REVIEW: Trust – Season 1, Episode 4 “That’s All Folks”

Television Reviews

*Spoilers*

This week on Trust, Primo takes a photo of Paul next to the dead body of Berto to prove he really has the Getty heir. He then delivers Paul to his uncle and the family accountant, but all three men have different ideas about how to handle the ransom. Meanwhile, Paul Sr. and main squeeze Penelope Kittson are having relationship problems; he says she leaves too often, and she says she’s tired of the competition from his various other girlfriends. Gail spends most of the episode trying to get a hold of Paul, who won’t believe her when she says the kidnapping is real. However, things change when Gail receives a copy of Berto’s photo, which she faxes to Getty Sr. The episode ends with one of the kidnappers trying to escape with Paul, after Primo decides to kill him due to Getty Sr. only offering $600 in return for his grandson.

Paul’s relationship with his kidnappers is truly bizarre. They go back and forth between being friendly with him and roughing him up. Paul even remarks that one of them could be the best man at his wedding, if things were different. He teaches them to fish and does wall-shadow shows for them. Primo flies into fits of rage every time the situation seems compromised in the slightest. In fact, Primo seems to be a moron in addition to being a psychopath. Everything he does, or intends to do, sounds ridiculous. If he just kills Paul, what was the point of kidnapping him? He paid money to have Paul in his custody. Why even take Paul to his uncle and accountant, splitting the payoff and introducing conflict? Also, Primo’s family must be pretty messed up. They’re all not only OK with him being a kidnapper, but they want in on the scheme. The cousin whom Primo forces to make the calls is really funny; it’s a dark situation, but his frustration and inability to make people believe he actually has the kid are just hilarious. Primo’s pushed him into a position for which he’s just not suited, and he has no idea how to handle the situation.

Gail, once again, seems to be the only Getty family member who’s genuinely concerned for Paul’s well being. Receiving the photo makes her hysterical, while Paul Sr. is quick to offer only $600 to the kidnappers, an amount too small for the payoff to be considered extortion. Getty Sr., Fletcher Chase and Getty’s secretary all speak very matter-of-factly about the situation. Penelope makes a good audience insert in this scene, shocked and disgusted with the offer, and with the general behavior of Getty Sr.

Paul and Penelope have more than one conflict in this episode. Near the beginning he asks her why she leaves so frequently, and if she isn’t entertained enough by him; she tells him that, for a woman of her standing, it’s humiliating to constantly compete with his other girlfriends. He assures her that the other girls are just for sexual variety, and that she’s really the only woman for him. They part with a horribly awkward, forced kiss. Paul then sets his dogs on his gardener, remarking that he “runs like a queer,” as the other girlfriends, who were “spying” the whole time, look on in amusement from the house. There’s a later scene with everyone eating at the table, where Paul directly references Penelope’s in-out log, again calling her frequent absences into question. She remarks that she has a life outside of Sutton Place, which leads to more scoffing from the other girlfriends. It feels like the show is trying to build tension for a future blow-up among Paul, Penelope and the other women. But regardless of how ridiculous the situation is, I find it hard to sympathize with Penelope. She’s bitter and jealous of the other women in Paul’s life, but it’s not like she’s chained to him. She could leave any time she wants, but she doesn’t, presumably for financial reasons. It’s obvious neither she nor Paul is satisfied with the other as a sole partner, and she’s always out and about anyway. If she’s not happy with Paul keeping her as part of a girlfriend collection, she shouldn’t have agreed to be a kept woman. The others don’t seem to be as discontented, but they rarely have any lines so we don’t get to see much of how they feel or what kind of people they are.

Gail also confronts Martina and Jutta with the picture of Paul, begging them to help her. They simply sit silently with glassy eyes, unresponsive to what she says, even as she asks if Martina even cares that Paul has been kidnapped. However, against Jutta’s pleading, Martina goes to the police with her story. The officer she speaks to warns her that abetting is a crime and she could face legal action if she pursues it, but she insists that finding Paul is the most important thing. The police send her out of Rome for her own safety.

The musical selection and visuals picked back up this week after episode 3’s slump. The acting is fantastic as usual, and they do a wonderful job alternating between the major players: Paul and the kidnappers, his grandfather and his mother. Unlike “La Dolce Vita,” “That’s All Folks” knows how to keep the story interesting. I’m still hoping Brendan Fraser gets more of the spotlight in the coming episodes. I really liked that “Lone Star” focused on his character, Fletcher Chase, and I look forward to more time spent with him now that Getty Sr. finally believes the kidnapping is real.

“That’s All Folks” is a really solid episode of Trust. Unlike episode 3, I never found myself getting bored or distracted while I watched. They balance the characters and story elements well, and it’s aesthetically pleasing. The conflicts between the characters feel organic, and like they’re building to something really great. I enjoyed this episode and highly anticipate what’s to come from Trust.