In 49 Minutes, HBO’s 7-Part Dark Comedy Miniseries Revealed Its Most Unexpected Villain

One episode into Steve Conrad‘s dark comedy DTF St. Louis, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The HBO Max miniseries starring Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and David Harbour has established right out of the gate that it’s not pulling any punches. The suggestively titled pilot, “Cornhole,” paints a serene suburban picture in a broken frame. The story follows two families who reside in Twyla, Missouri (St. Louis area), and from the very beginning everybody is walking on eggshells. One of Steve Conrad‘s greatest strengths is letting silence say more than the dialogue.

Carol (Cardellini) is a beautiful, hard-working mom, and wife to ASL guru Floyd Smernitch (Harbour.) Floyd works alongside weather forecaster Clark Forrest (Bateman), who is also married with two daughters. It is revealed early on that neither of the men are entirely happy in their respective marriages. On the contrary. Clark suggests the idea of using a new app called, DTF St. Louis. The objective being to have sexual interactions with other married, consenting adults. “Yeah, I’d be cool with that,” Floyd eventually agrees. Fast-forward eight weeks when Floyd’s lifeless body is discovered in a local pool house, the police are quick to point fingers. With clear evidence against Clark, the manipulative weatherman’s actions leading up to Floyd’s death fall under great scrutiny. But given the context of everything that occurred in 49 minutes of television, a surprise suspect comes into focus.

Relationship boundaries are made crystal clear in Conrad’s world. However, it’s also a guarantee, given these character interactions, that those boundaries are going to be crossed. Floyd and Clark may be colleagues and even friends, but the latter’s flirtatious conversations with Carol are both obvious and completely intentional. Clark’s manipulative behavior suggests that he has the capacity to inflict very real damage (emotional or otherwise) on his friends and family. From moving his daughters’ swing set in sight of their beautiful neighbor’s yard as a safeguard, to his strategic wordplay used when creating a dating profile. All signs point to Clark as someone who could commit murder.

The episode reaches its crescendo when a flashback reveals that Floyd knows about Clark sleeping with Carol. To Conrad’s credit, the scene happens in total silence as Floyd is teaching Clark how to sign. The tension is uncomfortable as it is palpable. Leading up to this point, Floyd and his naivety didn’t necessarily suspect anything of Clark other than pure friendship. That’s what manipulators do. They take advantage of the kindness of others. But who is the real manipulator in this love triangle?

Linda Cardellini Says More With Her Actions Than Her Words

The episode makes it a point to let the audience know that even after finding out her husband has passed, and his computer is being searched by police, Carol never sheds a tear. That’s telling in and of itself. But her gradual display of unhappiness is incredibly noticeable. Whether she’s picking up a second job as a nighttime baseball umpire, making little to no eye contact with Floyd during normal conversation, or poking fun at his comic book obsession behind his back. Carol finds ways to metaphorically twist the knife long before her husband’s untimely passing.

The police can blame Clark all they want, but it’s no secret that, at the very least, Carol is equally responsible for their affair. She has basically shut herself down in her own marriage, and although she might not say it out loud, she is looking to spice things up. Carol’s manipulation is subtle compared to Clark’s, which makes her even more dangerous because nobody (especially Floyd) sees it coming. That’s textbook sociopath behavior. And kudos to Linda Cardellini, who flourishes in this type of role. Lest we forget her work on series such as No Good Deed, Dead To Me, and Bloodline, all of which center around murder and mystery. Carol is a perfect blend of ambiguity and sociopathy.

HBO’s Balance of Comedy and Drama Truly Aid ‘DTF St. Louis’

If there’s one advantage the series brings to the table, it’s that it’s got the perfect mix of comedy and drama. Jason Bateman long ago cracked the code of comedic relief. ThinkArrested Development meetsThe Gift with much more immediate and severe consequences.David Harbour’s fumbling step-dad routine is a humorous yet critical contrast to the gorgeous and confident Linda Cardellini. The dynamic is so important in that all sympathy is directed toward Floyd, even before his death. He’s a lovable, out-of-shape punching bag. It’s much more appealing then, that foul play is involved and Carol had something to do with it.

Clark Forrest is a horizontal bike-riding, suburban superstar with a motive to kill. We know that by the end of the episode. But based on the CCTV footage, we don’t know if it was actually him riding his silly tricycle the morning Floyd’s body was found. Realistically, it could have been anybody. Not to mention Richard, Carol’s angst-y son, who wants nothing to do with Floyd taking the role of his father. Richard’s disdain for Floyd is anything but subtle, and he spends most of his free time belittling his step-dad or throwing rocks at houses. Again, there’s a beautiful balance of thrills and laughs.

But a mother’s animal instincts are very real. Carol is capable of bringing out her bear claws at the first sign of danger. There’s no putting it past her. It can’t be overstated how well-written the pilot episode truly is. That’s a credit to Steve Conrad. In 49 minutes, he introduced us to the players, he brought us into this established environment, and he laid out the stakes. Make no mistake, these characters are in deep over their heads. All signs point to Clark Forrest, but don’t be surprised if the police got it wrong. Carol has got something up her sleeve, and it’s not just umpire gear.