What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete (Season Finale)

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 10 “Switch” (B+)

It’s deeply disconcerting to me that this show debuted its second season more than two months ago and has been yet to be renewed, especially considered Amazon reupped less than a week after season one premiered. This show is immensely deserving of a third season, with a finale that wasn’t quite as clean-cut as season one and opening the door to much more internal strife in hypothetical future episodes. Otto may well have been this episode’s MVP, refusing to consider himself and Sam even and then solving two problems by introducing the two thugs trying to kill Julia’s skip to each other. Frank killing Luca as revenge for murdering Joe was a similarly helpful solution, though it seems that the acid-loving madman was alive long enough to Maggie to get her revenge by destroying the money right in front of him. Marius’ con was perfectly executed, with his fake FBI friends playing their parts well, but unfortunately he didn’t see Maggie double-crossing him. Her parting gift seems to have been not to blow his cover, but Julia has been paying attention and made the bold decision to go to Bagwell to understand just who her alleged ex really is. That coupled with a big reveal set up about how Carly’s parents actually died more than make the case for season three, which leaves Audrey home free thanks to Taylor’s frame job that Joyce totally figured out. This show was one of my favorites to watch this season, and I sincerely hope season three will soon be confirmed.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Jane Adams as Maggie

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 8 “Marius Josipovic” (B+)

What an incredible meal this episode offered, with Pete given the chance to see his family again after so many years while having to pretend that he was Marius who had heard so much about Pete’s family from his cellmate’s many stories. Pete got in a great dig at Marius by repeating his name and saying how he was a con man, the lowest of the low, and while it didn’t affect Marius in an emotional way, it does suggest that Pete isn’t going to be happy with any resolution of this situation. I’d be so curious to see how the family would react to the truth, especially since Maggie has been perpetuating his lie – though I suppose they don’t have any more reason to doubt Marius than they do Maggie. Luca made an impression on Audrey when she went to go visit the storage unit prisoner, and now Julia has gotten herself into real trouble with no clear way out. Colin has to deal, that’s evident, but Otto and Sam opted to let him live before, so I’m not sure why they would kill him now. I suspected that Marius had made a deal with the FBI, but he continues to insist that he hasn’t, and Luca being the distraction for them to get away with their scheme – which the FBI has seen being put together – doesn’t seem like a foolproof plan at all. With any luck, it will work out exactly as the takedown of Vince did in season one, getting rid of the problem and helping the good guys get away clean.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 7 “The Reluctant Taxidermist” (B+)

It’s really incredible to watch Marius work. Spinning that whole narrative about taxidermy was relentlessly boring but also fantastic, and it was great to see Gina work so well with him. The problem is that you can’t have too many con artists around, and Maggie showing up just got it moved to a much more difficult location, one that already has Marius talking about making the Empire State Building disappear. Maggie isn’t really helping anyone these days, trying to get Frank to talk about his dead friend, which can’t be a smart road to go down, and putting Julia’s problematic runaway in a storage unit owned by Luca for the weekend, which also seems like bad news given that something is sure to go wrong before Luca’s out of the picture. Julia seems to be more than capable of defending herself, but she also has no idea what she’s up against, being on Luca’s radar and having the newly-promoted Colin on her tail. Pete’s back in the picture, minimally, no longer happy with Marius because he realizes no one knew he escaped, and him sticking around can only create more problems for the family. Taylor getting the gun from the bridge troll wasn’t all that difficult, but there’s no stopping him from talking to Joyce is she comes asking questions. Audrey seems more interested in the threat posed by her own family members than the people after her, but she’s actually onto something that at least explains why Winslow was after her.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 6 “11 Million Reasons You Can't Go Home Again” (B+)

