Slow burn

‘The Night Of’ rewards patient viewers

Perhaps the most common criticism of a TV show is that it moves “too slow.” The road either doesn’t twist enough, or there’s too much calm before a storm seen from miles away. In our instant gratification culture, it’s easy to forget the age-old adage, “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” 

Actually, Drake said that, but you get my point. Compelling characters and a patient, domino-like plot make the emotional punches all the more affecting when they finally land. In the case of HBO’s new miniseries “The Night Of,” that punch is a knockout. 

With the recent spate of true-crime re-tellings (“Making a Murderer”) and re-imaginings (“American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson”), it’s easy to think “The Night Of” falls in a similar vein. The eight-episode miniseries is an adaptation of the British series “Criminal Justice” and was a passion project of James Gandolfini, who was set to star in the series before his death. 

His role, Jack Stone, is now played by the wiry John Turtorro, who shows up late in the premiere to offer his legal services to Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed of “Nightcrawler” fame). 

Naz is a mild-mannered Pakistani student in Queens, NY who, one night (the night), borrows his father’s taxicab to join his friends at a party. But when a mysterious, troubled young woman hops into the cab and asks for a ride to the beach, Naz’s evening takes an unexpected turn. Soon, the two are at her apartment, and the relatively straight-laced (and easily manipulated) Naz finds himself taking tequila shots, ecstasy, cocaine, and playing a sort of Russian roulette with a knife at the behest of the woman, who appears to have a taste for pain and anger. 

Hours later, he awakens to find a horrific scene: the woman has been repeatedly stabbed to death. He panics and attempts a quick exit, but is soon pulled over for his reckless driving. It doesn’t take long for the officers and Detective Box (an understated Bill Camp) to put two and two together. Naz meekly utters the words, “I didn’t do it.” 

If you don’t see where this is going from the beginning, you must be watching with a blindfold. Naz is living in a “wrong place, wrong time” nightmare; all signs point to him as the murderer. Writers Richard Price (a crime novelist and veteran of “The Wire”) and Steve Zaillian aren’t interested in delivering shock and awe. The pace is methodical, allowing the camera to linger on seemingly inconsequential details, such as surveillance footage at a toll station or the girl’s bloody hand (knife game gone wrong) gripping the banister as she and Naz rush to her bedroom. A neighbor sees Naz bolt from the apartment, only to return and break in when he realizes he left his keys. As the audience slowly, helplessly watches the mistakes and misconceptions amass, dread builds. Only we can see his seemingly innocent carelessness. Everyone else sees a criminal. 

By this point, we’ve come to care deeply about Naz. In the opening shot he’s tutoring an athlete who ignores him. He discusses the New York Knicks with his brother while dining with his family. When he stops at a convenience store to grab a drink for his female passenger, he buys a beer for her but water for himself. These scenes offer glimpses into the headspace of this character who’s life is about to be put under a microscope. Because we’ve witnessed these moments, we know that Naz is a more complex character than the criminal justice system will likely make him out to be. 

And yet, through brilliantly placed character moments (Naz shows signs of a temper) and denying viewers the crucial timeframe between Naz and the woman falling into bed and Naz waking up to her dead body (presumably a period of blackout for Naz as well), Price and Zaillian have left room for doubt regarding his innocence. 

“The Night Of” is unassuming, quiet, and deliberate. Each moment and interaction starts a chain reaction that won’t pay dramatic dividends until later episodes. There are no big name actors playing larger-than-life characters (i.e. Matthew McConaughey in “True Detective”). There are no jaw-dropping moments in the premiere (i.e. every episode of “Game of Thrones”). This show is anchored to real life, where justice isn’t served promptly. It is often sluggish, painful, and broken upon arrival. 

Over the course of the next seven episodes, Stone, the detectives and us amateur sleuths at home will attempt to seek answers. They’ll no doubt be slow to reveal themselves, and that’s a good thing. The best drama comes to those who wait.

For more from Landry, read his article on Arya Stark from "Game of Thrones."