1064 replies to this topic

[hannahjane]

Detective Joanna Locasto goes undercover to investigate the death of her best friend, a notorious socialite from one of America's wealthiest families.


The pilot episode is up for preview on NBC.com.

[allyw]

It was ok. I need to see a few more episodes before I form on opinion one way or another.

[Jupiter84]

I agree, it was just ok. I think Meagan Good needs to improve cause some scenes she looked like she was just going with the flow.

Her ex annoyed me and I wanted him gone, which is a shame since it is just the pilot.

Don't know how they are going to pull this off for more than two seasons, I can see people becoming very bored if the answers don't come quickly.

Edited by Jupiter84, Dec 20, 2012 @ 8:23 AM.

[Mikita]

I liked it. It had me wanting to see more to find out who the killer is. That ending was obviously a red herring so it did it's job in that I'm interested and want to come back for more. I agree about FBI ex. I didn't like him. He was using her until he no longer wanted her on the case. Everything was about him, him, him. The promos I saw last night during Chicago Fire made me dislike him even more. Calling her princess and basically being mad that she may be falling for Julian. He was the one that dragged her into this mess, she didn't want to do it initially. Too bad she slept with him again.

I liked the reporter. Too bad, because he and Joanna had great friend chemistry. Edward was extremely creepy. I liked daddy Bowers and Mia. The mom came across as a cold bitch but it seems like she's the caretaker of the family. Julian was great with Mia but seems to be smart and wild too.

I can't wait for the second episode to air now that I've seen the pilot.

[Hermosa]

It was just okay for me. It was entertaining enough, but I feel like it's been done thousands of times before and much better. There were little things that bugged me about the show which are fine on their own but when piled together over an hour just drag the show. Stuff like how Meagan Good's character was seemingly able to walk straight into the house at a supposedly private funeral before anyone bothered to identify who she was. Plus I think her already being a cop is a bad plot point because it would only take a quick search to identify what her job is and I refuse to believe someone like Tate Donovan's character wouldn't have done a background search the minute it was announced she was staying at the house. I realise in these shows there has to be a suspension of disbelief but it just seems like poor writing. Also the stuff with Mia was a little confusing.

[liz26111]

I too will have to watch to gain more of an opinion. But first my two thoughts are Julian is super hot and the cop ex is annoying. Also, where have I see Julian before?

[nilyank]

I thought it was obvious that Mia was the secret daughter of the dead woman and I kept losing respect for Megan's character every time a clue was dropped on her about this and she still didn't make the connection.

It was alright but I cannot imagine that the FBI would be sending undercover cop to investigate a dead partying socialite.

Too bad about the reporter guy. He was the only character on the show that was actually interesting to watch.

[Amelie06]

I'm putting this behind the black bars out of an overabundance of caution since the show won't be airing on the network for another couple of weeks.

Spoiler

I liked it. Julian is crazy hot and I'll be interested in seeing what happens. He certainly seems into Joanna, but I can't forget what flashback socialite girl said about him using her. There is probably a lot of truth to that. I can only assume that the rest of the season will be about figuring out whose Mia's father. I guess creepy ass Tate Donovan. Based on what his age appears to be, I can only assume that creepy Tate Donovan was Victor Garber's secret teen baby. Doesn't the casting seem a bit off? Victor Garber looks to be in his 60s. Tate Donovan is easily pushing 50. The next set of kids seem to be in their 30s. You just know that something will come of Joanna's mom having Alzheimer's. Clearly she will realize that her mother possesses knowledge that could crack this case wide open, and will spend several episodes trying to coax it out of her. I too, didn't like the surprisingly judgmental ex. He is hot, so I'm willing to give him another chance, but he has got to get it together. Right now, I'm more in favor of Joanna and Julian. Though I know he is some kind of drunken fuckwit.

[starchild215]

I liked it. I've liked Laz Alonso's work for a long time (FBI Guy). The woman playing the mother had a nice one episode appearance on "Justified" during it's first season. Everyone knows who Victor Garber is and the one playing the brother who told undercover cop that he didn't trust her is familiar to me too. I was surprised at how good a cast they'd assembled, and I'm sorry they killed off the reporter because he was the most interesting of them all for me too.

The Pilot got me interested. I'm anxious to see what they do with this. It's NBC and normally that would mean they'll mess it up but they did well with "Grimm" and are doing the same with "Chicago Fire" so maybe...

[ChainofFools]

Liked the preview episode, but I don't know that it can work as a series, possibly as an arch series where each arch last between eight and ten episodes. This way the Megan Goode character moves on, the audience get a resolution, and the episodes don't become overly ridiculous in an effort to stretch out the mystery.

Glad to see Sgt. Batista from Dexter. As much as I like Laz Alonzo and think he's hot, he is not the best actor and that could drag down the scenes he is in.

One question, Why would the MG character call to find out about the victim using her real name? Her friend has been murdered, the other person looking into it was murdered and there is a chance someone knows about her. Someone else from the force should have called to protect her cover.

