Rectify- Sundance Channel

Rectify is a one hour mystery/drama currently seen on the Sundance Channel. The series premiered on April 22, 2013 and is the first original series from the Sundance Channel. New episodes appear Monday evenings. Check your local listings.

The Setup- Daniel Holden is released from prison after nineteen years on death row for raping and murdering his girlfriend. Daniel's new lawyer uses DNA evidence to exonerate him and win his release. Daniel must now face the challenge of returning to a world that has long passed him by and may or may not want him back. His family arrives at the prison to rejoice in Daniel's release and bring him home.Not everyone however is happy about it though.
 State Senator Roland Foulkes appears outside the prison the day Daniel is released to remind the press that the DNA evidence was a loophole and that Daniel had previously confessed to the murder. Foulkes was the original prosecutor of the case and wants Daniel retried. The rest of the small town that served as the backdrop for this heinous crime is not very happy to have old wounds reopened.
 Daniel's sister Amantha played by Abigail Spencer is his fiercest supporter and worries about how he will reintegrate back into outside life. His mother is remarried and her new husband Ted and stepson Teddy Jr. run the family tire business that Daniel would have inherited.
The show weaves a checkered quilt of suspicion and intrigue over whether Daniel is the real killer or not.

What I love about it- Alden Young plays Daniel with a rare blend of restraint and depth that really lets you love and fear Daniel simultaneously. He opens up slowly like the first flower of spring and every bit of it is entertaining. Several of the characters have great depth and even if their progress seems slow the growth potential is enormous.
 The show has a creepy vibe to it sort of like a Twin Peaks kind of thing only grittier. There were only two episodes available on demand so it may be to early put too much faith in it but show's foundation is solid and I certainly was left wanting much more.

What I hate about- Teddy Jr. played by Clayne Crawford is to this show what teenage Dana is to Homeland.......a pimple on the Mona Lisa. Teddy like Dana is whiney and annoying and ultimately a distraction from an otherwise great show. I'm not enough of an expert to know whether  Crawford is a rotten actor or Teddy is just a poorly written character. Something clearly stinks here and it doesn't help that most of the characters put Teddy to shame. The pace is a little slow yet it somehow it seemed like each episode was over in a blink. There is a lot to process here but that's what makes it fun.

8 out of 10 Couch Potatoes- This one gets a bit of an incomplete grade. Usually I watch a half dozen episodes minimum before I start spouting off but I think people need to try this show early on and give it a chance. The potential is here is huge and rarely do shows start off as strong. So invite Daniel over for dinner but just don't turn your back on him yet.