Photo: SundanceTV
3. It’s Brutally Honest
This show doesn’t flinch when it looks at the human condition. There is a lot of ugliness over the course of the three seasons, and Rectify hangs in there the whole time. From deranged death row inmates, to ugly rejection , to infidelity, to just plain meanness, this show lives in the trenches.
It takes a long look at touchy subjects like the American criminal justice system, class, regionalism, family politics and sometimes it even dabbles in religion. Yet there is absolutely no abstract conclusions. Every time there is an injustice in Rectify, it informs the characters’ very being. There’s no finger-wagging or proselytizing. It’s an authentic look at how people feel when bad (and good) things happen to them.
But to quote the Goatman from season 1, “It’s the beauty that hurts you the most.” And that is absolutely true about this entire series.