Why you need to watch Episode 3 of Ripley

Ripley is a New Netflix thriller that stars Andrew Scott as Patricia Highsmith’s most famous creation — here’s why you need to watch Episode 3 of the crime drama.

Master manipulator, confidence trickster, and cold-blooded killer Tom Ripley debuted in literary form via Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Which in turn was followed by four sequels — Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley, and Ripley Under Water.

But a new Netflix series adapts that first introductory story, which sees the title character leaving New York for Italy at the behest of the wealthy Greenleaf family, who want Tom to find their playboy son Dickie, and convince him to return home.

But Ripley has other ideas, quickly inserting himself into Dickie’s glamorous lifestyle on the Amalfi coast, and forming an unhealthy bond with him during Episode 2. With devastating consequences in the next instalment. So beware of SPOILERS ahead…

Why you need to watch Episode 3 of Ripley

Episode 3 of Ripley is where it all kicks off. Dickie’s girlfriend Marge has become suspicious of Tom, as has the couple’s friend Freddie Miles, while Dickie himself has caught Ripley trying on his clothes while pretending to be him — which freaks Greenleaf out.

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The pair embark on a trip down the coast, ostensibly so that he can press pause on what’s turning into a co-dependant relationship. So, while in a speedboat miles off the coast, Dickie states that he and Marge will be Christmas-ing without Tom, and suggests he does some travelling.

All of which Ripley doesn’t take well, grabbing an oar, and beating Greenleaf to death. It’s a brutal attack, and the first time we’ve seen what the character is really capable of in the series.

The rest of the episode is pretty much wordless, and at times unbearably slow. But it’s also fascinating, as Tom carefully, deliberately, disposes of the body and boat. There are moments of high drama, as Ripley falls out of the vessel, repeatedly ducks to avoid its propellors, and somehow climbs back onboard. While there’s also true darkness, most notably when Tom uses Dickie’s own blood to help remove the ring he so covets from his friend’s finger.

It’s slow going, but we addressed that stately pace in our Ripley review, writing: “the lack of speed seems to be what the show is about; a painstaking study of the horrific act of killing, followed by the practical — and time-consuming — business of cleaning up the resulting mess.” And nowhere is that more clear than here.

After what feels like an age (but in reality is more like 20 minutes), Tom weighs the body down under the water, does the same to the boat, promptly checks out of their hotel, and leaves town, with Dickie’s ring very much now on his finger.

So while it might be sluggish, Episode 3 is also a spellbinding piece of drama, and the first time we really, truly, see who Tom Ripley is.

All eight episodes of Ripley are now on Netflix, and you can head here for more titles new to streaming this month.