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S01.E01: Pilot

thewhiteowl

By thewhiteowl
in Blood And Oil [V]

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blackwing

blackwing

I tried watching it and gave up.  It was nice to see Don Johnson, and I would watch Amber Valletta just to look at her.  But the storyline is awful, and the guy that plays the young male lead (the young husband) is truly the pits.  He is one of the worst actors I've ever seen.  This show is just full of cliches and tired tropes, and it's not interesting enough for me to continue watching.

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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

I'm amazed that it's been almost a decade since Gossip Girl and Chace Crawford's acting hasn't improved, at all. 

He has, however, only gotten prettier in the intervening years, which is all I ask from him where this show is concerned.

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phoenics

phoenics

(edited)

I think I realized why that fancy schmancy party was so utterly boring. It lacked the "regular man" gaze. One thing The OC, Dallas, Dynasty and Gossip Girl got right was that when there was something really truly fancy happening - like the Bass Annual Brunch or an Oil Party thrown by the Ewings, there was either some major drama popping off, OR there was the "regular" guy to look at the party through his eyes. The party would have been more interesting through the gaze of Chase and his wife - without it, it was a bunch of unfamiliar folks and lacked any screen chemistry.

I do believe the show was retooled a bit after the Pilot though - because one of the actors was recast, I believe. I can't remember who. It wasn't Don Johnson though.

I think the 2nd episode will tell the tale of whether this show has a chance.

Oh, yeah, one thing bugged me -- do bars in North Dakota oil boom towns really play "Turned Up For What?"

LOL - good point, but it's "Turn down for what?"

Edited by phoenics
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Free

Free

(edited)

I think I realized why that fancy schmancy party was so utterly boring. It lacked the "regular man" gaze. One thing The OC, Dallas, Dynasty and Gossip Girl got right was that when there was something really truly fancy happening - like the Bass Annual Brunch or an Oil Party thrown by the Ewings, there was either some major drama popping off, OR there was the "regular" guy to look at the party through his eyes. The party would have been more interesting through the gaze of Chase and his wife - without it, it was a bunch of unfamiliar folks and lacked any screen chemistry.

 

Agreed and it's not just the party, Chace's character didn't go through the 'fish out of water' scenario like some of those other characters from those shows did, he was pretty much just a walking blank.  The couple just went from a car crash that they didn't even bother to care about, leaving it completely behind and just waited until the plot convenience kicked in.

Edited by Free
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biakbiak

biakbiak

(edited)

Like many of you I gave up watching. I thought I should stop when their truck went off the road with the five washing machines (no dryers) that had clothes in them and couldn't have cost more than $800 total, $3,000 if we throw in the truck somehow made them loose the $37,000 their friends and family thought was wise to invest in a laundromat in 2015. I held out until I realized the concept seemed to literally be lets recreate Deadwood in 2015 despite the fact that oil is currently less than $50 a barrel.

Edited by biakbiak
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taragel

taragel

The idea that those morons who didn't even take out insurance to protect the inexplicably few washers they used their crowd/family funded windfall to buy and dumbly transport a million miles so they could launch their poorly conceived plan to open some random laundromats in a totally strange town...were actually smart enough to swindle that poor old guy into giving them land rights to a piece of property that he ALREADY knew would be super valuable just to SPITE the other less-old guy he didn't like and charming enough to get less-old guy to basically fall in love with them... well, my head's already spinning from all the ridiculousness in the setup.

 

Scott Michael Foster (aka Bad Son) has been good in other shows, but he's pretty terrible here. I'm mad that Chasing Life sacrificed Leo for this career move.

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innocuouspuff

innocuouspuff

I kind of love that anyone is actually trying to make the retro soap opera aesthetic happen in 2015, rather than creating another Shonda Rhimes ripoff. Sometimes soaps need a moment for all the spinning threads to come together so we'll see, giving it a few eps.

Here for Chace Crawford tbh. He is my favourite and the confused puppy approach to acting is part of his appeal.

A commodities trader breaks down the realism or lack thereof in the pilot. Don't know that I really need to see sex-trafficking etc, though I was rolling my eyes at Chace flashing his new money around. When you are new to a badly policed town and no one knows you well enough to be worried if you suddenly disappear, definitely make sure everyone knows you are suddenly rich.

The chosen scenery is quite pretty. Don't see why they wouldn't keep shooting there as I am sure the state appreciates the job creation. Perhaps Utah offered more subsidies and tax breaks than North Dakota.

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Free

Free

The idea that those morons who didn't even take out insurance to protect the inexplicably few washers they used their crowd/family funded windfall to buy and dumbly transport a million miles so they could launch their poorly conceived plan to open some random laundromats in a totally strange town...were actually smart enough to swindle that poor old guy into giving them land rights to a piece of property that he ALREADY knew would be super valuable just to SPITE the other less-old guy he didn't like and charming enough to get less-old guy to basically fall in love with them... well, my head's already spinning from all the ridiculousness in the setup.

