Quarry: Carnival of Souls Review

This Quarry review contains spoilers.

Quarry Season 1, Episode 7

The best plot twists are comprised of unexpected moments that, when looking back at the episode, are so obvious that they seem impossible to miss. Such is the case with the latest Quarry, which strung together a series of adventurous but completely normal events (at least for this show) and threw in a few seemingly insignificant mistakes that nearly derailed everything Mac and others have fought for. It’s nice to know that as comfortably paced as this show is, it will never let its viewers get too cozy.

Mac and Joni have been through some tough times this season, but when all is said and done, they deserve a marriage-of-the-year award. For Mac to forgive Joni her marital indiscretion is one thing, but for her to forgive and accept his gun-for-hire status is another whole level of love. Now Mac has to look past her trying to sell the house out from under him? If it weren’t for his guilt for involving her in his life of crime, it would all seem like too much to bear.

The Broker’s magnanimity on the other hand has all but dissolved as he ups the creep factor this week. His showing up out of nowhere to give Mac his assignment is bad enough, but to show up at Joni’s open house acting like a friendly neighbor felt downright invasive. It’s difficult to determine if he suspects Joni is aware of Mac’s true profession or indeed if he even cares. Regardless, with $12k to go to pay of Arthur’s debt, the Broker must find new ways to hold on to his star recruit.

Perhaps assigning Buddy to partner with Mac wasn’t the most ingratiating move, but it sure made for a great dynamic, akin to John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction. Buddy’s cavalier attitude and drug and alcohol use could be tied to his job dissatisfaction, but Mac is right to chastise his more experienced colleague — they shouldn’t have been caught staking out the carnival. What a brilliant move on Mac’s part, though, to pretend to be lovers!

It always surprises me when the Broker’s team makes such rookie mistakes, but the realistic nature of the consequences balances out nicely the ease with which the weasel, Karl, commandeers the drug dealers’ supply as it arrives on the river. And it’s not as if Credence’s men weren’t fairly careless as well. Burkhalter being taken by Mac and Buddy during trick-or-treating was a particularly satisfying development — some truly humorous moments there.

It’s a shame Buddy couldn’t be more on his game, but of course his proposal to leave the hitman business in favor of becoming a gun supplier was rejected by the Broker so he had every right to be dejected. The presentation booklet was a real joy to see unveiled, and although it seemed slightly silly, the regret felt when the Broker says no is real. Tying in Buddy’s disillusionment with the botched gun deal earlier in the season was a nice touch.

But of course the real shock was the sudden success for the very stubborn Detective Olsen. Even though he ruined a good thing with Sandy by constantly reminding her of Cliff, his tenacity paid off. It’s still unclear what caused Joni to call Mac back in the middle of his operation, but his trip home was the only reason Olsen was able to follow him to the carnival where the hit was going down. That’s a mistake that could cost Mac his freedom!

Having that as an ending, though, is a perfect setup for an exciting finale. Quarry has never failed to entertain in its brief first season, and it’s sure to carry that tradition through the remaining episode. All that’s left to wonder about is how the series, which has not yet been renewed, will end its opening run. Will it be a cliffhanger or a big reveal about the Broker’s operation or something else? Are there major deaths in store? One more week to find out!