Silicon Valley Wife is…Media Binging Wicked City
Wicked City—Fun and Gritty, or Just Plain Shitty?
The Sunset Strip could be killer.
image courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com (click photo for link to THR's interview with the producers of 'Wicked City')
I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I actually just thought of that title and cackled in a ridiculous manner whilst sucking up my iced pumpkin spiced coffee…not the best combination.
Anyways—let’s talk Wicked City.
I won’t lie to you. I was initially drawn to the show because Ed Westwick stars as Kent, our 1980’s LA serial killer. I’m 98% sure that 75% of the people tuning in are actually watching it purely for their allegiances to Chuck Bass (as calculated by my impressive Excel spreadsheet-ing). aka Me. So I’ve watched the first episode twice, and the second episode once, and the third episode hasn’t even aired yet—so I’m ready to tell you my thoughts. I warn that MINOR SPOILERS EXIST IN THIS POST PAST THIS POINT.
SPOIL SPOIL SPOIL SPOIL.
If you are okay with that, read on.
Silicon Valley Wive’s Top 10 Observations Whilst Beginning Wicked City:
- I love the music in the show. And the clothes. And the vibe. The 80’s are really fun, and I think the show is, stylistically, beautiful.
- Ed is amazing, not coming from a Gossip Girl-allegiance perspective. He’s just generally acting really well, and he is mesmerizing to watch on screen.
- To counter this—the rest of the ensemble is not as great as he is. Erika Christensen (Betty) is pretty great, but I’m having a hard time with Jeremy Sisto (Jack Roth) and Taissa Farmiga’s (McClaren) character portrayals. I am not going to raz them too hard—that’s not my vibe, ya’ hear? But I will say that in my opinion, their scenes bring my opinion of the show down a notch. I am holding out that their characters will get better.
- The police scenes in general have been poorly written, and they are full of cliché. I just cannot with some of the dialogue.
- I love that Westwick (Kent) somehow has a full-time job reupholstering cars, yet can also be effing around with the cops so much on this serial killer situation. Like, in really smart, intricate, must’ve taken a couple of preplanning hours ways. Also, he quotes Plato, so dude has time to read. Oh! He babysits too. And now has a steady girlfriend. Kent Galloway, Renaissance man.
- There is a lot of sexy time occurring in this show….it feels a little like a censored HBO show. No T&A, just plenty of shots of bare lady stomachs and inferred sexual things. Just an FYI.
- I wonder: How is this show going to be a whole season long (seasons, if it doesn’t get cancelled…which I have a feeling it might)? By episode two, they have a sketch of Kent, a reporter knows what Kent looks like, and Kent legitimately kills someone in front of Betty. Sooooooo…..what happens next?
- I’m tired of the ridiculously blatant references to 1980’s technology. I get it. They used landlines and beepers and weird IBM computers. Buuuuuuut we don’t need to “harharhar “ about them every time they come on the screen. Just sayin'.
- I’m confused by a lot of the relationships in this show—why they are the way they are, how they are advancing the plot, etc. I understand Kent and Betty—the Bonnie and Clyde "dynamic duo." But why did McClaren have to sleep with Diver? Why is Jack Roth cheating on his wife with Dianne? Hopefully these pairings get developed as we move forward.
- I want to like this show. I really do. The concept is cool, Ed Westwick and Erika Christensen kill all their scenes, and the music and ambiance is incredibly unique. I need to see more on the police side of things to really make this a winner for me, however.
Fingers crossed.
I hope this was mildly informative and can frame your viewing, if you decide to join Silicon Valley Wife in watching Wicked City.
If I had to give the show an arbitrary rating, I'd say 2.75/5 stars, with a glimmer of hope for improvement. I'm going to stick it out for two or three more episodes, then make a final decision. When I do, I'll let you all know.
"What can I say, I like to give back.” -Kent, and now SVW
-xx
SVW