 

A dumb couple gets lucky because of plot convenience.

 

Scott Michael Foster (aka Bad Son) has been good in other shows, but he's pretty terrible here. I'm mad that Chasing Life sacrificed Leo for this career move.

 

I mean seriously, he's just a mustache twirling villain.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

I was rolling my eyes at Chace flashing his new money around..

OMG! You mean when he took stacks out of the full duffle in the tent camp, right? And then turned his back on it while smooching his bride??!! Either that's Chekhov's Duffle o' Money, or the director and the camera guy and the editor are clueless.
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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

Ha, I forgot the bag of cash actually, and that is an even better example! I was thinking of Billy writing $50K cheques for his new friend and loudly talking about it in the tent city full of broke and desperate people.

That too. If this were a different show, in the next episode that poor guy's body would be found outside the bank when he cashed the check--because, you know, this is the wild west and nobody uses bank apps on their phones to conduct such transactions--they all keep Benjamins under their mattresses. Sheesh. Why not gold bars?

Were the washing machines really full of clothes when the truck rolled? I missed that. If so, were they the young couple's (can't recall their names) clothes???

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Free

Were the washing machines really full of clothes when the truck rolled? I missed that. If so, were they the young couple's (can't recall their names) clothes???

 

Really?  If that's true, then that makes it even dumber that they left it behind.

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2AT

2AT

Maybe I should watch it on mute and just unmute it when DJ is on screen.

That's a great idea! Since my interest in the show is purely visual (DJ and the pretty mountains), I should watch the whole thing on mute.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

Since its one of the scenes I managed to watch I can say the clothes in the field weren't theirs. She picks up a pair of pants so large they both could have probably fit in one leg.

Okay, but then why were there clothes in the field where the washing machines landed?? I realize that--as many above have pointed out in various ways--the washing machines on the truck were totally out of place too, but that just makes me think The Show would be clueless enough to think: Hmmm, spilled truck load of washing machines; must have spilled loads of laundry.
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biakbiak

biakbiak

Okay, but then why were there clothes in the field where the washing machines landed?? I realize that--as many above have pointed out in various ways--the washing machines on the truck were totally out of place too, but that just makes me think The Show would be clueless enough to think: Hmmm, spilled truck load of washing machines; must have spilled loads of laundry.

Oh I should have been clearer the clothes clearly came from the truck/washing machines they just were comically large so they couldn't be their own personal clothing. Perhaps they spent the bulk of their $37,000 seed money on random clothing and packed them in the machines to save on space!

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

Oh I should have been clearer the clothes clearly came from the truck/washing machines they just were comically large so they couldn't be their own personal clothing. Perhaps they spent the bulk of their $37,000 seed money on random clothing and packed them in the machines to save on space!

biakbiak, I think you are too kind to The Show, or maybe, being a person of intelligence higher than the set dressers and other powers that be who let the laundry fill the scene, you are just going with Occam's Razor. Edited by shapeshifter
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Syndicate

Syndicate

According to Wikipedia (if it's to be believed in this case), Hap has a daughter, Lacey, whom I think we meet in the next episode.  Apparently, he fathered her out of wedlock which I find interesting.  I'm deducing from this that Lacey and Wick have different mothers.  More than likely, Hap probably cheated on Wick's mother with Lacey's mother which may have contributed to Wick's mother leaving.  I certainly envision Wick's mother and Hap's ex as a bitchy queen bee type.  Oh what fun would it be to have her come back and raise hell on Hap, his bastard daughter Lacey, and his determined younger wife Carla.  I'm looking forward to her arrival to be honest.  If they decide to do a Dynasty-style copycat, then I nominate actress Stephanie Beacham as his rich bitch British ex-wife.  If not her, then Sheree J. Wilson should be cast.  She did well playing schemer April Stevens on Dallas back in the day.  I think she'd do well as an older queen bee type.

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Chas411

Chas411

Ok so I actually really liked this pilot. It's cheesy but in a fun way.

 

Our central couple are likeable. Usually it's the guy who's a cheeky charmer while the girl is a pure and judgy Mary Sue. So far both characters work nicely together and compliment each other. I called the wife being pregnant from the get go. So is there never going to be a mention of the two trucks that ran them off the road? Like they could have killed them and they didn't even pull over. How neither were even hurt is also questioning. The second car crash was a bit much but by then I found it more funny then eyerolling. Plot points aside I do really like them. Chace Crawford especially has seriously improved since Gossip Girl and I find him really charismatic in this show.

 

Also, I'm not American but is Pharmacy school a thing?

 

Don Johnson is great in his role. Not sure about the wife though. I'd rather watch a fun and campy bitch. She's basically too serious. Also, everytime I look at Amber Valetta I see the corpse she played in What Lies Beneath.

 

The biggest problem with the show in my eyes is the son. He's awful. He's pathetic and annoying and just not even remotely likeable, The sex scene with the British lady fell flat for me because while he's attractive his personality just renders him unsexy. That and the British lady could barely disguise her disgust with him the minute he told her he's been cut off. However he the shows ~bad boy with daddy issues so let the woobifying commence.

