American Crime Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Carter's Dilemma
Samantha McAllister
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What a crazy ending!
So much happened on American Crime Season 1 Episode 5; though the most shocking moments of all came at the end of the episode thanks to our resident drug addict, Aubry, and her newly released boyfriend, Carter.
Thankfully the episode was filled with a lot of powerful moments and Mark FINALLY told Barb off and let her know her behavior is not justified.
Let's not waste anymore time and discuss tonight's shocking episode.
Russ's reaction to finally seeing the crime scene was soul-crushing. Russ, despite his past, loved Matt and to see all of the blood on the walls really paints a picture of Matt's final moments.
I knew the scene of the crime was going to be terrible, but I never expected it to be so gruesome and it makes me want Matt's killer brought to justice even more – no matter who it truly turns out to be.
Seeing Matt's body was such a compelling moment and I don't think I can erase the image of his injuries from my mind. It's no secret Matt was brutally killed, yet seeing right there in the open just made everything so real. It's surprising Russ has been able to keep it together this long considering everything he has scene and everything he has gone through – shows how strong he really is.
It was strange Russ would be the one getting Matt's belongings and going through the house considering Barb wants to constantly bash him as a horrible person/father. Where was Barb during all of this? If she wants to prove how amazing and perfect she really is you'd think she would have been right beside Russ going through the crime scene. Thankfully Mark showed Russ some support which hopefully leads to the both of them having a better relationship.
Tony needs to get an attitude adjustment and get some proper counseling. Alonzo is trying to form a bond with his son and is trying to make things semi-normal, but Tony wants to be a little brat and be completely disrespectful to his father. It's a shame they left him in the juvenile facility for so long because now he has learned how to be a punk and it's going to lead him down a dark path which could lead to more jail time or him possibly being killed.
While I sympathize with Alonzo, he's the one who put himself in this situation regarding the church. The repercussions of what he said about illegal Mexican's will continue to come back to haunt him. Do I think the church has the right to keep him away from Sunday service? No, but I get where they're coming from. The church is a sanctuary for the very people Alonzo ranted about.
Poor Jenny! I couldn't help but cringe when she was getting punched. Jenny has been trying to stay strong through all of this, but it seems the actions of her father and brother are starting to filter into her daily life and jeopardize her safety. Jenny is the one character who truly doesn't deserve the hate she's receiving.
Why couldn't Aliyah stay with Carter and talk to him for a while? There was finally a glimpse of what Carter craves and it didn't include Aubry. Carter wants to have his sister back and he needs to be able to talk about everything he has gone through. If she had stayed with him, Aubry wouldn't have shown up and he wouldn't be in the situation he is currently in.
Speaking of Aubry, how infuriating was it watching Aubry's father not see the deceptive behavior she was exhibiting? I get it, he wants to believe his little girl is getting the help she needs, but you'd think the first rule of being a parent of a drug addict would be, don't trust the addict because they're known to lie. Just looking at Aubry you could tell she wasn't getting any better and she was still heavily involved in drinking and drugs.
When Aubry reunited with Carter it became clear she is clearly the more toxic one. What gave her the right to cut Carter's bracelet when he was trying to abide by the rules of his probation? Aubry has this terrible hold on Carter and makes him do things he otherwise wouldn't do; though Carter does show some intelligence when he isn't around Aubry. Unfortunately, she is able to guilt him into things.
I can't be the only one who cares less about Hector, right? I'm over his story and his attitude. Hector can't be trusted and all he cares about he not going to Mexico to face the crimes he committed. I question everything he has said about Carter because he is a criminal who is looking out for number one. It makes no sense why the cops would truly believe everything he has to say and use him as their only witness.
Barb being upset about the way Tom and Eve want to have a separate memorial actually made a lot of sense. It doesn't matter if the families are fighting and dark secrets came out – they needed to come together in memory of Matt who didn't deserve to be murdered. Of course Barb would try to make Gwen look like the bad guy and bring up the fact she was sleeping around when Matt was involved in questionable things as well.
Mark has been keeping everything bottled up and having it finally come out was music to my ears. Mark has ever right to go off on Barb and let her know her behavior has been terrible. It makes perfect sense Mark would be nervous about telling Barb about him being engaged to a woman of a color because he knows how Barb is; though Barb doesn't see herself as a racist. Mark really opened her eyes to the truth and hopefully this means Barb will make a positive change.
The most shocking moments came at the end of the episode thanks to Aubry and Carter. Aubry killing the drug dealer because he was beating up Carter was crazy. It gave an indication she may be the one responsible for Matt's death; though the most crushing scene came when Carter was crying over a deceased Aubry after she has an overdose. Even though she put Carter in a terrible situation he couldn't keep his grief a secret and his screams of pain were haunting.
What did you think of tonight's episode? What do you think is going to happen to Carter?
You can catch up on American Crime anytime. Go watch American Crime online now via TV Fanatic and tells us what you think.
Samantha McAllister was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in November 2018.