It would be have been irresponsible to assume that Maggie’s return after so much time away would be without awkwardness. Otto was so overjoyed to see her, while Audrey had considerably more complicated feelings. Maggie telling Audrey that she forgave her was a tense scene, and Carly being obnoxious after drinking too much didn’t help matters at all. Taylor telling his aunt that he didn’t want her causing any trouble was a particularly strong moment since we don’t often see that fiercely protective side of him except when he confronts Marius. It seemed like Joyce was onto Taylor and his collusion with his grandmother, but she seems much more interested in bolstering his ego and flirting with him. As Julia gets more and more money to have to launder, the heat is much more on her alleged cousin and her aunt, who are in the crosshairs of the FBI as their criminal pursuers get closer to them. It would be great if Marius revealed that he did wear a wire and therefore caught Luca’s murderous act on camera to convict him, but I can’t imagine things will be that easy, especially considering the fact that we have four more episodes left this season. I knew that Luca looked familiar, but I didn’t think that he was John Ales, who I remember best as Rehab on “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.” His affinity for coffee was introduced early on in the episode, and Joe being the only one to share it turned out to be his downfall, as he received a violent and scorching face full of his latest brew shortly before being executed. The real Pete is going to have no idea what’s coming for him, and let’s hope the other Murphys don’t suffer in the process.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 5 “The Tower” (B+)

This show continues to astound me with the directions its plot takes and just how expertly Marius gets everyone in his life to work together to help him even though they have no idea who he really is. The reverend holding a gun on Marius and Joe didn’t matter much since she fell asleep, and her referencing his brother’s toe was one of just a few signs that tipped Joe off to the fact that the man he believes is Pete really isn’t. I enjoyed the conversation between Joe and Frank about how they used to like what they were doing and how they had to come up with a plan to avoid being put into acid. Marius found a perfect way to weasel out of Joe’s custody with Marjorie’s help, getting his trusty parole officer James Bagwell to come and pick him up. He didn’t expect Joe to go to him later, a pretty bold move for the criminal henchman, and he also wasn’t necessarily ready to bring him to meet the fake daughter and dog he concocted. It was great to see Julia spring into action to pretend to be the “wrecked” ex-wife and convince Bagwell that it was too much of a headache to stick around. The problem is that too many Murphy family members know the name Marius Josipovic. Taylor tried to throw Joyce off by happening to notice that his grandmother’s car was the same model they were looking for, but she’s definitely onto them and isn’t likely to give up pursuing it anytime soon. In a rare moment of strength, Otto did a great job intimidating the man in possession of the jacket, and with Sam’s help, he was able to get out of his bind and move on to telling Carly move than she ever thought she’d learn about her parents. Maggie showing up at the end of the episode at the family farm and hugging Marius as Pete was a magnificent cliffhanger to end on – I can’t wait for the next episode!

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 4 “Maggie” (B+)

This show continues to feature such terrific actors, and I was thrilled to see two new additions in this episode when Marius went up with Frank and Joe to track down Pete’s mother. I thought that Jane Adams from “Hung” was the one playing Maggie, who we met only for a moment when Marius followed his hunch about the reverend’s assistant being just the woman he was looking for, and though I doubted that I was right, it turns out I was! I’m sure we’ll see more of her, but for the moment Marius and Joe are going to have to deal with Reverend Ethel Landry, played by Lois Smith, who I had the opportunity to interview at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival for her great performance in “Marjorie Prime.” Marius pulled his typical tricks to try to impress her, and while she did seem astounded at first, she explained exactly how he managed to arrive at that conclusion and then wowed him at the end of the episode by referencing something about his brother that she couldn’t possibly have known. I’m on the edge of my seat to see how that turns out, but things back in Connecticut are proving to be just as intriguing. Try as he may, Taylor’s connection with Joyce isn’t helping him to slow her investigation or distract from evidence that’s going to point straight to his grandmother. Otto’s fate isn’t looking too optimistic either given his current predicament. After being less than polite in her search for Lance, Julia burst right in and found him sitting there, a development that’s sure to lead to interesting things.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 3 “Man on the Run” (B+)

