The Alienist Episode 5
We left off last week with the man with a silver smile picking up a boy. Will we find out if he is Willem Van Bergen? Is this boy the next victim? Will the killer continue to stalk Kreizler and the others? And will we learn any more about what makes the doctor tick? So many questions to be answered. And even if they are answered, by the end of this episode, I’m sure there will be many new unanswered questions.
Penmanship Matters
We open with a blurry look at the letter Mrs Santorelli received. We can hear a distant voice describing a disturbed person. Everything comes clear as a Graphologist explains to Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) what kind of person wrote the letter. A male, with several years of Penmanship classes in the United States, no more than 15 years ago. Using these clues they place the killers age at between 24 and 35.
After the Graphologist leaves Lucius Isaacson (Matthew Shear) explains how he and his brother Marcus (Douglas Smith) discovered a fingermark that matches the killers on the letter’s stamp. Kreizler shows the team a list of words and phrases from the letter that he finds crucial. They include “dirty immigrants” “saucy boy” “dirt and paint” and “19 February.” Kreizler believes the killer could be reliving something horrible that happened to him as a child.
Kreizler explodes
Sara (Dakota Fanning) suggests that the killer had a dominating women in his life. Kreizler finds this absurd and begins arguing with Sara. I’m not sure why this idea set Kreizler off, perhaps he had a dominant mother himself. When Sara presses him on why he doesn’t believe this could be true he completely loses it. He yells that if a dominant woman had been in the killer’s life he never would have killed. I’m not sure why he makes that connection. Everyone is stunned at his outburst, and Sara storms out. John Moore (Luke Evans) chases after her which pisses Kreizler off even more. I’m now convinced that Kreizler did have a very domineering mother (or other woman) in his life growing up.
Moore catches up to Sara as she is leaving Kreizler’s Institute. He tells her she should not take the doctor’s outburst personally, that he treats everyone that way. Moore is right about this, he seems to treat everyone with equal condescension. When Moore tells Sara there is no man alive that could bully her she tells him not to patronize her. I have to say this made me smile, because she pronounced it correctly. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who pronounce it in the way that means “to frequent as a customer.” While this is going on a shoe shine boy keeps pestering Moore to have his shoes shined.
Will You Marry Me?
In a truly bizarre scene Moore suddenly agrees to have his shoes shined. Sara is as befuddled by this as I am. When she asks if he expects her to wait he says he does, because she thinks he’s handsome. I had started thinking Moore was a sweet guy, this reminds me of how annoying he can be. When he claims he is just giving a poor boy honest work Sara calls him out on what he knows about honest work. I’ll give him credit for answering honestly that he knows he doesn’t care for it.
Sara tells Moore hard work can help him with his laziness and fondness for alcohol. He tells her she sounds like his grandmother. When Sara says he should listen to his grandmother, he suddenly asks her to marry him. Moore then jokingly starts reciting wedding vows as he continues to get his shoes shined. When Sara says if she thought he was sincere she might consider it the joking nature leaves Moore. Is she serious? Would she really marry Moore?
Look at Your Bird
Kreizler meets with his old mentor, Professor Cavanaugh. We find out that Kreizler was a remarkable student, which I’m sure surprises no one. What he lacks in personality he certainly makes up for in intelligence. The pair reminisce about the time Cavanaugh gave Kreizler a Hildebrant’s Starling specimen to study. The Professor repeatedly sent Kreizler back to “look at his bird again.” When the bird finally began to molt Cavanaugh told him he had finally seen his bird. Kreizler tells Cavanaugh he finds himself only being able to see what he can see, even when contradicted. He asks the Professor what he should do and Cavanaugh tells him to “look at his bird.”
We find Kreizler and Moore in the dining car of a train. Moore is not thrilled to be going to a “god forsaken penitentiary.” Kreizler tells Moore he needs him because people like him more than himself. The doctor tells him they are going to see Jesse Pomeroy, The Boston Boy Fiend, and this news shocks Moore. He appears to be very anxious about meeting this man, but he blames his nerves on having quit drinking. Has he quit drinking to win over Sara?
The Boston Boy Fiend
Kreizler and Moore are led down into a very dark, dismal prison where they are warned to stay away from the cells and not speak to the prisoners. As they are led past an array of cells there is a continuous sound of metal scraping metal. I’m not sure what the sound is from, but it’s getting louder and adds to the creepy atmosphere. My first thought is that this noise would drive me crazy if I had to listen to it all the time. We finally discover what the sound is when they arrive at Pomeroy’s cell.
