hurt Max hit. As in, who's to say if they can ever get beyond this, and as brutal as it is to witness, Max needed to get the space to express his feelings.
You could hear how liberated he felt when describing to Jess what it's like to ignore Murphy and suggesting that she learn to do the same sometimes. And as loyal as Jess is to Murph, she's cultivated a friendship with Max now, too.
Surprisingly, Max is holding strong in giving Murphy the cold shoulder.
On paper, everything Murphy said about them when she broke things off made sense, and you understood her point. However, from Max's perspective, all he's ever done is put her first and love her, and she kicked him to the curb and only wants to be involved with him on her terms.
Murphy hurt Max badly, and it's likely a culmination of many tiny cuts along the way that they've ended up where they are now. Max relished the chance of not speaking to her for a year, didn't even say goodbye, and bypassed her for Pretzel.
It's the only thing Max could control, and he's a man who hasn't had much of that for a long time. His hurt was given context when he spoke about how he didn't have anyone to call to say goodbye.
If he disappeared, no one would care or look for him. It speaks to how Murphy and her friends are all he has, and in the blink of an eye, she was able to rip that away from him.
Max really needs the second chance, and we had no idea how badly until we saw him spazz out over not getting there in time to get the passports and breaking down a bit in Jess' arms.
Jess and Max's height difference makes every single hug they share the most precious thing ever.
What Max craves, a job as a line cook and the chance to open a restaurant of his own, some little diner, is so simplistic. You want him to get that, this fresh start, all the while knowing that he probably won't, at least not yet.
In an hour that gave us so much, Casey Deidrick stole it with such wonderfully vulnerable and raw moments.
And while much of what he's responding to has to do with Murphy, it felt as if he's breaking away as a character a bit, and we get deeper insight into him alone rather than solely as Murphy's love interest.
Meanwhile, Murphy was so laser-focused on Max not speaking to her and trying to use any means necessary to yank him back into her world again that she wasn't thinking about the others in her life. It's quintessential Murphy.
Murphy: Max, are you seriously not going to talk to me at all?
Max: What do you want me to say?
Murphy: I know I messed up, I always mess up, OK? I mean you know how I feel about you.
Max: I told you I wasn't coming back, and I meant it. You were right. We're no good for each other.
She can be a neglectful friend, but deep down, you know how much her people mean to her. Her call to her mother was something she would've found a way to do even if the group hadn't agreed on that.
And the phone call was their downfall and nearly got them caught. Hell, it's probably what contributed to Jess' abduction. It's no easy feat -- giving up everything and leaving your loved one behind, and that last phone call set Josh and Gene on the path toward finding them and led to some interesting developments.
The threesome is one of them. Murphy and Felix engaging in a threesome is something I never thought I would've ever wanted to see until it happened. It seemed truly outlandishly wild.
I never in a million years would've thought that was something that would come to fruition, but what started as another one of those batshit insane things they fell into because of the universe always laughing at them ended up signifying something sweet.
Felix: How do we get out of this one?
Murphy: You're the first guy who ever tried to get out of a threesome.
Like Max, Felix is another character who, at times, appears to feel on the outskirts. It's no secret that Murphy and Jess are closer, but to Felix, these two women are his whole life.
You could see how upsetting it was for him that he'd be separated from his best friends and family for at least a year in another country by himself.
We know Murphy can't be alone, and we've learned that Jess can't either, but neither can Felix.
In what would likely be their last moments together after going through some insane shit, all Murphy could think about was how much she'd miss Max and couldn't bear to be away from him for so long.
She got the perk of going into hiding with Jess, so she got her companionship. But that left Felix out in the cold, and unlike Max, he wasn't reveling in the opportunity to escape and start anew by himself.
It's crazy that it took distracting a front desk motel manager and evading the cops to expound on that a bit. Only Felix could accidentally end up seducing a woman in an attempt to distract.
He had a much easier go of it than Murphy pretending to see while the cop was there following the tip about the gang's orange car.
In the Dark has a great way of playing things up for humor, but it dovetailing into something else entirely. An accidental threesome between two best friends to save all their asses is ludicrous and hilarious.
Felix: You know what, I wasn't going to bring this up but I'm offended by the fact that you've been so upset that Max is going to be gone for a year, and you're not going to see him, but you don't give a crap about the fact that you're not going to see me for a year.
Murphy: You think I don't give a crap, Felix?
Felix: I don't know.
Murphy: You think I don't give a crap?
Felix: I don't know!
Murphy: I've been able to hang out with your dumb face every single day. And I'm not going to be able to do that and it sucks and I - I can't even. I can't even ...I don't even want to think about it.
Felix: Are you being for real right now?
Murphy: Yes, I'm being for real. You're one of my best friends too, idiot.
