Cape Fear begins the latter half of its first season with the best episode thus far. Episode 6, “Possum,” begins with the Bowdens installing a new surveillance system in their home in response to Cady being across the street. As Natalie sneaks out to get alcohol, she is followed by Cady, who convinces her not to be afraid of him, even apologizing for the actions of his daughter. This pairs excitingly as the Bowdens get increasingly controlling over their children, with the tension coming to a head when someone puts acid in their iced tea. The entire family has a tense, drug-induced episode leading to a direct confrontation between the Bowden parents and Cady. Cady successfully intimidates them, suggesting he wants to use Natalie as a surrogate mother for his child, and implying that he wants them to lose absolutely everything. The episode concludes with a tense altercation and the discovery that Nevaeh has been living in the Bowdens’ walls.
Aside from the story escalations, the most immediate strength of “Possum” is in its visual language. While it maintains the same overall visual continuity compared to the previous episode, “Possum” develops its own identity through the visualization of heat and incredible camerawork. Specifically, the use of zooms and longer takes in this episode heightened the already tense episode, resulting in pervasive anxiety and dread even before the major reveals of the episode’s second half. This claustrophobic, dread-inducing camerawork paired excellently with the story confinements of the episode, notably in how most of the runtime is spent in the Bowdens’ or Cady’s house. A major element “Possum” benefits from is the gradual setup of the previous episodes. The at-times excess of subplots in the first half of the show paid off well in this episode, as the audience has all the necessary information for an episode primarily dependent on the Bowdens’ infighting and their relationship with Cady to sustain the runtime. Finally, the imagery of the Bowdens’ house has always been compelling and eerie, and the reveal at the end of this episode paid off excellently.
While not as glaring as in previous episodes, the season’s common issues still persist, particularly in some of the teenage characterization and dialogue. This episode’s most unique element, the family acid trip, was a glaring double-edged sword. On one hand, forcing the Bowdens to interact under the influence was quite engaging, as anyone could say anything at any time. Additionally, the revelations of Anna breaking her sobriety were delivered excellently. On the other hand, the reliance on drugs to escalate the inter-personal tension of the family felt like a shortcut rather than, for instance, having some truths come out naturally. That said, the reliance on acid for the storytelling and drama is not necessarily a bad thing, as the purpose of the Bowdens’ infighting is certainly more to set up future fights that will be more naturally arrived at. Overall, this episode proves that, at its best, Cape Fear is at its most riveting when it focuses as tightly as possible on Cady and the Bowdens.
Rating: 9/10