Ep 1. Always There (Pilot)

Daniel Holden has spent the past 19 years on death row for the rape and murder of his teenage girlfriend, Hannah. The physical evidence is sketchy and circumstantial at best. But a plea bargain that put him away for life was good enough for his lawyers and the shaken small town, and it ended with Daniel coming within 90 minutes of execution.

Then something truly extraordinary happens. DNA evidence from the crime scene is tested and compared and the results create more questions than answers. DNA belonging to another man is found on Hannah’s body, leading to Daniel’s release.

The first episode of Rectify, titled “Always There,” picks up the story just as Daniel is leaving prison. His death sentence may have been commuted, but there are no celebrations waiting for him outside the gates. His mother greets him with a hug and a lot of tears. His sister is edgy and volatile, prone to taking out her frustration on her estranged husband Ted Jr. His stepbrother (and Ted’s best friend) Tawney is sweet and polite, but she seems to be keeping her distance.

And then there’s the small detail that no one seems to want to address: Daniel has been locked away since he was a teenager and has no idea what the world is like outside. He marvels at the simplest things, like the taste of a fresh peach or the way the sunlight looks in the trees. Episode one does a great job highlighting this particular discomfort for Daniel. It's a surreal experience as he strolls down a handheld aisle, overwhelmed by all the newness.

But there’s a darker side to this unfamiliar world, too. Daniel is in his early thirties now, but he has essentially missed out on the formative years of his life. He has no diploma, no friends, no job prospects. His experience is akin to someone who has been cryogenically frozen or stranded on a deserted island. And just like Daniel is trying to learn as much as he can about this strange new world, the people around him are attempting to come to terms with the fact that he's “home” after nearly two decades.

One particularly potent scene involves Daniel meeting with his former chief interrogator and current state senator, Roland Foulkes. Foulkes has built his entire career on this arrest and trial and has never been convinced of Daniel’s innocence. In his mind, it’s still an open-and-shut case: if Daniel didn’t kill Hannah, who did? Foulkes makes veiled threats and insinuations, insisting he’ll keep digging until the “real” killer is found. It’s an uncomfortable conversation, and while Daniel tries to be diplomatic, Foulkes is smirking and sinister throughout.

Throughout the episode, Daniel has flashbacks to his time in prison and the events leading up to his arrest. We see snippets of teenaged Daniel smoking pot, having sex, butchering hogs, and wandering through a spooky swamp. These scenes are deliberately hazy, heightening Daniel’s disorientation. It’s as if the past was a dream, and now he’s back in reality.

There are genuinely touching moments amid all this, too. Daniel’s mother is desperate to make up for lost time and plans a makeshift celebration for his release. It’s a weird homecoming party with decorations from the dollar store and a cake with “Welcome Home” scrawled in icing. Everyone (including some random angry locals) shows up, and there’s an awkward dance party. At one point, Daniel wanders off to his childhood bedroom and starts crying.

Rectify’s first episode is incredibly well-written from a character perspective, with each member of the Holden family (and various townsfolk) feeling distinct and complicated. It's an impressive juggling act, introducing an ensemble of characters while not losing sight of Daniel’s story. We get a real inkling of who he is, his internal struggle between the boy who went into prison and the man who's coming out, and all the different obstacles in his way.

The episode is shot in an almost dreamlike fashion, with lots of slow-motion and montages of Daniel walking around aimlessly. The score by composer Gabriel Mann is haunting and melancholic, adding to the show's atmosphere.

Overall, Rectify’s pilot is a beautiful, restrained hour of television. The story of an ex-con returning to society isn’t new, but the particular circumstances make this a compelling and unique entry in the genre. The acting is top-notch, and the characters are already beginning to feel like real people, with all the baggage that entails. It's not the kind of show that's going to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it's a fantastic character-driven drama that sets the stage for what's to come.