“Wicked City” premiered Oct. 27 on ABC and depicts life on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip: sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and most important, serial killers.
Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”) plays main character Kent Grainger, Erika Christensen (“Parenthood”) plays Betty Beaumontaine, and Jeremy Sisto (“Six Feet Under”) plays Jack Roth in a crime-drama unlike any other both in the time period and the complexity of the characters. The first episode dives right into the crime cases most prominent in Los Angeles’ streets, starting with a serial murder case from 1982.
The pilot episode of the show set me back in time. The make up, the attire, the street rods and muscle cars, the soundtrack, and everything else characteristic of the ‘80s seem to appear. The fact that Wicked City is set in the past makes it much more effective and engaging.
I was intrigued by the constant action. The music was blaring, Whisky a Go Go night club was popping, and cocaine seemed to be around every corner. The Whisky a Go Go wouldn’t be a wicked place if it wasn’t for Kent Grainger, a charismatic serial killer. His signature line is “Kill me, I like giving back,” which he actually means.
The first episode thoroughly develops the main characters. Each character carries something devious about them which I enjoyed, because it contributed to an eerie tone. The most devious of them all is Grainger.
The first character on screen is Grainger, who introduces himself as John Brent at the bar and poses as a real estate agent offering career help to women.
The devious side of Grainger is apparent, leaving me shocked and hopeful that his other victims won’t be murdered.
Immediately, I was disturbed. But afterward, it gets even more twisted.
Grainger tries to get the attention of the media by publicly displaying his victims’ dismembered bodies in the same spots.
After a headless corpse is spotted in the same spot where the first Hillside Strangler victim was found, Roth is the detective who tackles the case.
All of this unravels in the first two scenes. Throughout the first episode there are very few moments of silence. Most scenes are filled with loud music and a fast pace, heightening my nerves. This adds to the suspense, making me want to see the next scenes unfold.
Roth already starts with knowledge about the Sunset Strip serial killings because he busted another serial-killer case in the late 1970s. He is paired with another detective on the case, Paco Contreras (“Matador”), and they don’t get along, adding tension.
One interesting part of the investigation is the lack of security cameras and technology to advance the investigation. This is a refreshing change from typical crime shows today, which rely on advanced technology to carry the plot.
Early on, Beaumontaine works her way closer to Grainger, upping her risk of being targeted as a victim, but a cell phone beep distracts Grainger, altering her fate. Beaumontaine and Grainger are able to learn more about each other, finding out they are much more similar than they thought, and their relationship quickly appears to be turning into something more devious.
Taissa Farmiga (“American Horror Story”) stars as Karen McClaren, a young reporter struggling to publish her first story. She is the innocent girl, but also vulnerable. I was quickly attached to her because she was presented in a positive light, unlike most characters early in the show.
As the episodes continued, I struggled to tolerate the overly exaggerated disturbing tone. Right out of the gate, I was able to see the stalkerish theme.
Some may see it as a look back into the past, but others may find the targeting of women offensive. While many aspects of the show are refreshing, I found the idea behind “Wicked City” to have a similar outlook on targeting women as many other shows which isn’t a good thing. I believe that one can see it both ways, and as it is a show, it will be more exaggerated.
