Curtain Call
The season 1 finale of The Eddy begins exactly as the first episode started – a performance from our band. Instead, this time it’s to Elliot and he gives them a few words of advice. As he lets a smile cross his face, he tells them they sound “pretty damn good”. Amira interrupts Julie’s chat with Sim and reminds her that her Mother is arriving today. Amira promises not to kick her out but reminds her she needs to respect the rules. Julie embraces her and thanks her for her hospitality. Amira’s estranged brother Paplar arrives and tells her to be careful, imploring Amira to stay away from the club. Sensing something bad may be about to happen, she immediately tells Elliot who remains vigilant. With this still weighing heavily over him, he heads off with Julie to pick up her Mother Alison. Before he goes however, he tells Franck that he hasn’t forgotten about their deal and will still perform for him. That evening, Julie sits with her parents and they discuss her past. After making it sound like being with Elliot is a punishment, Elliot invites his ex and her partner along to the club and makes his exit, prompting Julie to rush after him. After working through his issues, he invites her to stay back over at his house again and she agrees. At the club, Sim is blindsided by a group of masked thugs who arrive and rob the place. Elliot and the police are called to the scene in the wake of this occurring and Elliot promises never to leave him alone. That evening he takes to the stage and after some pre-show nerves, Julie promises to be with him and takes to the microphone. As they perform his song together, Alison arrives and watches from afar in the packed club. It’s a momentous moment but unfortunately one that sees the rapturous applause that follows drowned out by the sound of shattered glass as Elliot sees someone has set the club alight. Although he manages to extinguish the flames, Elliot learns this is Sami’s doing. Now knowing he’s not going to stop, Amira suggests he just give up the club and be done with this issue. At the police station, Elliot speaks to Captain Keiter and they agree to team up together to take down the leader of G-19, Sami. Elliot is forced to go undercover and meets Sami down by the docks, agreeing to the terms he set out and shaking away a third of his club. On the way home he messages Amira and tells her “it’s done”. As the episode closes out, Elliot reconvenes with the gang and they sing and perform “The Eddy” through the streets, as Elliot finally appears to be at ease over what’s happening. With the deal involving Sami now done and plenty of unanswered questions at the end, it remains to be seen whether this one is renewed for a second season or not. There’s no denying that the show has a unique style given its handheld, Indie approach to filming but after a strong narrative opener, the series feels like it ran out of steam a little toward the end. There’s enough here to make for an enjoyable series but ultimately it’s the familial drama and jazz music that makes this so god. When the show dabbles in its gang-related crime issues, The Eddy fails to hit the high notes. It’s not a bad show though but it’s certainly a far cry from both Whiplash and La La Land. Given Chazelle only directed the first two episodes it was perhaps a given that it wouldn’t hit those same lavish heights but at the same time, the narrative could have been tightened up a lot more. I can’t help but feel that the gang drama isn’t needed here. There’s a solid group of characters that each have dark pasts and turn to music as a way of finding refuge or a way out and that angle is fascinating enough to carry the show. It’s frustrating then that The Eddy squanders some of this by introducing Zivko and the counterfeit money as a means of injecting tension. As a character-driven melodrama playing off the symbiotic relationship between music and our own emotions and feelings, The Eddy is fantastic and certainly has some very good moments indeed. If this is renewed for a second season it remains to be seen what direction this goes in but given the ending, it seems likely that The Eddy will lean heavily into more of these gang issues given the weight given to Sami. Will this be renewed though? We’ll have to wait and see for now.
