Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S01.E01: Pilot


Recommended Posts

 

Billy and Cody Lefever are a young, recently married couple with dreams bigger than their working-class upbringing. Following the largest oil discovery in American history, they pack up and move from their small city to the boomtown of Rock Springs, North Dakota, where a millionaire is made every day. Intent on tapping into this explosion of wealth, they set out to start their own business, which they’ve financed with every penny to their name. After a rough start, Billy becomes increasingly eager to cash in on this modern day gold rush. When he tries his hand in the oil business, he crosses paths with the baron of the Bakken, Hap Briggs and his equally powerful wife, Carla, as they embark on expanding their empire into new territory. But tangling with titans is not for the faint of heart and when Billy bets big, it causes Cody to question his intentions, and ultimately their marriage.

 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Oh my goodness. I can so relate to this from the review:

 

Well, okay, Don Johnson. Maybe I'm sentimental, but he's still got it. It's just tragic he's using it in this mess. I mean, here's a man who has grabbed so much fine ass in his time, and done it so well...y'all, Don Johnson deserves more respect than this show can give him. That's what we're dealing with here. My man is smacking the choice backside of Amber Valletta like a damn pro, like he's trying to shock her into remembering her lines -- something she seems to be struggling to do -- but the strain is showing through his signature tan. I sincerely feel for him as he desperately tries to lend some dignity to the proceedings.

 

And because it's Don Johnson, I'm going to give it a try. But I have to say I disagree that when Patrick Duffy was on Dallas, original recipe, he did NOT look middle-aged. He looked just like the 28 year-old he was 'posed to be...y'all.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

This sounds like just about what I expected. Until just recently, based on the billboards around town, I thought this was a telenovela. The style of the marketing just gave my that impression. Despite the fact that the title is clearly in English. And Don Johnson is in the pictures.

Link to comment

This sounds like just about what I expected. Until just recently, based on the billboards around town, I thought this was a telenovela. The style of the marketing just gave my that impression. Despite the fact that the title is clearly in English. And Don Johnson is in the pictures.

 

It does feel very soapy, it probably would've been better as a telenovela.

Link to comment

And this thing is definitely making a play for so-bad-it's-good territory, but unless Joan Collins rolls into town next week wearing the carcass of a white moose she just shot in the Black Hills, I don't trust that it will get there.

We can only hope she can show up next. I think Dame Joan and Don would be magic together.

Link to comment

Y'all need to back way way away from Don.  He's mine and I can prove it: 

 

I still have my 45 of "Heartbeat."

Hee! Replied to this in the Cast In Other Roles thread--although maybe should have been Media thread, whatevs: http://forums.previously.tv/topic/31910-the-cast-in-other-roles-wildcatters/#entry1521972

I'm kind of dreading watching this. I was going to suggest a poll thread for how many episodes it will last, but that might be a short-lived thread, heh.

At least it's not up against any other big season premiers yet that I can see, which could mean either the folks in charge are on top of things, or it could be luck.

Link to comment

I don't understand this couple's plan.  They spent $37,500 from friends and family to "open 3 Laundromats".  But all they had was 5 old washing machines in the back of their truck.  Where's the rest of their equipment?  Was it being delivered?  If so, to where?  It doesn't look like they leased any commercial space for these "businesses".

 

This young guy seems a little thick-headed, maybe his wife should cut her losses now.

  • Love 5
Link to comment

I don't understand this couple's plan.  They spent $37,500 from friends and family to "open 3 Laundromats".  But all they had was 5 old washing machines in the back of their truck.  Where's the rest of their equipment?  Was it being delivered?  If so, to where?  It doesn't look like they leased any commercial space for these "businesses".

They might also want to look into who they should be suing over that car accident, which was clearly caused by the negligence of one of those truck drivers.

 

Don Johnson still has charisma, I'll give him that.

 

The climactic cliffhanger, them wrestling in a pit of actual oil that's about to catch fire, is hilariously literal.  I'm not sure this is the sort of show I'd watch on a regular basis, but I can see this having an audience.

Edited by SeanC
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I'm more interested in the Birggs family than I am Cody and Billy. 

 

I echo the confusion about Cody and Billy's business plan. They had five washers ( which appeared to be full of clothes? Or was that their stuff all over that field) and...nothing else? What did they do with their friends and family's money? 

Link to comment

I think I liked it enough to see where it lands. The preview for the rest of the season offered some incentive to give it a chance.

 

Yeah, this is me. Of course, the first half had me rolling my eyes at all the plot contrivances and bad acting. But I'll stick it out to see where it goes for Don Johnson.

