The Bridge - Season 2, Episode 4, "The Acorn" Review

            I would refer to the entire series of The Bridge as a crime drama and thriller. The show is full of person drama, it does have thrills, and there is a mystery going on with some crime. It’s a very serious, dark, and intelligent series. In this episode, the crime and drama genres may apply, but thriller absolutely does not. I could say that not much really happens in this 45 minute episode, and that would be true. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this episode. It really proves that great setup and execution can make what would have possibly been a boring episode into a very entertaining and engaging one.

            In this episode, we see… everyone. Steven Linder (Thomas M. Wright), Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger), Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir), Hank Wade (Ted Levine), Daniel Frye (Matthew Lillard), Charlotte Millwright (Annabeth Gish), Adriana Mendez (Emily Rios), Fausto Galvan (Ramon Franco), Eleanor Nacht (Franka Potente). We see all of their storylines progress. I could say the premise of what happens in every single storyline, but won’t do that. All I’ll say is that the mystery gets more twisted as the different storylines start to intertwine, as well as people’s personal lives getting more complicated.

            This is an expertly crafted and executed episode. The script and direction are both great here. The script is able to combine all of these different storylines and make them flow together, almost as if they belong together. The episode is so well directed that even beyond the framing, crafting, and decisions behind the shots, the episode has a sustained tone and a very even and in-all-ways good pacing. There is a great sense of depth with every character here, is that is due how deep the script goes and how well the director does focus on the characters of the episode.

            The dialogue is great in the episode, as it has been for the past few. I could just copy and paste what I said about it in my review of this episode’s predecessor. It’s realistic, almost to the point of which the characters seem like really people. Not quite there yet, though. It’s compelling and interesting. It helped me get a greater interest in the characters.

            The look of the episode is very good. The Bridge has been known partly for its great look in just about every episode, but it was even better here. This director delivers visually as well as in the tone and pacing of the episode. The cinematography really captured the look of Texas and Juarez outside. And the cinematography is very good inside, too. The director of photography really seemed to have an attention to detail, and that really adds a lot to this episode.

            With these past three episodes, The Bridge is really starting to deliver. I’m getting more and more interested as the episodes continue to be great. The dialogue is realistic, compelling, and interesting. The cinematography looks very good. The direction engaged me and gave me a great sense of depth in each storyline. The episode was very entertaining as well as deep and clever.