I guess I’m going to have to officially start referring to the main character on this show as Marius since it’s going to get mighty confusing otherwise. I’m a huge fan of Ethan Embry’s from his work on “Grace and Frankie” and “Brotherhood,” and I’m so glad that he’s becoming a big part of this season. It turns out that, though he’s very chatty, Pete is a really nice guy, hence the big hug that he gave Marius for saving his life and how he was willing to confess that his mother is indeed still alive in Sedona when he thought Marius was in danger. Marius was smart to involve Julia in the operation enough that he could subtly drop a question about his mom, enabling him to gain valuable information about her location, but he’s so wrapped up in it that he has no idea that Marjorie pulling out is the least of his problems. Desmond Harrington’s Joe snapped a picture with Carly which will surely be making its way to Marius’ phone soon, but she’s also tailing him, now intent on figuring out how she knows the guy who’s actually her cousin Pete by knocking on every motel room door with a pizza in hand. He’ll be able to handle that somehow, but it won’t be easy, and he doesn’t even know that both of his grandparents are in trouble. Otto is now face-to-face with Winslow’s son, who already showed what he’s capable of, and Taylor is going to have to work hard to keep Joyce from testing the blood that he knows to be Audrey’s. There’s certainly a lot going on here, and I’m glad we have a whole season to see how it plays out.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 2 “Inside Out” (B+)

It really is incredible to see Pete and Marjorie work. The confidence with which Marjorie walked into the prison to point out that the man in Pete’s picture was actually Marius was incredible, and our Pete took it further when he swooped in to give supervisor Carol the meal of her life at the restaurant she always wanted to try, under the guise that she was an esteemed social media influencer, so that he could steal her keycard, break into her office, and make a call from there to get the real Pete released. They did what they wanted to, save for one obnoxious guard’s decision to have Pete dumped in an unusual way so that it wouldn’t come back on them, and now Marius is going to have to race against the clock to find the real Pete and spin him some story that won’t combust his entire operation. He also has to be careful about the fact that, unbeknownst to him, Taylor and Carly have his name, though Taylor is more preoccupied with fielding questions from Jennifer Ferrin’s Joyce and trying to protect his affair that might have raised too many red flags. Both Audrey and Otto aren’t in great shape, taking steps to conceal their actions in deaths that happened around them, and only Julia has things together as she uses her own connections to try to get the money laundering operation going, faced with a tough choice about how to impact her actual business in order to jump-start this very necessary side work.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete (Season Premiere)

Sneaky Pete: Season 2, Episode 1 “The Sinister Hotel Room Mystery” (B+)

I was a huge fan of this show’s first season and I’m so glad to see that it’s back for a second, and just in time for my birthday along with my actual favorite streaming show, “Jessica Jones,” which premiered its second season a day earlier. Giovanni Ribisi is a very underrated actor, and he’s so superb as Pete (which I’ll continue to refer to him as in my reviews because it’s easiest) on this show, proving his worth immediately by acting casual and calling Audrey when he realizes that he’s in serious trouble, which prompted her to recommend that he run. It was great to see Ethan Embry as the real Pete again, and he didn’t seem too thrilled that his identity thief was asking questions about his past when he consistently indicated no interest when they were cellmates. Learning just one piece of information – that his mother died three years ago – was helpful but unfortunate, and now he’s going to have to find a way to keep those he newly cares about safe after Rory Culkin’s poor pickpocket got himself stabbed so that a point could be proven about how serious Pete needs to take them. Pete’s best moment, of course, was showing up to save the day when Julia was being blackmailed to get back the drug money in the backpack, slapping her when he stormed in and creating such a scene of chaos that they didn’t know what to do with themselves. Carly’s own criminal lifestyle is taking off in a disconcerting way, and Audrey’s desire to confess her sins isn’t good for anyone.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete (Season Finale)

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 10 “The Longest Day” (B+)

