Bridge and Tunnel Vision
Teleplay by Liz Friedlander
Story by Liz Friedlander and Liz Friedman
Directed by Rob Seidenglanz
Dropping Bombs
Written by James L. Moran
Directed by Liz Friedlander
I apologize due to circumstances for the lateness in these reviews and next week normal service will resume.
I was a bit concerned with the numbers regarding the season premiere. The premise is solid, the cast captivating, though still finding their feet. The intrigue and the drama are there. Is it that people don’t want another procedural show?
By week three despite a promise of an explosive episode I was still looking for more of a bang. yes, it was a good story but the characters still seem to be holding back and Hayes has gone more petulant child than Anti-heroine. It's time she put on her big girl shoes and instead of going for the one up on DA Wallace did what he hired her to do.
Episode 2 focused more on the case but still had enough about the team to hold your interest. Hayes scenes with her mother and Wallace are still the highlights for me.
While Episode 3 despite a solid story had them all squabbling like kids in the playground rather than coming across as professionals with a solid reason.
In Bridge and Tunnel Vision we see the CIU team starting their day in very different ways.
Hayes is in bed, with a nameless hunk and keeps shutting off her alarm. Maxine is sat in her car holding an 18-mouth sobriety chip. Sam goes for a run and comes back to find his reporter ex on his doorstep still investigating Hayes hire. Tess is organizing her lunch as well as the office and Frankie is on the phone with his boyfriend. To kick the cases of this week it is no surprise this time Hayes is going after one of Da Wallace’s convictions, three teenage boys who were tried as adults after a rape and assault of a woman in a park. The main point of their conviction is a confession that Hayes believes was attained under duress. In fact, she hears the police giving the boys a nudge. They all state they didn’t do it but confessed the other did as were tired etc. No physical evidence is available apart from the fact the boys were terrorizing people in the park and videoed it on a stolen video cameras. Of course, not the attack they were found guilty of. No DNA was found from the rape and the woman who was attacked can’t remember anything due to the severe nature of the injuries she suffered. The timeline is soon disproved and we learn she hooked up with a married co-worker so no rape but kept this hidden even after he told her about the liaison after the attack. It soon becomes clear the boy may not have all been together and a disturbing report from one of the boys foster homes reveals his true nature with some goading from Hayes.
The highlights like I mentioned were her realizing her Mother once again had an agenda and challenging her asking if she ever is just her mother.
What I disliked was Hayes attitude to her colleagues, revealing Tess’s secret to the rest and once again nearly pushing Sam towards exposing her secret to his reporter friend.
Hayes behavior towards her colleagues and her stick it to Wallace campaign continued in Episode 3 Dropping Bombs. The story concerned a bombing with some shady evidence gathering that might not have been within the law which may have helped towards the conviction. The guy who was found guilty had every intention of causing harm towards the Muslim community but he didn’t bomb the office killing the four men which he was tried for. I soon realized who was the real culprit and Hayes is on the case and comes to the same conclusion it wasn’t a hate motived crime but a crime of passion , hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Sam also crosses a line when he realizes the guy if let out will, in fact, bomb a larger target and sets things in motion. Hayes knows this but can't prove it creating more tension between these two.
On the whole, the storyline itself was very compelling but their arguments for and against lacked any passion and appeared more like squabbling. Hayes once again coming across as more of a bitch than a strong boss. Like her colleagues, you wondered if Hayes could just stop from going in guns blazing all the time and think more of the consequences.
The end her and Wallace stop dancing around each other and finally kiss only to discover the secret of her hiring has hit the press!
The trailer for Monday's episode looks very appealing …the trouble is Conviction hasn’t decided what type of show it wants to be. This series seems to be reaching for something but not quite hitting its mark and I wonder if it will before the axe falls.
What are you hoping for from Conviction?
Please share in the comments below.
