A lovelorn, socially awkward young man begins to exact revenge on the the women he believes has wronged him in his life, and his actions soon escalate to murder.A lovelorn, socially awkward young man begins to exact revenge on the the women he believes has wronged him in his life, and his actions soon escalate to murder.A lovelorn, socially awkward young man begins to exact revenge on the the women he believes has wronged him in his life, and his actions soon escalate to murder.
Photos
- Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- ADA Rafael Barba
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode is based on the 2014 Isla Vista killings. Holden March is based on the perpetrator Elliot Rodger, who sent an email titled "My Twisted World" to acquaintances and family before going on the shooting. The document quickly became known as his "manifesto". Rodger's had issues feeling he had been rejected by women, despite hardly interacting with them. He also uploaded a video to YouTube (later taken down) before the incident called "Elliot Rodger's Retribution", where he talked of the upcoming attack, and his motives behind it: his desire for revenge against women and sexually active men he perceived to be living a better life than his.
- Quotes
Holden March: Hi, Holden March here. Look at them. Look at all those beautiful girls. All of them out on dates, having fun, flirting, kissing. It's Saturday afternoon and everybody is out and about with their lovers, except for me. It is not fair. Why do these girls only go out with jerks, while I, despite having so much to offer, am alone?
On re-watch, "Holden's Manifesto" holds up even better. It is one of the creepiest episodes of Season 16, it has one of the season's best acted perpetrators, has a powerful climax and contains one of Kelli Giddish's best performances of the show. As far as Season 16 goes, "Holden's Manifesto" is easily to me one of the best and one of the few outstanding episodes from it. If asked what the best episode of the season is, this would be a strong contender. Not to mention it is one of the best ripped from the headlines type cases from the latter seasons and the best one from this.
Almost everything works, and wonderfully, and even the one not so good thing isn't in any way a disaster. What immediately stands out is the performance of John Karna, who is deeply unsettling as a seriously disturbed character. The way Holden is written and acted, such as the stilted speech pattern and introverted body language and way of speaking, is very accurate to someone on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. What he does is stomach churning but part of me couldn't help not completely despising him. The case is twisty, tense and tightly paced, especially the climax.
The script is taut and pulls no punches. Peter Gallagher is a great addition, more than the standard stereotypical boss, and the initial friction between him and Olivia is not overdone. As said, Giddish gives one of her best performances and really knocks it out of the park in the truly hair raising climax.
Production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic, and the direction is alert and accommodating.
Only one aspect doesn't quite work. Olivia's soapy subplot is a slight distraction from the case and could have been excised easily.
In summation though, wonderful and a Season 16 high point. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 22, 2022