'City on a Hill' episode 8 sees the noose tighten for the Ryans as Rohr exacts revenge on Clay Roach
This review contains spoilers for 'City on a Hill' episode 8: 'High on the Looming Gallows Tree'
Episode 8 of this scintillating crime drama is aptly titled. The previous episode 'There Are No F***ing Sides' brings about a lot of plot points, but this one is crisper. As the title suggests, there is a noose hanging over the culprits, the Ryans, (Jonathan Tucker, Mark O'Brien and Amanda Clayton) and on Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon), thanks to his infidelity.
The spotlight is on the Ryans. Thanks to Jimmy Ryan (Mark O'Brien) telling Rohr about the location of the bodies, the entire family is on the verge of being picked up by the law any moment now. Then, there's Rohr himself. Talk about being in the doldrums. The man manages to get caught cheating on his wife, Jenny Rohr (Jill Hennessy). Again.
Add to all of this, he manages to successfully piss off every one of his teammates after taking credit for finding the bodies on TV. Rachel Benham (Sarah Shahi) who has now decided to see what made Michaela Freda (Samantha Soule) interested in Rohr's shady dealings, decides to wring out info from Jenny. Strike Three for the PI there as Jenny sees right through her.
So now, it's that time when Rohr goes from being in doldrums to dire straits. Jenny decides to warn Rohr; she finds him in his hotel room, and just when she is about to reveal Rachel snooping around, a prostitute Rohr ordered arrives. Caught like a naughty boy, his punishment comes in the form of Jenny leaving without warning him that his own people are running some investigations on him.
Meanwhile, Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge) is grilling Sheik Sheehan (Lucas Van Engen), one of Frankie’s men. The best dialogue here is when he says: "I can make your life miserable, and all you can do is tell me to go f*** myself. " Soon after, Sheehan is ripped apart by Ward in front of the Grand Jury. When Cathy (Amanda Clayton) hears the news, the first sign of panic plunges in.
Pressure on Sheehan's wife means Ryan's (Jonathan Tucker) is out in the open and has access to Jimmy's picture. The team tail Jimmy just to see him meet with Rohr. In a bid to set things right, he confesses to Rohr that he was responsible for the robbery, except that the FBI agent doesn't believe in the story.
Ward is probably one of the guys on the team who's quietly pleased the way things are shaping up. We see him bring out his sharp wit and brilliant quizzing skills to the fore as he manages to make solid breakthroughs.
Every character manages to light up the episode in their own distinct styles. Let's start off with Jenny. Hennessy excels in playing a wife who dabbles between frustration and compassion at the same time. If anything, it's pleasing to see that she's not taking brickbats anymore.
Shahi's Rachel is still trying to find who she actually is and in due time, we'll know. But Clayton steals the limelight here. No more panic. She just goes on to show she's the one who's going to mastermind the next obvious heist.
However, it's the purgative final few minutes that provides the most excitement. Rohr comes to know that Clay Roach (Rory Culkin) is responsible for Benny's assault. High on coke, he makes his way to Clay's apartment and blows his brains off. Talk about revenge. Perhaps, there's love left in the sleazy Mr. Rohr after all.
Eight episodes down and the series just seems to get better. What makes this particular episode a favorite is the emotions that are unleashed. As we move to the end of the opening season, we have seen, although quite slowly, character arcs being rounded up seamlessly.
'High on The Looming Gallows Tree' is a delight. Pacy, gritty and intriguing, the episode has gradually upped the tempo of the entire series and manages to stay strong till in the last second. Rest assured that the next episode will probably do one better.
'City On A Hill' airs Sundays on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT.