Into The Dark (2×09) Good Boy Early Review

Hulu and Blumhouse’s horror anthology series Into The Dark has provided cinematic-quality episodes over its first two seasons and Good Boy, the latest episode was no different though it will certainly not be for everyone. If anything, this episode is an easy and mindless 90 minutes that works better than it arguably had any right to be thanks to a committed lead performance from Judy Greer. Though the reputation of the series precedes it, that predictability factor doesn’t take away from the fun of it all. As the episode gets increasingly ridiculous and stupid at times (not to mention incredibly graphic), the B-movie elements and special effects may be entertaining while Greer grounds the story but they could only do so much.

Good Boy follows a newspaper reporter named Maggie (Greer) who found herself in the middle of a midlife crisis that saw her going up in age with little to show for it, alone with a dying profession. Suffice it to say that she was feeling some anxiety as a result. To try to help with her anxiety, Maggie tried to fill that hole in her life by adopting an emotional support dog that she would name Reuben. At least early on, Reuben helped with Maggie’s anxiety as her life showed signs of turning around for the better as her connection with the dog grew but little did she know, what was really going on was something sinister. Meanwhile, there were plenty of signs that something may be off so it was only inevitable that Maggie would figure out what was really going on with Reuben. This eventual moment would mark a turning point for the episode as Maggie was saddled with an important choice of what to do next.

As the situation quickly spiraled, so did Maggie. It was easy to empathize with her position of wanting the benefits of Reuben despite the dire consequences. Over the course of the episode, as those consequences mounted, there was only so much Maggie could do to keep up. Despite her best intentions, this was not going to last forever so as the walls were closing in, the tension ramped up as things got more exciting to watch, snowballing all the way to the end. However, the truth may not have been what it seemed. While watching, just don’t expect any answers as this was probably for the best for something like this.

As mentioned, the special effects for the most part weren’t that great but this fact kind of gets a pass here as this fits right in with the mood and atmosphere Good Boy was trying to create. The deaths, while graphic, are on the stupid side while the camera pulls away before we get to really see anything which is a shame. In the end, the best part of the episode was Greer’s committed performance as Maggie. Her arc was a compelling roller coaster to watch, from a woman at her wits’ end to findings happiness and then fighting to keep that good fortune while trying to prevent the rug from being pulled underneath her. Known primarily for her supporting characters, Greer shows great range and along with her likability and relatability, carry the episode and keeps it from falling apart. If we didn’t care about Maggie, Good Boy would not stand a chance.

At the end of the day, Good Boy is a good episode that won’t be for everyone but any horror fans looking for an easy, quick watch will be treated to a decent experience.

*still courtesy of Hulu*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.