REVIEW: Trust – Season 1, Episode 5 “Silenzio”

Television Reviews

“That’s all folks!”

*Spoilers*

This week on Trust, Angelo and Paul are on the run and Primo is desperately trying to find them. His uncle offers a reward to anyone in town who can tell him where they are. Chase and Gail debate on what to do about Paul, and ultimately she gives a press conference begging the kidnappers to respond to the Getty offer of $600. Meanwhile, letters and money pour in at Sutton place from people who want to help Getty Sr. pay the ransom; the problem is, he still refuses. He sends the money back, wondering why the kidnappers haven’t responded to his offer. Paul and Angelo hitch a train ride and eventually stumble into a house. Paul calls Gail on the phone, but he and Angelo have to run as Primo and his men arrive. Primo ends up being the one to speak to Gail: he simply demands 17 million dollars. The boys jump on an old man’s truck and ride to his house. His wife feeds them and they attempt to use the phone, but the line’s down. All seems to be going relatively well until Primo shows up and shoots Angelo.

“Silenzio” is a real downer. Things genuinely seem hopeful at the beginning, and throughout the episode Paul tells Angelo they’re brothers now and have to stick together. Paul even saves Angelo’s life by preventing him falling off the train. Although the two men are on the run, their growing friendship is a source of comfort through their trials. One of the most frustrating parts of the episode is when Paul calls Gail, but has to run away before getting to speak to her.

They’ve also been showing a lot of the paparazzi and what vultures they are. In “Silenzio” they follow Gail around, hounding her; even when she decides to talk to them so she can convey a message to Paul’s kidnappers, they press her too far. This is something they did quite a bit with American Crime Story too. I have to wonder, though, if making a show about these true events does the same thing the paparazzi were doing? After all, the Getty family has brought up the possibility of suing FX over Trust, particularly for showing Paul as complicit in his own kidnapping. Another FX drama, Feud, prompted a lawsuit from actress Olivia de Havilland. They’re absolutely right to show the media as scheming opportunists, but if they’re honest they have to count themselves among the lot.

I’m starting to wonder if we will ever see more of Fletcher Chase. He was a major character in last year’s All the Money in the World, and an interview with Brendan Fraser is what got me interested in Trust in the first place. Since being the main focus of episode 2, “Lone Star,” he hasn’t appeared often or done much. I loved what little we do get with him and Gail, though. Her bit about ”letting the men handle it” is interesting; she feels like the men are always trying to run everything and it always ends up like this. She says she regrets letting Paul Sr. and Chase control the situation, but what choice did she have? Paul Sr. was frustrating as always, refusing to outright pay the ransom and instead waiting for the kidnappers to negotiate. Based on his behavior towards Paul III in the first episode, he must love him at least a little. It’s baffling to see how much he values money more than his family. After all, his offer made things a lot worse, provoking Primo in the last episode to kill Paul III before he escaped.

Primo is absolutely insufferable, and the way he treats everyone from Paul to the gas pump attendant to his own family is disgusting. He’s got no problem killing anybody to get his way. And even worse, his family appears to have power over everyone in their town. Angelo panics at every sign of Primo. The boys see Primo’s uncle offer rewards for finding them, and death for helping or harboring them. Everyone in the village immediately scrambles, searching for them with dogs and any other means at their disposal. Even the couple who seem friendly enough turn them in to Primo. The wife is noticeably distraught, praying in her room as Primo arrives. I really hope they kill Primo in the end.

There is some really wonderful cinematography in this episode. In particular the aerial view of the train from above is lovely. When Gail is cutting her hair, even though it’s something completely mundane they frame it like some grand event. It makes everything more memorable. The music in “Silenzio” is great too. The score when Angelo and Paul are on the train is warm and friendly, and fills the viewer with a sense of (short-lived) hope. The song they chose to end with is beautiful too, although it doesn’t really fit with what’s happening on screen.There’s one thing I don’t understand about the episode, though. When Primo shows up and starts shooting, Gail drops her glass of milk on the floor. What does this mean? Are they so close that she can actually hear what’s happening? Is the point that she has some kind of sixth sense? This felt like a scene out of a completely different show, and it just didn’t fit at all.

“Silenzio” is a really strong episode of Trust. It furthers the story, it has a lot of great character moments and it looks and sounds fantastic. The episode also builds tension really well; you’re always aware of Primo and the townspeople following the boys, and it just makes their friendship sweeter and more heartbreaking. Even in the briefest moment you can see Paul’s horror and sadness at Angelo being killed, in addition to the fear that he may be next. They are doing great things with Trust, and even though I was initially drawn by Fraser’s involvement, I’m glad to be watching it. FX is really ahead of the curve with regards to TV dramas, and this is another home run. If you’re not already watching Trust, I sincerely recommend you do.