 

Speaking of the British lady her accent is distractingly awful, I googled her and she actually is British. I couldn't believe that.

 

Who was the Pharmacy guy hitting on Cody? He looks so familiar.

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Syndicate

Syndicate

Ok so I actually really liked this pilot. It's cheesy but in a fun way.

 

Our central couple are likeable. Usually it's the guy who's a cheeky charmer while the girl is a pure and judgy Mary Sue. So far both characters work nicely together and compliment each other. I called the wife being pregnant from the get go. So is there never going to be a mention of the two trucks that ran them off the road? Like they could have killed them and they didn't even pull over. How neither were even hurt is also questioning. The second car crash was a bit much but by then I found it more funny then eyerolling. Plot points aside I do really like them. Chace Crawford especially has seriously improved since Gossip Girl and I find him really charismatic in this show.

 

Also, I'm not American but is Pharmacy school a thing?

 

Don Johnson is great in his role. Not sure about the wife though. I'd rather watch a fun and campy bitch. She's basically too serious. Also, everytime I look at Amber Valetta I see the corpse she played in What Lies Beneath.

 

The biggest problem with the show in my eyes is the son. He's awful. He's pathetic and annoying and just not even remotely likeable, The sex scene with the British lady fell flat for me because while he's attractive his personality just renders him unsexy. That and the British lady could barely disguise her disgust with him the minute he told her he's been cut off. However he the shows ~bad boy with daddy issues so let the woobifying commence.

 

Speaking of the British lady her accent is distractingly awful, I googled her and she actually is British. I couldn't believe that.

 

Who was the Pharmacy guy hitting on Cody? He looks so familiar.

Pharmacy guy is Justin Bruening formerly Jamie Martin from cancelled daytime soap opera All My Children.

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JAYJAY1979

JAYJAY1979

I think the show has potential...and it is the pilot. Dallas, knots landing and dynasty weren't hits right out of the gate.

I do think hap and his wife are interesting...and I'd love to meet has ex wife. Could be interesting.

I have to wonder if the main couple might take a back seat in future episodes now..it would be wise to do so..imho

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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

Speaking of the British lady her accent is distractingly awful, I googled her and she actually is British. I couldn't believe that.

I've been laughing at all the reviewers falling over themselves to criticize Chace Crawford for his awful fake accent, apparently ignorant of the fact that he's from Texas and spent some of his formative years in gradeschool in Minnesota. I mean, he's trained to have a generic Midwestern newscaster accent for work in Hollywood but my bet is he's breaking out the mode of speech he learned growing up for this role.

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Free

Free

I don't have high standards for my dramas but it's like they are trying to make this as boring and nonsensical at the same time as possible.

It is, it's lacking the fun factor in soapy shows.

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Mags

Mags

(edited)

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.

Edited by Mags
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DollEyes

DollEyes

My verdict: I'm in, for now. Blood & Oil's definitely not "perfect," but there's more good than bad, so I'll keep watching. This is Don Johnson's show. He owns every scene like his character Hap Briggs owns much of the oil in the Bakken & Carla, his current, younger wife, wants to keep it that way. Carla is smart, ambitious & dangerous. Hap's lucky to have her on his side. Speaking of luck, at first it seems to be bad for Billy & Cody, the married high-school sweethearts whose plans to open three laundry mats literally came crashing down without insurance, losing their families' & their friends' money in the process, forcing them to live in the so-called
Patchwork Hotel," a shanty town in a parking lot, forcing Cody to get a job in a pharmacy while Billy got a roughnecking job at one of Hap's oil fields, which he got fired from after just one day because of Wick, Hap's loser son. On top of that, Billy & Cody are expecting their first child.

Fortunately, Billy & Cody's luck changed for the better because of Richard Ford, the Briggs employee who flirted with Cody at the pharmacy. Cody's overhearing Ford discussing a plot of land that would give Hap access to oil fields that belong to a local tribe, prompting Billy to figuratively and literally gamble everything they have & even a few things they don't to get it, which they do impressing Hap in the process, hence them earning their first million, which they used to repay their debts and help their Patchwork pals open their restaurant.

 

  To be honest, while Billy & Cody aren't the best things about the show, they're way better than Wick, who's a spoiled, selfish, worthless asshole who finds new ways to fuck up, whether he's trying or not. Killing a sacred animal, causing the on-site accident that cost Billy his job & Hap a million dollars were bad enough, but trying to rob Hap proved just that he's not even good enough to be a piece of shit because even shit is useful sometimes.

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Biosynth

Biosynth

Honest to goodness, I made it about 10 minutes till I had to turn it off.  My North Dakotan husband and I were wondering where those mountains were supposed to be in ND because they aren't in any North Dakota we know.  I see that it was filmed in Utah, but why not ND?  ND needs all the exposure it can get. 

 

And it seemed like every other person had an English accent.  Uff Dah!  Where were the North Dakotans?

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