SHARP OBJECTS “Dirt” (S1E2): Another Terrifically Moody Episode

If last week’s series premiere was about laying the table for the consuming mystery, Sharp Objects‘ second hour – Dirt – concerns itself with welcoming the unwelcoming guests and deepening the mythology of a town seeped in a dark, disturbing secrecy. In another terrific episode that masterfully blends the shocking past with the foreboding present, Dirt explores the pain, gossip and memories tormenting, namely, the women of Wind Gap.

Camille continues her investigation into the two murders in Wind Gap, searching for clues at the wake of the second victim; elsewhere she clashes with her mother over her presence in the town. When an unconventional witness to the abduction speaks of ‘The Woman in White’, Camille questions why the boy’s claims were not taken more seriously and begin to sense a more sinister element to the serial killings.

Continuing to nail the powerful atmosphere and tonal work of Vanish, Sharp Objects pervades a constant moodiness to ensure that Dirt is just as intoxicating an hour: its sharp and adept editing makes the intermittent use of strong imagery all the more striking, achieving a palpable intensity that instills the hour with an almost unbearable quality. You find yourself unable to look away, utterly transfixed as the narrative slowly begins to unfurl and supporting characters are built and fleshed out in front of your eyes.

A slowly unfurling narrative

And with characters as intriguing and well-layered as those contained in both Gillian Flynn’s script and her own novel she is adapting from, it’s no surprise that the episode is as engaging, almost hypnotic, as it is. It so very smartly balances character with narrative, just as it interweaves the past and the present so successfully, finding room in the episode to develop each to their own accord. It’s a heady mix, peeling back the layers while still leaving more than enough to keep viewers coming back for more and more. Like the spiders and their webs that become a recurring motif throughout this episode, in particular, Flynn is weaving an intricate, compulsive web that has already ensnared viewers in the series.

Amy Adams‘ Preaker is at the centre of it all once more, and we’re gaining further insight into her complex backstory. From the knowledge that the strained relationship with her mother was not caused by the tragedy, simply worsened, we see the fraught dynamic somewhat clearer. “My demons are not remotely tackled, they’re just mildly concussed”, Preaker tells us shortly before the episode is out and when those demons briefly resurface in a mother-daughter showdown – one that flips the perfect representation of motherhood on its head in the smart way Sharp Objects began stoking last week – it’s not hard to imagine these elements flaring up again in the next handful of episodes and beyond. While there’s still a ways to go in order to discern why this unloved is so, it’s scattered the puzzle pieces wide enough for us to start building from the outside in – and what a picture it has begun to create.

Dirt’s attention to detail amazes

Adams continues to ooze a well-measured dourness, one that compels better than any other new-to-television female character has since Big Little Lies at the beginning of last year. Camille is not a likeable character, yet Adams manages to flirt with a vulnerability that prompts empathy from the audience. Just a quarter of the way in and Adams is really making it difficult to envision any performer delivering a performance quite as technically astonishing as she has after just two hours. I’ll probably be saying this week-in, week-out: is there anything Adams cannot do?

Elizabeth Perkins‘ Jackie continues to fascinate; the is-she isn’t-she liar and town gossip stirrer is a law onto herself and it promises a fantastic serving of drama throughout. She’s curt, off-putting but strangely comforting – and knows way more than she’s currently letting on. It will be a pleasure to continue exploring Jackie, especially with an actress as skilled and nuanced as Perkins at the helm. Patricia Clarkson, again, is another of the episode’s standouts as the similarly afflicted Adora: it’s a mesmerising display and we’re only just getting started.

Jean-Marc Vallée’s attention to detail is what truly shines in Dirt. He so magnificently diverts and attracts your attention where and when it is required, making Sharp Objects an experience that rewards multiple viewings. Having revisited the premiere twice since my original review, it’s even more crucial to marvel at his mastery: he is crafting an aesthetically distinct and impressive series, aided no doubt by the fabulous production designers and art department. From the hidden words peppered throughout the episode to the skillfully layered timelines, Vallée proves that he is perhaps the most visually precise director working in television today, and his work here is genius at times.

In Summary: Sharp Objects‘ Dirt

Sharp Objects‘ Dirt is a terrific follow-up to the astounding season premiere, continuing to entwine the past and the present to impressive, moody effect. By introducing and building both the characters’ backstories and the present, the series further unpeels the layers, and the deeper we go, the more engaging it becomes. Fix is next and let’s hope that Sharp Objects continues to pierce.

How many hidden words did you spot?