The Night Of: Review

*****

By Tess Penman

95% - Rotten Tomatoes

8.8/10 - IMDB

8.9/10- TV.com

The refreshing HBO crime series has been the reborn of American drama.

When lil ole' Nasir Khan, a shy, young, Queens born Muslim portrayed exceptionally by British born Riz Ahmed, finds himself stealing his father's cab to sneak out to a party, he is unaware that this reckless night out is his final night of freedom.

What is supposed to be an unforgettable night full of laughs and memories turns into an amnesiac horror story full of sex, drugs and an occasional first degree murder. Did he do it though? Poor Nas only remembers picking up now deceased Andrea portrayed by Sofia Black who plays the role of a lost and damaged girl compellingly well. Upon mistaking Nas for a legitimate cab driver - which proves to be her most costly mistake - they bond with beer by the sea and have a cocaine fused one night stand. Waking up in the kitchen with not one recollection of the night before, Nas discovers Andrea's butchered body. With no sign of a break in, neither Nas nor audience know the full story.

From break ins and midnight getaways to police custody and 48 hour interrogations, Nas's night goes from bad to worse and he is an example of being in the "wrong place wrong time". Dealing with the reputation of being a brutal murderer and rapist which he vehemently denies pleading his innocence, Nas also has the pressure of co operating with dodgy defence attorneys like Alison Crowe (Glenne Headly) who is in constant conflict with on and off lawyer, John Stone played by the riveting John Turturro who has proven to a fan favourite due to his character's likability and dark humour.

Nas realises he can't rely on attorneys for everything and he can only depend on himself to survive his nightmare reality in NY's most overcrowded prison. It is here that he comes under the guidance of Freddy Knight (played by the chilling Michael Kenneth Williams) the only person who somehow seems to believe Nas is innocent when every other cell mate violently ambushes him daily, even scalding his with boiling water. The only thing more frightening than being in a prison on the charge on rape and murder is Freddy Knight.

Although Nas's fate is unknown and his truth also remains a mystery, the audience cannot help but identify with him as his character's never-ending struggles seems strangely relatable. As his religion gives the prosecution an excuse to label Nas an Islamic terrorist due to his Pakistani heritage (he's never been outside of NY) the audience cannot help but familiarise and sympathise with Nasir and his family due to the substantial abuse they've received.

This is why I believe this incredible drama series as had critical acclaim, as it slays all stereotypes given to POC and clearly highlights the racism that is only getting worse day by day in "the land of the free".