Kreizler and Moore are let into Pomeroy’s cell. He is attached, by the neck and waist, to a circular metal pipe on the ceiling. He can walk in a circle around his cell and as he does it creates the metal on metal sound. It reminds me of dog chained up. When we finally see Pomeroy’s face it is scarred and he has a creepy white eye. We find out that Kreizler had interrogated Pomeroy decades years earlier when he was first brought to prison. As someone who was born and bred in Massachusetts I have to say Pomeroy’s accent is spot on. If the actor is not from New England I’m very impressed at his ability to sound legit.
What Makes Someone Kill?
Kreizler tells Pomeroy he never thought he was insane for killing the children, or for what he did to them afterwards. When he says it was quite understandable Pomeroy reacts with shock. Pomeroy tells Moore that Kreizler thinks he killed kids with two good eyes because he has a bad one. Then he turns it on Kreizler asking him why he’s not out chopping off people’s arms.
Pomeroy tells Kreizler that the kids looked at him like an animal. He then talks about how his mother never kissed him on the face, and begins to cry. Kreizler goes over to Pomeroy to comfort him. I don’t think this is a good idea, I have a feeling he is faking this. As he grabs Kreizler’s hand I become very nervous. Suddenly Pomeroy’s crying turns to laughter, I was right, and now Kreizler is dangerously close to the inmate.
The Truth
Pomeroy suddenly lunges at Kreizler, who manages to back just out of his reach. He has a shank and is waving it very close to the doctor’s face as Moore yells out for help. A guard comes in and beats Pomeroy back as Kreizler and Moore escape the cell. As he’s beaten he keeps yelling “you’ll never know!” The two men scurry out of the prison lucky to escape unhurt.
Back on the train Moore is woken by a nightmare about his brother’s drowning. When Moore asks Kreizler if he got what he hoped for, he says he got the truth. Kreizler tells him he has learned he doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does. I’m shocked to see him actually admit this to someone. Moore does not respond, I’m sure he’s as surprised by the admission as I am.
The Mayor Come Calling
A beautiful black horse is being ridden hard through Central Park. When the rider approaches Mayor Strong’s (Peter McRobbie) carriage we see it is Commissioner Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty). Watching Teddy Roosevelt on horseback makes me think about The Rough Riders which Roosevelt will form two years later. The Mayor tells Roosevelt the only place he has been getting his news is from the papers. He tells the Commissioner “The 400” are too important to have one of their own arrested for murder. I’ll confess I had to look it up to discover “The 400” were the people considered to be “Fashionable Society” during New York’s gilded age.
Roosevelt genuinely has no idea what the Mayor is hinting at. Obviously Captain Connor (David Wilmot) has not shared his suspicion of Willem Van Bergen with him.The family wants the matter handled privately, but Roosevelt tells Strong if the matter is the murder of children it will be handled in accordance with the law. I love that Roosevelt isn’t intimidated by anyone. Mayor Strong tells him to let the family deal with it and asks Roosevelt “are we clear?” When Roosevelt responds “we’re clear,” I feel crushed. I can’t accept that he will cave to this.
Searching for Answers
The Isaacsons show up at Roosevelt’s office and ask Sara if he’s available. She tells them he is with Captain Connor. While the brothers wait Sara asks them how a sex act occurs between a man and a boy. I find myself surprised that she doesn’t know this, but love she is not afraid to ask. Marcus is very uncomfortable, but he answers her question. When he then explains the killer could be using self gratification, Sara says she could understand a woman self gratifying, but not a mature man. I’m not sure why she feels its OK for a woman but not a man.
Roosevelt is demanding that Connor tell him the name of the suspect who is a “person-of-means”. He lies and says there is no suspect. The nervousness on Connor’s face should give away he is lying. I’m happy to see that Roosevelt hasn’t caved after all. As Connor storms out the Isaacsons go to see the Commissioner and he calls Sara in too.
Roosevelt presents the brothers with new guns and sends them to the target range to practice. After they leave he tells Sara about the police possibly having a suspect. He asks her to comb through the files looking for someone of means who could be a suspect. He warns Sara to please be careful. From what I’ve seen of her abilities I don’t think she will have a problem finding what Roosevelt needs.
Join Me For Dinner
Kreizler is out to dinner at a very fancy restaurant. I’m not sure if he is eating alone, or if he is waiting for someone. Suddenly Sara appears at his table, but his surprise tells me he was not expecting her. At first she refuses to join him, but he insists and she finally sits down. When Sara does not like the wine, she tells Kreizler she prefers Whiskey. Her father taught her that to live in a man’s world she needed to drink like a man.
Sara has brought Kreizler two police reports that fit the suspect. A 29 year old unmarried man who volunteers at children’s charities. The 2nd is a 29 year old who was accused of assaulting a 12 year old boy. Bishop Henry Potter, the head of the Episcopal Church, claimed it was a misunderstanding and only roughhousing. When Sara ends up calling Kreizler “intractable” he becomes visibly upset. She tells him he has a gift for it, I think it was like a knife to his heart. I still believe he has feelings for Sara and this has really hurt him.
