Jess is alive!
After the majority of In The Dark Season 3 Episode 6 was spent trying to find out her living status and location, we got our answer. Jessica is alive, for now, but she left the hospital before Murphy and Felix could even see her.
Why is the show so stressful?
Murphy’s reaction to the fire was utterly devastating as she wailed like we’ve never heard before and refused to leave that spot despite the police closing in on them.
As frustrating as it was that Felix and Max left Murphy behind, they didn’t have much choice. If they stayed, the police would’ve hauled them in too.
They did agree to turn themselves in for Jess in the first place, so what was the real difference?
Only something as traumatic as Jess possibly perishing in a fire could have Murphy giving up her fight and surrendering to the authorities.
It was nerve-wracking the entire time she was in their custody. It’s difficult to see how Josh and Gene are insistent that she’s this cold-blooded killer and career criminal that needs the book thrown at her.
The way they’ve handled this case is ridiculous. They’re all over the place, and there was never any room for Murphy not to be the guilty person or space for the full story to come out.
They had her in custody and hoped the DNA evidence from presumably the button (?) would be their cause for booking and charging her for murder.
But it took Gene and Josh talking about bits of the case for Gene to realize that they may not have enough evidence to charge Murphy, let alone get a conviction.
Everything they’ve been getting thus far is circumstantial at best, and they have to know that if Murphy went to court and got on the stand, telling her experiences, corrupt cops and all, in addition to being a blind woman, she’s incredibly sympathetic.
And that’s what prompted them to seek a confession from Murphy, but they had very little to offer her to encourage one. Also, there’s no telling how much Gene could’ve gotten out of Murphy if Josh wasn’t there.
I can’t believe the IRS dude signed off on it given his history with Murphy.
Sarah
Can we take a moment to talk about how INSUFFERABLE Josh is right now?
What the hell is even happening with him? When he started to read Murphy her rights, I was gobsmacked that as a damn citizen, he thought he had the right to do so.
The right defense attorney would have a field day ripping this entire case apart because what the entire hell?!
Josh has gotten too big for his britches, and his hard-on for Murphy is infuriating. You would’ve thought she murdered his loved one or something.
Josh: Now it’s your turn. Tell us what you did to Nia Bailey.
Murphy: No, that wasn’t the deal. I said I would confess.
His personal vendetta is costing them this case at every turn, and Gene knows as much, but he was still stringing Josh along.
Josh’s behavior was unacceptable the entire time. Hell, since they’re at it with these stupid arrests and charges, can they haul Josh in for impersonating an officer?
He’s an unemployed, unofficial consultant who no longer works for the IRS and has very little to offer this investigation or the police anymore beyond using them to persecute a woman he feels broke his heart. There are so many icky factors about that.
Gene should’ve sent him away long before he was banging his walking stick on the table like he was imitating someone from his favorite cop drama and laying into Murphy as if he has any authority or right.
But Gene also should’ve been upfront with Josh if he wanted to work with him. There are bigger fish to fry, and it’s much bigger than Murphy and whatever happened with Nia.
Gene was the chief to go down and for the corruption in the police force to be exposed. He’s well-meaning and ambitious if he hopes to bring down CPD.
And he knows that Murphy has the information that he needs. Murphy gets credit for sharing as much as she did in exchange for a five-year or less sentence.
But Gene was delusional if he thought that putting Murphy on the record in the police station with her talking about the chief would be trouble.
Even if Murphy didn’t manage to escape, the chief knows that Murphy has information about him and was involved with Dean, so he likely would’ve found that recorded admission and gotten rid of it like with the confession.
Gene is doing his best to be a good cop here, but he’s almost too w wholesome to succeed. He’s naive, and he doesn’t think things through.
The chief was waiting to justify getting rid of him, and Murphy’s escape gave him cause. And while Gene releasing the recording on social media where it will trend and take off was a Boss move, it was also one where the repercussions reach far and wide.
Did he ever consider how much danger it puts Murphy and the others in when that goes viral? He hasn’t considered how it’ll impact him, too, when the Blue Wall is in full effect.
Hell, it was frustrating that neither Gene nor Josh put enough thought into Jess’ safety in this matter either.
Predictably, Alex saved Jess from the fire, and after her aunt treated Jess, she took her to the hospital.
The race to get information about Jess dominated the hour, with Felix contacting his sister we didn’t even know he had and Darnell confronting Trey and tracking down Alex.
Darnell is one of the most underrated and underappreciated characters. I love that Darnell got right down to business, reaming Trey out and calling out his behavior with sacrificing Jess to make a move against Josiah.
It felt right that Darnell was there to sit with Jess even if no one else could be there. Although, I’m confused as to what transpired between the two.
If Darnell got to speak to Jess while she was awake, then wouldn’t he have shared with her that Murphy and Felix were on their way or looking for her?
Because it looks like Jess bailed the second she felt better instead of someone kidnapping her or something. And it won’t be long before perhaps Josiah’s people track her down, and it’ll take us back to that flash of a scene we saw during In the Dark Season 3 Episode 1.
Felix’s time with his sister wasn’t pointless. After the two somewhat hashed out some of their differences, since Felix hasn’t spoken to her in three years, Max prompted him to share everything that happened.
Wow. I don’t know what’s more shocking that you murdered someone or that you have friends.
Leslie
Now she’s someone who knows the truth about what they’ve done, and I don’t know where they’re going with this. It can’t be the last of Leslie, and would this mean that she’ll be the one Felix calls to help?
Also, did anyone else notice the chemistry between her and Max? Had Felix not been with them the entire day, I would’ve sworn they found time to sleep together or something.
And speaking of sex, I got to give Felix credit for not admitting that he slept with Murphy even when others make disparaging comments about him.
It was also a moment when Leslie seemed a bit shifty, so I can’t figure out where she’ll land in all of this, but I hope that she’ll always be protective of her brother.
You’re like an actual fugitive now.
Felix
Max once again claimed he was headed to Canada and going off the grid. He doesn’t want anything to do with Murphy anymore and feeling content that they knew Jess was alive.
He has such an interesting bond with Felix and Jess. No matter how much he attempts to distance himself or pretends like he no longer gives a damn about Murphy (which is reaching the point of annoying), he can’t stay away.
It’s not a matter of if he’s coming back anytime soon, but when.
And with Murphy officially a fugitive, the release of this tape, and Jess still missing, Max is stuck with these people, period.
Over to you, In the Dark Fanatics. Was it a slower episode for you? Are you over Josh and his vendetta? What are your predictions? Hit the comments below!
You can watch In The Dark online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.