By Chad Shreeves
As Rabbit Hole enters its penultimate episode, there are many loose threads to tie up. Given last week’s explosive ending with the assassination of Senator Evers and the shocking revelation that Vallance may still be alive, it was clear this episode had a lot to cover.
Many second-to-last episodes decide to take it slow, focusing mainly on putting the chess pieces in place for the finale. While “Gilgamesh” does do a lot of that, it also leaves plenty of tension and character work that is satisfying to watch.
The episode tackles a lot and really delivers. Weir chases answers, Hailey and Ben debate how to handle both the situations with Weir and Crowley, Agent Madi reveals her endgame, and Crowley’s plan comes into the spotlight even more. Without getting into spoilery territory, everyone has a role to play and the narrative is thrilling as ever. It’s a great balance of heart pounding tension and drama that has made this show so, so good and it really elevates as we near the ending.
Kiefer Sutherland has been great all season, but in this episode he really gets to stretch his acting chops and is absolutely brilliant. As Weir’s descent into madness spirals into its climax, we see a new side of him that really shows off how great Sutherland can be when given the right material. Charles Dance also gives a wonderfully shady performance as this episode really begs the audience to ask the question of who exactly is in the right here. It’s those kinds of twisty, turny questions that have made this whole show a blast. The rest of the supporting cast, including Agent Madi and Hailey are given some moments to shine but are ultimately sidelined for the Weir and Ben performances.
However, there are a few moments that don’t quite land. Hailey makes a random heel turn, even if she thinks she’s helping, that just doesn’t feel as in character as what we’ve seen of her so far. Another minor issue is the way this episode ends. The last four episodes have all had these major, explosive, revelatory bombs dropped in their final moments, and this episode kind of just ends very simply. A giant, explosive ending shouldn’t be required, but we have kind of been conditioned by this point in the series to expect it so it’s a little off.
Small gripes aside, this is another win for what has been one of the best shows of 2023 so far. With the finale looming, it’s just a question now on if they’re going to be able to stick the landing. And will we get a full, proper ending or a cliffhanger to leave us wanting until season 2?
