The Beast in Me Recap: Fatal Mistakes

"The Beast in Me's greatest narrative strength is that, while Nile's bloodlust is unquestionable, there is a chance he is not responsible for the murders at hand. We're halfway through the season, and I'm starting to think he did not kill his wife. But even if Madison did, actually, commit suicide, that doesn't mean Nile didn't tie Teddy Fenig to a chair in some dark, scary basement after beating him to a pulp."

""Thanatos" picks up with Aggie writing about that very topic - Thanatos was the Greek god of nonviolent death and the term Freud used to describe the death drive. To illustrate humanity's intrepid need to flirt with danger, Aggie's voice-over narration plays over Abbott's meeting with extremely suspicious-looking hackers led by Simone, whom he engages to decrypt the files he downloaded from Nile's computer. Simone doesn't take cash or crypto; instead, she shall be paid in a favor she can cash in at any time in the future, no questions asked."

"The hackers lock Abbott in a room while they work on the thumb drive. In the meantime, Nile calls Aggie to tell her that Nina has agreed to kill Shelley's show. Nina is in the car, overhearing the call as he does this, and she is pissed. When Aggie thanks him, he says, "That's what friends are for," which is definitely not what you want to hear from the murderer-subject of your true-crime book."

Nile's violent tendencies coexist with genuine ambiguity about his responsibility for recent deaths. Madison's death remains uncertain and could be suicide, yet Nile has tortured Teddy Fenig. Special Agent Brian Abbott is later killed by Nile, undercutting any presumed innocence. Aggie frames events with a meditation on Thanatos and the death drive as Abbott seeks hackers to decrypt Nile's files. Simone accepts a future favor instead of payment, complicating matters. The hackers restrain Abbott while working on the thumb drive. Nile's phone call to Aggie is overheard by Nina, escalating tension and suspicion.

Read at Vulture