Following Harry and little Hugo’s fateful clashing, the show in its second hour shifts focus onto Harry himself. I worried for a few minutes whether it could maintain its tone and pace after the slap happened. The second episode, while decidedly different in structure to the first, mines the drama wafting around the family for more gold. In his hour, Harry goes on the hunt for a non-family member who can attest on his behalf if the case ever goes to trial, but no one – even Uma Thurman’s pro-Harry Anouk – wants to get in the middle of it all. The show nimbly creates lines amongst the family but never firmly state who’s in the right and wrong. No doubt you’ll come to your own opinions, but one of the smartest aspects of the series is that it doesn’t force-feed an opinion to you – an anti-child abuse PSA this ain’t.
We see a little more of Harry’s parenting style, as well, urging son Rocco that “there’s a difference between being on the winning team and actually winning.” Not that the show didn’t give enough reasons behind Harry’s reaction to Hugo’s baseball tantrum, but little kernels like this unearthed in the second hour help really outline the clashing parenting styles of the two couples. His son’s physical reaction to Harry’s temper is interestingly delved into briefly towards the end of the second hour, but resolved a bit cleanly minutes later.
The hilariously different homes of the two warring families – Harry’s is a swank but sterile abode perennially stuck in “Bachelor Pad” mode and Gary and Rosie’s is the literal visual representation of the phrase “starving artist” – nail the theme home. When Harry enters their groovy abode, stiff as a mannequin in the uncomfortably laid-back setting, all hell breaks loose yet again. This time he’s arrested, and upon receiving bail from Hector, promises the war is on.
All-in-all, The Slap is a riveting few hours of television, bolstered by a dizzyingly arranged group of actors (Sarsgaard, in particular, shines here, as does George’s hilariously overprotective Rosie) and a clever narrative hook. Though its opening hour shines brightest thanks to its delightfully dark tease of child brutality, subsequent hours prove that while the show may be about the slap, the slap itself doesn’t make the show. NBC needs a winner whenever it can get one, and though those looking for lighter fare may find themselves overwhelmed by the cynical doom-and-gloom, everyone else will discover an excitingly dark, mysterious and nail-biting new show that isn’t afraid to slap back.
