In the gripping second installment of Netflix's "No Good Deed," titled "Private Showing," the Morgan family's troubled past casts an ominous shadow over their endeavors to sell their Los Feliz abode. As the veil of secrecy encompassing Jacob's demise is gradually lifted, the truth emerges as a tangled web, leaving viewers with a labyrinth of questions unraveling before them.
The episode kicks off by shedding light on a series of burglaries that coincided with the tragic time of Jacob's passing. Lydia, haunted by fears for her family's well-being, insisted on keeping a firearm within the premises, a stance that initially met with Paul's reluctance. This nostalgic glimpse into their past unveils the underlying tension between father and son, with Paul's exasperation towards Jacob's conduct serving as a harbinger of the impending tragedy.
The narrative takes a profound dive as Paul chance upon an obscure connection linking the spree of burglaries to his own family. During a serendipitous encounter with JD, who was struggling to cope with a faulty security alarm, Paul gleans that the culprit had stolen a $50,000 gold Rolex from JD's abode. In a breathtaking turn of events, Paul uncovers the exact same Rolex, accompanied by an assortment of other stolen jewels, tucked away in a clandestine chamber adjacent to Jacob's former bedroom. This astonishing discovery ignites a night of reminiscence, recalling the instance where Paul had retrieved a pillowcase filled with stolen goods from outside on the night of Jacob's demise, hinting at a possible connection between Paul and the burglary.
As Paul contends with the ramifications of his grim discovery, he is besieged by his brother Mikey, who extortionately demands $80,000 for his silence. In a desperate bid to quell the crisis, Lydia sells her grandmother's piano, which had been harboring the gun potentially tied to Jacob's death, to satisfy Mikey's demands. This harrowing decision not only throws Paul into a whirlwind of emotions but also bares the profound depths of the Morgans' concealed truths and the dire lengths they are prepared to traverse to safeguard them.
As Paul grapples with the aftermath of the blackmail scandal, Lydia finds herself adrift in a sea of sorrow, navigating her heartache in solitude. She clingingly holds onto the faith that Jacob is reaching out to her through the intermittent glow of the lights in his chamber, a belief that Paul scoffs at with a harsh, mocking laugh. This moment starkly highlights the widening chasm between Paul and Lydia, as they each attempt to come to terms with their shared loss in vastly divergent ways.
In a deeply moving scene, Lydia connects on an emotional level with Sarah, a potential home buyer who confides in her about secretly undergoing a second round of IVF, despite her partner's objections. Lydia's poignant advice to Sarah, "Never hold back the truth from one another, even when it's painful," resonates deeply with the audience, as it mirrors the very discord that plagues her own marriage.
The episode takes a dramatic turn when Leslie, a prosecutor for the district attorney, uncovers the truth behind Jacob's demise through her online detective work. Her startling discovery that Jacob was fatally wounded during a failed robbery introduces a new layer to the mystery, directly contradicting the Morgans' narrative of the events. Lydia's growing apprehension over Leslie's relentless pursuit of the truth is tangible, especially when she receives security footage depicting Leslie trespassing onto their property.
"Private Showing" is a masterfully crafted episode that delves even deeper into the intricate web of deceit and secrets surrounding the Morgan family. As the various pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, the overarching question lingers: What truly transpired on the fateful night Jacob lost his life? The episode concludes with the audience as entangled in the enigma as the characters themselves, leaving us eagerly anticipating the next chapter in this dark and intricate tale. With each new revelation, "No Good Deed" continues to affirm that nothing is as it appears, and the truth lies buried beneath numerous layers of deception and heartache.
