New York Post Article

The Apple TV+ series 'Nocturne' continues to weave a complex narrative, with the second episode, titled 'Inside Woman,' further entangling the stories of Jonah Lynn, Saga Bauer, and Jurek Walter. The episode reveals that Jurek has been pursuing the protagonists for nearly as long as they have been investigating him.

Through interactions with FBI Agent Quinn and the characters themselves, as well as a flashback to Jurek's interrogation, the episode details the intertwined pasts of Jonah and Saga. Jonah initially came to Fairhaven from Philadelphia to assist a friend on the police force, Sam Mendel. Saga is Sam's daughter, whose mother, Denise Bauer, suffers from schizophrenia and dementia. When Jonah moved to Fairhaven and married, he became a surrogate father to Saga.

Years later, after an unrevealed accident claimed Jonah's wife and daughter, he began working the Jurek Walter case with Sam. During an interrogation, Jurek taunted Sam about his abusive relationship with his wife, Rebecca, revealing he knew her name. Sam became enraged, requiring restraint.

Jonah has since suspected Jurek's involvement in Rebecca's disappearance, despite Jurek being in custody at the time, suggesting an accomplice. The reappearance of Michael Frost, who claims a woman named "Becky" with an eye condition matching Rebecca's was with him and his missing sister Felicia, strengthens this suspicion.

In response, Saga assumes a fake schizophrenia diagnosis, mirroring her mother's condition, and gets herself committed to a psychiatric hospital to uncover how Jurek is communicating messages from within. Meanwhile, Jurek manipulates a new nurse, Gary, into assisting him, a tactic that has led previous nurses to quit. Another figure, Karl, is portrayed as being susceptible to Jurek's charm, with his career and freedom now at risk due to his compliance.

Simultaneously, Saga, using the alias Esther Desjardins, discovers a cryptic symbol—a circle bisected by a double-pointed arrow—etched into a wall of her padded room. Jonah also finds this symbol etched into trees in the woods near his wife's former hunting cabin, which now serves as headquarters for an undercover operation. He had previously felt they were being watched.

The series, while adhering to genre conventions like tragic backstories and a manipulative antagonist, is noted for its engaging plot and the acting talent of its leads, Stephen Graham and Zazie Beetz. The unfolding mysteries, including the fate of Saga's stepmother and the significance of the recurring symbol, drive the narrative forward.