The Night Of: Guilty or Not?

“The Night Of” is an American crime series from 2016 on HBO. The Night Of immediately drags you into a sinister and alien world, where the series explores the dark and complex legal system. Experienced and seen through the eyes of Pakistani American Nasir Khan. And excellently played by Riz Ahmed, who is accused of the murder of a young white woman.

The plot is briefly like this: Nasir Khan’s friend fails to meet him as they were going to party. To get to the party, the otherwise well-behaved and dutiful student Nasir takes his father’s taxi to drive himself to the party in Manhattan. On the way he makes a stop because he cannot find his way. The taxi sign is inadvertently on, and the young girl Andrea therefore thinks that Nasir is a real taxi driver and gets in.

She invites Nasir up to her apartment, where they take some drugs before sleeping with each other. When Nasir wakes up in the kitchen, he is covered in blood, and Andrea is stabbed to death in the bedroom. Nasir cannot remember anything of what happened.

Before Nasir comes to his senses, he is suspected of murder, and the only help he can get is from this shabby lawyer Jack Stone, who makes a living by making quick settlements for petty criminals for a cheap fee.

Through the episodes, we now follow Nasir’s horrible transformation in prison from being an innocent college student to a tattooed, brutal and crack-smoking inmate. At the same time Jack Stone is  desperately trying to prove that Nasir is innocent. But is Nasir innocent?

The Night Of is a remarkable series, where focus is partly on the evolvement of the characters and partly on the complex plot. The series examines not only the legal process, but also the social and human aspects of being accused of a crime you may not have committed. The acting is intense and compelling, creating the dramatic experience you get watching The Night Of.

The Night Of is well written, well told and thought provoking. The series is simply excellent. See it.

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