Put Something Right

My Google box tells me rectify means to put something right. I suppose it's as good a title for a television series as any, but it still feels so very understated. Much like the show - powerful yet understated.

I'm not a trained reviewer. It is impossible for me to capture all of what Rectify shared with the audience over its four year running. Kell and I watched it over a few months and its sat with me for the past month since we finished.

The plot is simple but not easy. Daniel Holden (Aden Young) serves nearly 20 years on death row in Georgia for the rape and murder of his then 16-year old girl friend. Daniel was only 17 at the time. Years later, through the efforts of his younger sister (who never gave up on Daniel) and a determined young lawyer from a death penalty opposition legal firm, Daniel is freed based on newly discovered DNA evidence.

The show tracks the Holden family and the community of Paulie, GA. Those who think Daniel is guilty and those who think he wasn't. Daniel is the central character, obviously, and Young is truly superb in his role. Combined with excellent scripts, direction and musical scores, Rectify became the show I did not want to end. After 20 years on death row, Daniel had detached emotionally from the world. The depth of his suffering and the root of his psychological damage is not really known until near the end of the series. This is a feature not a bug. Part of the beauty of the show is the effort Daniel puts in to make connections with other characters and the viewers.

While I didn't want the series to end, it was an elite finale, totally satisfying. An ending that pays homage to the Holden family's quest for some sense of resolution and to close the circle they have been desperate to close - never giving up on Daniel as he stumbles while trying to make sense of the outside world. Rectify is a once in a lifetime show.

If that's not enough to peak your interest, the sound track is incredible. I discovered The Drive By Truckers watching the show, which led me to Jason Isbell (formerly of the Truckers).