Twisted - Recap: Danny and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Recap video and Review of Twisted - Episode 13 - Sins of the Father:
Twisted approaches the ABC Family split-season structure in interesting fashion: the two halves of this season have been distinguished by the secrets being kept between characters, and one central murder mystery to bind the narratives. In the first half of the season, the murder mystery was all about whether or not Danny Desai (Avan Jogia) murdered Regina Crane. The character secret, meanwhile, was the relationship between Danny and Lacey (Kylie Bunbury), which was being kept from Jo (Maddie Hasson). This second half of the season, then, is about shaking that status quo. Now, the murder mystery isn't about Regina, since "Sins of the Father" pretty much puts that case to bed. This time, the murder mystery in question centers on the death of Vikram Desai at the hands of his own son. And the secret being kept is between Danny and Jo, with Lacey being the one left out of the loop this time. It's an effective way for the show to format this season, as this second half (Vikram Murder + Danny/Jo secret) is turning out to be distinctive from, yet every bit as good as, the first half (Regina Murder + Danny/Lacey secret). Whether this will actually be a sustainable model for the show going forward (and here's hoping it gets another season) remains to be seen. But as for tonight, it works like gangbusters.
Credit: ABC Family
The episode follows a series of distinct trajectories, but the most effective is how it builds on Danny's irremovable sense of guilt. Here is a kid who spent five years of his life being branded a murderer, yet who always knew, deep down, that he was never what people were saying he was. He never killed his Aunt Tara, so he could withstand the accusations of the town with a sort of quiet dignity, because he could at least take solace in the knowledge that they were all mistaken. But now that he's killed his own father, he's essentially proved the town right. Sure, it was self-defense, but who's really going to believe him? He voices these concerns when laying out a plan with Jo, as Danny's first thought is to leave Green Grove forever. Jo tries to talk him out of it by telling him that they could just explain what happened to the police, that she'd corroborate his version of events. But Danny makes a great point when he notes that her reliability as a witness will be called into question due to her feelings for him, since Jo pretty much confessed her feelings to the entire town during Danny's expulsion hearing. Danny intends to run, but realizes the next morning that he doesn't really want to leave Jo or Lacey, or his mother, or anyone. So he decides that they're going to come clean together, but only to Jo's father, Kyle (Sam Robards).
Credit: ABC Family
However, several significant hurdles get in their way: first, Danny is intercepted by his mother, Karen (Denise Richards), at the Masterson household, and in keeping up appearances, Danny has to leave with her. The bigger hurdle, however, is the simple fact that Kyle isn't available at the moment. He's busy investigating several leads he's unearthed regarding Vikram Desai, namely that he was business partners in MARNA Industries with Mayor John Rollins (Christopher Cousins) -- the same Mayor Rollins who claimed to never have heard of the mysterious company. Kyle also learns that Rollins was the one who hired Marilyn Rossi (Stacy Haiduk) to look into Regina's murder. Yet, when question, Rollins denies involvement, claiming it wasn't his idea to hire Marilyn, but rather that of a silent partner in MARNIA Industries: Gloria Crane (Jessica Tuck), Regina's mother.
Credit: ABC Family
Part of the fun of all the different pieces of the mystery coming together is seeing these characters all separately piecing it together as well. There isn't just one sleuth on Twisted, as evidenced by Lacey's detective work in questioning Gloria about Regina's murder. Through her interrogation at the horse stables, Lacey gets Gloria to slip-up and admit to having known about Regina's necklace being found in Danny's locker, something she couldn't possibly have known unless she had been the one to put it there. Lacey relays this tidbit to Kyle, and with all his evidence assembled, the Sheriff gets the truth out of Gloria: she and Vikram were having an affair, Regina discovered the truth, and blackmailed Vikram under threat of exposing the secret. When money stopped being enough for Regina, and after a night of heavy drinking, Regina texted Danny with the intention of telling him everything, only to turn up dead hours later. Thus, Gloria planted the necklace in Danny's locker because, why, he had to have killed Regina. Except Kyle already knows it couldn't have been Danny, since Kyle has proof that the murder weapon was a fake planted by Marilyn Rossi. With Gloria willing to help out the cops to avoid jail time, it doesn't take Kyle long to find Marilyn and haul her in to prison for Regina's murder, under the theory that Vikram hired her to kill the girl to keep her from blabbing about his sudden return from the dead. With Regina's murder solved, Danny is exonerated, and the media pounces on him before he gets the chance to explain to Kyle that, in fact, he really has murdered someone. And just like that, Danny's inner turmoil is exacerbated...
