'Ragdoll' Episode 5 Review: In Over Their Heads
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In the penultimate episode of Ragdoll, another name gets crossed off the kill list, secrets are revealed, and Rose's life unravels even more than it already had. Which was something that didn't really even seem possible. Oh, and absolutely everyone seems to be in over their head.
Rose v. Baxter
Henry Lloyd-Hughes as DS Nathan Rose – Ragdoll _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Natalie Seery/AMC
The friendship between Rose and Baxter has been the main grounding force of the series. Which means of course it couldn't remain entirely unscathed. Certainly not with all the secrets Rose has been keeping from her.
And, in fact, his secrets come back to haunt him this episode. His occasional lover – the journalist who wrote about him previously – becomes the next to fall on hit list. (Her name had been hidden in an anagram to throw the police off her trail.) Not only was she murdered in a truly horrific way, but Rose was present, drugged, and covered in her blood, with evidence of their previous sexual encounter.
It's a bit too much for even Baxter to wave away for the sake of friendship. She finally puts her personal feelings aside and demands to know what the hell is going on. And she's got more than just questions. She knows he's been to the prison. She knows he's spoken to the Ragdoll Killer. And she knows the Ragdoll Killer and Faust are one and the same.
With all that out in the open, there's no reason for Rose to continue to protect his secrets. So he doesn't bother. Unsurprisingly, honesty in the eleventh hour isn't enough to convince Baxter to continue to trust him. Instead, she puts him under arrest and leaves him alone in the shower. Not that he remains there for long, because it turns out he has an ace up his sleeve.
Lake Endangered
Thalissa Teixeira as DI Emily Baxter, Lucy Hale as DC Lake Edmunds – Ragdoll _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Natalie Seery/AMC
Lake Edmond's secrets, hinted at previously, are more or less revealed as well in this episode. It turns out her ex-girlfriend Naomi murdered someone, and Edmonds bailed her out of jail. Naomi supposedly ran off, but the fact that Edmonds is tied to such sordid activities would be enough to kill her career.
It seems everyone on this police force has secrets in their past that could – or do – lead to career suicide. Is this the norm for police forces, or is this one particularly unlucky? One can't help but wonder.
But back to the series, Rose blackmails Edmonds to help free him from his shower cell. He escapes, and she decides to track down a lead on her own. Against orders, of course (because when does anyone ever follow orders on this show?). She wants to talk to the makeup artist that we saw previously is married to the Ragdoll Killer.
It goes…about as well for her as one might expect. She isn't murdered (yet?), but she is drugged and in his clutches, leaving us in a bit of a cliffhanger as we head into the final episode of the series. Though we can't be too worried because Baxter has realized the danger Edmonds is likely in and will no doubt race to the rescue.
Truthfully, while the series has a gripping premise and some very good acting, the plot itself feels like it's lagged a little bit. Which is a weird thing to say, given that someone new has died every episode and Rose has increasingly become a wild card. Perhaps there's just a sense it's lagged because the audience found out the killer's identity episodes ago, and we've thus been treading water while we wait for the characters to do the same. So the finale really couldn't come a moment too soon.
Ragdoll airs on AMC on Mondays at 10/9 c.
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