by Wyatt Smith
This article will review episodes 5-7 of Bloodline season 2 and will contain many details that would serve as "spoilers" to someone who hasn't seen them. If you're new to the show, then I'd recommend watching season 1 on Netflix. If you're new to season 2, I'd recommend watching the first 4 episodes and then reading my previous review here.
It's official: Every character in Bloodline is deceptive and immoral to their core. Okay maybe that's a little extreme, but it feels like that's what the show is headed towards. Even when you thought such innocent characters who were left in the dark in regards to the whole debacle of Danny's death, such as Marco and Sally, were innocent, think again.
The real theme of this second season is deception, and how it leaves haunting effects. Whether it's something as grand as murder or something much more minuscule, like deliberately keeping your son's child away from the family for years and paying his mother to do so (okay, maybe that's not so minuscule). Just about every drama series deals with lies, manipulation, etc. But Bloodline doesn't just deal with these character traits, it lives off of it.
Marco is arguably the most in-the-dark character in the show. He's one of the few people who still revere the Rayburn name, and has been working along side John while ALSO trying to solve Danny's murder case, and has never even considered linking John to the crime. With all that said, Marco has a seriously murky past.
When Gilbert came to Meg with the story of Sheriff Aguirre and his past of domestic abuse, Meg saw leaking the news to the press as immoral but essential for John's campaign against Aguirre. What she didn't know was that 10 years before, when Aguirre's wife called the police for help, that police officer that came to the home was Marco Diaz. After he chatted with Aguirre, Diaz never filed a report, and later that year he was hired by the recently appointed sheriff: Aguirre.
The real theme of this second season is deception, and how it leaves haunting effects. Whether it's something as grand as murder or something much more minuscule, like deliberately keeping your son's child away from the family for years and paying his mother to do so (okay, maybe that's not so minuscule). Just about every drama series deals with lies, manipulation, etc. But Bloodline doesn't just deal with these character traits, it lives off of it.
Marco is arguably the most in-the-dark character in the show. He's one of the few people who still revere the Rayburn name, and has been working along side John while ALSO trying to solve Danny's murder case, and has never even considered linking John to the crime. With all that said, Marco has a seriously murky past.
When Gilbert came to Meg with the story of Sheriff Aguirre and his past of domestic abuse, Meg saw leaking the news to the press as immoral but essential for John's campaign against Aguirre. What she didn't know was that 10 years before, when Aguirre's wife called the police for help, that police officer that came to the home was Marco Diaz. After he chatted with Aguirre, Diaz never filed a report, and later that year he was hired by the recently appointed sheriff: Aguirre.
Another innocent character turned not-so-innocent is Sally Rayburn. She's clearly had the most trouble dealing with Danny's death despite being the least informed of what really happened. She doesn't have her husband there to help her through everything and run the inn, and her children have been more distant than ever. On top of everything, Nolan coming back into the family's life spells a great deal of trouble for her.
Nolan's mother, Eve, decided to pick up Jane (John's daughter) from school and have a "girls afternoon." The two go shopping, and when Jane finds an expensive dress that she likes, Eve steals it for her. This parallels Eve's motives for pestering the Rayburn family; she has been living off of Robert's checks for years, and still thinks she's entitled to the family money despite her son almost being 18 years old. When Eve and Jane end up at a local diner, Eve spills the whole story of Sally's contempt toward Nolan and him tarnishing the Rayburn name.
At the next family dinner, sparks fly as Kevin announces the sex of his expecting child (male), but is over-shadowed by Jane and Sally's argument over her manipulation of the situation with Nolan. Growing more and more frustrated, Sally lashes out and slaps her granddaughter. As one might expect, this doesn't sit well with the family and drama spills over into the next episode without getting resolved.