[zombygirl]

I know this sounds super shallow, but I hated Vivian's hair. It was such a bad bad color job. I was jarring to me mostly becuase I'd just watched the actress on Haven a couple of weeks ago, and I love Bree Williamson's hair on there. Although I do love the casting of Vivian at various ages. It really works.

Like the show though. Interesed in the mystery, which is the whole point, but I don't see how it can drag out for too terribly long.

It's like grown up Veronica Mars, down to the flashbacks

Spoiler

and the sex tape.

Edited by zombygirl, Jan 1, 2013 @ 12:58 AM.

[Dream Boy]

Spoiler

I thought it was obvious that Mia was the secret daughter of the dead woman and I kept losing respect for Megan's character every time a clue was dropped on her about this and she still didn't make the connection.

Yeah, I called that pretty early too. I liked the show though and agree that it is like an adult Veronica Mars (a fave of mine). I'm in, at least for now. After all, I'll watch Spydaddy aka Victor Garber in anything lol

Edited by Dream Boy, Jan 1, 2013 @ 10:47 PM.

[heyitsme87]

I checked out the pilot online. I like what I see so far. I will definitely continue to watch. Julian is eye candy and much more interesting than the cop ex boyfriend.

The whole family seems kinda crazy, if Julian killed Vivian I hope there's more to it, than just her revealing his secret with the pharmaceutical drugs.

I wonder who fathered Mia. I think something incestuous was going on as well.

[yarnover]

I liked the preview episode. It's pretty lightweight but still not a bad way to pass 40ish minutes, though like others here I'm wondering how the series can be sustained with the current premise.

[dubbel zout]

I watched a screener with the first three episodes on it and thought it was pretty good. I agree that the show's biggest problem is that once the mystery of who killed Vivian is solved, the reasons for Joanna to stick around become more forced.

Sometimes I think these sorts of plots work best as a limited-run series. The plot can be tight and viewers don't have to handwave the more ludicrous aspects.

Edited to fix a misread.

Edited by dubbel zout, Jan 3, 2013 @ 11:27 AM.

[EndoKE]

It was alright but I cannot imagine that the FBI would be sending undercover cop to investigate a dead partying socialite.

I think the reason the FBI were investigating was because

Spoiler

of the drug that they were developing, I think they said it caused many deaths. Also the family had been implicated in various crimes, including murder, and no one had ever been caught, sort of like a WASP Mafia I guess? Any why does Tate Donovan always play a bad guy these days? I still think he's a cutie!

[DashDixon]

I know logically Tate Donovan's character can be Victor Gaber's kid and the much older brother of Julian, but come on.

I also don't have an issue with the FBI pulling Joanna in. They suspect the family (and their associates) of all sorts of things, this is just something they can use. I also haven't seen anything that said this mystery is intended to last multiple seasons. Is that out there? They can use this story line for one season (just like Veronica Mars) and move on to something else. Isn't this season only 13 episodes?

[Stinger97]

The pilot was... fine. I did, however, think it smacked of trying to be like ABC's Revenge. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Watching the rich behaving badly is quite a lot of fun, but I don't want to see the show become a carbon copy either. It all depends on how well the writers develop the mystery.

Speaking of, I had no idea that Mia was Vivian's daughter, not her sister. I actually didn't even realize it when the show basically laid it out for me at the end. I only put two and two together when I got here and read the posts. Count me in on getting an incestuous vibe happening throughout the Bowers' household. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Mia was Vivian and Julian's child (...how very reminiscent of Flowers in the Attic).

I don't find Joanna all that likable, nor do I find Megan Good to be that great of an actress. I fear that doesn't bode well for the rest of the series considering she's the lead.

Edited by Stinger97, Jan 3, 2013 @ 5:01 PM.

[damalanop]

I made a point to check the pilot out because I was really interested to see how Meagan Good would handle the lead actress role on a network show. Clearly, I think we'll need more than one episode to really critique the show. There were some minor inconsistencies which for some reason really annoyed me: 1) In the scene where Joanna was conducting a raid, it seems like she was part of the San Francisco PD, but later when she was staying at the mansion, she identified herself as NYPD. Which one is it? 2) I was surprised that none of the family seemed to inquire about Joanna's mother's health, since it seemed like she was such a part of the family. Or maybe I am assuming that her mother was that important to the family, when in fact she wasn't? 3) Given how powerful this family seems to be, wouldn't they be able to conduct a quick background check on Joanna to see that she is really a cop? I just didn't like her cover story for staying at the family home because it seems very flimsy.

While I thought the pilot was kind of weak, I'll give the show a chance, because I really like Victor Garber and Laz Alonso, and because I want to see how (or if) they flesh out these characters. If the writers do it well, this show might have a shot of being good.

[dubbel zout]

1) In the scene where Joanna was conducting a raid, it seems like she was part of the San Francisco PD, but later when she was staying at the mansion, she identified herself as NYPD. Which one is it?

