We came for Tom Holland, and for Tom Holland, we stayed.
Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t save this show from some of its greatest shortcomings.
The Crowded Room is billed as a limited series; as such, great care is needed in the direction the story should take so that it lands with the audience.
Each scene must be precise in making a point, with little to no room for filler.
The formula typical of psychological thrillers is withholding certain information from the audience so that everything is a surprise and refreshing.
But in trying to do this, The Crowded Room Season 1 digs itself into a hole that would take a long time to get out of, if ever.
When we are introduced to the show’s main protagonist, we meet Danny on a train, and by the look on his face and mannerisms, one could tell something big would be going down.
Holland leaves a great impression in the first few seconds of appearing on screen and carries that for the entire series.
We also meet Ariana, Danny’s accomplice, as they go back and forth on something Danny plans to do.
Ariana: Don’t keep looking at it. Jesus.
Danny: I’m sorry.
Ariana: It’s cool. Danny, you don’t have to do this. You know that, right?
Danny: We’re doing it. He’s not gonna hurt anyone anymore, okay?
It turns out to be a shooting, and when it comes to doing the deed, Danny chickens out, and Ariana has to take over. They fail in their initial goal and end up hurting someone.
In that first scene, the mysteries begin. Who is Ariana, and why is she and Danny shooting people during a busy day in New York?
Danny is later arrested for the shooting. In such a case, one would expect a full investigation and a hearing.
Yet, Rya, who is not a cop, starts interrogating Danny, and by the nature of her questions, one can tell there’s more than meets the eye. There comes the second mystery. Who was she, and why was she handling Danny’s case?
So, what do you think? This is what you do, Professor.
Matty
Danny recounted his life story from growing up in an abusive household where his stepdad would take any opportunity to terrorize him and his mother.
Until now, we still don’t know why half of what happened happened, and in a short time, Danny’s love interest is introduced.
Not all stories need romance, and this was one of them. The focus on this particular storyline felt like a waste of time.
Danny was already unpopular in school; he didn’t need much to get bullied if that was the setup.
Danny’s life was constantly bouncing back and forth between the frying pan and the fire. The school would do the trick if an inferno weren’t raging at home.
Marlin: He’s one spoiled kid, you know that?
Danny: I gotta go.
Marlin: I gotta go. You know, how come you and me never spend any time together no more? Hey. Look at me when I’m talking to you. Okay? What, you don’t like me?
Candy: Danny, let’s go. I can’t be late. Get a move on, please.
Danny: I’ve gotta go.
Marlin: You don’t disrespect me in this house, mister. You understand me? You–
Candy: Marlin, what the hell is going on here? Take your hand off him.
His friends got him in trouble as much as they helped him.
They were not the most popular kids at school, so there wasn’t much they could do to protect him.
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 1 introduced a lot at once, which was almost overwhelming.
There were big mysteries, and because everything we saw was Danny narrating, there were constants cut between the past and the present as Danny answered Rya’s questions.
Rya: Well, I’m just here to talk. About what happened with Ariana. I know. Do you know where she is, Danny?
Danny: No. Like I told the police, I haven’t seen her since what happened on the street.
Rya: Well, the police can’t find her either. What happened to Yitzhak, your landlord?
Danny: I don’t know.
Rya: Well, if you can’t tell me where they are now, can you tell me how you ended up living with them in that house?
It would feel very abrupt when that transition happened because when one tried to get into the story, Rya unceremoniously asked questions that held no meaning to Danny or us, the audience.
As everything goes from bad to worse after Danny and his friends dip their toes in drugs, Danny gets a lifeline from Yitzhak, the new neighbor, and his tenant Ariana.
Everything in “Exodus” was told from Danny’s perspective, yet there was this strong emphasis on Ariana, a total stranger to us.
As the episode ended, Rya posed a question that was supposed to create intrigue but ended up causing more confusion.
If Ariana doesn’t show up, you’re very likely to go to prison. So let me ask you again. Where is Ariana? What happened to Yitzhak? They’re not the only people close to you to disappear, are they? What happened to Adam? Danny, where did they all go?
