The Player - Ante Up - Review: "Starting off with a Bang!"

I had been expecting the show to function more in the superficial action flick range, so I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of some of the character work in this episode. It appears that the next few episodes are going to focus on introducing the characters. So my first few reviews may be a bit long winded. Bare with me.

This episode started with a Bang! as an armored truck is robbed. (I slid the bucket of popcorn closer and settled in.) The thieves blow the driver’s window, killing him, then use SUVs to keep the car on the road while they use more explosives to breach the truck. Mr. Johnson announces another bet is in play.

While all of this is going on, Alex is packing up his ex-wife’s things. I did briefly wonder about Ginny’s family. I wondered, given his past, if Alex would have to fight Ginny’s family while trying to find out if she’s still alive. The fact the he’s packing up her things solo implies that that’s not going to be an issue.

Alex calls a friend and orders an off book DNA test. Alex wisely asks his buddy to keep it on the DL because he’s probably being watched. Alex seems to be a very well liked guy. This makes it easy to understand why he will be able to call on resources other than The House without breaking the rules. (as he did when connecting with the homeless population in the pilot)

Alex’s grand tour of The House was a bit underwhelming for me. Though I love that they named the computer system Ada (I’m fairly certain that’s what they said.) My day job is writing software, so I grinned broadly at the fact that the system is named after Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. (turning the computer geek off now, I promise)

Alex is given his next assignment. His sarcastic response to making a team of thieves that have killed 28 people a “game” is answered with a rather clunky piece of exposition aimed at anyone who missed the premise statement in the pilot. Bored rich people who are better betting on crime than leveling economies. Personally, I think it’s best the show not repeat this too much. Just let the high octane action bring in the viewers.

The Bet: Stop the thieves before they strike again.

Most of the gamblers bet against Alex.

Alex figures the thieves are in Las Vegas to clean their money. Perfect place to do it. Cas quickly determines which casino the thieves are in.

Alex’s buddy, Det. Cal Brown has called Johnson’s fictitious FBI agent four times. So, Johnson decides to talk to him. Johnson side steps and tap dances, finally promising to call Brown if he finds anything. Brown buys this as much as I do. When Mr. Johnson leaves The House on an errand, I’m a little worried that it will result in Brown’s death. I’m hoping not.

Alex quickly identifies one of the thieves as an old buddy he served with, Dominic McCall. Apparently, his buddy’s unit was disavowed after getting a number of civilians killed. Their meeting is initially cordial but quickly turns weird. I'm the only one who thinks so, because Dominic ends the conversation quickly and heads off.

Dominic leads Alex into a trap. As Alex returns to consciousness, it’s Ginny he’s thinking about. I liked how they did this. Dominic uses drowning to soften Alex up. Alex dreams of Ginny and he swimming in the ocean. Ginny disappears into the depths. It’s another moment that furthers the idea that Ginny was vastly important to him. So important that he will fight to do the right thing.

Alex wakes to Dominic’s attempts to justify his crimes. Dominic believes that Alex is just like him. But when he recounts one of Alex’s executions it becomes clear that they are not. Alex emptied a clip into the neck of a man that was using children as bombs. Dominic kills, not only security personnel, but innocent bystanders. They'll never be on the same page, so he orders Alex killed and heads off to the next robbery.

With Cas’ help Alex escapes and takes off after them. More dead civilians and a couple of explosions later, Alex arrives on the scene. Alex takes out a couple of the bad guys (I kept wondering what kind of ammo Alex had in his handgun. Either he’s rocking armor piercing bullets, or he’s so good every one of his shots is a head-shot. Both are fine with me.)

The bad guys have the diamonds. Alex lets them get away for two reasons. One, He can’t get a shot at the van without hitting an innocent person trying to get off the street, and two, one of the bad guys that Alex shot is on his feet and has a hostage. Alex lets the bad guys go to save the hostage. One of the things the show has done really well for me is to establish that Alex will put the innocent first. In a way, even when Alex was a bad guy, he was protecting the innocent, so his decision makes sense.

Since we're not Alex, we know, before Alex reports in that…

The Player lost the bet.

I really want to know what the consequences are. Mr. Johnson doesn’t seem particularly unhappy about the loss. Alex, however, is not pleased at all. He lost, which means no more resources. No way to stop McCall. We gain an understanding of what motivated Alex to begin murdering the terrorists he was sent to find. Alex believed, and still believes, that if he lets these people continue to operate then the innocent lives they take are his responsibility.

Cas is, for some reason, very invested in Alex’ success. I’m beginning to wonder if, despite this job, she wants to the right thing as much as Alex. She talks Mr. Johnson into doubling down.

New Bet: Can Alex stop McCall from leaving Las Vegas in an hour.

Cas quickly determines McCall’s escape plan. A stolen C180. Alex hops aboard the plane, thanks to Cas. The pilot is shot while Alex and McCall fight. McCall grabs a parachute and the diamonds and jumps off the plane. Alex goes after him without a parachute.

During the aerial fight Alex takes the parachute. He didn’t expect McCall to release the chute and fall to his death. With that...

The Player Wins.

Mr. Johnson’s errand has to do with the man that killed Ginny. He visits a high ranking government official (the Secretary of State?) and forces him to blow Edribali off the face of the Earth. I liked the Secretary’s security guy. After a 10 second take down, he wisely decided that the smart play was to stand down and let Mr. Johnson in. Johnson has, apparently, decided that killing Edribali will stop Detective Brown’s questions.

Alex attends Ginny’s funeral. My concern about how her family felt about him is answered. His niece expresses how sorry she is for him. I find myself hoping that we will get a chance to see more of this side of Alex’s life. The guy Alex reached out to for the DNA test slips him an envelope with the results. I love when people pay attention. Alex asked him to keep that test quiet and the guy kept that in mind when delivering the results. Cal (the detective) tells Alex about Edribali. Cal wants to know what is going on. But Cal can’t tell him. Personally, I always wonder why people don’t respond, in these situations, by saying “I can’t tell you.” But I suppose that wouldn’t be as much fun.

Alex looks at the DNA results. They’re positive. The body is Ginny. Hmm. This raises a ton of questions. Is she alive or dead? Did Mr. Johnson get to the results? How much does Johnson know about Kane’s investigation? I’m more than willing to hang around and find out.

The episode ends with hints of what is in store for the show. We get our first taste of Cas' personal story when we meet her boyfriend, who thinks she works at a PR firm. Hopefully, we’ll get to find out more about her soon.

Mr. Johnson drops in on Alex. Mr. Johnson believe Alex is correct in his belief that Ginny is alive. He wants to help Alex find his wife. What? I did not expect that.

It’s been said, by me as well, that the framework of the show doesn’t really hold up to close scrutiny. I can agree to some extent but ultimately, I don’t care. The action is awesome and that’s what I’m here for. As a bonus the character work has been really good, both from Winchester and the writers. This episode did a really nice job of letting us know who this character is, what drives him and why he’s willing to go along with this Game.

Superficial observation: Cas’s lipstick needs to be retired. I was much too harsh and distracting.

Are you enjoying the show so far? Do you believe that Johnson's offer to help Ginny is genuine or another manipulation?

About the Author - Prpleight

Prpleight is a screenwriter and senior software engineer with solid geek cred. When not writing code, screenplays, or watching TV (sometimes she does all three at the same time), she uses her broadsword Bessie to battle evil. She's been a frequent contributor to the SpoilerTV discussion boards for several years now.

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