"The Third Man" episode of "Vegas"

The Third Man     Episode 14

 This is what Fremont Street really looked like and should look like in Vegas:

photo courtesy of Life Magazine

Welcome back! Hope you are ready for tonight’s review of the latest episode of Vegas. I’ve started to think that the Crime of the Week is the equivalent to the episode from Lost, Stranger in a Strange Land, the one all about how Jack got his tattoo.  That’s how these crimes feel, they are there while the showrunner (Greg Walker) and the writers figure out where the show is going.

The show was sold to viewers as an epic battle between good vs evil in the desert oasis of Las Vegas with the good guys (the Lambs) battling the mob.  That’s not really the show we got. Instead we have gotten a show that is more procedural and more interested in the Crime of the Week than it is about the battle to keep the mob from overtaking Vegas.

And so, each week we tune in wondering if this will be the week that Vegas finally finds its footing and becomes the show it keeps hinting it wants to be.

Let’s find out if this is the week-

At the top of the show we get a shout-out to The Godfather with a Frankie like singer by the name of Nicky Fontaine, an up and comer with friends in Hollywood and Vince wants to lock him up in a contract for a year.  (Am I the only wondering if a horse’s head is in someone’s future)  Never a good idea to remind viewers of greatness when you aren’t striving for that greatness.

Looks like Daddy Rizzo is dead (He is the Crime of the Week!) and Jack is between a rock and a hard place. He should just come clean to everyone, he has evidence that Daddy tortured him. Who would blame him? Certainly Mia knows her father had a temper. But, in a terrible character turn, Jack lies to Mia and tells her he has no idea.  No matter what, this can’t end well for them, especially since he all but confessed to Vince.  And now, Vince has something over Jack Lamb.

I don’t know about you but at this point, I really wish this show was more about the battle between the Lambs and Savino and his guys than this turgid, soapy, we have no idea what story we are trying to tell, drama we have right now.

And the bad news for fans of Jack Lamb (Jason O’Mara), once he starts lying,  messing with evidence can’t be far behind and that puts him on the short train to conflict with Ralph. He lies to Ralph and Katherine before the opening credits are half way through. And, of course, Ralph catches him before the credits are done. And then , of course, he messes with the evidence big time, changing his name on the finger prints  that could implicate him. He has now broken the law and the conflict is now about when will Ralph find out and what will he do. So a story about the law vs the mob has become the story of two brothers, both good and what one did for love and can the other forgive and forget.

With all the different ways to create conflict in this setting, this path that they have put Jack Lamb on seems only done not for the greater good of the story but because they have no plan.

The secondary story line was about hot rods, drag racing and a high school buddy of Dixon’s. The drag race had some good production design as did the hamburger drive-in that made me think of the Blue Onion on the east end of Fremont Street and the hang-out for a generation of Las Vegas High School students.

I do have to say, despite the marrying of Fremont Street and the Strip into one area, the production design is the star of this show.  Well, that and Dennis Quaid’s smile. He smiled at the mechanic garage. Drink! He smiles again talking to Dixon ( a nice wide smile) Drink! And he smiles at the cute woman making eyes at him. Drink! That Quaid smile can cure a lot of things but, unfortunately, not the story line.

Katherine has a major jones for prosecuting (or persecuting) Vince. She seems to be the only one interested in what the show was originally about- the law vs the mob. Unfortunately, she comes across more obsessed than anything. And why is Katherine working out of the Sheriff’s office and not the DA’s office?

Mia bargains with Vince and becomes the head of Casino Operations in addition to staying on as the Count Room Manager.

Enver Gjokaj, late of Dollhouse, is the up and coming talent coordinator at the Hacienda who goes to work for Vince as the Entertainment Director. He happens to have an exclusive contract with Nicky Fontaine so Nicky will go back to working for Vince as well. No horse’s head any time soon far as I can tell.

No episode next week as the show is pre-empted due to the State of the Union address.

In the meantime, enjoy this Youtube video that features the Blue Onion and other landmarks of East Fremont Street and hit the comments and tell us what you think of the show!

"Vegas" review of "Road Trip"

Road Trip  Season 1  Episode 13

Where Vegas tries to make us think it's in the same league as The Sopranos

After considerable consideration (and based on last week’s post), I thought tonight it might be fun to mix it up a bit. Instead of doing lengthy recaps like we have for previous episodes,  I thought it might be enjoyable to try and talk about what I do like about the episode and offer bullet points for the plot points that resonate or may have legs.

