Slow and Steady?

Considering the high expectations held by today's television audiences, it's not easy to develop a drama in which nothing actually happens.  Nevertheless, for some viewers, that would accurately describe the proceedings in Sundance's excellent Rectify.  This six-episode drama does not feature villains, mysteries, and thrilling cliffhangers.  What it does feature is an impressive cast, a deliberate pace, and a story that deserves a chance.

Twenty years after being sent to prison as an eighteen-year-old for the rape and murder of his high school girlfriend, Daniel Holden is released on account of a DNA-based technicality.  Is this a just man finally being set free or an guilty man twisting the law for his benefit?  In an unusual move, the series does not even focus on this issue.  Instead, it focuses on Daniel's adjustment back into society, the impact on his family, and the reactions within their small town.  The pacing is incredibly slow - some have evoked the equally swift Rubicon when discussing it - but it ultimately works because it focuses the entire drama on the characters, not any artificial plot.

Is this a show that will appeal to everyone?  Certainly not!  There's probably a reason this show found its way to the Sundance Channel, not a broadcast network or even a mainstream cable network.  That being said, Sundance allows it to breathe, and it allows the characters to truly develop.  As an audience, we are all better for it.