Dominick Birdsey is having a very no good, bad day. In general, his life seems to be very stressful. Most of that stress is due to his brother Thomas’s declining mental health. Even though episode four showcases the beginning of the deterioration of Thomas’s mental state, this episode is much more about Dominick’s state of being. To be honest, he’s doing terribly. It’s most likely a combination of his upbringing, the death of his child, and Thomas cutting off his own hand. A lot seems to fall on Dominick and at this point, he may be in worse shape than his twin.
Slight Spoilers
Personally, I enjoyed getting to see flashbacks of the twins and what led to the first time Thomas was institutionalized. Credit needs to be given to Philip Ettinger, who plays a younger version of Dominick and Thomas. Just like Mark Ruffalo, Ettinger perfectly portrays the twins as separate people and it is incredibly convincing. You could see the realization on Dominick’s face that Thomas was getting worse and would, most likely; never be able to truly function in society. This episode also touches upon the time the past took place in and was woven in well with the time of the draft/Vietnam war.
At this point, even though Thomas is the one with schizophrenia, I’m more worried about Dominick. He’s really not doing well and his life is spiraling out of control. He has a brother in trouble, a girlfriend pregnant with someone else’s child, and now he has his grandfather’s memoir in his hands – translated. This could be a tipping off point for him, as he’s been told that he may not like what he reads in it.
Rating: 4/5
Episode four continued the trend of this probably being one of the well-acted drama series that HBO has to offer. I’m absolutely blown away with Ruffalo and I’m enjoying Rosie O’Donnell’s involvement in this show. I look forward to seeing the story develop further.
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