This article contains spoilers for Apple TV’s Cape Fear Episode 5
Watching the first four episodes of Cape Fear has felt like watching a ticking time bomb. Sure, there have been violent moments, but the tension has been building in the Bowden household amid external pressures and the need to cover up past misdeeds. It was only a matter of time before someone broke.
In Episode 5, “Faith,” more than one person broke. The psychological warfare unleashed on them is now paying dividends for Max Cady (Javier Bardem), who undoubtedly has much more in store for the family.
Max Cady’s Psychological Warfare Starts to Pay Off
Anna (Amy Adams) follows Nevaeh (Malia Pyles) to a movie theater and confronts her about Max being her father, appealing to the fact that Nevaeh is being used. Nevaeh has none of it, however, dropping hints about secrets she knows about Anna. She tells her that Anna’s daughter, Natalie (Lily Collias), now belongs to her, never mind what she has done to her son, Zach (Joe Anders).
Anna follows Nevaeh outside and, in a heated argument, puts her hands on Nevaeh, who is then hit by a car and runs off. However, in the time we live in, everyone has their cameras out filming, and this is nothing but bad for Anna.
This leads to lies of omission to the police and an argument between Anna and Tom (Patrick Wilson), who brings up issues from Anna’s past. Both of them are flawed humans; it’s just a question of how bad the secrets are. However, these two aren’t the only ones fighting the past.
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While out for a drink, Max is confronted by Juliette Lewis’s character, and you can see the unease in his eyes. However, once they are somewhere private to talk, he makes it clear that whatever she has on him, she disgusts him and that if she comes around him again, he’ll kill her. It is great to see someone actually make Max pause, and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Lewis’s character.
After her highly public confrontation with Nevaeh, Anna gets slapped down and told to work from home. That doesn’t stop her from pushing on, though. After a couple of attempts, she sits down with Nevaeh’s mother, Faith (Martha Millan), to learn more about Nevaeh. Max has his hooks in Nevaeh good, and it’s unclear whether Faith is more afraid of Max or of what her daughter has become.
Regardless, she tells Anna where she thinks Nevaeh is. While investigating the area, Anna discovers strange objects and letters, including one from the prison that shows a giant cross buried in the ground. On the back, it reads, “One day I’ll take you there.”
Tom Bowden Finally Realizes the Truth About Max Cady
While Tom is having a drink with a colleague, Max shows up. One thing leads to another, and they end up having many drinks together, which severely clouds Tom’s thinking. He gets into a fight, which is, of course, all recorded. So now both he and Anna are suspended and at home.
Tom suddenly realizes Anna was right all along about Max’s psychological warfare. He knows fear; it’s all over his face as he realizes how badly their family has been, and is being, manipulated.
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Speaking of the family, the kids aren’t doing much better. Both Natalie and Zach were manipulated by Nevaeh and/or Max, and neither is strong enough to deal with this, especially Zach. The family is spiraling downward at an accelerated rate, and something has to be done. However, no help will come from Faith.
When Anna goes to visit her, picture in hand, she finds her dead. Killed by Nevaeh or Max, it’s unclear at this time (though I’ll go with Max). Now Anna is more determined than ever to show the world what Max really is.
Cape Fear Episode 5 Is a Darker Episode
There are some missteps along the way in this episode. Along with the weird color palette they keep using, which I guess is meant to evoke the South, there are some really bad accents and truly clunky, awkwardly delivered dialogue.
While the pace of some storylines was sped up, others slowed right down, and the attempted tension fell flat. It was a strangely put-together episode at times, disjointed and awkward, which took away momentum from the parts that actually worked.
That said, Pyles continues to impress as Nevaeh, and Bardem continues to chew the scenery as Max, clearly enjoying himself. Now, halfway through the season, the show feels ready to push more boundaries. “Faith” was darker than those that came before it. The last shot shows the family on the porch, staring across the street at Max, who just smiles back, knowing they have no idea what’s coming next.
Cape Fear Episode 5 is now streaming on Apple TV. New episodes premiere every Friday through July 31.
