The new installment “Sounds Like” is not so much a horror story with blood and guts, but an examination of a man who has special hearing. Special hearing that serves as a great service to his company, and a curse. As all gifts are. He can hear when a service rep at his software company is about to become angered at a customer, and he fires them upon this instinct, yet he was also able to hear the defect in his son’s heart before his death. Brad Anderson’s installment is a solid character study, a facet of the horror genre he’s strived in with “Session 9,” and the excellent “The Machinist.”
Larry is a bittersweet character with a powerful position, and a wonderful gift, yet he’s empty, and his gift is backfiring. Bauer’s performance as this company drone who is beginning to suffer from the audible sounds all around him is engrossing, and I enjoyed the basic atmosphere of the void and vast within this man’s mind. Anderson creates a sense of madness within an ability that many people would kill to have, and “Sounds Like” is basically a man who is tired of listening. He listens to problems, complaining, to the conversations from his talkative lonely wife, and to sounds both big and small, and he doesn’t know how to stop. “Most people are afraid to listen,” says Larry, “They’re afraid they’ll hear what’s behind the noise.”
And Anderson shows how his physical ability becomes a metaphysical ability. His power becomes rooted in emotion and then it begins driving him mad. He begins hearing addictions, yearning, and basic needs, and then it’s not so much about noise, but about a man who can’t escape his life and guilt as hard as he may try. The noise is more symbolic of his responsibilities, and life that he tries to get away from, and the tension rises as the noise becomes so much louder and painful. Anderson’s entry into the season is a fascinating, and engrossing neo “Telltale Heart” that delves into the psyche of a man who has the ability to listen, and now can’t stop it no matter how hard he tries. Top notch acting, and pacing make it a very good episode.