I think that while she's working undercover, she's seconded to the NYPD. The FBI guy has a local cop who seems to be a sort of partner. The show doesn't come out and say this, though.

Edited by dubbel zout, Jan 4, 2013 @ 1:17 PM.

[MrsJeter]

Like others have said, the pilot was okay, Julian is gorgeous.

One line did crack me up, when Tate Donovan's character said that he didn't lay awake in bed at night because he didn't do cocaine. The look on his face when he said it just cracked me up.
'

Also, where have I see Julian before?

The actor was in the pilot episode of Scandal.

[damalanop]

I think that while she's working undercover, she's seconded to the NYPD. The FBI guy has a local cop who seems to be a sort of partner. The show doesn't come out and say this, though.

Thanks dubbel zout!! Your explanation makes perfect sense.

[Enero]

3) Given how powerful this family seems to be, wouldn't they be able to conduct a quick background check on Joanna to see that she is really a cop? I just didn't like her cover story for staying at the family home because it seems very flimsy.

This. I also thought it was ridiculous how many calls she was taking from Moreno all over the house and property without even bothering to check to see if she was alone. Another thing I found odd was her being able to snoop around the house, searching rooms etc., without running into one servant. Surely a family worth billions would have a servant or two hanging around. Lastly, I thought the cover story she used when she was pulled out of the house after the reporter was killed was weak as well. If she has a friend or friends in the city why would she need to stay with the Bowers?

Like others, I thought the Pilot was okay. The acting was so so. I didn't find the mystery terribly intriguing, and I didn't feel any real chemistry between the characters, but that may take a few episodes as the show find its groove. I'm going to give a chance though, see where it goes.

[Stinger97]

Also, where have I see Julian before?

The actor was in the pilot episode of Scandal.

He's also had a recurring role on (the recent) 90210, as well as True Blood.

Edited by Stinger97, Jan 4, 2013 @ 11:31 PM.

[ribboninthesky1]

The actor was in the pilot episode of Scandal.

Holy crap, he was Sully St James? I remember thinking how yummy he was on Scandal, but I am rather underwhelmed by the actor as Julian. Maybe it's the hairstyle. I knew he looked familiar, but I completely overlooked his Scandal credit on imdb. At least I know why I recognize him. I also thought he was a decent actor, based on his few scenes on Scandal, but he came across as stilted and awkward on this show. Oh well.

Anyway, the pilot was okay. I wasn't that impressed with most of the cast, including Meagan and Laz. Even Victor Garber came across less than stellar. Tate Donovan (I think he's a cutie, too) and Katherine LaNasa came across the most natural in the pilot for me. Heck, the younger Joanna actress was more convincing than Meagan. I want to support shows with black female leads, so I'm hoping Meagan gets better.

I am interested in how the mystery and presumed corruption plays out, though I've already prepared myself for the ridiculous and fantastical of circumstances and coincidences. Hopefully, the cast will gel better and get more comfortable in their roles with each episode.

[Paratroper]

Does television not do miniseries anymore? Because this, like Revenge, just seems to cry out for that format, especially because the constraint would tighten the plotting and cut extraneous subplots and characters. That having been said, I thought the pilot was pretty enjoyable, and will keep watching for awhile.

I also thought it was ridiculous how many calls she was taking from Moreno all over the house and property without even bothering to check to see if she was alone. Another thing I found odd was her being able to snoop around the house, searching rooms etc., without running into one servant. Surely a family worth billions would have a servant or two hanging around

I kind of agree (this was a problem I had with a similar storyline in 'Hunted'), but Joanna has the backstory of having lived in the house and I believe her mother was working there, so she would have more of a feel for how to avoid the servants and more of an excuse if questioned about reminiscing in old environs.

If she has a friend or friends in the city why would she need to stay with the Bowers?

As with the personal phone calls, she never claimed not to know anyone nor to be in dire need of a place to stay. Victor Garber's character offered and then insisted (and it was what she set out to accomplish), but I didn't see her pushing to stay there as if it were her only option. And the phone calls could have been to anywhere, not necessarily local.
I cannot think of any excuse, though, for the family not to have discovered her profession. Possibly the discovery will be a cliffhanger in some future episode?

[DashDixon]

Apparently, the plan is to reveal the killer to the audience this season and season 2 will center on trying to prove it. So, there is a plan. Also, the EPs see this as the love child of Donnie Brasco and Sabrina.

[Paratroper]

Also, the EPs see this as the love child of Donnie Brasco and Sabrina.

The Teenage Witch?

[DashDixon]

No. The classic with Humphrey and Audrey later remade with Harrison and Ormond.

[taiko]

What was up with a wire taped to her bra like it was 1980 or something? Half of the population has a transmiter clipped to an ear 24/7 in this day and age eliminating the need for such spycraft to fail. Thus letting everyone, like reporters, know you are a spy