With that in mind, let’s dive in! (And yes, the drinking game is still in play as I will note when Dennis Quaid smiles)!

Anytime a cute, young woman is in distress, you can bet Dixon Lamb will be there. And this one was intentionally poisoned (and is part of a family of straight-laced singers, can we guess where this is going? I bet we can). DRINK! Quaid smiles when he meets the singing family later at the Savoy (after the poisoned songbird has been released from the hospital).  DRINK! DRINK!  Quaid smiles twice more before he even gets to the first question for the poisoned songbird. After she answers, he smiles again. DRINK!! A “sketchy looking guy” was hanging around the kitchen at the hotel where they also keep rat poison. Are you buying any of this? I didn’t think so. The poisoned songbird’s father is a controlling jerk who wants her out of the act. But, lo and behold, the poisoned songbird poisoned herself (though she was trying to injury her sister not herself).

Eyeglasses is back! One of the more interesting characters sits down with Katherine to discuss what he knows.  He wants dental work in exchange for his testimony. Who knew he was so wrapped up in good dental hygiene and wanted a good looking mouth of straight teeth?  He doesn’t, he wanted the braces so he could get a wire to pick the lock on his hand cuffs, shoot the deputy and escape.  Katherine tries to stop him by shooting after his fleeing car but he gets away. He ends up at a rundown motel, pilfers a fountain filled with coins and heads for waiting bus. Instead he steals a car with a bad oil leak. Ralph goes after him. Great motel sign. That may be the best part of the whole episode. Ralph and Katherine catch up with Eyeglasses but he gets the slip on them and steals another car, this one with a young boy in the back. All that feels like it is missing is the kitchen sink. Eyeglasses gets away because Ralph and Katherine opt to save the young boy. But Vince and company catch up with Eyeglasses as he is hitch-hiking. They take him back with them and beat the crap out of him. Good news, Eyeglasses will be back, he works for Vince now.

Savino lets Jack know that Daddy Rizzo has sent for someone to take out Jack. Because this is Vegas, the drama stays completely on the surface. Jack gets called out to a peeping tom case because the woman  met him at a fundraiser. Yeah, right. Daddy Rizzo is waiting for him at the house. I think we all know how this story arc ends. Jack will get beat up but somehow escape and Daddy Rizzo will not survive to see Episode 14. But, before he gets dispatched, he finds out that Vince set him up. He gets blindsided by the drug addict he thought he killed earlier in the episode and he and Jack come to a standoff. Daddy tries to kill him and Jack shoots him dead. I’m not surprised and I bet you aren’t either.

The Road Trip of the title refers  to the trip Vince and two of his lieutenants take to pick up a shipment of electronic slot machines. Where, out in the middle of the desert.  Who in their right mind takes a road trip back then without radiator bags tied to the grill of the car?  Hell, we never even went to Vegas Village for groceries without a radiator bag on the front of the car.

I guess this road trip is supposed to remind us of the classic Sopranos episode where Christopher and Paulie were stranded in the woods (Pine Barrens). This arc is nowhere close to being in that league. Savino blames Red for being “trapped in the desert” and doesn’t mean out here in the desert with no water or food. Seems Vince’s dad wanted him to be an engineer.

They end up getting picked up by a rancher and his young daughter and riding in the horse trailer. Kind of fitting all the way around. The young girl is reading To Kill a Mockingbird which was published in July, 1960 so they got that right. Vince and his men tangle with a couple of young thugs at a gas station before they continue on their road trip. The young girl give Vince her copy of the Harper Lee book asa parting gift “for his daughters”. When Vince and his traveling companions get to the man with the slots Bad news! The electronic slots turn out to be French complete with wrong wiring. Beautiful sunset though.

At the end of the episode, we find out Katherine has regrets about Ralph. Do we care?

Does this episode have more vintage early 1960s music than others?

While short on compelling drama, the photography and production design was the best it’s been since the pilot.

What do you think?  Will Ralph and Katherine get together before the end of the season? How will Jack break the news to Mia that he killed her daddy? Will Eyeglasses become a regular?

Hit the comments and tell us what you think!

Can "Vegas" be a better show?

 

I had high hopes when I first heard about this show. The classic Las Vegas era, the mob, Ralph Lamb, Nick Pileggi, Dennis Quaid with that killer smile and Michael Chiklis as the bad guy, what’s not to love?

Well, as it turns out, the show itself.

We are now 12 episodes in and have eight left to go and it’s lost four million viewers since its debut back in September.

