American Crime Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Barb's Crusade
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What a crazy ride!
Last week on American Crime Season 1 Episode 2, they started things out with church music and praising God; while this week on American Crime Season 1 Episode 3, they started things off on a more somber note.
Alonzo going about his business, doing normal things like making breakfast while the radio is playing in the background talking about the very case his son is involved in made me feel terrible for the guy.
He is trying to keep some normalcy in his life and he can't be faulted for trying to do so. Should he be doing everything in his power to get Tony out of jail? Of course, but he still needs to stay grounded so he can keep his sanity.
The moment Alonzo walked out his front door, his life would be changed forever thanks to the reporter waiting for him. Alonzo has already made a ton of mistakes and talking to the reporter was another notch on his belt of mistakes. He came across as an arrogant jerk – he should have kept his mouth shut, got in his car and left.
Alonzo wants to talk about how he never taught his children to hate, yet it's pretty clear he has a terrible opinion of Mexican's being in this country illegally and he raised his kids around his prejudices. He may claim he doesn't discriminate, but the moment he talked to the press he made his true opinions known and showed the hate he has for a large group of individuals. Alonzo's anger is only going to lead to retaliation from the very people he wants to bash and hate on.
Jenny and Alonzo finally had a sweet moment and all it took was her getting scared by the cops. While this has taken a toll on Alonzo, the whole case has taken a bigger toll on Jenny. Jenny really is the mother figure in the family.
She helped raise Tony, and it makes perfect sense she would be stressed out about what her brother is going through. Jenny not wanting to give the cop her ID was understandable given the fact she had just heard from Tony about how the cops don't care about them, so her nerves got the best of her.
Oh Barb – you truly are the biggest idiot in the room. Carter said provocative statements, but he's also a drug addict who isn't in the right state of mind a majority of the time – it wasn't a hate crime.
Barb needs to take a good look at herself and see who the true racist is in all of this. She's been trying to make this case way more sinister and now she has Nancy on her side who's turning out to be just as big of a moron as Barb is.
Of course Barb would look at Russ wanting Matt's body being near Gwen as a selfish act. She needs to open her eyes and see what's best for her family and stop focusing on her hatred of Russ. She wants control over everything, and as she is slowly losing said control, she's starting to unravel at the seams. Ultimately the decision should be up to Gwen and waiting until she wakes up and is able to make a decision on what to do may be in the best resolution for everyone.
Go Russ! He finally stood up to Barb and it was glorious. Barb is constantly kicking Russ while he's down and while he used to be afraid of her, he no longer is. Russ finally has people on his side and he isn't falling for Barb's deranged story about how she views Matt's case.
Barb constantly wants to talk about how great of a parent she is, but it's becoming clear even though Russ made some terrible choices in the past, he is trying to make amends and is doing everything he can to help.
Tom needs to back off of Russ. Russ is the only one who was actually putting forth an effort to find out what Matt was involved in, and right now he has a lot on his plate. He had no right to guilt Russ into helping him by mentioning Russ being an absentee father. While both men deserve answers, they also both need time to put their heads on straight.
Eve's confession was a complete shocker. She knew this whole time about what Gwen was doing and she never thought to tell Tom anything. It's clear Eve thought she was doing the right thing by keeping Gwen's secret, but when she hear about Matt's drug abuse and how things were getting worse for Gwen, she should have immediately told Tom so they could get Gwen out of the dangerous situation.
Aubry is, beyond doubt, the lost soul of American Crime. Aubry will never be cured of her addiction, and being put on medication isn't going to do her any favors because she will just fall into another addictive behavior.
She has justified everything she has done, whether wrong or not, and doesn't think she needs help. Her family can fight for her to get her all the help she needs, but ultimately it will be up to Aubry to get the help – you can't help someone who doesn't think they have a problem.
In the end, Tony's probation officer informed Alonzo they weren't going ahead with charges of murder, but they are going to keep Tony because he needs help. While Tony does need some mental help, he needs to be put in a better facility, not around people who have done serious crimes. Alonzo needs to fight for Tony to be transferred to a facility which is better equipped to help someone such as Tony.
Next week on American Crime Season 1 Episode 4, things will really start to heat up when Carter is given a bail hearing and Tony is released. Barb's and Russ's son also comes to town to try to help out his parents.
What did you think of tonight's episode? Do you think Barb will continue her crusade to turn Matt's case into a hate crime? What do you think Gwen was involved in?
You still have time to catch up on American Crime. Go watch American Crime online now via TV Fanatic.
Samantha McAllister was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in November 2018.