Under the Bridge Season 1 Episode 5 Review: When The Heat Comes Down

It’s time for the CMC to face what they’ve done on Under the Bridge  Season 1 Episode 5, “When The Heat Comes Down.” Back mostly in the 1997 timeline, the story picks up intensity as the cops start to circle Kelly and Warren.

After the emotional beats of Reena’s funeral, the cops turn up the heat on the girls and the local high school, saying anyone involved in the first attack will be charged as an accessory to Reena’s murder. Rebecca thinks she can play the girls off one another or trick them into giving up evidence.

Unfortunately, Kelly is too savvy to fall for her tricks. As we see in a flashback, even after Reena moves to Seven Oaks it’s Kelly who works to keep her out of the gang.

This episode marks a distinct shift in the investigation where it becomes more of a cat-and-mouse game. It increases the tension of watching their every move as they become paranoid and even start to turn on one another.

It’s also Kelly’s idea to frame Warren, submitting anonymous calls. Although he later reveals to Rebecca, after she takes drugs to prove she’s not a cop, he did witness Kelly murder Reena it’s clear he wasn’t the mastermind behind this plan.

Despite knowing where this story goes, it’s still anxiety-inducing to watch it play out, especially given what creative liberties Under the Bridge takes. There’s no reason to think Dusty is in any real danger, but the story is so tensely wound that you begin to fear for her when Kelly suggests getting rid of her.

Cam has less to do on this episode but serves the important role of questioning Reena’s murder beyond the obvious “bad girl behavior” of the suspects.

The show’s decision to address the racial component of the crime, and Reena’s bindi-like burn mark, something dismissed during the real-life investigation, makes sense through a modern lens and with the inclusion of Cam as a character. Even though Reena is a “bad kid,” she still suffers microaggressions even within her own group of friends.

So does Dusty, which is why it makes sense of all the girls that she’s the only one she actually had a real bond with.

Kelly felt threatened by Reena, and given her mother’s reaction when she dropped her off at the Virk’s house, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of that was rooted in racism. It would be easy to just say Kelly is a sociopath, and maybe she is, but she’s also a product of her community.

As an indigenous person, Cam feels compelled to speak the truth about things her white father is too eager to ignore. For example, why Manjit was arrested without any evidence of abuse.

Manjit’s treatment by the police makes you feel even more for him, but the most heartbreaking scene is when Reena comes home to get clothes and he’s afraid to open the door. Even despite that, he still sets some clothes out on the steps as she’s walking away.

The turmoil of wanting to take care of your child while also fearing them is so visceral in Ezra Faroque Khan’s performance. It calls back to the heartbreak of Suman when she tells Rebecca she can’t help her tell Reena’s story because she didn’t know Reena.

The heart of the show is a victim who feels unknown even to the characters in the show. It makes Under the Bridge’s job of being respectful and honoring her memory even more difficult.

What it has inarguably achieved, even before its finale, is to make sure what happened to Reena is known by more people outside of Canada. Who that helps is a question harder to answer.

What did you think of this episode of Under the Bridge? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Under the Bridge airs Wednesdays on Hulu.

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