‘The Night Of’ Theories: If Naz Didn’t Do It, Here’s Who Might Have
Warning: This story contains spoilers through episode 6 of The Night Of.
Six down, and just one more episode to go before the Aug. 28 finale of The Night Of reveals who really killed Andrea Cornish… or, at least, resolves Naz Khan’s murder case. We think. There are no guarantees, of course, of just how much closure we can expect from HBO’s intense, twist-filled drama, but we do expect to get some answers to the many questions the series has posed.
The biggest, of course: Did Naz really kill Andrea? If you’d asked viewers after watching just the first episode, we’d bet the overwhelming majority would have said the naïve, quiet, observant college student wasn’t capable of such a thing. But between the reveals about his past and how quickly he’s taken to life in Rikers… who among us doesn’t at least harbor a few doubts? Especially since Naz himself can’t remember the events of the night of?
Related: ‘The Night Of’ Recap: ‘Over My Dead Body’
With the end so near, and unanswered questions so plentiful, here’s a roundup of why Naz might be guilty, why he might not be, who might have done it if he didn’t, and other things we’re dying to know before our summer obsession comes to a close.
Naz might be guilty, because:
* He can’t remember much of what happened after he got to Andrea’s house that night… including, for certain, whether or not he killed her.
* He lied about having taken amphetamines on the night Andrea died, which proves he’s capable of lying, and which might have affected his decision-making abilities/what he was capable of doing that night.
But Naz might not be guilty, because:
* He can’t remember much of what happened after he got to Andrea’s house that night… but he says he didn’t kill her.
* He still seems like the “good kid” we thought he was in the beginning, albeit with an ever-increasing number of asterisks, i.e. except for that time he pushed that kid Steve Diaz down the stairs when he was in high school; except for that time he beat that guy, Calvin, in the shower at Rikers; except for the time he smuggled drugs into the jail for Freddy; except for the time he used his friendship with Freddy to play power games with those dudes in the TV room; except for that time he shaved his head to appear tougher; except for that time he started using drugs with Freddy… Second thought, this might go under “he might be guilty, because…”
Others who might have done it:
* Don Taylor (Paul Sparks), Andrea’s stepdad. He went from making $30K a year as a personal trainer to marrying a much older millionaire, and stands to inherit even more with Andrea out of the picture. He also has a habit of dating older, wealthy women, according to Ray Halle.
* Ray Halle (Paulo Costanzo), Andrea’s accountant, who was a little too easily manipulated — or was he? — into spilling the deets on Andrea’s mother and her marriage to Don to John Stone. Theory: Maybe Ray and Don were in cahoots to get rid of Andrea and share the even bigger pile of cash that would be left to Don?
* Andrea (Sofia Black D’Elia): Is it possible she killed herself? There were a LOT of stab wounds all over her body, almost certainly too many for her to have inflicted on herself, but maybe not?
* Mr. Day (Esau Pritchett), aka that creepy hearse driver from the gas station, who Naz’s attorney, Chandra (Amara Karan), spoke to in episode 6. Mr. Day has got some issues with women, and seemed to take an instant dislike to Andrea (even with her tossed cigarette at the gas station aside). Even if he didn’t kill Andrea, it’s not tough to imagine he might be responsible for providing “clients” for his own business.
* Trevor Williams (J.D. Williams), the guy who harassed Naz outside Andrea’s apartment, and who lied about another guy being with him that night. Why would he lie about that guy being with him?
* Duane Reade (Charlie Hudson III), the guy who was with Trevor the night Andrea was killed, and who fled when John Stone tried to question him. Duane, who shares a name with the greatest pharmacy/store you can never shop at without spending at least $25, also has a criminal record and is known for his use of… knives.
Lingering questions:
* Is Naz playing with Chandra (Amara Karan), his attorney? Are his flirtations — and that cell phone call from Rikers — sincere attempts to interact with a human being on the outside and/or get reassurances from his legal counsel… or is he trying to get her emotionally invested in him as more than her client?
* Does Det. Dennis Box (Bill Camp) have lingering doubts about Naz’s guilt? Something seems to be nagging at him as he continues to work the case.
* What is Freddy’s (Michael K. Williams) big-picture plan with Naz? Why did he choose Naz to befriend and offer his favors to? What, ultimately, does he expect in return?
* Naz’s swift adaptation to prison life… does it mean he believes he’s going to be there a long time? Or does it perhaps indicate that these are the behaviors he was predisposed to all along?
* If Naz is guilty, does he know he is? Or does he suspect he is, but just can’t remember committing the act? He definitely has awareness of the rage inside him, the violence he is capable of, and, as he admitted to Chandra, that he is capable of committing violent acts — like pushing Steve Diaz down a staircase — and not feeling any remorse for them, or being able to give a reason for why he committed them.
* Naz’s parents (Poorna Jagannathan and Peyman Moaadi) and brother (Syam Lafi) are already feeling the consequences of the charges against Naz; whatever the outcome of his case, will the rest of the Khan family be able to recover from the fallout of Andrea’s death?
* Will John Stone’s (John Turturro) near-miraculous recovery from the eczema on his feet be a permanent thing? One of the best scenes of the series so far was the episode 6 moment when Stone goes to his eczema support group and shows off his feet… housed inside socks and fancy dress shoes instead of his usual mandals with chopstick scratching implement. His was nothing less than a s–t-eating grin as he sat there as the king, and fresh hope bearer, for the skin condition sufferers.
* What happens to Andrea’s cat, the one currently residing in the bedroom of Stone’s son, Dwight Gooden Stone? Now that Stone seems to have successfully won his battle with eczema, will he decide he can deal with his cat allergy on a permanent basis and let the feline stay? Or is kitty doomed to return to the shelter where he narrowly missed out on a death sentence when John Stone gave him a reprieve?
The Night Of airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