So, what went wrong? Well, for one thing, the premise of the show has hampered it. The Murder of the Week does this series no favors. More attention is given to the crime of the week than to the characters or the story.

This show had tons of potential. Who doesn’t like that era of Las Vegas history, back when the mob ran the town? Even some of the set and production design was eye popping.  But, it quickly became apparent that though it may be eye popping, attention to detail was not going to be a strong suit.

There have been many complaints about the show and the fact that it’s on CBS and how everyone knows how mediocre that can be.  Well, for the majority of shows on CBS that may fall into the mediocre trap, when it comes to dramas, it has two that have broken that rule of thumb and they both have procedural elements to them.

Person of Interest and Elementary both are strong on character and both are invested in the larger, longer story they are telling in a way that so far has eluded the crew of Vegas. Like Vegas, each show has a crime of the week. But where they differ is that these shows have taken the time to invest in the characters and the stories they are telling.

They are very different stories with Person of Interest being a story about two men from vastly different backgrounds who come together to work together and in doing so offer each other a redemption long thought unobtainable. Elementary is a modern telling of the Sherlock Holmes story with the twist that Dr. Watson is a woman.

Showrunner Greg Walker (Without a Trace) is on record saying he wanted the show to balance story and character with the procedural element much the way that The Good Wife balances the case of the week with the larger story of Alicia Florek. When I read that quote I thought it meant the producers of Vegas had a firm grasp on the story they wanted to tell and the characters that would drive that story. Now I wonder if Walker has ever watched an episode of Good Wife or just read the supportive reviews and thought that would be enough.

Where all three shows differ from Vegas and what makes Vegas so disappointing for so many is in the larger story it is telling. At this point, what is the larger story they are telling? Do you know? Because I’m not so sure I know any more and even more disappointing, I'm quickly not caring.

In the beginning, the producers wanted us to believe that the conflict would be between two clashing cultures, the western and the gangster films if you’ll pardon the analogy (Howard Hawks/John Ford vs Wild Bill Wellman), between two men vying for control of America’s playground during its glory days.

From my corner of the couch, that’s not even close to the story they are telling. What little conflict they had, they undercut with the episode about mid-way through this season, when Ralph was protecting Vincent. They had steaks together, shared a bit of history and then Vincent basically saved Ralph’s life.

These two have moved from hating one another to basically being friendly adversaries but what ever conflict they had going has now been regulated to the back seat and is fizzling fast.

They are trying to create conflict between Vincent and Rizzo but it falls flat because it feels so predictable. At this point, why not introduce another mob family and set the stage for a struggle between Chicago, the new mob family and Vincent with Ralph trying to stop it from cascading over into the streets and deserts of Las Vegas?

Even that story , as sparse as it is, is more engaging just thinking about than the show we are currently watching.

A charismatic and engaging Big Bad (think Boyd Crowder or Mags Bennett from Justified, Gus Fring from Breaking Bad, Bobby Cavannale from this season of Broadwalk Empire to name just a few) would go a long way to invigorating this show. I thought we had it when Jonathan Banks showed up but like all the interesting supporting characters, they killed that one off.

From Breaking Bad to Mad Men, to Justified, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and a handful of others, television drama is the midst of a wonderful renaissance where characterization and story play integral parts in cutting the wheat from the chaff, the great from the mediocre.

Vegas could have been, if not a great show, a better show than the one we got if only the producers had aimed a little higher and hadn’t just settled on being your typical CBS procedural.

They had plenty of the right ingredients- the actors are all good but I don’t think I’m the only one who misses that immersion into that time period that you get with Mad Men. The crew of Mad Men marinades itself into that era but Vegas only seems to play at it. It doesn’t feel like a period drama because no one from the producers on down, treat it as a period drama. There’s more atmosphere to set the tone and pace of a show in the opening credits of Justified than in an entire episode of Vegas and that’s not a good thing for a show that makes such a big deal about its early 1960s milieu.

The creator and executive producer of Vegas is Nick Pileggi, the guy who brought us the books that became Casino and Goodfellas. He has become the go-to guy for stories about mobsters, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and the price they pay for the world they choose to live in. The bad news for us as viewers, none of that insight is on view in Vegas.

I don’t know if the show will get renewed for a second season. As I said, it is down from 15 million viewers for the pilot to eleven million watching last week’s episode. CBS does seem to have faith in it, keeping it following its two big guns, NCIS and NCIS: LA.

