Really glad I watched this episode. I've been on the fence about this show from the 3rd episode of season 1 and now I'm done with it. What a complete waste of an hour.

This A.V. review is what's really shallow. Taken as a whole, the context of everything fits and painfully could use a couple more episodes to fulfill all the detail its presented. It almost sounds to me that if one show isn't a complete self-fulfilling unit in and of itself, A.V. won't "bless" it.

That's why some people feel the show is not interesting or slow. You have to really pay attention as ANY line of dialogue or scene could be a key to a future reveal. And/or with Sutter, it could also be misdirection.

I don't disagree completely as in only 3 episodes the word tedious found its way into my description a few times, but I still think it's more interesting than most reviewers have depicted. I wasn't limiting my comment about "reviewers" to just AV Club.

Possibly, but I'm not too sure they would be that obvious this early on. If not Wilkin's father, most definitely his primary mentor.

I think it was intended as more of a tease. SoA fans would recognize him instantly but I doubt many others would.

So in the flashback seen showing young Wilkin practicing with the staff, did anyone catch the momentary onlooking watchful eye of what appeared to be his father? Take a look again. Sutter without the facial hair.