Bishop Potter
Kreizler goes to talk to Bishop Potter, explaining they have a mutual acquaintance, Theodore Roosevelt. He asks the Bishop if he has a member of his congregation that has had trouble with the police. The Bishop denies anyone like that. After showing the police report, with the young man’s name retracted, the Bishop accidentally lets it slip that he is a Van Bergen. Kreizler asks if the man would be capable of murder, the Bishop does not answer. He lets Kreizler know he does not think highly of psychology. As the doctor begins to leave he notices a giant calendar on the wall. He asks the Bishop the importance of February 19 as that date is in red. The Bishop informs him it was Ash Wednesday.
Roosevelt shows up at Kreizler’s institute where the doctor tells him the suspect is Willem Van Bergen. Roosevelt is stunned and asks Kreizler if he’s sure. He says he is sure that Willem has traits that match the killers. When Roosevelt tells him the Mayor has told him to look the other way Kreizler tells him to look the other way. He then announces that Willem is not the killer. I’m a little surprised, but I had wondered that myself. It seemed all too easy an answer. The doctor explains that the killer is targeting boys that remind him of his own youth. Roosevelt doesn’t appear to buy Kreizler’s theory.
Closing In
Back at Police Headquarters Roosevelt asks Captain Connor what he knows of a Willem Van Bergen. I love watching that weasel practically choke on his words as he stammers and finally says he knows the name. Connor then claims he did not know there were any complaints against Willem. Roosevelt comments on the neatness of Connor’s office. I’m not sure if that means anything or not, but I found it interesting. He then asks Connor to discreetly find Willem’s address.
Willem is filling a milk bath for the boy he brought home. The boy asks what happened to his teeth and he says “candy.” We jump to police headquarters and see Roosevelt, Connor and his men rushing out to arrest Willem. The scene jumps back and forth between Willem and the boy who is now dressed as a girl and the police rushing to his home. Willem slips something into the boy’s drink. I starting to think Kreizler could be wrong on this one, it sure seems like Willem is the killer.
The Arrest of Willem?
The police rush into an apartment building as Willem is dancing with the boy. Willem tells the boy “you’re mine now,” as Roosevelt approaches the apartment door. Roosevelt pounds on the door, Willem and the boy are startled by the knock. My heart is pounding as Roosevelt demands the door be opened. He has his gun cocked and ready as the door starts to open. In a twist we see that it is Mrs Van Bergen (Sean Young) at Willem’s door. Roosevelt is shocked when a sweet, little old lady named Miss Effie opens the door he is pounding on.
Mrs Van Bergen tells her footman to “deal with the boy,” and as he is escorted out he asks if he can keep the dress. Miss Effie tells Roosevelt she has lived in that apartment for 26 years. Connor tries to fake surprise that it’s the wrong address but he’s not fooling anyone. Mrs Van Bergen tells Willem he has to leave and he tells her she can’t make him. She tells Willem it’s only for a little while and as she calls him her good, good boy she leans in for non-motherly kiss. He jumps up yelling No over and over again. This is obviously not something new, no wonder he is so screwed up. Outside the apartment building Roosevelt rips Connor’s badge off and demands his weapon. I did not see this coming, but I’m really happy to see Connor finally get what he deserves. You go Teddy!
A Pattern is Revealed
Moore shows up at Kreizler’s house after being summoned there. The doctor explains the killer is following a pattern and hands Moore a small book, “The Episcopal Church Calendar.” The “negro boy” was found dead on Jan 1, “The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ.” Aaron Morton was found on Feb 2, “Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Giorgio’s body was found Mar 3, which matches no Holy Day. To me the pattern would say it’s not about Religion, but the dates. I would think the next boy should have been found Apr 4.
Kreizler thinks the same thing, but Ali Benghazi was found on Apr 3, “Good Friday” and the pattern of dates was broken. Kreizler explains that the letter said Giorgio was seen on Feb 19 parading himself with dirt and paint. February 19 was Ash Wednesday. So there is a religious connection to all the murders. The next Holy Day is May 14 “The Ascension” which Moore says is in just a few days.
There are only a few days to find the killer before another boy dies. Sadly, I don’t think they will solve it that quickly, I fear there will be at least one more victim. I now have to agree with Kreizler that it seems highly unlikely to be Willem. I do have some confusion though as they have been speculating it’s a wealthy man. But now Kreizler says the killer grew up poor. So are they looking for a self made man instead of a member of “The 400”? I love all the twists and turns this show is bringing and can’t wait to see what happens next.
In case you missed my previous reviews:
Episode 4 | Episode 3 | Episode 2 | Episode 1
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