For the season, 9 out of ten stars... for this episode... 4 out of ten...
For twelve episodes of the first season I marvelled at this show. The show's producers through compelling script work, direction and editing have taken advantage of Kelly Reilly's stellar ability to bring Dr. Katherine Black to life and bleed her condition into both her professional and private existence. Not only that, but Reilly is not constantly the centre of attention. She has managed to introduce us to a cast of excellent players portraying sympathetic characters that have dimension without getting in their way.
The pacing has been more than good, the stories compelling, the incidental characters interesting...
what has disappointed terribly is the final episode of the first season, and it's entirely due to editing. For episode 13, which aired as the second hour of the season finally, what we saw appeared to be a hastily cobbled together work that very likely was an attempt to squeeze a fourteenth episode, and possibly a fifteenth, into forty some odd minutes. It worked poorly. While it was apparent throughout that last hour, the point was hammered home in the very last scene where we saw a cliff hanger that had not been built up at all on a show that has done a fabulous job of constructing circumstances.
I fear for Black Box. I fear this may be the series finally and that would be a tragedy. To all the players and the crew of Black Box, thank you! I sincerely hope we see you next season...
