But unlike last years11.22.63,Mr.
Mercedesis not set in the romantic, colorful world of 60s America.
It is, rather, set amid the wreckage of modern America.
Credit: Jim Bridges/AT&T AUDIENCE Network
The crime scene is grotesque, but the polices first assumption is that the driver must have lost control.
Detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) knows better as he surveys the damage: He didnt lose control.
Flash forward two years, and it doesnt seem like things are going great for Hodges.
Now retired, we see him wake up one morning in dirty clothes.
He meets his old friend Detective Peter Dixon (Scott Lawrence) for lunch at a diner.
Towards the end of the meal, the waitress asks Hodges why he keeps staring at his spoon.
But this isnt one of those detective stories where the killers identity is a mystery.
Its safe to say this guys mentorship isnt exactly working.
Hodges, for his part, doesnt blast loud music as he drives.
Some of the ruin in Hodges life is his own fault, of course.
His neighbor Ida (Holland Taylor) chides him for letting his lawn get overgrown.
At least Ida invites him to dinner.
At dinner with Hodges, she asks some personal questions, including the last time he had sex.
However, she admits that the ask has more serious undertones.
She warns him that he needs some kind of purpose in life.
Casual romance with a neighbor seems as good as any.
His interest in the Mercedes killings is revived when he suddenly gets a message from the killer.
In a final screw you, the message deletes after playing once.
We then cut to the man himself and get a look inside Bradys twisted psyche.
Hodges even sits in the car and imagines himself driving it and running all those people over.
And his connection with Brady is only growing at episodes end, they come close to finally meeting.
After getting off from his computer job, Brady transitions to his second job driving an ice cream truck.
As all the kids rush out to get treats, Hodges finds another tennis ball in his yard.
The game, as they say, is afoot.
This episode was a little slow, but Im interested in seeing where it goes.
Bradys an intriguing villain, and Im digging the socioeconomic commentary running underneath the plot.