 

Hell, I stuck out a whole fucking season for that atrocious show, Hostage for Dylan McDermott, and this show is better than that. Well, the pilot of each, anywhoo.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Hell, I stuck out a whole fucking season for that atrocious show, Hostage for Dylan McDermott, and this show is better than that. Well, the pilot of each, anywhoo.

 

He was the only reason why I watched that show and see Toni Colette get completely wasted in an awful show.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

At least they're pronouncing Bakken correctly.  I've actually heard it pronounced like 'bacon' on national news.  I've spent a lot of time in North Dakota and never seen anything like those mountain ranges though.  :-)

 

I too watched because of Don Johnson and he has definitely still got it.  I'm curious enough to see if the rest of the cast can step up to watch again.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

So I watched for Wilson Bethel - who was not great in Astronaut's Wife Club, but rewatching Hart of Dixie again, was great as Wade. Not a major player in this :(

So you think what they told Amber is that she is suppose to be like Robin Wright in House of Cards? A hair cut and makeup does not Robin Wright make.

I may give it another week or so, but I think it is short lived...

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Wow.  The premise of this show strains credibility at best.  After the hit&run by 2 semi tankers, the couple just leaves their truck and washing machines and never looks back?  Then this bonehead young couple manages to raise $100K and con some experienced land men into a great deal, just like that?  And the dumbass wrecks a second car in the process? Just a TAD bit unrealistic.  The rest of the show doesn't get any better.  If it weren't for Don Johnson being in this show, I would never have even watched the first episode, and he did his part well.

 

But Don Johnson or not, I don't think this show will last 6 episodes before being cancelled.  It just plain sucks so far.

Edited by timk225
  • Love 8
Link to comment

Wow.  The premise of this show strains credibility at best.  After the hit&run by 2 semi tankers, the couple just leaves their truck and washing machines and never looks back?  Then this bonehead young couple manages to raise $100K and con some experienced land men into a great deal, just like that?  And the dumbass wrecks a second car in the process?

 

They act like it's not that big of a deal, all they got was a scratch and some fake blood on them too.

 

But Don Johnson or not, I don't think this show will last 6 episodes before being cancelled.  It just plain sucks so far.

 

A big problem for me was that it was more boring than fun/ott like it could've been so it wasn't as enjoyable for me.  Other than the ott scenes at the beginning and end, it was mostly watching a dumb couple bumble their way from 1 bad choice after another until the plot device kicked in.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

They act like it's not that big of a deal, all they got was a scratch and some fake blood on them too.

A big problem for me was that it was more boring than fun/ott like it could've been so it wasn't as enjoyable for me. Other than the ott scenes at the beginning and end, it was mostly watching a dumb couple bumble their way from 1 bad choice after another until the plot device kicked in.

Edited by Syndicate
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Finally, a true spiritual successor to Revenge!

 

Now this is what a soap opera should be like. Not a bumbling, overtly-subversive mess like Empire or Scandal, but a true-to-form, straight-out-of-the-80s story about money, glamour and power. I am so blown away with how well this show has been shot- the visuals are gorgeous and are only going to get more spectacular and surreal when the show transitions into green-screen (I doubt they'll keep filming on location in Utah but maybe they'll surprise me). The acting was also similarly impressive- I've really missed Chace on TV and it's exciting to see Amber play such a key role.

 

I can't wait to see the rest of this season play out. Bravo, ABC, bravo.

Edited by GuyAwks
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Utah!  Considering the scenery, that makes a lot more sense! 

 

The thing is, real life around the Bakken oil fields is an absolute mother lode of stories. The tent camps are real.   The horrendous traffic and lack of supplies on the shelves is real.  The potential for someone to show up and make $100K a year is real (a lot of dirty, hard work, but real).   I wish this was more Miami Vice and less Dynasty.  An atmospheric, gritty show set in Bakken could be phenomenal.  The pilot was over the top but not too campy.  I hope they can dial it back.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I've been to North Dakota several times.  I have never seen those kind of mountains.  Then I read it was filmed in Park City, Utah.  But it did look pretty.

 

I kind of enjoyed it for what it was. A nighttime soap full of over the top goodness.  I will watch just for Don Johnson. 

Edited by LakeGal
  • Love 3
Link to comment

Wow, this was.... bad. Corny, nonsensical, silly, tropey.

So the main couple gets run off the road whilst toting a pickup truck loaded with washing machines to start a laundromat empire? What a nutty premise. They had a plan to open laundromat, but instead of securing locations with actual buildings, permits and getting the plumbing installed, their first step in this business venture is buy a bunch of washers? Because appliance companies - especially when you buy in bulk - never deliver, you know. Gawd.