Yet another Rayburn is in distress, and his name is Kevin. After recently being pulled over for a DUI and cocaine possession, Kevin is forced to attend AA meetings as part of his deal. While consistently attending these supposedly helpful meetings, Kevin can't help himself from desperately taking swigs of alcohol and combining it with pills (most likely painkillers). In the 7th episode, Kevin decides to speak at an AA meeting for the first time. As Kevin's talking, he admits aloud for the first time that he's an alcoholic, and goes on to also admit that he's not ready for fatherhood. His reason is that he's not the man who he thought he was, and that his family isn't who he thought they were, and this overwhelming deception is causing him to question himself.
Nolan's mother, Eve, decided to pick up Jane (John's daughter) from school and have a "girls afternoon." The two go shopping, and when Jane finds an expensive dress that she likes, Eve steals it for her. This parallels Eve's motives for pestering the Rayburn family; she has been living off of Robert's checks for years, and still thinks she's entitled to the family money despite her son almost being 18 years old. When Eve and Jane end up at a local diner, Eve spills the whole story of Sally's contempt toward Nolan and him tarnishing the Rayburn name.
At the next family dinner, sparks fly as Kevin announces the sex of his expecting child (male), but is over-shadowed by Jane and Sally's argument over her manipulation of the situation with Nolan. Growing more and more frustrated, Sally lashes out and slaps her granddaughter. As one might expect, this doesn't sit well with the family and drama spills over into the next episode without getting resolved.
Yet another Rayburn is in distress, and his name is Kevin. After recently being pulled over for a DUI and cocaine possession, Kevin is forced to attend AA meetings as part of his deal. While consistently attending these supposedly helpful meetings, Kevin can't help himself from desperately taking swigs of alcohol and combining it with pills (most likely painkillers). In the 7th episode, Kevin decides to speak at an AA meeting for the first time. As Kevin's talking, he admits aloud for the first time that he's an alcoholic, and goes on to also admit that he's not ready for fatherhood. His reason is that he's not the man who he thought he was, and that his family isn't who he thought they were, and this overwhelming deception is causing him to question himself.
There's a few more things that occurred in these episodes that weren't necessarily worth writing about due to their lack of conclusion or minor consequences. One thing worth mentioning is John finally confronting Ozzy, Danny's old associate. He beats the shit out of him at the Red Reef Motel, the same place Danny almost got murdered at in the first season. This scene in symbolic of John's acceptance of his inner evils. He seems to have come to terms with his immoral decisions, and in the following episodes I expect John to develop a mean streak. His wife put all of the pieces together and finally figured out that he murdered Danny. She confronts him about it, and says that she wants no part of his eventual punishment and that what he's done "could destroy us."
That quote "could destroy us", is important. Many lives has been destroyed down in the Florida Keys in Bloodline, especially those of the Rayburn family. But that doesn't allow them sympathy. The second season has been a seven episode examination of how the Rayburn's have created their own troubles, dating all the way back to Robert's acquisition of the inn. When talking with Gilbert, Meg finds out that her superiorly moral father wasn't so superiorly moral. Gilbert points out that Robert was a poor kid just out of the Navy, but he somehow managed to buy ocean-front property in Florida. He explains that "Your father was principled, but he was also determined.”
Determination will decide the fate of these Rayburns. Robert used deception to his own advantage and built a wildly successful inn and name for himself. Now it's time to see if the rest of his family will let their lies will control and ultimately destroy them, or if they can redirect the lies into personal gain.
That quote "could destroy us", is important. Many lives has been destroyed down in the Florida Keys in Bloodline, especially those of the Rayburn family. But that doesn't allow them sympathy. The second season has been a seven episode examination of how the Rayburn's have created their own troubles, dating all the way back to Robert's acquisition of the inn. When talking with Gilbert, Meg finds out that her superiorly moral father wasn't so superiorly moral. Gilbert points out that Robert was a poor kid just out of the Navy, but he somehow managed to buy ocean-front property in Florida. He explains that "Your father was principled, but he was also determined.”
Determination will decide the fate of these Rayburns. Robert used deception to his own advantage and built a wildly successful inn and name for himself. Now it's time to see if the rest of his family will let their lies will control and ultimately destroy them, or if they can redirect the lies into personal gain.
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