Did we like it?
A “real hard dick bitch” of a drama to wake us up after a Sunday evening spent in the bonneted past.
What was good about it?
• Glenn Close as “real hard dick bitch” lawyer Patty Hewes, who is on the side of good against evil… but not without her own ethical lapses along the way (making her this year’s Vic Mackey or Tony Soprano). The drama was written for her, so it’s no surprise that she steals the show but it’s great to see the astonishing quality of her performance.
• Ted Danson playing against type as the crooked businessman Frobisher, using every trick up his book to ensure the employees he conned don’t get their hands on the wealth he’s squirrelled away.
• The twist at the end when Tom (The OC’s Tate Donovan), who was sacked with the words “Enjoy your tofu, Tom. You’re fired!”, made a comeback, part of Patty’s twsietd machinations.
• Rose Byrne, who was unknown to us, never gets overshadowed by the big-name veterans in the cast. She wins the audience’s empathy as Patty’s ambitious protégé Ellen Parson, who gets pulled in various directions despite being a hot-shot legal legend in the making, who is so good that the salary offers she receives are met with a “Holy shit!|” reaction.
• There was never the slightest doubt that it would be worth following this series throughout the entire 13-part run.
What was bad about it?
• The flashback technique. We’re a bit fed up with how-did-we-get-here formats. We didn’t need to know that Ellen’s boyfriend ends up in a literal bloodbath.
• The bloody dead dog. Hey, we’re a bit squeamish.
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