And then they get run off the road, but no one calls the police or anything, they just leave their appliance and vehicle litter there. I guess some poor volunteer roadside cleanup crew is going to need some extra large pointy sticks to pick up that trash. And no insurance on their new appliance investment or truck? They sound very astute.

Then blahblahblah, they manage to financially outsmart the biggest oilman in the district and he's so impressed by their gumption - oil men LOVE gumption, yo - that he practically adopts this kid right there. He's like the son he never had, except for the son he actually did have, who is an entitled prick and deserves to replaced by this Billy-come-lately.

And of course Billy's wife is pregnant - surprise! - because who needs birth control when not having insurance worked out so well. All these modern safety nets are so last year. She has to bitch-storm out of there about not raising a baby in a tented city, although she hopefully knows that pregnancy is 9 months long and has enough confidence that she and Billy could scrape together enough money to buy a bed frame and some disinfectant by that time. In the end, she gets all sorry-I-doubted-you, because she is on contract for the whole season.

It ends with Bad Real Son and New Fake Son fighting and of course managing to find the one small yet ridiculously deep puddle of oil to roll around in. Like there's any way in the real world they wouldn't be turned into human torches within two seconds after that spark hits, but again, contracts. I'm sure Don Johnson will save both of their oily asses.

Oh it's bad, but I will watch next week yet, just to see how they resolve their fiery conundrum.

  • Love 9
Link to comment

So you think what they told Amber is that she is suppose to be like Robin Wright in House of Cards? A hair cut and makeup does not Robin Wright make.

So that's who she reminds me of. Sucks for her because I hate that character.

I try to finish this but I barely made it through half before I had to turn this off. So boring.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I try to finish this but I barely made it through half before I had to turn this off. So boring.

 

I was expecting it to be more ott and actually fun.  Instead it was mostly boring and focused on the couple make 1 bad choice after another.

Link to comment

I predict a darker version of this show is coming.  I don't even know why I feel that actually.

 

I hope so, because it's really bland atm and so far, without any of the good elements of a fun soapy show.

Link to comment

Wow, this was.... bad. Corny, nonsensical, silly, tropey.

It ends with Bad Real Son and New Fake Son fighting and of course managing to find the one small yet ridiculously deep puddle of oil to roll around in. Like there's any way in the real world they wouldn't be turned into human torches within two seconds after that spark hits, but again, contracts. I'm sure Don Johnson will save both of their oily asses.

Oh it's bad, but I will watch next week yet, just to see how they resolve their fiery conundrum.

 

Well, Wick, the Real son, was actually shown to have opened that thingamajig, that caused the oil to spill out, so I didn't roll my eyes at that part--how that puddle/little pond of oil ended up there.

Link to comment

Okay, dipping into the shallow pool, I had to laugh when I noticed that Hap is juuuust a smidgen shorter than Amber. Or maybe they're the same height when she's not wearing heels? I'm just used to seeing Johnson be the taller one, I guess.

 

And If I can get more scenes with him and the horsies, I'll be happy.

 

Sometimes, I'm very easily pleased.

 

But he needs to seriously get rid of that accent. I'm not sure what he's going for.

'

Link to comment

It wasn't as bad as I had dreaded.

I guess they didn't have comprehensive insurance coverage on the first vehicle.

Rolling the second vehicle in the same manner would have been more appropriate on a comedy show, or even a dramedy.

Edited by shapeshifter
Link to comment

Great recap, Shermie.  Thanks. 

But he needs to seriously get rid of that accent. I'm not sure what he's going for.

 

 

North Dakotans do have an accent, as demonstrated by Marge from Fargo, who nailed it perfectly. But maybe all these guys moved in from "off" to beat the locals to the oil money.

 

Will everyone go skiing on those snow-peaked mountains during North Dakota's infamous -40F, blizzard-filled winters?

 

And, how did I know the guy would fall in the cattle "mud" while running a half-mile to get to the house before the oil guys, who were already knocking on the front door?

Edited by saber5055
Link to comment

Finally, a true spiritual successor to Revenge!

 

Now this is what a soap opera should be like. Not a bumbling, overtly-subversive mess like Empire or Scandal, but a true-to-form, straight-out-of-the-80s story about money, glamour and power.

LMBO! Really? Where was the glamour? I didn't really see any. Not much in the way of power either.

The plot was contrived and really, really strained credibility - but I did enjoy it.

Interesting that you chose Scandal and Empire to compare this show to. Sure - those may not be your taste, but Scandal - "bumbling"? I think not. It may have stumbled, but it was never bumbling. And Empire is just a juggernaut. It may not make sense, but at least you have fun in the insanity.

