'Wicked City' Review: Almost a Fate Worse Than Death
There are few times when being snuffed by a serial killer seems a more appealing option than pretty much any other choice. Yet such is the case in the Tuesday premiere of Wicked City, when Kent, the Los Angeles murderer played by Ed Westwick, asks a potential victim, “You want to see Billy Idol at the Whisky?” Ewww; can you let me see the blade first, Kent?
Wicked City, set in early-80s L.A. stars Westwick as vicious slimeball Kent Grainger, a guy who, given the era, makes the Runaways’ dictator-manager Kim Fowley seem like a benevolent soul. All slitted eyes and lizard grin, Kent is a distinctly male notion of what sort of guy a woman wants: a slithery lothario who tells a gal how great she looks, how smart she is, how she ought to be more confident, because, baby, you’ve got what it takes.
Who falls for this tripe? The show, created by Steven Baigelman, would have you believe any number of young women do, with Parenthood’s Erika Christensen in particular. The producers have suggested that Christensen’s Betty, a single mother of two, may become a Bonnie to Kent’s Clyde, joining him in future thrill-kills rather than becoming a victim. I think this is a literal example of a fate worse than death. The dismaying thing is, I get the feeling Wicked City thinks this is a positive, even empowering, narrative line to pursue.
Jeremy Sisto walks though the show playing homicide cop Jack Roth, tracking the so-called Sunset Strip Killer with the preoccupied air of a man who still hasn’t come to terms with Suburgatory’s cancellation.
However, I do have to pay Wicked City one big compliment: The show is awfully well-researched and art-directed. Having lived in L.A. during this period, I can tell you Wicked captures the cramped lay-out of the Whisky a Go Go perfectly — from the height of the stage in relation to the audience, to the shoulder-width-narrow hallway lines into the fetid restrooms.
If the show would shift its musical focus from the hair-metal bands of this era to the punk acts rising up simultaneously, I might watch another few episodes of Wicked City. I mean, one shot of an actor playing Darby Crash of the Germs spitting from the stage onto Kent as he puts the moves on another girl would help redeem this sordid enterprise.
Wicked City airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