Well, this concluding hour didn’t disappoint. I’m relieved to know that it was Winslow and not Audrey who got himself shot when the gun went off, though it clearly put her in a state of shock as her walking out in front of the car when Otto and Taylor pulled up indicated. For as goofy and unserious as Taylor has seemed throughout this season, he sprang into action in an impressive way, calmly figuring out what to do to ensure that Audrey and Otto wouldn’t be incriminated in any way by what had happened with Winslow. Lance looked like one hell of a fool trying to turn the tables on Chayton and insist that the land was worth so much because of the uranium, and Julia was not in the mood to humor him even for a moment. She really has been a crucial part of this show, and still ranks as my favorite character. Things played out differently than I expected with the whole Vince situation, with Pete stepping in to play cards and then getting caught cheating with the other guy, implicating all of them in yet another con on Vince. Fortunately, there were so many layers that even with Vince shooting someone he managed to get shot and they all got away safe. Eddie was hurt that he didn’t know what was going on, but Pete was smart not to let him in on everything since he did confess right away to try to save his brother. Saying goodbye to the family wasn’t too definitive, which is good, but it looks he has entirely different troubles, in the form of Desmond Harrington from “Dexter,” waiting for him next season. I look forward to it – this has been a great season!

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Marin Ireland as Julia

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 9 “The Turn” (B+)

I wasn’t keeping track of where we were in the season, and it now makes total sense that this was the second-to-last episode, ending on an extremely intense note and sure to produce a very memorable finale. Things at the office at the start of the episode were tense to say the least, and it was interesting to see the alliances that formed as Pete figured out a way to salvage the situation only to have Detective Winslow show up and lead him to his death, leaving Otto and Lance to join forces with what should have been a foolproof plan to get out of jail free, so to speak. Unfortunately, Pete grabbed the money, and all Winslow wanted to do was execute him in the woods and keep them money. Enter Audrey, who was angry at Otto but more intent on protecting her grandson. The fact that she wouldn’t even hear his repeated assertion that Pete wasn’t actually Pete shows her loyalty to family, even if he isn’t that, and she was ready to intimidate Winslow into submission all on her own, offering him the choice to ride inside or outside the car, and ending the episode with a gunshot and a splattering of blood doesn’t mean anything good, even if it’s likely the corrupt cop and not Audrey who is dead. Carly held her own against Winslow even if she couldn’t keep him out of the house, and now Taylor is plenty suspicious of things going on. Eddie being able to tell that their mark was cheating without knowing how wasn’t as helpful as it should have been, and Vince sitting down to play at his own table is an intriguing development. Hopefully Pete can arrive and sort things out to save Eddie, and I have no idea where and how that will lead into season two.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 8 “The Roll Over” (B+)

It’s getting a bit hard to keep track of who’s conning who on this show, and throw in a hitman and a henchman and what you’ve got left is one bloody mess. At first, Lance seemed like a likeable enough guy, certainly not a threat or someone truly devious. Now, it seems like he’s fully committed to the con, even though we know that he doesn’t know as much as Pete believes he does. Yet he did jump at the opportunity to admonish Pete for running his own con when they made it look like he and the seller were in cahoots, and everything from that point on suggested that he was an unapologetic scumbag. Pete hiring Marjorie to play the real Pete’s mother was a neat trick, and it seems like it worked pretty well. Otto’s plan to have himself killed, something that I didn’t address last week, was all kinds of bad and inconvenient, and so far it looks like it’s led to just one unfortunate conclusion, and that’s the hitman being taken out by the equally threatening henchman sent to keep watch over Otto. Brendon seemed ready to kill Winslow, and I was pretty surprised that he cut him loose. I think that decision is going to turn out poorly, though Winslow also needs to be careful how much collateral damage he creates. There are only have two episodes left in this season, and I’m glad that this show was renewed a while ago for a second season, meaning that all the drama and intrigue won’t end here.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 7 “Lieutenant Bernhardt” (B+)

