Rectify

This is un doutably the best new drama of 2013, I know the year isn't even half over as yet, but I really doubt any other show can beat this, in fact I'm not even sure if returning series could compete with this.

In 6 episodes this show manages to take you to a depth which a lot of others fail to achieve in their entire run. The show is just so amazingly well done that 1 is almost tempted to label it as "flawless", although I understand that that might be a bit much.

Right from the 1st episode you realise that each scene, each dialogue and each silence, is pregnant with meaning, a meaning that slowly takes you deeper into this word and these characters. Most of the episodes are written by creator Ray McKinnon and that in itself is win situation in my book, whenever you have a show runner that's also handling the writing/directing then chances are that the show is going to be more focused and rounded, going on a single trajectory rather than having people just throw random ideas around.

The characters are all complex in their own way, although that might not be obvious at 1st, and as the show unfolds you start to see different sides of them which slowly emerge out adding shape to their personalities. Daniel, of course is the most interesting character of all, and after the 6 episode season you perhaps know him no more than you did when you started.

The show also presents a wonderful portrait of small town, rural American life. Not just in the settings and locations but also in the social environments, the beliefs and prejudices of the people who live there.

To sum up, this is an absolutely brilliant new show, and if you like through provoking, philosophical, intense dramas, then this is the show for you.

Have to use more words, but it's just absolutely brillant. Great story, fantastic cast/acting. man! WATCH THIS!

Didn't know much about Rectify (2013) going in other than it was the story of a man, Daniel Holden, who is miraculously released from Death Row after serving 20 years and the struggles both he and his family endure thereafter as they try to adjust to life with their son on the outside. The cast is simply incredible; every performance is superb - and the writing hits at the core of what it means to be human as good as any show out there. The music is divine and really punctuates the film through its emotional moments and the direction is simply flawless. It is a slower show that demands your attention and one which focuses on characters and state of minds over action. But if you stick with it, you'll find this is one of most underrated TV shows out there. TV gem alert 🚨

Well, after the first episode of watching Aden Young embody the character of Daniel Holden, I'm hooked. Daniel Holden was arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend at the age of 16, convicted and sent to live on death row at the age of 18, and 20 years later after living on death row in a cell by himself, preparing himself to die and be forever gone from this earth, has survived 5 stays of execution long enough for technology to catch up with forensic science and, unbelievably, Daniel Holden is released to his family because it is determined that his DNA was not found at the scene of the crime. So now the big question is: Will the current prosecutor re-try a 20 year old case? The whole town has an opinion, and while Daniel Holden walks around like a man in his own dream, quietly and painfully processing freedom, relating to a family that is 20 years older, and adjusting to the overwhelming overload of his sensory perceptions, danger is lurking as those involved in the original case begin to realize what is at risk if a new trial takes place. It's too soon for all of us, the audience, to know what is at risk because, wisely, the story is unfolding slowly and painstakingly like a new flower. The actors are all superb as they falter and try to think of how to talk to Daniel. Daniel is unsure, awkward, and quiet...very, very quiet. Aden Young's face can show about 5 emotions all at the same time, and in one scene as he is describing in a perfect soft, southern drawl his prison "initiation" experience for his shallow step-brother, Teddy, Daniel's expression changed from placid, to subdued, to quietly earnest, to a moment of sheer madness, before he snapped back to placid, leaving Teddy speechless and a little bit afraid. Totally alone and silent, this tall man with the haunted eyes drew me in as he walked to a baseball field and just laid down in the grass. How can such a gentle person be guilty of such a heinous crime? Who committed this crime and let this sweet soul suffer 24/7 for 20 years waiting to die, stealing his youth? Is this man guilty, innocent, reformed, or just a stone cold killer with a good con going? I don't know yet. So I will stay tuned.

I've watched the first two episodes after being tempted by a promo prefaced by 'from the producers of Breaking Bad'. Reading reviews about its slow pace put me off slightly, but I went ahead with the first episode and was hooked about 15 minutes in by the writing, the excellent use of silences and the sheer quality of the performances. Aden Young is mesmerising, his thousand yard stare bringing nuance to every scene he is in, and he is ably supported by a cast I know from nowhere else, with the exception of Adelaide Clemens. The pace is slow, but not in a frustrating way - it seems entirely appropriate to let the audience experience the bewildering, overwhelming experience of being free after two decades on Death Row, and while after two episodes, I am no wiser as to Daniel's innocence, I do find that I genuinely care about it, and that's pretty much the most important thing to me in any drama: I should care about the people (like them, hate them) otherwise I'm just watching moving images. Having said that, the moving images are pretty compelling also - the use of light and the photography are evocative, as is the atmosphere of the small, southern town and the sometimes claustrophobic interiors. Genuinely impressive TV-making; I'm pleased to know there's more to come.