This show has the potential to be really good - but Dallas it's not. Dynasty it's not. It's more like a prequel to Dallas than anything - about how a young buck perhaps becomes Jock Ewing? Other than that, there wasn't any glamour. The scene that was supposed to have glamour (the party with the rich folks) was so boring that I don't even remember what happened other than something about a religious politician?

I am so blown away with how well this show has been shot- the visuals are gorgeous and are only going to get more spectacular and surreal when the show transitions into green-screen (I doubt they'll keep filming on location in Utah but maybe they'll surprise me). The acting was also similarly impressive- I've really missed Chace on TV and it's exciting to see Amber play such a key role.

 

I can't wait to see the rest of this season play out. Bravo, ABC, bravo.

I thought Chace was good and so was Amber (is that the girl who plays his wife?), but Don Johnson stole the whole show - every scene he appeared in caught fire and spread across my tv screen.

I do love Chace though - glad to see two GG guys on ABC this fall.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

This show was the worst thing I've seen on tv in years.  The only reason I looked at it in the first place was for Don Johnson and even he was a disappointment.  The married couple and the son are totally unlikeable so don't know how a show can work with characters you don't give a fig about.  But mostly I found it old fashion.  It's like an 80's prime time soap without any stand out characters are plots.

 

Someone mention Empire.  At least that show has interesting music, clothes, locations, one liners and if all else fails COOKIE and LUCIOUS.  They have more spark than that ember on the last scene.

  • Love 4
Link to comment

Did they go out of their way to hire a charisma free supporting cast and co-lead - Crawford, who is simply awful - as always.

Every other cast member other than DJ is dull as dishwater -

Can't watch it - oh well.

 

I would say yes, but really, the show itself is charisma free.  Normally soapy shows are supposed to be more fun and ott, whereas this show felt dated and dull.

Link to comment

It seemed slow. I was waiting for something to happen, but it never seemed to. Really surprised they made CJ (?) pregnant right away.

 

When Hap and the wife were pleasantly driving the happy young couple out to some "surprise" location - in the middle of the night - I half-expected Hap to shoot them and dispose of the bodies, since they did sort of swindle, or at least take away his lucrative land deal and access. I just found everyone too trusting of each other.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Wow, this was.... bad. Corny, nonsensical, silly, tropey.

So the main couple gets run off the road whilst toting a pickup truck loaded with washing machines to start a laundromat empire? What a nutty premise. They had a plan to open laundromat, but instead of securing locations with actual buildings, permits and getting the plumbing installed, their first step in this business venture is buy a bunch of washers? Because appliance companies - especially when you buy in bulk - never deliver, you know. Gawd.

 

And then they get run off the road, but no one calls the police or anything, they just leave their appliance and vehicle litter there. I guess some poor volunteer roadside cleanup crew is going to need some extra large pointy sticks to pick up that trash. And no insurance on their new appliance investment or truck? They sound very astute.

 

It really makes no sense.  I could understand them already buying the washers and moving them themselves.  But they said that since the machines got wrecked they had no money.  So how were they planning to start a laundromat business (let alone 3)? Run it out of their truck?  And even if they had no insurance on the washers, wouldn't they have insurance on the truck?

 

They did show the guy calling the cops though.  He got a voice answered message that said it would be 24 hours until the police could respond because of high demand. So if you want to commit a crime, I would go to this place.

 

This would have worked better if they went slower and took a few episodes for the young couple to get a million dollar win like that.

Link to comment

If nothing else, the way the show seemed to move quickly from one thing to the next, despite seemingly not much having happened, indicates that it's probably going to cover lots of storyline ground very quickly.  Ironically, as someone who also watches FOX Empire, I hate this fast-paced formula on that show because it seems like good storyline opportunities are being missed.  Blood and Oil, on the other hand, gives me the impression that they will move things swiftly along while still effectively touching on all beats of the main plot, potential subplots, etc.

Edited by Syndicate
Link to comment

I think, the reason for everything happening so quickly and so fast, without pacing, and letting things build up, is due to suits/viewers wanting instant gratification.  It took Dallas at least one and a half seasons, before it became the juggernaut it did.  And bear with me here, since it seems they're tying for a Dallas theme here, no one was over the top, but my wee self was instantly hooked when I saw the mini-series/season one.  And it was soapy. Bobby marrying daughter of his Daddy's enemy and bringing her to his home. Sigh...

 

Ahem.

 

It's not surprising that Hap is the only one I like and that's all due to Don Johnson, bad accent and all.  I know there's supposed to be an accent, but the one he was using last night was just...not good. Or maybe I'm so used to his Sonny Crockett and Nash Bridges voice.

Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...