Ep 1. No Good Deed

Jack Bender’s neo-noir crime thriller “Mr. Mercedes” returns for its third season with the episode named “No Good Deed”. The episode opens with a scene that is sure to give you chills – a woman is walking alone at night when she is hit by a car out of nowhere. It doesn’t take long for us to realize that this is the handy work of Brady Hartsfield, the show's central antagonist essayed by Harry Treadaway.

Meanwhile, retired detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) has founded an investigation agency with former partner Holly Gibney (Justine Lupe) and Jerome Robinson (Jharrel Jerome), who are both drawn back into the fold when a series of murders take place in the community around them. These murders have been orchestrated by Hartsfield, who is comatose yet telepathically controlling people in the city. With the help of his colleagues, Hodges begin to uncover the truth about these horrific incidents.

The killing spree starts with a murder at a tech company, which seemingly leads to one of Hodges' past clients, Lou Linklatter. As Hodges and his team start investigating, they come across a security guard called Robi Frobisher, who knows something about the case. This leads them to a local comic book shop, where Holly discovers a map with names and addresses written on it.

On the other hand, Brady is seen to be lying in a hospital bed in a catatonic state, but his body still twitches with life. In the first season, he had been hit by his own car, and has been trapped in his own mind ever since. However, throughout the second season, it has become increasingly clear that he has powers that he can channel through his body and into the minds of others. From the beginning of this episode, it's apparent that he is beginning to control the hospital staff and some of the other patients to do his bidding.

There are some comic moments too in the episode, such as when Holly imagines co-worker Jerome dressed up as one of the characters from her beloved comics. Apart from that, the humor in the show comes packaged along with a strong sense of darkness all around.

“No Good Deed” again sets itself apart from the season two by introducing a number of new characters. One of the biggest additions is Gilmer, played by Bruce Dern, who comes to the investigation agency looking for help in getting his son off heroin. However, he becomes entangled in the case when he receives a threatening note from an unknown party.

While the series can be deeply unsettling at times, it remains an absorbing watch thanks to its strong sense of tension and thrilling pace. There’s always a sense of danger lurking around and this is especially true for the third season. The show still retains the best elements of its earlier seasons – intense suspense scenes and startlingly violent set-pieces – while it continues to move the story forward.

All in all, “No Good Deed” is a fantastic start to the series' third season and sets a fine example for what to expect going forward. It is the perfect tease, reminding us of why we fell in love with the series in the first place while promising so much more to come.