Monday, August 1, 2011

Against the Wall Season 1 Episode 1 Recap/Review


            Normally, outside of Project Runway, I would not watch Lifetime. It always seems like any of its scripted programming involves the portrayal of some woman being victimized in various ways. So, while watching the season premiere of Project Runway, I caught commercials for the network’s new show Against the Wall. And yes, though a police officer show is nothing new, I was intrigued by the premise. Therefore tonight, I decided to catch the first episode to see if it was any good. Going into it, I had very few expectations. In all honesty, I was not even planning on writing about the show, or even admitting to watching it for that matter. At best, I was hoping it would be a guilty pleasure, where I could ogle the attractive men in uniform. Hey, I am nowhere above ogling. To my surprise, however, I really enjoyed the episode.
             First off, the lead character, Abby Kowalski, is very relatable. It is not often a character on television balances the fine lines between assertive and bitchy as well as struggling and helpless. With Abby, however, I believe we have a female role where that is actually happening. She is far from perfect, but she is not a complete mess looking for a man or her family to come in and straighten her life out. As far as I am concerned, there needs to be more female roles like that.
            Also, I enjoy the fact that the show is taking a different angle when it comes to a crime drama. I feel that by making Abby a detective in IA, the show has positioned its main character in a more murky and grey area. She is not the good guy trying to catch the bad guy; she is the good guy trying to see if the other good guys are in fact good guys. It ratchets up the drama a few ticks, and makes everything feel that much more personal.
            At the same time, I am glad the police aspects are not being showcased as the most important parts of the story. If anything, they are merely a catalyst to drive the narrative forward. Instead, the show is really character driven, which can only bode well for character development. That is, if the show takes the time to build these characters, which I am hoping it does.
            Plus, let us not forget the hot men in uniforms. Well done on that aspect show!
            Ultimately, I have no idea if Against the Wall will continue down the path it laid out tonight, or devolve into some melodramatic, eye-roll inducing show. I think it has some great potential, and with any luck, fulfill that potential.

            To the quick hits:

            -To go along with the fact that Abby appears more modern than most of her counterparts on television, I liked that the show had her having sex so freely and without shame. Here she was, not in a relationship or anything of that nature, just freely going at it whenever she wanted/needed it. I loved it, and not just because it meant Brody was naked on my television screen each time. Okay, that did not hurt either.

            -Speaking of which, how long until her and Brody’s relationship blows up in their face? I say somewhere around the middle to end of the season, when she actually starts to like him. And that is only the tip of the iceberg with her and relationships, as Mitchell seems like a good potential match for her too. Calling that little triangle right now.

            Loved Kathy Baker as Abby’s mom Sheila. She is going to be a fun one. Treat Williams’ Don might be the patriarch of the family, but never doubt for a second who is pulling the strings in that household. For all of his bluster, he has nothing on her.

            -I wonder how many pregnancy jokes we are going to get due to Lina, because this is Lifetime after all. Regardless, I like her and her no bullshit attitude too. She is going to be another fun one.

            -Nobody can say the show lead off weak, seeing as Richie is about to be investigated for shooting a criminal. I like him, and suspect everything will turn out fine. Of course, there will be the appropriate amount of angst and drama before it is all resolved, but that should be expected. As for the other two brothers, I am waiting to see where their characters go.

That is all I really have for this episode. Like I said, who knows where this series will go, but hopefully it will do well. If nothing else, it will provide some nice eye candy, which we can always have more of in life.

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