TV Review: HIGHTOWN: Season 1, Episode 6: The White Whale [Starz]

Hightown The White Whale Review

STARZ‘s Hightown: Season 1, Episode 6: The White Whale was a declaration of war. Jackie (Monica Raymund) and Ray (James Badge Dale) are ready to end the cat-and-mouse games, which they have mostly been losing. Junior (Shane Harper) struggled with his demons, displaying evidence of self-destruction.

The White Whale set us up for the climax for this season. There were two major confrontations. One was between Ray and Osito (Atkins Estimond), the other between Jackie and Frankie (Amaury Nolasco). Both conversations had distinct personalities and power dynamics on display. To a lesser degree, we saw loaded confrontations between Frankie and Renee (Riley Voelkel), and Jackie and Ray as well.

Ray versus Osito was a long-awaited face-off. The bite-sized version in B.F.O. was merely a feint move, and it was haphazard on Ray’s part. This time, though, Ray was deliberate and felt prepared to face Osito. Except, Ray was not actually ready. He made a fool of himself, playing his hand for Osito.

The dynamic in that scene was cop versus suspect, but the conversation was more cerebral than that. Osito was eerily calm. From the moment he walked away from his dinner to chat with Ray you could see that he was ready to face off. Even more so, Osito was taking the chance to discover what Ray actually knew. Osito gave nothing while Ray gave nearly everything. It would belittle the situation to say that Ray underestimated Osito. Rather, I think Ray was trying to overcompensate for his failure to secure Krista (Crystal Lake Evans) as a witness by attempting to intimidate Osito with what he thought he knew. Yet, unlike in Ray’s earlier interrogation where he held all the power, Osito proved that Ray was toothless. It was embarrassing.

Osito is a deep well. (Actually, I am already imagining a spin-off for this mountain of a scene-stealer). He is comfortable as a No.2 when he should be the No.1 in the operation. Sure, he has made a couple of mistakes, but so did Frankie, or he would not be locked up. Also, Osito saw how Wayne (Craig muMs Grant) was mistreating Charmaine’s (Imani Lewis) genius, and I think it sparked a flame in Osito to think beyond his current station. Unlike, Charmaine, he is relatively free. Also, seeing “Poet” from Oz getting a spotlight again in a show chiefly about drug addiction was a welcome surprise.

We saw a very different energy in the other major confrontation. Jackie finally met Frankie – the man behind her nightmares. There were so many dynamics at play between these two: drug kingpin versus cop, man versus woman, predator versus prey. Raymund and Nolasco were brilliant together. It was like they were drinking from the same well of intimidation, but you had to watch to see who was thirstier.

The physical cues, and even the way the scene was shot indicated the power shift between the two characters. Jackie was out of focus and trembling at the beginning of the scene, while Frankie was in full focus, standing and stalking. Their conversation was tit-for-tat insults and threats like they were sparring in a boxing ring instead of conversing in a prison visiting room.

Any other time we might have seen Frankie command the space, but here is Jackie challenging his power. She gave him a reality check that he really has no control outside of those prison walls. She was the second person in his life to do that to him in as many days, since Renee gut-punched him with her independence in an earlier scene. By the end of the conversation, Jackie was the boss standing over him, declaring war, while Frankie was in shadow and out of focus. He looked genuinely shook.

Then, there was Junior’s struggle with PTSD after seeing Krista murdered. He seemed to crave punishment, even allowing meathead junkies to beat the crap out of him. He neglected his family for a depressive breakdown. Junior actually waded through the slums of P-town for customers, I guess because he felt lowly and like that was where he belonged. Even in his depression he kept sober, and that is where his brief, stunning confrontation with Jackie on the street made me smile. That was the contrast of these characters on display better than any scene before it.

Both Jackie and Junior wanted to save Krista. To an even further degree, Junior has been trying his hardest to protect Jackie from the same fate. Jackie’s clumsy pursuit of this witness has undermined Junior’s resolve to be a good friend and a good person despite his occupation. Bottom line, Jackie did not listen and now Krista is dead. Ray did not listen to Jackie when it could have mattered and now Krista is dead, and Osito is free to continue “Training Day” with Junior, driving Junior mad. Now, Junior is between a rock and a hard place and his family will suffer for it. While it is difficult to see Junior as a victim here, he is the most vulnerable person Hightown‘s story. His journey makes me want to weep.

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