Rectify Season Finale Review: The Source (Season 3 Episode 6)

Everything that happens on Rectify is done with intention.

There’s no filler, but instead, there are the small details that come from normal life as they contrast with Daniel’s time in prison. Much of the Season 3 finale, “The Source” invests in those small moments, and everything about it is hauntingly beautiful.

We’re seeing the world through Daniel’s eyes, which means even the smallest of pleasures are ones we shouldn’t take for granted. As Daniel stands on the balcony of Jon’s motel room, he admires the simplest of views.

Daniel: I don’t really have context yet, Jon.
Jon. Okay.
Daniel: Would this be considered a shitty view? Within the norm of shitty views?
Jon: To me it qualifies.
Daniel: I’m still outside the norm, then.
Jon: You are that, buddy.

Then he gets this normal sort of family moment when Daniel and his mother both set their eyes on the box of fritters that Amantha brings over. It’s playful and cute, suggesting that their family life before Daniel was gone was always a positive one. We’ve gotten hints of that before, seeing how close all of three of them are, and hearing them talk about life when Daniel was young.

Daniel and Amantha’s goodbye is emotional, but it isn’t tearful. Amantha holds back her tears and Daniel acts silly to make her life. I always find it so endearing that they call each other “sister” and “brother” when they talk to each other, and in this instance, it’s particularly heartfelt.

Now, Daniel is being taken away from his family again, but this time, it’s starting to seem like something that will help Daniel to grow. He’s going to learn more independence, while at the same time getting the help he needs to acclimate as a citizen.

Before that happens, though, he gets to go on a road trip with his mother, where he continues to seek out simple pleasures, like the hopes of eating at a seafood restaurant he remembers from his childhood.

Janet: We could Google it and find out.
Daniel: Mother, I know that day is coming. My first Google. But if I wanna see if Hoppy’s is still Hoppy’s, I want to find out the old-fashioned way.

You have to love Daniel’s dry humor, whether or not it’s always intentional. That’s just one of the qualities that makes it easy to forget he has a violent side.

Daniel asks if they can take a side trip, and Janet says she doesn’t see why not. Then we cut a close-up of the car’s blinker as Janet prepares to make a turn — a detail that signifies they are going somewhere important. More than that, it’s the kind of detail that makes Rectify artistic and beautiful, as opposed to just whisking us through a story.

The side trip is to the prison, where Daniel stands outside alone, emotional, and in awe of the structure.

Daniel: Sometimes, I want to walk to the front gate and ask them to let me back in. Back into my box. Back into my cocoon.

But Daniel gathers himself and instead wants to take advantage of the road trip, which will lead them to the ocean. He also insists on driving with the windows down, while it’s raining, and going at least 4.5 miles over the speed limit. What could be better?

At the beach, Daniel throws a ball with a young boy, and his mother notes that he is good with children. That’s not something I’ve put much thought into before now, but it does seem Daniel is the kind of man who would one day want a family of his own. The scene feels hopeful and tragic all at once.

Daniel finally walks out into the ocean, which feels a bit like a second baptism (his first being early in the series) as his old life — the one he’s had since returning home — washes away.

Tawney, unsurprisingly, is brought into the picture as she dreams of seeing Daniel in prison, feeling as though she’s lost her footing ever since he arrived. Maybe that’s true, but I think he’s also inspired her to find out who she truly is.

The final scene sends Daniel away, on his own, opening the door to the New Canaan Project. He calls it a “brave new world” and worries about having a roommate. He tells his mother he wants to go in on his own, and that he’s going to give this his best shot. Then the one things he asks of his mother, is that she try and forgive herself. She lets one tear fall free, then watches her son as he walks away.

His goodbye? “See you in the funny papers.” And he doesn’t look back.

Other Developments:

• Tawney moves back into the house, then politely tells Teddy she wants to have the locks changed. She’s standing up for herself, while at the same time, maybe making sure she isn’t able to go back to him so easily.
• Teddy and Ted Sr. finish the kitchen, with their last step pushing the stove Daniel bought for her mother into place. Then, Ted Sr. tells Teddy to do whatever he has to save his marriage.
• We also get a glimpse of the life Amantha had with her stepbrothers, which includes a game of Gin Rummy as they all sit around the table with chinese food. Teddy is back at that house now and seems to be taking Daniel’s place.
• While Daniel is on his trip, Sheriff Dagget has continued the investigation into the death of George Melton, while also seeking the truth of what actually happened to Hannah. Though we still don’t have all the answers for Hannah’s murder, it’s one step in the right direction to see Trey arrested for killing George Melton. Please, please, put this guy away.

What did you think of the Season Finale of Rectify? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Rectify returns next summer on SundanceTV. You can also catch up by watching for free online through SundanceTV.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.