Okay, Cape Fear has completely lost the plot at this point. I have been defending the show for weeks against accusations of it being high-camp nonsense, but there’s little even I can say in defense of Episode 6. An almost hour-long psychedelic trip for the entire Bowden family feels like it could be an effort in Giallo-style surreal horror filmmaking, but for the most part, it’s simply hysterical, and for mostly the wrong reasons.
As ever, the fans are weighing in all over the internet, and their increasingly agog reaction has been a real source of joy. I know how they feel. As much as I think there are still real highlights here — including Javier Bardem’s performance, which we’ll get to — the overriding feeling is now of a show that is so ludicrous it can’t be looked away from. I’m not sure that’s what Apple TV was going for.
So Bad It’s Good
The general thrust of the reactions this week is that Cape Fear has now reached so-bad-it’s-good status. Here’s an especially adroit summary:
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u/Justp1ayin from discussionin
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We’ve all had that feeling, haven’t we? I think I’m having it right now. And the sentiment is largely reflected elsewhere in the reactions, with other viewers echoing the same sentiment:
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However, there’s also a bit of a feeling that Cape Fear may have taken the whole “so bad” part of the equation a little too far. User Fabricia_Adans said:
Wow this was awful. I honestly cannot believe what I’m watching it is so bad. Up until now I could look over the flaws but this… I’m speechless. Also just realized the daughter’s name is Natalie and not Dani, what’s up with that.
The_Naked_Snake also weighed in with a similar sentiment, though articulating the point rather beautifully:
I appreciate them doing something different and I wouldn’t want to see the same story I’ve seen twice now in movie form again, but this is one of the worst shows on television.High camp but just kind of boring and each suspension of disbelief it asks is more ridiculous than the last to the point that I struggle to stay attentive because it feels like I’m a passenger to whatever they think will help them hit ten episodes for a story that maybe should have been six. It’s swimming in circles with interjected dives off the deep end.
Suspension of Disbelief
That comment mentioned the difficulty of remaining invested, given quite how much you need to turn your brain off in order to enjoy what’s happening, and this seems to be a major problem for many viewers, particularly when it comes to the depiction of Max Cady.
Throughout Season 1, this version of Cape Fear has toyed with the idea of Max potentially being innocent, but the more it attempts to shed sympathetic light on the character, the more of a maniac he seems. The prison flashbacks, especially, show him murdering at least five people and still getting out on a technicality, which doesn’t exactly support the idea that he’s basically a nice guy who was wronged by the system.
It also raises other problems with logic and consistency, such as why the prison allowed the inmates to simply roam around and venture in and out of each other’s cells, and why lit candles and dead possums are easily accessible.
Javier Bardem Is Still Holding Things Together
I’ve said it already, but Javier Bardem is so good in Cape Fear that it’s almost worth putting up with everything else. Some people evidently agree with me:
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But is one good performance really enough to keep an entire show afloat? Many commenters are dismayed at the season having ten episodes, instead of the typical six or eight, especially when it seems to be deliberately dragging things out already. Just how crazy is the show going to get over the next four hours? It barely bears thinking about.
Still, there was one important lesson imparted by this episode that is probably worth keeping in mind. Courtesy of Heated123:
A family that trips together, stays together
