Literary cameos in HBO’s “The Night Of”
“Survival in here is all about your alliances….Those husky dogs knew that.” – Freddy from HBO’s popular new series “The Night Of” in reference to Jack London’s Call of the Wild
I get really excited when I see references to literature (or intertextuality) usefully inserted into an already great story line – it makes me pause, rewind, quote, and blog. So here goes:
If you are not watching HBO’s new drama “The Night Of” I STRONGLY recommend it (no serious spoilers here).
I want to reflect on a scene from episode 4 that offers some fascinating literary cameos when Naz, a soft-spoken university student who is in prison awaiting a trial for murder, meets with Freddy, a smooth, smart, and powerful longtime inmate who is essentially running the prison.
First, Freddie “educates” Naz on the “two most popular books in the prison library.”