TV Show Review

TV Review: SNOWFALL: Season 1, Episode 10: The Rubicon [FX]

Amin Joseph Snowfall

Snowfall The Rubicon Review

Snowfall: Season 1, Episode 10: The Rubicon is not as powerful as the preceding episode but it’s a serviceable enough ending to a largely uneven first season.

In the wake of Story of a Scar‘s success, last Wednesday’s installment of the show feels underwhelming. Without powerhouse performances like Michael Hyatt‘s turn as Cissy last episode, the acting comes across as restrained and feels like a step backwards for the show. The only performances that come even close to Hyatt’s are Carter Hudson and Juan Javier Cardenas‘ turns as Teddy and Alejandro respectively. Another interesting cast member to watch for is Alon Aboutboul, who reprises his role as Avi. Not because it’s as strong as Hyatt’s performance, but because Aboutboul is just so damn entertaining to watch every second he is on screen.

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Getting back to Hudson and Cardenas, they have what is easily the most intense scene in the entire episode: Alejandro’s murder of Victoria (Justine Lupe) and his subsequent killing at the hands of Teddy. Cardenas’ delivery of the line “It’s the easiest thing in the world: you just turn around and walk out” is chillingly calm and possesses a subtlety that is painfully absent from most shows like Snowfall. Hudson is equally low-key, downplaying his character’s reaction to Victoria’s death and making his decision to shoot Alejandro all the more surprising.

But Teddy’s most effective moment is when he says nothing at all, listening to a voice message from his wife as he silently takes off his blood-stained clothes. Without uttering a single word, he is able to convey the shock that he feels at his own actions through the very movement of his body, moving slowly and rigidly as he takes off his sullied garments. In this moment, both Teddy and the audience realize that he has finally crossed the rubicon, so to speak, which is saying a lot given that he’s spent the season facilitating the entry of drugs into the country.

While important narrative ends are tied in Franklin (Damson Idris) and Lucia’s (Emily Rios) stories, none of them are handled quite as well as those in Teddy’s plot. This inability to balance the show’s different storylines has vexed the program since the very beginning, but I would say that the compelling elements of the series make it worth watching. Perhaps now that it’s got its first season in and had the chance to get all its kinks out the program will become truly great. I can’t quite say that The Rubicon is classic television or even a solid season finale, but it has enough promise to make me wonder where Snowfall will go from here on out.

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Reggie Peralta

**** We hired Reggie, fulfilled our obligations to him, and he quit in the middle of covering two TV series w/ no notice and no explanation. He then ignored our emails asking him to complete his coverage (we had no one else to cover those TV shows). He didn't care. We regret hiring him and we regret putting our trust in him. **** An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I've made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews. When I'm not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school's TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.
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