BLOODLINE Runs Dark

Article first published as BLOODLINE Review on Seat42F.




The best way I can think of to describer Netflix’s newest drama, BLOODLINE, is a “dark Parenthood with less focus on being parents.” It resolves around four adult siblings who interact amongst each other and their parents, though at least one of them has children, too, and two others are in serious relationships. But it’s much, much less soapy than the beloved NBC drama, with a depressingly dark plot teased in flash-forwards throughout the pilot, on the level of an HBO or AMC series. Going into the episode with almost no prior knowledge, this review judges the pilot on its merits alone, avoiding any big spoilers.

The main character seems to be John Rayburn (Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights), who is not the oldest, but definitely has a position of authority in both the family and the town in the Florida Keys in which they’re all from. He’s the most grown up, with a wife, Diana (Jacinda Barrett, Zero Hour), and two not-so-little kids. Chandler does seem to be channeling Coach Taylor, his previous character, at times, especially when talking about poaching players. But who can complain when he chews up the scenes so well?

He is joined by sister Meg, (Linda Cardellini, Mad Men, ER), who has just gotten engaged, and brother Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz, Dan in Real Life), whose blood runs a little hotter than his siblings. Together, the three are entrusted by their parents, Sally (Sissy Spacek, Big Love, Carrie) and Robert (Sam Shepard, Klondike, The Right Stuff), to make decisions for the clan and the family business, a resort that Sally runs.

The fly in the ointment, if you will is, eldest brother Danny (Ben Mendelsohn, The Dark Knight Rises). Danny is the loser that never matured and always wants a handout, usually money. He is egged on by a pal, and generally gets in the way. Sally still loves Danny, as does John, but that’s doesn’t mean Danny could easily come home, even if he wants to, which he may not.

This is the premise, a relatively simple, familiar one that BLOODLINE begins with. The first hour isn’t exactly action-packed, dealing with dynamics at a family reunion that includes many unimportant relations, just extras really. The vast majority of the running time is given over to dwelling on individual personalities of the core group, not just introducing them, but immediately deepening their motivations and desires. It’s a character-heavy piece of television, and one will leave the pilot knowing the most central players pretty well.

There is a sense of momentum, though, with the flash forwards. In general, I’m really getting sick of television shows showing us the end of the story early on, an overused trope. In BLOODLINE, though, it doesn’t feel that way, perhaps because the series needs them to keep its pacing up. The flashes definitely seem more like the middle of a tale than the ending, even with what is revealed at the end. In this, and because of how short they are, it’s more of a tantalizing tease than the big fat spoiler a lot of shows do.

It’s about time we got a family drama that isn’t soapy or sappy. There is an authenticity to the chemistry, the people in it feeling like they’re going about their daily lives. I compared BLOODLINE to Parenthood before, and I absolutely adore that series, but this is far more grounded and gritty, at least initially. Events teased may take the direction into noir film-esque territory, but even so, this sets BLOODLINE apart from other currently available offerings on the small screen.

In the end, I’m left interested in continuing. I’m not in love with the characters or setting, but I don’t think one could be right away in a show with a somber tone like this one. Instead, I’m intrigued by the mystery and the ensemble’s make up, and I think that’s a good sign.

All 13 episodes of BLOODLINE’s first season are available on Netflix.

Zero Hour holds zero interest

Article first published as ZERO HOUR Series Premiere on Seat42F.

Grade: 71%

This week, ABC will present broadcast television’s latest attempt at a cool genre show in ZERO HOUR. The team who run Modern Skeptic Magazine are thrown into disarray when the editor’s wife is kidnapped. As they search for her, they realize that the plot is much bigger than expected, and that the end of the world is nigh.

ZERO HOUR is a little like The DaVinci Code, but less complex. It begins with a mystery couched in Germany decades ago, which extends into the present day. There is a secret society willing to murder to protect a secret, and whom surely have an agenda to influence world events. The heroes are hopelessly noble and in over their heads, but will surely find a way to triumph in the end, against all odds.

