S01.E01: Not Exactly How We Planned

[Lisin]

 

James "Ghost" St. Patrick opens Truth nightclub, hoping its success will allow him to leave his career as a NYC drug kingpin. But an attack on his drug business threatens his plans.

 

[ApathyMonger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSPnSw9TBI

 

I wasn't really a fan. I kept waiting for the inevitable twist that was supposed to hook me, and when it eventually came, I just groaned.

 

I might give it another episode to see if Victor Garber adds anything to the show when he shows up, but I'm not anticipating it becoming regular viewing for me.

Edited June 2, 2014 by ApathyMonger

[Easyspreestep]

It's only the first episode and I'm addicted. I love Omari and he acting is great. Looking forward to the season.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Just watched this On Demand, doesn't reinvent the wheel but kept my attention.

 

Like mentioned, I'm also curious to see how Victor Garber will fit into the mix.

 

50 Cent, need not ever show up.

[Brooklynista]

It was cool. Feels like it wants to be The Wire 2.0 and Ghost is closer to living what String Bell wanted.

Not sure how I feel about Natori as Tasha. I just wasnt buying her as the sex kitten she wanted to be in the back of that limo. And the hairline on that wig is unforgivable.

I also need some adjusting on the Old girlfriend. Fancy lawyer with a heavy Puerto Rican princess accent? Not so believable to me.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Brooklynista

[wanderingstar]

Edited:

 

Now that I 've watched the whole episode, I get why Ghost left his wife beater in the safe, but it still seems like a stupider risk than just burning it.

 

But hey - I was happy to see Debbie Morgan. What can I say, it's the old soap fan in me.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Gillian Rosh

[ybrik]

Well it seems like he wanted her to find it. Didn't he say he left something in the safe that she needed to take care her to take care of? It seems like she knows what he does and doesn't have a problem with it.

 

I thought the show was okay. Will watch to see if it becomes something more. Of course, it's been over a week since I saw the ep when it first became available. This is really a bad habit because having to wait two weeks for a new ep is annoying.

 

The show does benefit from having a very good lead however, most of the other characters seem like the usual characters you expect in these type of mob/gang shows.

 

Glad I am not the only one happy to see Debbie Morgan again.

[Bill C.]

Watching the first episode I couldn't help thinking "Oh, lord, it's Sugar Hill: The Series."  Albeit a younger and hipper version with louder music and more subplots, by the numbers as they were, but still.  What bothers me is that, so far, I don't really like anybody in the show; Jamie comes closest to like, though there's something about the way Omari Hardwick played him in this ep with a weird "distance" that bugs me.  Tasha was okay, if a bit hood queen bee-ish, up until she decided to give Shawn the Driver a freakshow in the limo.  Tommy at least is the unrepentent edgy lieutenant, though the show at least held off on his doing anything really crazy.  Just about everybody else, even Angela to some degree, felt less like characters and more like plot devices.  And there wasn't nearly enough Debbi Morgan (I'm assuming her Estelle is the disapproving stepmother) for my taste.  Maybe for some reason I was expecting more out of this episode than I should have been, I don't know; I'll give it another week or two to grab me.

[ribboninthesky1]

Not sure how I feel about Natori as Tasha. I just wasnt buying her as the sex kitten she wanted to be in the back of that limo. And the hairline on that wig is unforgivable.

 

My problem with Naturi is two-fold: not really impressed with her acting (though, she's not alone), and she looks too young to be Ghost's wife.  Omari is handsome, but he also looks and carries himself age appropriately. They have three kids together, and given their ages, they've been together a long time.  Based on the episode, he's in his late 30s, at minimum.  Naturi looks to be in her mid-20s at the oldest (though she's 30), so it's hard for me to see her as a contemporary.  While "black don't crack" is fantastic in real life, that same youthful glow makes her a miscast.  Naturi is playing Tasha way too young - the masturbation scene in the limo screamed "trying too hard."  Granted, the scene as written is ridiculously stupid to start with, but she's not selling it, either.  

 

The actor playing Ghost's partner is also trying too hard to come across edgy.  The "Baby Girl" scene with the older daughter was laughably bad.

 

There was one actor - the one tagging along with Tommy a lot - who seems so familiar, but I can't place him.  He did a much better job conveying menace without dialogue.  Plus, he's hot. 

[wanderingstar]

The actor playing Ghost's partner is also trying too hard to come across edgy.

 

 

OMG - YES! He was on my nerves the entire episode - far more than Tasha, Ghost, Angela, or even that cartoonishly evil drug lord.

[ribboninthesky1]

Thank you for reminding me of the mustache-twirling drug lord. I could not take him seriously.  I know the actor has done a ton of TV work, but I know him only from Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, ha!  Maybe subtlety and nuance will be embraced in later episodes, but man, I giggled every time he was on screen. 

[lovetowrite73]

 

Tasha was okay, if a bit hood queen bee-ish,

 

Therein lies the problem for me with Naturi. She played Lil' Kim in the movie "Notorious" and Tasha is just another iteration of that character. I don't know what it's going to take to not see her as that character in this series.

[ethalfrida]

It was cool. Feels like it wants to be The Wire 2.0 and Ghost is closer to living what String Bell wanted.

Not sure how I feel about Natori as Tasha. I just wasnt buying her as the sex kitten she wanted to be in the back of that limo. And the hairline on that wig is unforgivable.

I also need some adjusting on the Old girlfriend. Fancy lawyer with a heavy Puerto Rican princess accent? Not so believable to me. 

Your analysis is too cold...LMBO!!!