But, it would be nice if the producers would aim higher and realize that just being a typical CBS procedural show won’t make you part of the television drama renaissance we are currently enjoying. To join that club you don't have to be on basic or premium cable but you do have to bring your “A” game and have a story worth telling.

Until the producers of Vegas realize that, they will continue to crap out.

Share your thoughts, hit the comments section and tell us what you think!

Review of "Vegas" episode #12

 From This Day Forward  Episode #12

Where an old flame of Ralph’s returns and blindsides the boys by asking for help.

Well here we are, Daddy Rizzo walks into Mia’s room (luckily Jack’s under the bed- it’s best left at that) to tell her about this new fangled contraption called television that broadcasts presidential inaugurations (there’s JFK being sworn in). Daddy Rizzo is happy because JFK is the son of a bootlegger and if he can be president, well anything is possible. Daddy Rizzo for President, anyone?  I thought not. Mia just wants to get rid of Daddy so she can go back to having fun with Jack so she agrees to meet Daddy for breakfast. “Don’t you dare eat my bacon before I get there” she tells him.  Man, this dialog is so good.

We cut to the Sheriff’s Office where Miss Sanchez has asked Dixon to accompany her to a family wedding. The discussion is cut short because Barbara Kent is waiting to see Ralph. Seems she is Dixon’s old teacher and left Ralph for a man of more means. Everyone looks like this can’t bode well. Are you surprised? I thought not. Drink! Because we all know where this story is headed.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and the story will surprise us. Drink! If you think that is possible.  I thought not.

Ralph smiles when he sees Mrs. Kent (Drink! Because Quaid is smiling a hell of more these days than when the show began). Seems Mrs. Kent has a problem. It’s been eight years since she broke Ralph’s heart. She’s in Ralph’s office because her and her husband were robbed last night of $5000. They didn’t report it because, well Mr. Kent isn’t all that thrilled with the fact that the Sheriff is his wife’s old flame. Or at least that’s what she thinks. Drink! If you think it’s because the husband is tied up with people he shouldn’t be.

Dixon is going out on a call because a body has been found on a ranch up north. Jack goes with him. A woman, with manicured nails and dressed like a Hollywood cowgirl, is dead.  Seems she was at a divorce ranch.

The shady DA meets with Vince to discuss that someone is feeding info to the DA on the death of the songbird. Vince wants the snitch found and killed. The shady DA refuses to take Katherine off the case knowing it will only make her dig in more. Vince  vows to find the snitch and shut them up.  If he only knew.

Vince’s secretary catches the Missus going through Vince’s drawers, his desk drawers. Missus says Vince forgot to leave her money. She asks the secretary to set her up with a hair appointment.

Dixon and Jack arrive at the Divorcee Ranch and Dixon is in female heaven. Seems the dead Hollywood cowgirl has been divorced twice and is the life of the party at Divorcee Central.  The female owner of the ranch offers up a suspect.

Back at the Sheriff’s Office, Mrs. Kent is looking through the mug books and flirting with Ralph. Ralph smiles. Drink! Is it just me or is Quaid using his smiles as a crutch? Mrs. Kent recognizes one of the mug shots. Ralph asks Miss Sanchez for info on him.

Jack replies, “She ain’t here about no mugger, Ralph”. Ralph smiles (Drink!)

At the Savoy, Jack, Mia and Daddy Rizzo meet. Mia tells Daddy they are dating. Jack says he is in love with Mia (she looks surprised) and they all need to get along. Daddy ain’t buying it. He says “we’ll talk about this later” and walks off. Jack and Mia kiss.

Ralph walks into a small poker game. Seems Mr. Kent is in a coma, according to Ralph. The two players come clean and tells Ralph Kent wanted a loan and left a diamond bracelet as collateral.  Ralph gets the money back.

Vince and Red have a Leroy Gibbs moment (is it just me or does this seem like a rip-off of NCIS?) when he stops the elevator between floors and asks Red point blank if he is talking to the Feds. Red proves Vince wrong, seems he has powered rhino horn because he has a 26 year old showgirl. Vince doesn’t want Daddy to find out about the snitch.

Daddy wants Vince to fire Mia, no questions asked. Vince reluctantly agrees. Nothing anything these characters does makes much sense nor does it add to the characterization or the over all story arc. In fact, is there an over-arching story arc?

Jack and Dixon break down a motel room door and question one of the divorcees. She’s kicking boots with someone new but she takes time to explain that the Hollywood cowgirl had them playing a female version of Bingo. Seems the suspect got back together with her ex much to the Hollywood cowgirl’s disproval.

