SHARP OBJECTS “Falling” (S1E7): It’s Been Worth The Slow-Burn

Sharp Objects‘ penultimate stab, “Falling”, may perhaps be their strongest episode to date. In a heart-racing and harrowing hour that more than makes up for the sparsity of information we had received up until this point, revelations come to the surface and fates hang in the balance as we head for next week’s season finale.

My one (and pretty much only) criticism of the series has been its hesitancy in playing its hand: the prolonged, endless teasing has been more than worth it, though, if “Falling” is anything to go by; a scorching and scintillating piece that helps set up what should be an outstanding finale for television’s strongest series of the year.

With an arrest imminent, Wind Gap begins to breathe a sigh of relief as their darkest chapter yet looks set to close – but with Camille unconvinced that the right perpetrator is going down for the killings, she vows to finish her own investigation and ends up getting close to a major suspect. Elsewhere, Adora begins to nurse Amma back to health and Richard makes a discovery that suggests that there may have been more than two victims after all.

As breathtaking as it is compulsive, “Falling” sets the wheels perfectly in motion for the miniseries’ bound-to-be shattering conclusion. In an expertly-crafted chapter that ditches the slow burn (but maintains the intoxicating atmosphere that went hand-in-hand with it), Sharp Objects rubs its hands together and delivers a monumental episode with more answers and revelations than the rest of the series has given us put together.

After dedicating such a significant portion of its time to building, analysing and scrutinising the characters that populate the town (including Camille), Sharp Objects now has those connections we have made with them to play with – which is what makes the concluding moments of this hour so harrowingly, sickeningly intense.

Harrowingly intense

Gillian Flynn adapts her own material for the screen alongside Scott Brown, an indicator as to why this is the series’ strongest piece to date. It goes without saying that Flynn understands how to evoke the most compelling sense of intensity found in her story, brilliantly-pacing and masterfully scaling up to the implosive sequence that occurs at the tail-end. With some extraordinary dialogue throughout – with the tight and evocative conversations between Camille and John Keene particularly notable – the pair manage to simultaneously build character and advance the plot in a way the rest of the series has occasionally struggled to balance.

Admittedly, this is the meatiest section, narratively, and Flynn and Brown have more to work with, benefitting from the hard work put in thus far. They sink their teeth in furiously, carefully cutting even deeper into the pitch-black thematic core of femininity, gossip and fragility – and the results are astonishing.

That this penultimate episode coalesces so effectively is due, in large part, to the unwavering brilliance of director Jean-Marc Vallée. Unsurprisingly magnificent, his typical brand of fantastically-detailed and aesthetically-striking direction is yet again present throughout “Falling”, elevating the piece to dizzying heights for the medium.

From the intermittent appearances of Marian to warn of the escalating threat to the words that continue to shape Camille’s journey peppered over both the town and her body, Vallée’s ability to draw attention in such a subtle, nuanced way is astounding. The level of craft poured into this episode, in particular, is a delight, with the bold and revealing visuals matching the substantial narrative advancements and momentum.

Vulnerable to enraged, Adams amazes

In some of the best work of her career, Amy Adams continues to lead Sharp Objects kicking and screaming from the front. Watching Camille’s trauma manifest, intensifying upon her episode-closing realisations, is utterly exhausting – but Adams ensures we remain utterly compelled throughout Camille’s delirium and panic. These more overt, explicit scenes of a woman’s terror are complimented tremendously by the more refined demonstration of her vulnerability, portrayed so expertly by Adams.

But calling it a performance of two halves would be unfair: Adams nails so many different emotions on the spectrum here, with each and every one so masterfully executed. She really is one of this generation’s best performers and her work in Sharp Objects is a total testament to that. Awards are not the be all and end all, but if she doesn’t sweep in the following year, I will be floored.

Patricia Clarkson and Eliza Scanlen amaze with their two-hander scenes. Stunningly-calibrated and hypnotic to experience, the power struggle and general dynamic between Adora and Amma is utterly fascinating, and given the discoveries of the episode, infuse it with even more dramatic weight. Watching Amma’s deterioration is genuinely agonising, enhanced by the feelings of entrapment so richly-woven by the writers into the pair’s interactions. They are both wrapped around the other’s finger and someone’s pinky is going to break; Clarkson and Scanlen play it note-perfectly, each bringing menace and volatility to their extraordinary turns.

Two standouts in “Falling” – who have consistently impressed but rarely been given the opportunity to embrace their roles – are Taylor John Smith and Elizabeth Perkins as John Keene and Jackie O’Neill, respectively. With Smith comes a tender exploration of male emotion and sensitivity, empathetically performed opposite Adams as two characters both devastated by grief and trauma; through Perkins a strong analysis of complicity and connivance is explored, navigating these key gender themes fantastically, through two rather opposing (but equally terrific) performances that deserve our attention and appreciation.

In Conclusion: Sharp Objects’ “Falling”

In this, the penultimate episode, Sharp Objects becomes its strongest self, maintaining the fervent atmosphere, visual detail and world-class performances while speeding the narrative forward with gusto, revelation and shocks that too develop the characters and their relationships even further.

With just one hour to go and a clear direction – albeit one bound to throw us through several loops – to head in, Sharp Objects has crafted a slow-burning mystery more than worth the wait. Let’s hope that “Milk” delivers on the promise of the previous seven episodes.

What are your thoughts on the penultimate episode of Sharp Objects?