She's sexy, sassy, and kicks ass. What's not to like? And in the case of Tricia Helfer, there is absolutely nothing not to like. She's all of those things and a bag of chips.
Coming from her sexy/scary stint as a uber-hot Cyclon in "Battlestar Galactica" Helfer infuses this new series with a much needed edge. Not the kind of edge like in "The Shield" or even "Prison Break" but an all-over edge that gives you a reason to come back because she is writ large on the small screen in all manners and her presence is about all that elevates the somewhat-tired storylines.
Premise: Here's a cop who goes after criminals - female criminals. Focus on the X-chromosome segment of the bad-guys, uh, girl population. Throw in the physically believable, and acting capable Helfer, a taste of sexism in the cop ranks that she has to deal with, a bit of secret spousal abuse (sorta unbelievable,) promote as (another very attractive woman) Sofia Vergara's ("Modern Family") production company (based on an Argentine series) and mix.
The first ep shows another hot woman (getting the focus here?) in a red dress walking to a church (to the wonderful Mavericks "Come Unto Me") who then enters and shoots the bride, blowing her brains all over her groom. Good opening. Goes nowhere. Cartels, chase scenes, kidnappings in Mexico...zzzzzzz. All pretty standard fare, really. Not that it's bad - it isn't. It's just not as good as it could have been or could be.
Some pilots roar, then sink; some gasp for air then get better as the show goes and some get canceled right after despite what they do. Based on the weak showing, this show might not have a chance - it needed more of everything except music video segments. I contrast this pilot with "Justified" starring Timothy Oliphant. The character sucked you in, as did KW, but the storyline was much stronger
and the characters much more interesting. It grew and grew. It felt fresh initially because it dealt with a segment of the population we hadn't seen much of - rural mountain people - and a lawman who seemed to be a throwback to the gunslingers of old who talked slow and drew that pistol of his lightning fast Unfortunately for KW, none of that uniqueness is apparent in the pilot. Helfer's character isn't all that interesting yet and the bad guys/girls are magazine cutouts.
A bright spot in the KW character firmament is Helfer's boss played by Alex Fernandez. Although he's not introduced in any sort of proper manner, he makes an impression immediately. Too bad they didn't focus on him and his relationship with Helfer a bit more. It reminded me favorably of "The Bridge" and the Diane Kruger/Ted Levine relationship which saved that show when it fell upon TV tropes that went nowhere.
Part of the problem here is that this is series TV in the modern era. Producers no longer trust their audiences to stick around so some of the introductions are cut short, some not at all. You're expected to jump aboard the throbbing music-video train and toe-tap your brain into accepting everything that's shown to you without establishing a relationship first. The tap dance, however, is difficult to balance and when not balanced properly, it leads to confusion, lack of engagement and a sense that you're missing something.
Helfer is magnificent. Has always been. She alone makes this show worth the investment in time. And I really do believe that in the limited run this series has (8 episodes) it can and will find its beat and be better.
In any case, I'm watching it and if it doesn't get better then at least I hope it won't get worse.
"Killer Women" is on ABC on Tuesday nights. It's good enough for you to check it out.
