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Amy Adams' portrayal of motherhood bores us, makes us wish we had watched another film. Heller created the ultimate gambit: Yoder's critique of the human condition. We begin to hate the narrative--we are depressed. What we have done? We wasted an hour and a half. Pausing the streaming, we ask "Just what is this?" Dogs? Menstrual blood? Yes. We watched Nightbitch!

Why? Heller's direction uses boring, ugly, cute, shallow and slow filmmaking to evoke meaning beyond her and Yoder's script. The meaningful and ironically meaningless challenge of being a mother is shared not just visually, but actively as you experience, not just watch, the film and its cumbersome path to a doggedly ambiguous finish.

So? We did not watch Mother on a roller coaster; we were ON the Nightbitch roller coaster. Heller is brilliant. Oscar is smiling at Adams' portrayal of hard core existential angst. Some people will hate this film and fail to realize their disgust was the point of the film. Other people will love this film and realize their disgust came not from a "script," but from Heller and Adams brilliance.

Me? I was disgusted, not just intellectually, but at my inner core. This is film making beyond the pale. Love is too weak an appraisal.

The familial nature of this episode should not distract you from enjoying a glimpse into real people with real lives, even if by "TV" standards it appears as "soap operatic melodrama." Be patient and listen, with your heart and your mind.

Hamm's quiet interaction with the real Jerry Jones speaks to heart of familial life. At 82 Jones may have found a new career -- a fide actor perhaps, or at least a fun after dinner inspiration! Wonderful, simply wonderful.

Sure, the fun of new romance and a protective parent overacting displays Thorton's acting chops. The power of Chavez and Lofland's portrayal of angst goes beyond melodrama. Lofland's interaction with the farmer/rancher builds an expectant narrative. Next episode, or next season?

I trust the neighbor's interaction with the coyote portends little for the future. The characters developed by Sheridan and directed by Kay, Sheridan and Friedman are almost without exception too dear to lose. But wolf camps have their own rules.

Just saw this. I looked to my wife at the conclusion and asked, "What was that? Is just me, or ..." She was similarly distressed and unimpressed. At least we got a new story line (Lena), and we got Katrina Law back home. But, this episode was weird. It was composed of too many unresolved pieces. And, it was convoluted. How did all the elements fit? Not. Finally, it was incomplete. Kases' analyses. McGee's shift from in situ guard at the diplomatic meetings to shifting to behind the scenes investigator. Parker's acceptance of violating crime protocols. But, the biggest difficulty with suspending disbelief was Vance, apparently, heading up a major DIPLOMATIC effort. Weird indeed.