'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey' Episode 3 Review: A dive into Ptolemy's shades of age
Spoilers for 'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey' Episode 3 'Sensia'
Apple TV+'s newest drama 'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey' made an impressive premiere last Friday with its first two episodes being praised for its story and performances from the lead actors.
In the first two episodes, we saw Ptolemy's great-nephew Reggie get killed following which, the orphaned teen Robyn moves in and takes care of the senile man. But when Ptolemy's dementia gets temporarily cured, he decides to use the limited time to look for answers that lay buried in his memories. The third episode is now available for streaming, and here's what you can expect.
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Episode 3 opens with Ptolemy (Samuel L Jackson) dreaming about his past where he meets Coydog (Damon Gupton) who is on the run. This is where Ptolemy is seen as a young child receiving information and instructions to find the Black people's treasure called the 'black heart' which Coydog stole back from a White man. The scene later shows Ptolemy hiding in the bushes which is when Coydog gets caught by lynchers. This past reverie ends with Ptolemy being woken up by Robyn (Dominique Fishback) with the answers at the edge of his mind.
The episode takes us through various stages of Ptolemy's age — from a child to an old man. After getting his memories back, things start becoming clearer. In a very enjoyable depiction of the timelines being intertwined, we see Ptolemy shed years with Samuel L Jackson donning a younger look as we are taken to the past. Centered on his old relations and new ones, we are taken on an emotional journey. Ptolemy and Robyn's familial, caring actions were extremely endearing to experience as the teen's concern and love for him grows. While Fishback maintains a consistent, charming performance, Jackson proves he can switch it up easily and transitions between an old, aged man and a healthy middle-aged man with such ease that it's hard to believe it's the same actor. His younger days also explore his loving relationship with his late wife Sensia and beautifully highlights a missing piece of the puzzle.
There's also a lovely use of old tunes that transports you back in time and perfectly captures the 1970s and the Black community. The episode has some cool transitions as well, one of them being the reflection of a flame taking viewers back to Ptolemy's days in Mississippi. The episode is light yet gets intense at certain moments — there's a heartfelt aura that ends in intrigue and excitement as Ptolemy finally remembers where he hid Coydog's treasure all those years ago. Setting the stage for more memories to click in his mind, Episode 3 accomplishes a solid job of keeping you hooked and in anticipation for what's to come.
New episodes of 'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey' are out each Friday on Apple TV+.