IR TV Review: CITY ON A HILL - EPISODE 1 (“Gods And Monsters”) [Showtime-S3]
The aspect of comeuppance and range of reactions that comes in certain perceptions of self is a lesson that “City On A Hill” takes to heart and also spits in the face of for its own good ego. This also creates riveting storytelling in terms of character repercussions if done right over time. At the beginning of the Showtime series season 3 premiere: “Gods And Monsters”, the dragon that is Jimmy Rohr (Kevin Bacon) has seemingly balanced himself off a bit or at least realizes he can't stay ahead of the steamroller at his current velocity. The reality is that Rohr has been above ground way longer than many thought he would. But that is the essence of a snake. Bacon knows this guy in and out and knows enough that there has to be some minimal redemptive qualities no matter how much crap Jimmy tries to get away with.
His long suffering wife Jenny (Jill Hennessy) won't let their life break down (despite Jimmy's obvious issues) while everything in certain ways has been crumbling around her since season 1. Jimmy though can't be kept down. This initially plays ironic, mostly because he starts off the episode bartending. Ward (Aldis Hodge) jabs him saying is “a waste of his talents” and “how the mighty have fallen”. Ward means it sarcastically but Jimmy, in his own way, sees truth. But like most stories with a 2nd act, the pull of ambition and goals pulls both Ward and Rohr along towards their would-be doom in separate ways. Ward's problems are more familiar and made more pronounced on the inset here by a call from Brooklyn while Rohr, against his best thoughts, gets pulled into another scenario which offers temptation but also an interesting moral question considering his history. While this episode is a bit more subtle than the life and death shenanigans we are used to from the past two seasons, the reality with this series is it always (like “Ray Donovan” before it) builds up to a pressure point to keep engaging the audience. B
By Tim Wassberg
