Why It’s Worth A Watch Wednesday – Red Widow

This week on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday, we take on the mob!

Well, not literally. I mean, while I do have Sicilian blood, and there was that pizzeria I frequented when I was in high school that was rumored to be a mafia front (I was just there for the penne vodka, I swear), that’s about as close as I’m getting to any real life mob action.

Mmmm…penne vodka…

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, right. The latest TV show to feature mob people: Red Widow.

In the pilot episode of Red Widow, we meet Marta Walraven (Radha Mitchell, who I kept thinking, “where have I seen her face??” Answer: Melinda and Melinda). Marta is a rich housewife married to Evan, a hot bearded man with a ponytail (Anson Mount, I don’t even like ponytails, but, woo) who works at a marina. I think that’s what we are supposed to think.

But wait, how does a dude at the docks have this nice of a house? And she stays at home with the three kids?

Yeah. I’m pretty sure he isn’t just taking tourists out on boats or slinging fish or whatever it is we are supposed to think he’s doing.

As it turns out, Evan Walraven smuggles pot. And he doesn’t do it alone. He has partners – Marta’s brother Irwin and her BFF’s hubby, Mike.

Marta’s brother Irwin takes it upon himself to steal a shipment of coke (not the bubbly kind) from a rather bad dude known as Schiller (Goran Visnjic, remember him? ERs answer to no more Clooney) and bad things start to go down.

Among those bad things? Evan Walraven is shot and killed in his own driveway. In front of his 8 year old son.

Not good.

Marta finds out from her brother (who is now in prison) about the stolen coke – which he says was all Evan’s idea, cause hey, he’s dead and can’t say otherwise – and that’s why Evan is dead and things are just going to get worse unless she unloads the cocaine to a buyer he knows.

Marta decides instead to go to directly to Schiller and say, “Sorry, my hubs and his pals stole your stuff, but I’ll just give it back and all will be copacetic, right?”

(Dear Marta, You are dumb. Sincerely, Everyone Who’s EVER Watched TV)

Schiller, of course, isn’t going to be happy with a sorry and cash. Because this business is all about money and trust, or something. So, the story ensues with Marta doing very non-soccer mom things to keep her family safe.

I just did a lot of talking to set you up for the actual story, huh? Yeah. That’s basically what the pilot does. Which didn’t exactly thrill me. And I’m the gal who likes a slow build. But that wasn’t the big flaw for me.

The part that bothered me most is how little I felt for this Marta character. I mean, if she is going to have to do bad things to protect her kids, I should be rooting for her on some level, or at least feel conflicted. You know, “oh, she shouldn’t do that bad stuff, but she’s doing what she HAS to…THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!”

Yeah…that’s not happening.

You see, the key thing I left out in allllll of what I told you is this: Marta’s family is Russian* mob. Her maiden name is Petrov. She grew up in a world of bad things happening. She may not know the inner workings, but she knows the world. Far as I can tell, her dad is a pretty big deal. A boss, even. Complete with an old school restaurant front. And she hasn’t exactly cut off ties.

Add to that the fact that Marta is the one that got her husband to work with her brother in the first place (the show doesn’t seem to make it altogether clear what kind of business she thought it was, but given the fanciness of their house, and her brother’s behavior, she couldn’t be so clueless as to think she was encouraging him to go into any kind of legit business) and I’m left feeling very little sympathy for Marta.

I find myself doing a bit of a “you reap what you sow” shrug.

This is Goran Visijnic.

And yet, I did watch all three episodes available on Hulu.

Why?

Goran Visnjic. And a little insomnia. Mostly Goran Visnjic.

I do think I might watch the other episodes, but only because I can easily access them on Hulu and I am a little curious to see where the show goes. (Also, Goran Visnjic.)  I guess that makes this Junk Food TV. Like, generic dollar store potato chips, greasy and not my favorite flavor, but I’ll probably still eat them if there’s nothing else around.

Also, this.

There are only 8 episodes in the first season. I am kind of hoping that it will just be the one season. I think that if the show played out like a long movie across the 8, it could be redeemed a bit. I do NOT think this show has potential for anything long term.

How about you? Did you tune in to ABC’s Red Widow? While I give ABC props for trying to give us more female led dramas, anyone else feel like they are still missing the mark?

Now head over to Tiffany’s blog and see what she thinks of the Red Widow. I’m always curious to see which shows divide us and which have us singing the same song.

Tune in next week where Tiffany sorts out her DVR issues and I figure out what new programming I can access with ease on the interwebs. And feel free to chat with us on Twitter using the #watchwed tag!