I heard many say this is a rip-off from Rookie Blue. While I love that show, I am not as territorial as others and wanted to give this a fair chance.
The premise is the same, a bunch of fresh rookies finally get confronted with with the real world, and we see them struggle in their new role. It's a tried and true formula, which has been used in different ways and can result in compelling television. The Pilot is supposed to engage us, get us interested in the characters and kick off to a healthy start that sets the tone for the season. Did it do so successfully? To be honest with you: no.
There are some nice things. The shots of New York aren't the flashy overused ones you see in most films and TV series. Here you get to see the city without its makeup and it reflects on everything. The police station is worn and stuffy, colleagues are gruff and etiquette is non existent. It's not a welcoming environment and it builds tension, because all the rookies stick out like a sore thumb. They are out of their comfort zone, even if they grew up in this city. Then, their journey begins. And this is where the show loses it's stride, in my opinion.
The acting, for one, is a problem. LeeLee Sobieski for example, has terrible line delivery. There's a scene...
------------------ *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* ...where a boy on the street calls her a 'fine looking bitch' and she returns, twists his hands and threatens to make his life hell if he doesn't respect her. The scene is obviously set up to show she's tough even though she's a thin blonde girl. The idea itself is pretty weak, but a strong actress could have pulled it off. LeeLee didn't. For one, the way she twists his hand is so amateur looking, you don't even have to be a martial artist to spot the difference. Secondly, the way she says it is cringe worthy and immediately put me off. I'm all for strong female characters, but not in this way. *END SPOILER* --------------------
I know this seems like a small detail to fuss over, but things like this take me out of the experience, like spotting a microphone hanging in the air does. There are more instances like this, where mediocre writing becomes actrocious because an actor simply can't sell it. Judy Marte (Tonya Sanchez) sometimes comes across as too cold, with an expressionless face that wouldn't do bad on a mannequin in a clothing store.
Then of course, there are the clichés. The black guy boasting he'd "hit it before the end of the day", the Afghan guy getting pestered with Kite Runner references, etc. It's annoying because it's stereotypical (and no I'm not going to use the racist card, as it's overused already). If they wanted to create friction in the group or set a tone, there are more subtle and more effective ways of doing it.
The characters seem still too much of a cardboard to be real, and this feeling keeps nagging in the second episode. They don't seem like real people. That said, there are some good performances there, though most don't come from the main cast. Maybe this is the kind of show that needs to find it's footing first before it hits its stride, but for now it's lackluster. It seriously needs to up its game if it wants to make it beyond season 1.
The premise is the same, a bunch of fresh rookies finally get confronted with with the real world, and we see them struggle in their new role. It's a tried and true formula, which has been used in different ways and can result in compelling television. The Pilot is supposed to engage us, get us interested in the characters and kick off to a healthy start that sets the tone for the season. Did it do so successfully? To be honest with you: no.
There are some nice things. The shots of New York aren't the flashy overused ones you see in most films and TV series. Here you get to see the city without its makeup and it reflects on everything. The police station is worn and stuffy, colleagues are gruff and etiquette is non existent. It's not a welcoming environment and it builds tension, because all the rookies stick out like a sore thumb. They are out of their comfort zone, even if they grew up in this city. Then, their journey begins. And this is where the show loses it's stride, in my opinion.
The acting, for one, is a problem. LeeLee Sobieski for example, has terrible line delivery. There's a scene...
------------------ *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* ...where a boy on the street calls her a 'fine looking bitch' and she returns, twists his hands and threatens to make his life hell if he doesn't respect her. The scene is obviously set up to show she's tough even though she's a thin blonde girl. The idea itself is pretty weak, but a strong actress could have pulled it off. LeeLee didn't. For one, the way she twists his hand is so amateur looking, you don't even have to be a martial artist to spot the difference. Secondly, the way she says it is cringe worthy and immediately put me off. I'm all for strong female characters, but not in this way. *END SPOILER* --------------------
I know this seems like a small detail to fuss over, but things like this take me out of the experience, like spotting a microphone hanging in the air does. There are more instances like this, where mediocre writing becomes actrocious because an actor simply can't sell it. Judy Marte (Tonya Sanchez) sometimes comes across as too cold, with an expressionless face that wouldn't do bad on a mannequin in a clothing store.
Then of course, there are the clichés. The black guy boasting he'd "hit it before the end of the day", the Afghan guy getting pestered with Kite Runner references, etc. It's annoying because it's stereotypical (and no I'm not going to use the racist card, as it's overused already). If they wanted to create friction in the group or set a tone, there are more subtle and more effective ways of doing it.
The characters seem still too much of a cardboard to be real, and this feeling keeps nagging in the second episode. They don't seem like real people. That said, there are some good performances there, though most don't come from the main cast. Maybe this is the kind of show that needs to find it's footing first before it hits its stride, but for now it's lackluster. It seriously needs to up its game if it wants to make it beyond season 1.