It took me four episodes before I realized that I’m having a blast with Heels mainly because it gives me The CW primetime drama vibes.
The main difference is that Heels has one sex scene an episode, cursing, and alternates the action from episode to episode. One episode might have a lot of action while the next one might have little or no action.
Then the show will pick things up with a balance of story and a lot of action. I’m really digging it. Let’s get into episode four “Cutting Promos”!
Buck Naked with Just a Cowboy Hat and a Championship Belt On
The episode starts with a flashback of Wild Bill at a meeting with his employer’s executives. They’re showing him a new championship belt design that lights up to make it better for merchandising.
Bill hates it, blows up on the guy about it, and ends up stripping on a flight and wearing it. There are several people on the plane who records his rant. Starz really loved using the fake penis on shows–Spartacus is a prime example–and now Heels is picking up that…tradition.
Dealing with bad press from the incident, he is suspended and decides to head back to Duffy, Georgia. There he moves in with former valet and DWL business partner Willie’s family.
A fire breaks out at Jack and Staci’s house as a result of the squirrel from the previous episode chewing through the wiring. They move back in with Mama Spade while repairs are done. Also, Staci brings up that she would like to get a job outside of the house to help with money.
Jack is really against it and strongly believes that DWL will turn things around. Bobby Pin asks Crystal for advice about his character. The other DWL wrestlers notice how close he is becoming with her but it’s all platonic, really.
Jack fails to get more funding from the religious pawnshop and car dealership owner for DWL to go digital and create an app.
Wild Bill’s agent calls him about the stunt and it looks like we’re getting a press conference on it. Staci goes to the store with Mama Spade and she asks about working outside of the home.
Mama Spade says she dedicated her life and her time to her husband and son. That explains why she is so attached to Ace who is still living with her.
Ace is chilling in the bar and he’s not taking to being a heel well because he feels that he is a good man and should be getting cheered…when everything points to the opposite.
Wild Bill starts to bond with him over pool hustling and big dicking their opponents in front of everyone in the bar. Basically, he’s trying to show him what an alpha male looks like…when he’s washed and just made a fool of himself on a plane earlier in the week.
The Second Act
Ace finally shows up at dinner after hanging out with Wild Bill. During the dinner, Jack’s son Thomas gets to say grace but Mama Spade interrupts him he mentions that King Spade is in heaven.
She believes that suicide is a sin and that her husband is in hell. Staci cuts her off as she doesn’t believe Thomas should be hearing that about his grandfather.
Jack and Ace leave the table, no longer wanting to have dinner after Mama Spade’s outburst. Ace bonds with Thomas over discussing if King Spade is in hell and how to deal with people by just nodding.
He also bonds with his older brother over watching an old DWL promo featuring Wild Bill and King Spade. They decide to do a little creative booking together which excites Ace.
Also, bonding is Staci and Mama Spade who talks about her the latter’s anger towards Tom Spade’s suicide. Wild Bill is fired from the company and is now stuck in Duffy. That was expected. Bobby Pin is over at Crystal’s trailer home to show her the costume she designed.
They bond further when Bobby tells her that she is talented and should get a push and she tells Bobby to just be himself. Then they get a text to shoot an Ace vs. Bobby angle—which is awesomely shot. Thumbs up Heels cast and crew.
I love ambushes-in-public places angles and this was fun to watch. Rooster, Diego, and Apocalypse just kind of show up at the end of the angle with Jack.
Finishing Stretch
This was to build up their next main event match in a cage with the winner getting a shot at the DWL title. Later that night, Wild Bill says some messed up stuff about Willie’s husband, daughter, and how they were a thing.
He brings up an abortion that she had before and Willie starts laying into him. The following morning, Willie’s husband has moved all of his sh** out of the house and into the driveway.
Ace heads over to Crystal’s place and spots her jumping on a trampoline with Bobby. He takes this the wrong way and ends up keying Bobby’s truck. Bobby’s so nice and naïve, he sees the scratches as “racing stripes”. Poor innocent Bobby Pin.
While sulking over a “broken heart”, Ace is chilling outside at Mama Spade’s. She tries to console Ace who tells her she needs to handle her anger at Tom Spade better and that he doesn’t believe that he’s burning in hell.
Finally, Jack Spade is heading off to speak with Wild Bill. Staci calls and tells him that she took a job at the grocery store because she wants to do something more.
She also doesn’t want to end up like Mama Spade. Good decision Staci; Mama Spade is annoying as hell. Jack arrives at the motel Wild Bill is staying at and finds him in a pathetic state.
The episode ends with him simply walking off without speaking.
Heels S1E4 Verdict: Gold Medal (4.5/5)
While it wasn’t as exciting as episode three, the fourth episode of Heels did feature some good character building for Crystal, Bobby, Willie, and Wild Bill. Staci’s life takes a step forward with her getting a job outside the house and having her own thing.
Having younger siblings, I enjoyed seeing Jack and Ace make some progress with their relationship. They found something that connected them outside of family life and that’s good.
The hints at Wild Bill and Willie Day’s past were nice even if they were minor. Wild Bill was a rockstar in this episode being a bigger heel than Ace. Hell, this was Ace’s redemption episode of the season until he keyed Bobby Pin’s truck. How are you going to key the truck of the show’s biggest babyface?
He did have a moment of clarity when discussing anger and how the suicide of his father impacted him with his mother. He actually dropped a pearl of wisdom even though he’s all over the place as a person.
This show just keeps delivering strong episodes. Again, it didn’t have me on the edge of my seat like the previous one but it didn’t let up off the gas all the way.
Just a little bit.
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