Review: The Bridge ‘Rio’ – Say Some Shit In Spanish

Death looms over all in ‘Rio’, an episode that stalls the serial killer investigation to bring the cops and Brian Linder together for a little face to face.  Unfortunately, it continues to do one thing well – mystery – and another, arguably more important thing not so well; human interaction. At best, a lot of ‘Rio’ feels wooden, save for Demián Bichir’s performance as Marco, which gives a lot of depth to a character that hasn’t had much yet.

My biggest problem with The Bridge so far is Sonya: as much as I love having a nuanced female protagonist being played by a fantastic actor, the writing for Sonya’s character has reduced her character to a couple repetitive notes. Her social disorders don’t feel like organic bits of character: she’s a 30 year old woman who needs to have the simplest human emotions and behaviors explained to her? Yes, she’s a person who struggles to make connections – but a detective investigating serial killers might need a little better grip on what humans actually behave like, right? Whether she can actually embody these behaviors is one thing; but a woman of her age would understand how social interactions work, and the concept of empathy. Even some killers feel empathy sometimes – and given the phone call by the killer that condemns the rich, there is some note of empathy to what he’s doing, even in the most abstract, sociopathic sense.

Marco’s character hasn’t had quite the same overt qualities – but the events of ‘Rio’ don’t exactly add a ton of nuance, introducing a marital rift that doesn’t make a lot of sense considering what we’ve seen so far. I suppose his affair with Charlotte at the end of the episode is somewhat logical: all of Charlotte’s scenes push her into this tiny, lonely corner, and Marco’s frustrations with the case (and Sonya’s complaint against him) were bound to manifest themselves somewhere. Ultimately, it feels like a sappy, unearned moment of passion, rather than a genuine moment of connection between two struggling people. There just hasn’t been enough time – her husband’s barely in the ground, and Marco hasn’t externalized any anxiety about his marriage, so bringing them together feels more convenience for the sake of drama, than organic moment of expression.

There isn’t much to report on the actual case: Sonya and Marco find Brian’s trailer by the poisoned water site, they talk to him, and later, we see him in Mexico, being followed by the angry Latino who killed the large woman in the previous episode. And Daniel, of course, who bonds with Adriana over a shared murder (one they witness outside a shop) and a family dinner. I actually enjoyed those scenes the best – both Matthew Lillard and Emily Rios are terrific in their roles – but I wanted more; more character from Adriana than dedicated lesbian journalist, and more nuance in Daniel’s scenes regarding his drug struggles.

Watching him snort coke in the FBI office is one thing – giving it context to the inner struggles is another, and would frame the subsequent scenes in a much more emotionally engaging way. It doesn’t quite feel like Daniel’s getting pulled into something that could drive him to drink himself to death; right now it just feels like they’re utilizing a burnout journalist stereotype as a delivery piece for these simplistic ideas about Mexican life – and a way to connect the police to the murderer, of course. I like the presence of his character, and the conversation he has at the end with Adriana, but it needs more work before I feel invested in their lives.

The Bridge has some great components: terrific performances, solid direction, and a great sense of mystery. But the subtler pieces – the bits of character, the socio-political underpinnings – haven’t been quite as satisfying so far. At times during ‘Rio’, it can be downright frustrating: mostly with relationship dynamics, like Sonya and her fuck toy, and Marco and Charlotte. It gives the air of nuance and moral ambiguity – but there’s no meat to go with these aromatic potatoes and vegetables, so to speak. At least not yet.

Grade: B-

Other thoughts/observations:

– “His M.O. is changing.” Is it – or is he just random? So far we’ve seen bodies spread across the border, new immigrants killed at a temple of death, women stashed in houses, and another missing, probably dead through torture and/or strangling victim.

– Marco having Charlotte sign the paper saying he didn’t take a bribe feels like the only way the writers could think to get them together; as she notes nobody in Mexico probably cares, and Marco’s on-the-nose “not me” response to her question of him taking bribes is eye-roll worthy.

– Marco’s son is dropping classes one at a time. How long until he is killed by someone in Juarez? Five episodes?

– Adriana, to her family: “stop throwing your pussies at my co-worker.”

– Charlotte finds a beautiful horse hung and dead, because an old Mexican lady in fancy clothing got angry at her. She’s involved in the tunnel under the house, so we’ll learn more soon: I just wish there was one story line I didn’t have to say this for.

– Daniel to Adriana: “Does this mean we can’t cuddle?”