Jack is back at the Savoy with Dixon questioning another pretty girl. That leads to a guy named Tony who drives a red Caddy. It looks nice with the neon of Fremont Street bouncing off it. Hollywood cowgirl’s purse is in the car with a receipt for $2500.

Katherine and Missus Savino meet. The Missus gives Katherine  some items from Vince’s desk, implicating Daddy Rizzo. Katherine seems to think that the Savino family can relocate like in an early witness protection program kind of thing. The Missus says Vince won’t leave Vegas. Katherine points out thinking like that could get him killed.

At the Lamb ranch, Mrs. Kent and Ralph kiss. Ralph reminds her she is married. She’s not convinced that Ralph doesn’t want her.

Vince and Red try to figure out who the snitch is. Maybe Vince’s secretary? Red gets her out of the office and Vince checks his desk and finds the appointment in his book that the secretary made for the Missus. Vince realizes who the snitch is.

He confronts the Missus. They argue. The Missus shows Vince the witness protection booklets. He’s not doing it. The Missus agrees with him but they are out of plans unless Vince has something up his sleeve.

We know he must because otherwise there is no show.

After the commercial, we come back to Katherine and Vince meet, she was expecting the Missus. Vince thinks he knows Katherine. She pulls a gun on him. She has the upper hand. “People like me can kill people like you and no questions asked.” Game point to Katherine.

Ralph goes to question Mr. Kent.  He is not happy to see Ralph. Seems there were bad investments made. The two men spar about Mrs. Kent who was/is best for her. We know that Ralph isn’t over the late Mrs. Lamb so this is really a moot point and filler.

Dixon and Miss Sanchez spar about what he is wearing to the wedding. Jack comes in to tell him that the Hollywood cowgirl owned the land she was found dead on. Her hubby isn’t a suspect because he was at the opera where hundreds of people saw him.

Vince fires Mia blaming Chicago. He tells her Daddy “fought like hell to keep you here”. Mia knows Vince is lying. Mia knows Daddy is behind it and it’s because of her relationship with Jack.

After Mia leaves, Vince bitches to Red and says “if he wasn’t around here anymore all this would go away”. Red reminds Vince if they kill Daddy without permission from Chicago there will be hell to pay.

Are you still watching? If so, Drink! Because you knew where this entire episode was going from the very beginning.

Mia confronts Daddy Rizzo. He tries to weasel out of it. She doesn’t believe him and tells him that she can’t get a job in a legit bank because of Daddy’s name. Mia says she’ll go to work at the Golden Nugget but she won’t leave Vegas or leave Jack.

Jack and Dixon are close to closing the case of the dead Hollywood cowgirl. Mrs. Kent puts the moves on Ralph. Quaid smiles ruefully (Drink! A smile is a smile).  They talk about their shared past. Quaid smiles again (Drink!).  They kiss goodbye. She can’t compete with the memory of the dead wife and we all want Ralph with Katherine. Mrs. Kent drives away.

Jack and Dixon question the head wrangler who was marrying the dead Hollywood cowgirl.  Jack’s not buying the wrangler’s story. He shows Jack a note from the dead cowgirl. Seems someone forged the dead woman’s signature. Seems the owner of the Divorcee Ranch had it in for the dead Hollywood cowgirl because she was in love with the wrangler, too. That’s a reason and motive for murder. Case closed.

Dixon arrests her.

Back at the Savoy, Vince tells Daddy Rizzo about the snitch. He tells Daddy that Mia is the snitch. Vince tells him he has an affidavit of dates and Mia didn’t work those days. He blames Jack. Daddy Rizzo blames Jack and threatens to kill him.

Vince plans on letting Jack know that Daddy is coming for him. No one will question a righteous kill. Unfortunately, Jack doesn’t get the call from Vinny.

Vinny and the Missus are driving in the desert. They mention their daughters. Vince tells the Missus to get out the car and signals another car. Vince is sending her away and their relationship is over. The Missus isn’t going quietly. “Anyone who threatens your rise is expendable, just so you won’t end up a washed up carpet salesman like your father” she tells him.  Their marriage is over and the Missus goes away.

At the wedding, Dixon comes dressed in a suit and gets a compliment from Miss Sanchez. Her former boyfriend is not happy seeing her with Dixon.

And the episode ends there. With a whimper, despite the mediocre set-up.

There is no episode next week and only eight episodes left this season so I expect more pre-emptions.

We’ll be back next week with our thoughts on the show and where it might be going.

Hope to see you then!

Till then, hit the comments and tell us what you think!