Rya
The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 2 laid some focus on Ariana and solved that mystery to some extent, but it couldn’t help but feel like something was still missing.
After getting beaten up, Danny found sanctuary at Yitzhak’s. He was safe from Marlin, his abusive stepfather, and school bullies.
Candy: Danny, baby…
Marlin: Shut up. Let me handle this.
Yitzhak: Don’t talk to a woman that way. You’re a bully. All bullies are cowards.
Marlin: He wants to be here. Out of our hair. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Let’s go. Come on. Candy, come on.
Emmy Rossum is a very talented actress, and as Danny’s mom, she didn’t get a lot of screentime, but from that single scene at Yitzhak’s when they came for Danny, it was evident that she knew the assignment and should have been given more.
As Danny moved into Yitzhak’s, less and less of her was seen, and she disappeared into the background. I was not impressed.
Danny and Rya had clarified that Ariana was essential to Danny’s life. It was no surprise when they focused on her more, but as I said, it didn’t feel enough as Danny was telling the story, and we were still tied to his perspective.
Anabelle took the backseat but was instrumental when Danny threw an impromptu party and invited her.
Even after being beaten badly, one would wonder why Danny kept seeing Anabelle.
A night of drinking and indulgence saw Anabelle and Danny spend time together, and things got heated.
As they started kissing, Ariana appeared out of nowhere and started making out with Anabelle. Although he looked hurt, Danny didn’t mind it much and was his positive self the following morning.
Ariana: Danny? Danny, can I… Is this okay?
Danny: Is this okay?
Any regular person would not let someone get away with doing that kind of thing, but Danny let it go like it was nothing. Granted, Danny has some self-esteem issues, but still.
They even bonded over the previous night and went out to eat together.
The night ended badly as Ariana’s mysterious life confronted them on the street, and after they separated, Danny went his way and Ariana hers.
She partied, danced, flirted, had sex, and fought on one single night. And at the end of it all, she returned home and asked for Danny’s help.
Danny: Ari.
Ariana: I need help.
Now what would a high school kid help a grown woman with?
“Sanctuary” unraveled one mystery, but since the format was the same to be used in the series’ entirety, it had the shortcomings of The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 1.
It felt like there must be something we were supposed to know, but we were either inattentive or too dumb to realize it.
For example, what was Rya’s fixation with Ariana’s whereabouts? Wasn’t that the police’s job to find her? It’s not like she had shot someone in broad daylight.
What are you not telling me? What are you not telling yourself?
Rya [to Danny]
The atmosphere became heavy on The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 3 as Danny took it upon himself to find Ariana some sense of security.
Events of the past week were forgotten just like that, and they went to a diner as the good friends they were.
They shared much and bonded over their trauma surrounding sexual assault as children.
Danny: Who was it?
Ariana: A friend of my dad’s. He’d come into my room at night. The thing about it is he was actually pretty nice about it. He never told me he loved me or anything like that.
Danny: I’m sorry. It’s okay. I get it.
Ariana: You must think I’m pretty disgusting now, huh?
Danny: Like I said… I get it.
Danny felt he had met someone who finally understood him and didn’t judge him for being weird.
She was honest with him, and it was only natural that he felt protective of her.
More often than not, a gun is a bad idea to introduce in any conflict. Studies show that the presence of a gun in a volatile situation usually escalates things as people become more irrational. It almost always ends badly for at least one party.
But having a gun gives someone a sense of security as they can protect themselves from threats. They don’t count on that it also stands true for the other party, and that false sense of security drives things south.
When Danny, Mike, and Jonny met Angelo on “Exodus,” he had all the behaviors of a drug dealer, but above that, he was rapey. How he interacted with Danny and his friends showed that he had done this several times.
Danny would come face to face with this side when he went to buy a gun from him.
Angelo: So, do you want the gun or no?
Danny: I’ll give you a hand job.
Jonny: No, Danny.
