Round Two: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 2 “Safe” (B+)

I’m pleased to report that this second installment was just as involving as the first, if not more, and solidified that this show is going to be great. I thought we might have a slow burn reveal of what happened with Marius getting mixed up with Vince, but instead it all played out over the course of just this one episode, with Marius and his brother presenting a terrific con that was actually being run on their big whale. Vince made a tremendous show of force by alternating between blanks and a real gun to execute the partner that they had set up to con him at the poker table, and, earning his name, the future Sneaky Pete ran rather than stick around to find out what Marius had planned for him. It seems that his arrest for armed robbery may have been what landed him behind bars, and now his latest con, to help his brother out of a tight spot, has been discovered. The secrecy and deceit I enjoyed most in this hour was finding out that Audrey was the one who hired someone to tail her alleged grandson, and that she knew that he might have been honest with her about going out to White Plains because he suspected that she was on to him. I knew as soon as I found out that this show was created by Graham Yost that Margo Martindale, who took home a well-deserved Emmy for “Justified,” had to have a great role with a dark side that she put on full display when she threatened Persikof’s mother. I couldn’t figure out where I knew Lance, Julia’s ex, from, and it turns out he’s played by none other than “Justified” cast member Jacob Pitts. I don’t know that we need to see him again, but it was great to see such a ferocious side of Julia, so fantastically portrayed by Marin Ireland.