Credit: ABC Family
In being vindicated in the eyes of the town, Danny's guilt is made worse, since everyone is essentially apologizing for thinking he was a killer, not realizing that he's killed his own father. Danny nearly confesses to Karen, but she encourages him to forget about whatever happened in the woods and move forward. She insists that he's better than his father ever was, and that he's grown up to be a good man, but this only makes Danny's heartache worse, as Karen doesn't know the things he's done (although his insistence that she wouldn't, or couldn't, understand rang false to me. From all appearances, she'd understand better than anybody why someone would kill Vikram, even telling Danny that she tried her best to protect him from his father). Danny's conscience is weighted down not only by the burden of what he's done, but by the knowledge that the truth coming out could ruin Jo and Lacey's lives. However, Jo pleads with Danny not to worry about her, and instead encourages him to simply move on with his life, to take this second chance. But it's easier said than done, especially since the mysterious figure that witnessed the murder last week has now stumbled upon Vikram's body, meaning the murder will be coming to light sooner rather than later. Also complicating things is an erratic Tess (Kimberly Quinn), who leaves Vikram another desperate voicemail, pleading with him to turn himself in and explain everything.
Credit: ABC Family
Yet, as important as the mystery is, the characters themselves are front-and-center. This was a great episode for Avan Jogia, who didn't really need to voice as much of Danny's frustrations as the script demanded, since so much of the work was communicated in his body language. Just great stuff. Ditto Kylie Bunbury, whose unfiltered glee at Danny's exoneration was fun to watch, but heartbreaking at the same time, since Lacey doesn't know the full picture. Come to think of it, the entire cast was solid this week, but those were the performances that really stuck, for me. With that said, I could have done without the continued business with creepy Charlie, who seems to be everywhere Lacey is at all times. But I don't want to call the actor to the carpet for it, since this appears to be the point of the character, and if that's the case, then he's doing his job superbly. As is Ashton Moio, who elevates teenage awkwardness to an artform in all of Rico's scenes with Jo (Maddie Hasson is also great at embodying the uncertainty and pause of youth), particularly when they discuss their awkward kiss at the diner, with Maddie telling Rico she cherishes their friendship (claiming their nights in their booth at the diner have been some of the best of her life. A sweet moment). The stuff between Jo and Rico is slight this week, but it's effective. Far more so than the storyline involving Karen and Jack (Ivan Sergei), who's every bit as creepy and insistent as Charlie. Here, Jack tries to reignite his relationship with Karen, somehow ignoring that she was a nervous wreck at the time due to her son being missing and presumed guilty of murder. I just can't see the payoff for that storyline, and I'm not really feeling Jack as a character. But then, the show has built up enough good will in me that I feel it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Credit: ABC FAMILY/Adam Rose
The overarching mystery for Twisted is so layered that it can be hard to get a grip on its nuances, yet it's not impenetrable. Essentially, it's a mystery that challenges the viewer without overwhelming them. It also benefits from parceling out information and resolutions with greater frequency than similar shows, making it the perfect kind of mystery drama for this Tuesday night lineup. "Sins of the Father" is another brick in the wall for Twisted, but it's shaping up to be a damn fine wall. Let's hope the narrative doesn't go crashing into it.