7.8/10 A solid follow-up to the pilot, though noticeably slower in pacing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—I actually appreciate how the show is taking its time to flesh out Joe and Beck’s relationship rather than rushing into a predictable dynamic. It makes the story feel more layered and, ironically, more realistic despite its dark premise. Peach is an interesting presence in Beck’s life. She genuinely seems to care for her, but there’s an almost possessive quality to her concern. The way she passive-aggressively questions Joe about how he “coincidentally” ran into Beck feels like overstepping, yet she’s not wrong to be suspicious. What makes it compelling is that, from an outsider’s perspective, Joe hasn’t actually done anything that screams “stalker”—yet Peach is already zeroing in on him. It makes me wonder how perceptive she really is. I liked that Beck took Joe’s advice to “show some teeth” in her writing. Her relationship with her professor was heading in an uncomfortable direction, and it was satisfying to see her assert herself rather than relying on him for career advancement. It adds to her character’s depth—she’s flawed, but she’s not completely naive. One thing I couldn’t help but notice was how the show visually represents Joe’s perspective. When Peach is grilling him, the background becomes slightly blurry, as if Joe is hyper-focusing on her words, trying to read between the lines. Meanwhile, when he’s with Beck, the background is practically nonexistent—because, in his mind, she’s the only thing that matters. It’s a small detail, but if intentional, it’s a great way to put us inside Joe’s obsessive headspace. @JerryTWDGoat