That all sounds like it could work, but I am not super impressed by the first hour. I think the main problem is the lack of a protagonist to get behind. Hank (Anthony Edwards, ER), the editor, is sort of interesting, but he doesn’t immediately draw you in as someone to get behind. I don’t know if it’s because he’s not really relatable, or because he’s a mellow dude without the simmering complexity below the surface of the now-common TV anti-hero, but he just doesn’t provide that hook viewers look for.

Hank is supported by a pair of copy editors, Rachel Lewis (Addison Timlin, Californication) and Arron Martin (Scott Michael Foster, Greek, The River), both personally and professionally. These two lack any distinguishing personality traits in the premiere. They are loyal, sure, but also break the rules, disobeying Hank when they think they can help him another way. But that is exactly the same as every supporting character in a similar capacity in any story like this. So there isn’t anything that stands out about them.

Hank’s wife, Laila (Jacinda Barrett, Suits, Poseidon), meanwhile, is only glimpsed. She’s a beautiful, intelligent woman with an interest in fixing antique clocks and a doting husband. That’s all we know about her, and it makes it a little hard to care too much when she is taken.

The federal agent assigned to Laila’s disappearance is Rebecca Riley (Carmen Ejogo, Chaos, Kidnapped). She knows more than she lets on, having been involved in the investigation of the shady, sinister group for quite some time. But she reveals none of herself to Hank or the viewer in this pilot. She also deeply underestimates the enemy, but I guess if she were good enough to catch the bad guys, she would have done it already during her previous years working the case. so my guess is ZERO HOUR will find Hank being the primary investigator, with Rebecca serving as backup.

Rounding out the cast is White Vincent (Michael Nyqvist, the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s Mikael Blomkvist). White Vincent is the mysterious face of the group who is causing the trouble, but again, there isn’t much there to help flesh out his role in the series. We see that he is able to get around Rebecca and Hank’s efforts fairly easily, but there isn’t anything shown that tells us what kind of guy he is.

Basically, my problem with ZERO HOUR is that it is way too bland. None of the characters come fully developed and shaped, and nothing major happens. Sure, there’s a death or two in the first episode, but these are people we’ve just met, and don’t know anything about, so they don’t mean anything. Running around and not accomplishing anything is only enticing if we get to see the pathos the people involved are going through, and get to understand them. In ZERO HOUR, that second layer is absent, which makes the action feel hollow.

I admit the opening is pretty cool, where the priests pull something hidden from the water, and then are slaughtered. But a historic-set beginning that doesn’t translate in an obvious way to the main modern day story is kind of useless. There isn’t a big connecting thread yet.

At the end of the pilot, Hank and Rebecca find a Nazi submarine trapped in the ice. We don’t know how it got there, or what it means, but it’s supposed to be a big question that will drive the story and entice viewers to tune in for a second week. I’m sorry, but it’s too little, too late, and isn’t handled with enough mystique for me to care.

What ZERO HOUR should have done is spread the presented pilot into a two hour drama. That way, it could have taken the time to introduce us to Hank and the others, show us what makes them tick, and begin to build a bond between the viewer and the characters. Lacking this investment, I don’t see large numbers returning on a weekly basis.

The other thing that bothers me is how the Modern Skeptic Magazine is presented. With a title like that, one would assume it is being run by conspiracy nuts. And we get just a small taste of that sort of personality from Arron. But Hank is a level-headed, reasonable guy. How can he get behind a publication like this, and deliver what likely subscribers would want? He doesn’t seem the type.

ZERO HOUR premieres Thursday, February 14th at 8 p.m. I doubt it will run more than thirteen episodes (at the most), not being nearly as clever as ABC’s flop last spring, The River, so if you want to check it out, do it quickly.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter.

Suits is "Blind-Sided"

Grade: 94%

USA’s SUITS returns this week with “Blind-Sided.” Hardman’s name is being scraped off the office door, and that chapter of the firm’s ugly history is over. So everything is now copacetic. Or is it?

The following does not ruin the ending of the episode, but does contain major spoilers, as it is pretty difficult to talk about the series without mentioning what is going on. You have been warned.

