Rabbit Hole Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Playbook

The importance of a good team was evident on Rabbit Hole Season 1 Episode 6, as John’s mental health continued to decline.

The team made great strides in finding an avenue to take down Crowley, but even at their near best, they’re not a match for Crowley.

The situations change at a furiously fast pace, and Team Weir is always at a disadvantage.

John places a lot of trust in his team members. Losing so many so quickly has sent him on a spiral that isn’t easily recoverable.

And frankly, I’m beginning to worry about Hailey and whether or not she’s working with Crowley.

Hailey is just too good at the spy-type stuff and meets too many of John’s needs.

No matter what situation they find themselves in, she prevails.

That’s in stark contrast to how she acted less competent when grabbed by whoever was manhandling her toward a car when John “rescued” her on Rabbit Hole Season 1 or when John spun that around and had her in the trunk of her car.

Hailey was just too eager to go along with and identify with John, and Kyle’s treatment of Eliza from the same playbook throws major red flags on the field. I mean, “The Playbook” is the title of the episode.

Watching Crowley in action with Senator Evers suggests he’s manipulating Team Weir as much as he controlled Evers.

They needed Evers to rise quickly and topple her opponents. She needed to stand out and tout the Shared Data Act to instill fear in the people so they thought it was actually good for them.

Are you tired of living in fear. The Data Act isn’t about privacy, it’s about eliminating fear and making this the safest and most powerful democracy in the world.

Senator Evers

When is sharing everything about yourself ever a good thing? Rabbit Hole puts the fear of God into you with how data is collected and utilized.

If you are online, and I know you are (hi!), you’ve seen how you can use a phrase in casual conversation in an email or a seemingly innocent post and suddenly find yourself bombarded with ads about a topic you generally are not interested in at all.

Believing that all data mining is merely to sell you garbage you don’t need is a grave error. People want you to believe that’s all it’s for and that you must have something to hide if you want privacy.

But data is big business for every aspect of life, especially when it comes to politics. Organizations use data to judge which way the political winds are blowing and then gently, like a whisper, manipulate prevailing winds into their chosen direction.

This isn’t a right or left or a US thing, either. We’ve put our lives online. Using what we’ve willingly provided is the natural next step. Waking up to it and changing course should be ours. But it won’t be.

It’s too easy to put it all out there.

John’s whole team was torched. He lost his best friend since childhood. His mental state is fragile, even on his best day. As hard as he’s tried to keep it all behind closed doors with electronics nestled behind plaster walls, they can manipulate him like anyone else once someone’s got his number.

Well, can you do it, Weir? You obviously have a very talented team.

Senator Evers

Edward pointed out that it can’t be good that Morgan Shaw deciphered a video that he’s alive and running with Weir. If he managed that, then Crowley is way ahead of that game.

Kyle’s treatment of Eliza wasn’t the only indicator that Hailey could be a plant. How John talked her into using the $20 million she stole reeked of a conversation, Crowley could have had with the real owners of that cash. Just let us use it for a while to get John Weir under our thumb and working on our behalf. It will be fine.

If their goal was to bring the Shared Data Act to the floor as fast as possible, John played right into their hands.

Even worse, John feels emotionally attached to Hailey after her quick-witted plan detour that saved John’s ass. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Crowley had given the facility their marching orders to allow everything Team Weir’s way.

If there’s anything the show has suggested so far, it’s to trust no one. Right now, John’s mistrust only falls on Ben’s shoulders. He’s probably the one person John should trust, but he’s getting all mixed up in his jumbled mind.

Ben: Jonathan? It matters to me what you think of me.
John: You really must have been something back in the day. Problem is I just don’t believe you anymore.

Nobody could have guessed that Edward would be so valuable, and trusting him doesn’t seem like a bad idea. If nothing else, he can always find them the best place to eat on short notice.

Morgan Shaw’s guest (or sidekick?) pointed out that Edward has a street food blog that’s worth the read. Now it makes sense why Homm’s always thinking about food and so often seen scarfing it down.

Of course, I could be totally wrong about Hailey. I hope I’m wrong because John needs the win.

You got to hand it to me, Weir. That was some blackbelt level, 110% trust on my part. Pretty fucking impressive if you ask me.

Hailey

If I’m right, there is always the possibility that she could be swayed to Team Weir because she likes John, too. Either way, she does seem genuinely concerned about his mental health, especially when it comes to him clinging to the hope that Miles Valence is still alive.

Magicians aren’t supposed to die mid-trick. It would be hard to believe they didn’t pull off the greatest trick of their lives by persuading even their closest partner of their demise.

But a swan dive off of a high-rise building? Come ON. There’s no way Valence got out of that one, right?

Hailey acts concerned. She even looped in Ben when she saw how John kept asking, “You there?” But the new skeptic in me wonders if she’s hoping Ben will put the kibosh on his son doing further damage to himself, thereby eliminating a thorn in Crowley’s side.

Hell, what if she’s Crowley’s daughter or something? Sorry. My mind is racing with all of this data pointing right at her.

Rabbit Hole Season 1 has pulled off other surprising stunts, but revealing that Valence was a misdirect? I’m going to need to see him walking and talking before believing that.

Selfishly, I want him to be alive because Jason Butler Harner is so good in the role. I’m willing to see what they can muster up for Valence’s comeback for that alone.

Either way, someone responding to John’s cries could put him in a terrible spot. His mental health is making him a liability to his own plan. You could argue that Hailey’s superspy capabilities are just conveniently real, and she really saved his ass. He definitely needed saving.

Getting caught in the vault wouldn’t have done anything to rush the Shared Data Act vote to the floor, though.

Edward: Why would Crowley kill his own candidate?
John: Because this wasn’t about winning the presidency. This was about passing a piece of legislation that the senator campaigned on. All he had to do was have her assassinated. Reshape the narrative. Bright young senator cut down in her prime by the radicals she promised to protect us from. Turn her into a martyr, guaranteeing that her legislation would pass. When that happens, Crowley gains access to thousands of data points on every single American with a cell phone or a computer. He can control anyone, anything.

You know what? This is FUN! We have no idea who we can trust. The story gets more convoluted and confusing with each passing episode, and I love it!

We need to get more on Kyle. Who the hell is he?

The master dies today.

Kyle

His voice went in and out of accents when he was gearing up to kill Eliza. And was I the only one who was sure “the master” he wanted to kill was Crowley?

That was a beautiful misdirect.

We only have two episodes left, and the story is long from over. There’s no news about a renewal. I’m worried.

Do you want Rabbit Hole to end? I don’t. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Edit Delete

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.

You can view the original article HERE.