If someone wanted to set a “The Silence of the Lambs” riff in the world of the heavily accented “Mare of Easttown,” it would play out like “Nocturne.” The Thomas Harris influence on this adaptation of a pair of novels by the Swedish writer Lars Kepler (which is really the pen name for a husband-and-wife duo of thriller scribes) is blatant: An ambitious young agent is sent deep into a psychiatric facility to speak to a notorious serial killer to solve a case currently unfolding on the outside. Top-notch production values, a remarkable ensemble, and sharp thriller plotting allow “Nocturne” to escape the shadow of its obvious influences, even one as big as Hannibal the Cannibal.
The Lecter of this scenario is Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham, turning that “Adolescence” acclaim into more high-profile work), a notorious serial killer who is introduced essentially talking the patient in the room next to him into killing himself by bashing his head against the wall. Much like Hannibal could talk his Miggs into doing the unthinkable, Walter seems to have an almost supernatural gift for persuasion, making the facility’s newest nurse, Karl (Rory Culkin), an easy target for getting what he wants done on the outside.
While this is happening, a boy who was kidnapped years ago suddenly reappears, dazed and confused on a Pennsylvania bridge. Long presumed a victim of Walter’s, the boy’s reemergence sets in motion an investigation not only into where he’s been but whether the sister who was abducted at the same time might also still be alive. How did the child survive if Walter was in jail? And who let him go?
As the boy’s mother (Chrissy Metz) tries to adjust to both the shock of having her child back and the emotion around what might have happened to him for the last several years, the detective who originally put Walter behind bars reboots the investigation. With help from a federal agent named Quinn (Poorna Jagannathan) and a local chief/friend named Ellison (Bill Camp), cop Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber) reignites an aspect of the case that’s always haunted him: Did Jurek Walter have a partner in crime?
As if this isn’t enough, the real lead of “Nocturne” is arguably Zazie Beetz as the remarkably named Saga Bauer, an ally of Lynn’s who ends up going undercover in the hospital to get close enough to Walter to solve all the cases, closing the loops about what happened years ago and finding the missing girl. The episodes of “Nocturne” sent to press alternate between Bauer cutting legal corners in the facility to get information while Lynn, Ellison, and Quinn race against time to find the girl who so many presumed dead.
Adapted by Rowan Joffe (writer of “28 Weeks Later” and “Ballad of a Small Player”), “Nocturne” has consistently sharp dialogue and strong pacing. Unlike so many streaming shows, it moves at a solid clip, pausing a bit more than it needs to for exposition but less than most modern thrillers. It mostly avoids the trap of feeling like something you can watch with your phone in your hand, rewarding diligent viewers with engaging performances that push through the amazing Philly accents. (It’s worth it just to hear Schreiber say “Uuuuber.”) The “Ray Donovan” star plays resignation and trauma over his natural charisma, a smart choice—Jonah Lynn is haunted by choices he made during the Walter investigation to the point that he’s almost hesitant to finally place the missing pieces in this puzzle. Schreiber gives a subtle turn in a genre that rarely allows for that.
The entire cast is effective: Bill Camp remains an underrated character actor; Jagannathan continues a stellar year after her turn on “Lanterns”; Culkin is slippery in just the right way; Beetz has always had an ability to find the right rhythms for her characters. In the episodes sent for press, Metz is underwritten, but it’s a minor complaint. And then there’s Stephen Graham, who continues to do excellent work, even if he’ll always look a bit more British than Philly. Directed well by legendary TV vet Tim Van Patten in early, show-defining episodes, Graham goes quietly terrifying instead of the scenery-chewing option that other performers might have taken.
An actual critical opinion on “Nocturne” is a bit dicey because Apple TV chose not to send the final three episodes to press. It could be to keep the thriller’s secrets, but the company almost always sends the full run of a season, which leads one to believe this could really go off the rails (à la the ludicrous “Smoke,” which became one of the silliest Apple shows ever in its final stretch after a promising lead-up). So if “Nocturne” can’t stick the landing, don’t blame critics. What matters is that the first 70% of the story of Saga Bauer, Jonah Lynn, and Jurek Walter hits enough right notes that you’ll be eager to hear the end of the composition.
Seven episodes screened for review. Premieres on Apple TV on October 30.