There’s something so risky about the business that Marius is in, and therefore it’s a relief for those of us rooting for him that he went to prison to meet with the real Pete, get his new ID number, and make sure that all records reflected that he was in fact the real Pete stealing Marius Josipovic’s identity. It’s really clever when you think about it, and it helped to answer all questions that his family members had. Telling Carly the real story to cover up for the lie he accidentally acknowledged was especially cunning, and now it’s just a matter of his past catching up to him rather than his present. Detective Winslow stopping by Brendon and Katie’s and using their daughter as leverage hit close to home, but apparently it was much worse for Winslow than anyone else since Brendon choked him out and is now going to use him for whatever inventive purpose Pete has dreamt up. We haven’t had a chance to see Eddie in action before, and it was great to see him show off his skills for Vince, who is far from cool under pressure when things start to go wrong. Pete is doing a great job of making Lance look like the bad guy conning Audrey out of her money by making it seem like he too got taken, but based on what we saw of his real visit to track down that address, I think that he’s being set up as the villain when he’s really just another sucker.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 6 “Coyote is Always Hungry” (B+)

It’s hard to keep with up with Pete, or rather Marius, since he’s always up to something and working with any number of people on his next con. It’s incredible to see some of his partners in action, as Karolina tried her hardest to lose her tail and then cut herself so that she would have a moment alone with Eddie to assure him that she was working with his brother on a way to get him out. Eddie did a decent job of being fearless, but Vince being furious and totally ready to take him up on his bluff to have his finger cut off right there and then shut down his bravery pretty quickly. Pete pickpocketing two petty thieves to show them how good he was and that he wanted their help was interesting, and I wonder whether he’ll have a new apprentice if she follows his advice to “drop 150 pounds” and go solo. Lance’s reminder to pay Victoria’s rent couldn’t have gone off at a worse time after Julia spent the night following her sour reaction to his boat purchase, and it turns out that everything is much more connected than we thought. Lance is involved in a major way, and Audrey is trying to get her money back from him since she’s in the hole. No one wanted to listen to Carly’s evidence about her so-called-cousin Pete, and it seems that her grandparents did when she told them that he was a criminal. Naturally, he’s already ready with a story, and, without missing a beat, is using their unexpected visit to his advantage to move ahead with the next con.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 5 “Sam” (B+)

It’s seemed clear since the start of this show that Marius’ quick con as Pete was never going to work out so smoothly, and I like that things are only getting much, much more interesting as time goes on. Otto catching Pete tailing Audrey could have been an easy way for him to get found out, but it turns out that there are severe problems in their marriage – which prompted Audrey to tell Pete to resist the urge to get married if he ever gets close to anyone – and Otto enjoyed the opportunity to work with Pete and run a con together with his grandson. I appreciated the casting of Jay O. Sanders from “Person of Interest” and other projects as Sam, who had more than enough answers ready for an angry Otto and then called Audrey to connote that they do have some sort of relationship, but her money troubles run much deeper than even he knows. Carly is on to Pete, and his quick acceptance of her reference to a birthday event that never happened confirmed that he isn’t who he says he is. We didn’t see his parole officer at all in this hour, but I’m sure Bagwell will be back to catch Pete in the middle of something that he’s not going to be explain. I like that Julia reconnected with Lance, and I’m curious how that’s going to play out for Pete. Vince suggesting using Eddie again to spot a con is intriguing, and I don’t see that going entirely well for anyone.

What I’m Watching: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 4 “The Fury” (B+)