But Felix and Murphy's moment in the bathroom preparing for it was anything but that. It was heartfelt and vulnerable as Murphy acknowledged how much she did care about Felix and how it would kill her being away from him, and they agreed to cross this line that at least one of them never would've imagined.
And while neither of them had an issue kissing the front desk worker, their kiss was expectedly awkward and amusing until it wasn't. Murphy is a woman who likes sex, and she doesn't necessarily equate it to feelings.
Murphy was able to jump onboard this before Felix since she was randy and admitted that she could use the experience to scratch the itch she wouldn't get from Max.
But the two of them crossing that line feels as though it meant more to both of them than planned.
A post-sex Felix was admittedly hot and also confident, and Murphy seemed a bit surprised by the entire ordeal. I can't be the only one who thought about when Jess almost slept with Felix, and he was eager to lend a hand or whatever else to a friend in need.
She was shocked that Felix is, um, well-endowed, and this time Murphy seemed surprised that he apparently is a great lover. Goodness, this trio is a barrel of laughs and damn chaos all the time.
I didn't have that on my 2021 Bingo card, that's for sure, but I'm not mad at it.
Murphy and Felix didn't talk about it. But you could tell that Felix wanted to, and it reignited some of the speculation that Felix always had some unresolved, non-platonic feelings for Murphy anyway.
It looked like he caught some feelings based on those longing looks. And Murphy's avoidance speaks to her mixed-up mindset on the ordeal, too. It's a hell of a goodbye for the two, and it makes you sad that, for now at least, Felix is headed to Toronto somewhere alone.
Despite plans to ensure Murphy wouldn't be alone, she still is now because of the abduction.
It leaves Murphy in an interesting predicament. She never had to go at it alone for long, and her entire support network is gone.
Does Murphy think Jess abandoned her, or does she realize that something else happened?
She isn't supposed to reach out to Max or Felix anytime soon, but she has their burner phone numbers, so will she?
If she knew anything about Jess and Max's conversation, and she picked up that Jess was exercising Max's advice by not giving in to Murphy when she was crying, will Murphy assume Jess left her on purpose?
Does she assume that Jess got picked up by the cops and continues on the run? It raises so many questions here.
And, of course, the big one is who took Jess? That flash at the end of In the Dark Season 3 Episode 1, assuming it's connected, implied that it isn't the cops, or at least not the good ones.
We have a few different possibilities here.
Gene and Josh, who are such an incredible team, were closing in on the gang.
They work well together, and I'm happy the superintendent gave Gene his due instead of benching or firing him, which is what the chief probably planned to do next.
It's also cool that he has enlisted Josh's help. They both are determined to find Murphy. Gene wants justice and to figure all of this out, and his hurt fuels Josh.
It's still odd that they've jumped to so many conclusions about Murphy and what she's capable of doing and being. Murphy is a lot of things, but never once does she give off the impression that she's a cold-blooded killer.
Logically, it made sense that Gene and Josh went to Murphy's mother and told her all of these things as if they were cold-hard facts, but it was agitating that they played fast and loose with obtaining that payphone number off of her phone and scared the hell out of Murphy's mom.
Nevertheless, both seem genuine when they speak about bringing Murphy in before she gets hurt, so it's doubtful that they would resort to kidnapping Jess, even though they could've tracked everyone to the bus station.
However, the chief has enough to lose, and he has the power to do something. He doesn't behave on the up, and he's tried to put a pin in Gene's investigation for ages.
If he tracks down Jess, he knows it'll lead him to Murphy, so he or anyone who works for him could be a potential suspect. Also, as cute as Gene and Sara are, is it wrong to be wary of her too?
The hour also reintroduced us to Josiah, and Darnell cut a deal with him. In exchange for Nia's manpower as Josiah takes over her business, Darnell wanted reassurance that no one would go after Muprhy and the others in revenge.
Somehow, Josiah knew that Murphy or someone close to her was responsible for killing Nia. He's not exactly someone who keeps his word, and it doesn't seem like he made any real promises.
Is it possible that his people found Jess? Otherwise, why would they bring that up in the first place?
Darnell: OK. I can get you all of Nia's people. Under one condition, tell them not to worry about trying to find out who killed Nia. They need to focus on your business, not revenge. Make it an order.
Josiah: If you want me to protect Murphy and them just ask.
Darnell: You know.
Unless, of course, Sam has connections from prison and has someone going after Jess to avenge Nia.
The possibilities are endless here. It's doubtful that Max changed his mind about going anywhere alone and wanted to bring his new BFF with him in the most dramatic way possible, no? A girl can dream.
Over to you, In the Dark Fanatics. Will Jess EVER have peace? Who took her?
Did the threesome shock you? Will Max ever forgive Murphy?
Hit the comments below with all of your thoughts.
If you missed anything, you can watch In The Dark online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