Angelo: Which one is it? Look, I don’t got all day.
Danny: I’ll give you a hand job.
Forcing sex in exchange for favors was nothing new in the drug and weapon trade, but it was unnerving how the show went about it.
It was heavily insinuated that Johnny had been offering the same services to Angelo for drugs, and I could have done with insinuation in Danny’s case too.
Angelo knew how to gamble the status quo of the 1970s when most cases of sexual abuse went unreported, and homophobia was the order of the day.
Angelo: You know what to do.
Danny: No, I don’t know how to…
Angelo: Whatever, freak.
Danny: Please. Listen to me.
Angelo: If you scream, I’m gonna blow your fucking head off. You hear me? Cops won’t even look twice. It’d be one less faggot they have to worry about.
He took Danny to the darkest corners of the piers where no one would care if anything went wrong.
This show had many uncomfortable scenes because it dealt with heavy psychological stuff, but that scene down at the pier was the creepiest.
It dragged on too long, and the music score didn’t help.
Despite the trials, Danny got the gun and showed it to Ariana.
Danny also began to contemplate what the future might look like for him post-high school.
Anabelle showed him that there was a future where he escaped his circumstances and made something of his life.
His little painting hobby could be the key to unlocking his future. Danny could not believe it because he had never thought about anything apart from living to see the next day.
One thing about drug dealers is that they never let anything go.
Why did Danny not expect this? When Angelo broke into the house, Danny panicked like a cornered rat. Lucky for him, Yitzhak, who was usually never home, was home and saved his ass figuratively and literally.
Of course, that whole thing cost him housing.
Sitting outside the house and Marlin being Marlin did not improve the situation.
Danny, what are you doing still in that house? Come home. Your mom misses you. We can talk things over. Suit yourself.
Marlin
On returning indoors, Danny found that Ariana had warmed up to the idea of confronting her rapist. Not weird at all when he’d just been triggered by seeing Marlin.
Some shows take some time before they find their footing, and The Crowded Room is one such show.
The problems it had in the pilot episode were still present, but we got used to them it didn’t matter much anymore.
Telling the story parallel to Rya’s interrogation finally made a little sense as it started to show a side of Danny that we hadn’t considered.
At the end of “Murder,” enough intrigue had been created because all evidence pointed to Danny having made many things up.
I’m gonna ask you again. How could Ariana’s rapist be your stepfather?
Rya
Danny led a troubled life, and children develop coping mechanisms in these cases. One is a split personality disorder, and the other is imaginary friends.
It was quite real that Ariana never existed. It was Danny’s way of making sense of things, rationalizing his actions, and coping with trauma.
It also became clear that Rya was not investigating a shooting here. Many people close to Danny had disappeared.
How timely that a huge Israeli man would show up when Danny was in physical danger and beat up the assailants. He would let them escape, but we haven’t heard from any of them.
How coincidental that Danny and Ariana would become best friends. Ariana would hook up with Danny’s girl, and he wouldn’t be bothered.
They shared an almost identical story of physical and sexual abuse.
Any time Danny was confronted by a challenging situation like shooting someone or having a consensual sexual experience, Ariana would magically take over.
By the end, everything we knew about Danny was questionable, including his friends, family, and life story. No one could seem to locate Ariana or Yitzhak. They were either dead or made up.
It created enough interest toward The Crowded Room Season 1 Episode 3’s end, and I’m curious to see what it’s all about.
The Crowded Room Season 1 had a rough start, and things could be done differently. It’s still early to call it, but we should get a rough idea of how it fairs halfway through the season.
It was understandable why Tom Holland took a year off after filming because I can’t imagine constantly being in the state of mind required to pull off Danny’s character.
What did you think?
Is there a bigger mystery here that we’re missing?
Has Danny made up a whole reality in his mind? What if he truly did kill Ariana, Yitzhak, Doug, Angelo, and Anabelle?
Danny is called “freak” a lot. Do you think that signifies how he feels about himself?
Let us know in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.