I liked the introduction to this episode with Taylor pulling a woman over to have sex with her, a precursor event to his needing to vacuum out his car, leading to the license literally getting stuck to the vacuum at just the moment that Pete called him to try to find the best way to be able to get his license back. Flattening his tire was a smart move, but it seems that Taylor has plenty of baggage, namely a liquor-inspired temper that led him to start beating up one of the guys he tried to blame for his flat tire. I’m very happy to see underrated actor Kevin Chapman from “Person of Interest” as Taylor’s cop friend Bo who stepped in to help cover up what happened and then pulled Pete away from his safe-cracking job. Otto asking Pete to help him get into the safe seemed like a truly easy solution, but it seems that there’s much more going on here, namely whatever Audrey is panicking about which caused her to empty the safe. I like that Carly’s response to Pete pickpocketing her was to ask him to teach her how to do it, and his refusal to indulge her is only going to help pique her suspicions. I’m impressed that Bagwell didn’t even consider giving in to Frank’s attempt to get information on Marius, and hopefully he’ll be able to tell that something is up and look out for his devious parolee in whatever way he can. After Pete insisted that Vince is a dangerous man but that he’s not crazy, Bryan Cranston quietly chewed scenery for the entirety of his extended speech at the end of the episode, ending it by forcing his henchman to cut off Eddie’s toes as Pete did the only thing he could – tell his brother a story to distract him from something that he couldn’t stop from happening.

Take Three: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete: Season 1, Episode 3 “Mr. Success” (B+)

The way that I watch streaming shows, characters first appear a few episodes into a season and I notice their introductions in a way that I don’t think those that binge-watch really do. The casting of Malcolm –Jamal Warner as parole officer James Bagwell is fantastic, and he made quite an impression. Hunting his parolees down and kicking down their doors makes him a force to be reckoned with, and giving Marius another chance when he called to reschedule his appointment seemed like an awfully lenient gesture. Showing up at the address Pete gave him demonstrated his resolve, and I was impressed that Pete managed to get there and establish a credible excuse for not going into the city to meet with him. What happened after with Brad William Henke’s Brendon demonstrated that while Pete is capable of talking his way out of just about any situation, he’s not going to stand for it. He also does make some mistakes, like saying Vince’s name while he was in Taylor’s trunk and then realizing that his license with Marius’ name on it was still in there. Lifting what Carly stole from him also showed her that she has reason to suspect him, and at this point it’s only Julia who doesn’t think there’s anything to worry about with him. I was shocked that Pete was able to appraise a $22,000 clock on the spot, and I thought it was a con. But it’s something that Audrey would definitely have checked, and Pete does have a lot of knowledge that helps him to get away with everything he does.

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.

Pilot Review: Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete (Amazon)
Premiered January 12

I never seem to be able to catch Amazon’s pilot season when it launches, with the exception of two times over the past few years. This show actually debuted with its first installment way back in October 2015, and now it finally premiered as a series of ten episodes this past Thursday. I knew nothing about this show going into it other than the fact that it starred Giovanni Ribisi, who I first remember as Phoebe’s socially awkward brother Frank on “Friends” twenty years ago. The last show that I saw about a man getting out of prison and taking someone else’s identity was the fantastically dark “Banshee,” and this is a very, very different show. Fortunately, it’s just as intriguing, and I agree with the Amazon pilot audience that voted to turn this into a full-fledged series. Ribisi definitely has what it takes to carry a show like this, and he also does a great job emulating Ethan Embry, who plays the real extremely talkative Pete whose life he takes after hearing countless details and stories about his childhood and his family. The best pairing this show could possibly have produced is casting Marin Ireland opposite Ribisi’s Marius as Julia, who is more than capable of anchoring her own scenes and not giving in to what her newfound relative wants to do in every case. Joining someone else’s family business to act as a bail bondsman should be very interesting, especially as he tries to find a way to save his brother from getting his fingers sliced off one at a time by Bryan Cranston’s big bad guy. This pilot was very strong, and I’m excited to see what comes next.

How will it work as a series? The first case that Marius and Julia tackled was definitely pretty awesome, and I like how they handled all aspects of it. That bodes well for any future assignments they’ll approach together, and as Marius’ past catches up with him, it’s sure to create much more enticing drama, especially since no one particularly likes him all that much right now and they don’t think that’s he lying about who he is yet.
How long will it last? Unlike Netflix, Amazon puts most of its original series online as pilots to be voted on by users before making a whole season of a show, so that already says something. The reviews have been very strong for the whole first season, so I expect that this one is going to be back for a second season and beyond.

Pilot grade: B+