SHARP OBJECTS “Fix” (S1E3): Character Over Plot In Arresting Third Episode

Transitioning from the beginning of a story to the middle stretch is always a difficult task to handle – and it’s where some television series begins to fall apart – but Sharp Objects‘ third hour takes a moment to refocus on the characters closest to the beating black heart of the story. Fix intensifies the scorching mood and atmosphere to blistering effect, delving into important backstories as the past seeps more disconcertingly into the present, in the miniseries’ most visually gorgeous yet disturbing episode thus far.

With finger-pointing and hostility growing among the residents of Wind Gap, Chief Vickery’s list of potential suspects angers Richard, who believes the killer to be someone who knew both girls instead of an outsider. With Camille struggling to piece the murders together herself, she relives past tragedies while dealing with Amma, her defiant sister who demonstrates a closer alikeness which concerns Adora.

After last week welcomed more characters to the fold, Fix places the emphasis back on Camille, Adora and Amma: the dangerous Preaker women who prove again to be an increasingly explosive combination. Further examining the volatile dynamic that creates such compelling drama, the family appear to be fractured beyond fixing, and further character development of Amma creates an intricate tapestry that illustrates the toxic impact of mollycoddling motherhood can have. It sets the character on a dangerous path – and it’s not difficult to worry for the end destination for the sisterhood.

Perhaps the most visceral and visually-shocking episode yet

Camille’s time spent in a self-harm clinic is the stem for most of the flashback work in this episode. While we’ve often been limited to wordless, often hazy and picture-led snapshots into her memories before, we are more fully absorbed into one of the tragedies that turned her into the damaged woman she is today: the scenes play out with a damning inevitability, and while the result is probably a touch closer to the foreseeable side than one would like, it doesn’t dilute the scalding impact of their conclusion. These explorations make it even clearer to see why Camille is in the state of mind that she is; and even more of a struggle to envision a world in which she can escape her torrid past.

Fix is perhaps the most visceral and visually-shocking episode to date; while the previous two episodes have both had their moments, the sight of gushing blood and dead bodies are all the more repelling here. There is plenty of brutal and powerful imagery interlaced throughout this entire episode in particular, and cinematographers Yves Belanger and Ronald Plante pack so much precision and detail into every frame that a single viewing only begins to scratch the surface of the hour. I continue the tradition of watching each episode (at least) twice before the next – even watching carefully and analytically, you will find yourself picking up on so much with each consecutive viewing; there’s so much depth to marvel at here.

With the surreal use of imagery and editing, the intensity cuts deeper, and Fix is an especially taut hour that is often wince-inducing and difficult to stomach. It never reduces itself to shock for the sake of shocking: rapid-fire editing demands your attention – you dare not look away, for fear of missing out on one of the gorgeously-detailed flourishes that are so effortlessly woven into the fabric of the story. Everything appears deep-rooted in meaning and we have come to trust that even the smallest whisper can hold a much bigger meaning. Belanger and Plante’s cinematography and Jean-Marc Vallée’s typically outstanding direction craft some gorgeous moments; the red-drenched lighting feels foreboding, dangerous at every turn, and those final images are among the most striking the show has delivered to date.

Eliza Scanlen is a revelation

In focusing on the familial dynamic, we possibly lose more sight of the murder mystery than desired. There’s little to no progress regarding the investigation, and while the finger circles, no one with any substance is picked out as the main suspect. I can take the slow-bubbling build-up at this stage – but Alex Metcalf’s screenplay is in need of some bolder accusations and emerging suspects in the near future to continue engaging viewers so easily.

Pitch perfect once more, Amy Adams dials up the intensity to new, unshakeable heights, digging her nails under your skin to piercing effect, no more potent than in those unforgettable final moments. Patricia Clarkson continues her stellar supporting work, but Eliza Scanlen is a revelation in this episode: she’s so brilliantly towing the line between mommy’s sweet angel and teenage rebel with spite in every sentence and it comes to a head in this hour; so very perfectly-calibrated, her performance is so finely-tuned and truly deserves to make Scanlen a star. To paraphrase a Taylor Swift lyric: baby she’s a nightmare, dressed like a daydream.

In Summary: Sharp Objects‘ Fix

Fix may lose focus of some of its narrative threads but they are never completely out of sight: it is clearly taking its time developing these characters, which will most likely work out best for the series in the long run – never forget that we are in extremely confident hands here. It’s the series’ most visually captivating and impressive to date; the performances have never been better and characters’ don’t come as layered as they are here. While I hope the rest of the series avoids sacrificing (the present’s timeline) plot for character, Fix is still an astonishingly accomplished hour that begins the show’s middle stretch incredibly effectively.

Did you mind Fix‘s focus on character over plot?