Louis (Rick Hoffman) is excited by the return of Sheila Sazs (Rachael Harris). Not only is she there for Louis sexually, but she also has a business prospect for him – an associate named Maria Monroe that he can hire for himself, now that he’s a senior partner.

But Jessica (Gina Torres) shuts Louis down, shaming Louis, the little power he now has ripped from his grasp, made even worse when Jessica’s excuse, that they are in a hiring freeze, is proven immediately false as Harvey (Gabriel Macht) hires a new associate of his own. It’s incredibly frustrating for Louis, and it definitely hurts things with Sheila. Does Louis really deserve to be treated like this?

More than that, is it dangerous to the firm for Jessica to act this way? Jessica’s motivations might not be vindictive, but she is fine with Louis believing that they are, and that could prove to be a problem for her down the road, should Louis ever find someone else to side against Jessica with. Jessica’s overconfidence may be her undoing, believing that she can handle anyone that threatens her position.

The real purpose behind Jessica’s act, of course, is to protect Mike (Patrick J Adams). Maria is a force to be reckoned with, as is immediately obvious, and Donna (Sarah Rafferty) tells Harvey, who in turns tells Jessica, that Mike’s secret will be threatened by Maria’s presence. If word gets out that Mike isn’t actually a lawyer, it could threaten the whole firm. Mike’s secret is the gift that keeps on giving, to paraphrase a quote from the show.

Unfortunately, in “Blind-Sided,” Mike is beset by personal issues, and is not earning his keep. Jessica isn’t happy that she has to bend over backwards in the first place for Mike, but because Harvey thinks Mike is worth it, she usually does. Now, with even Harvey tired of Mike’s shenanigans, how much time does Mike have before he is kicked to the curb? He doesn’t seem the sort that would blackmail Jessica and Harvey to keep his job, so if he stops being useful, he could easily be gone.

“Blind-Sided” sees Mike at his worst. Not only has it been just one short week since his grandmother’s death, which he is still dealing with, but he’s continuing his affair with a married woman, Tess (Elisabeth Hower), is back to smoking pot, and memories of his parents’ death are dredged up by the case he works on. We have never seen Mike this erratic, and while there is definitely still sympathy to be felt for the guy, we need our heroes to overcome their obstacles, not allow themselves to take the low road, as Mike is doing.

Can Mike get himself back on the right path before it’s too late?

Harvey also crosses a line in this episode, engaging in bribery to help the case. This is in stark contrast to the soft, warm side of Harvey we see during his date with Zoe (Jacinda Barrett) earlier in the hour. So which is the real Harvey? Is he ready to open himself up and settle down? Or is he still someone who will do whatever it takes to win in court?

Both Harvey and Mike do right and do wrong in “Blind-Sided,” and yet, Harvey comes off as a good guy, while Mike is painted as bad. No matter how much Mike insists, there is no strict right or wrong, and circumstances color viewers’ opinions. What SUITS doesn’t show is just as important as what it does, a subtlety that makes the rich layers of the installment all the more memorable.

That’s why SUITS continues to be USA’s best show. What happens on the surface, and the dialogue delivered, do not tell the whole story. Instead, we get these brilliant characters whose decisions affect others, not just themselves, and who won’t always agree on the course of action. Their complicated chemistries and interactions build on one another to make this a smart serial, not a common lawyer procedural.

There’s also a fair amount of romance tossed in, with Mike still on shaky ground with Rachel (Meghan Markle), who claims to not be the goody-goody she comes across as, and Harvey and Louis’s affections for Zoe and Sheila, respectively. “Blind-Sided” allows all of the main guys to tend to matters of the heart, but also reveals that they can’t necessarily control how these things play out, a nice, realistic touch. When will it be the ladies in the cast’s turn to get wooed?

The trademark charm and witty dialogue that have become a hallmark of SUITS continue, with great one-liners delivered by Donna, Harvey, and Louis, in turn. It’s fantastic to have compelling plot, but add to that some zingers that stand out, and it raises the overall quality of the thing considerably.

You won’t want to miss SUITS, returning to finish their second season January 17^th at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published on Seat42F