Briarpatch Evaluation: Is USA’s Neo-Noir Arduous-Boiled, or Simply Overcooked?

Reviews

The truth that USA Community’s new murder-mystery Briarpatch is about in a steamy Texas border city generally known as Saint Shame is an enormous clue about what’s to comply with. It’s a conspicuously quirky setting for a conspicuously quirky present: a cool neo-noir stuffed with eccentric characters that has ambiance to burn. There’s a lot to love concerning the type of Briarpatch — premiering Thursday, Feb. 6 at 10/9c; I’ve seen the primary three episodes — however I’m unsure there’s sufficient substance to go together with it. It’s undeniably intelligent… but it surely may be too intelligent for its personal good.

Rosario Dawson stars as Allegra Dill, a glamorous authorities fixer within the Olivia Pope mould who comes again to her hometown — yep, that’d be Saint Shame — to unravel her sister Felicity’s current homicide. (An area cop with a shiny future, Felicity was killed in a surprising automotive bombing.) Allegra begins to tug at unfastened threads and finally ends up trapped in a dense internet of lies, cash and colourful weirdos. Who would wish to kill Felicity? And why did she take out such an enormous life insurance coverage coverage on herself?

The result’s slightly bit Fargo, slightly bit Breaking Unhealthy and really Tarantino-esque, full of darkish humor, goofy character names and informal violence. (“It seems somebody simply blew up the landlady,” a resident at Felicity’s condo constructing deadpans.) Saint Shame is residence to a very motley crew of townsfolk, and is named an “established hive of felony what-the-f—kery,” based on Kim Dickens’ folksy police chief. A current zoo escape provides a contact of the surreal to the proceedings, with giraffes and zebras roaming round city like stray canines.

Briarpatch USA Review Rosario DawsonIt’s all a bit fanciful, although, prefer it was conjured up in a screenwriter’s head somewhat than authentically lived. (Former TV critic Andy Greenwald serves as author right here, with Mr. Robotic mastermind Sam Esmail onboard as an govt producer.) Briarpatch is a contemporary movie noir the place everyone talks powerful, all talking in the identical flowery, hard-boiled method. (There’s a touch of meta self-awareness right here, too, with the characters brazenly referencing crime dramas of the previous.) However the central thriller isn’t as attention-grabbing because the ambiance surrounding it; we don’t be taught sufficient about Felicity to mourn her loss together with Allegra. We meet suspect after suspect in a dizzying blur… and that’s all earlier than Alan Cumming reveals up as a sinister Bond villain of types. The extra difficult Briarpatch‘s thriller turned, the much less invested I used to be in the way it’ll all prove.

Dawson has a couple of fleeting moments the place she lets us glimpse the simmering feelings beneath Allegra’s powerful exterior, however Allegra is generally impenetrable as a lead character. (She’s one other cynical, hard-drinking, sexually adventurous feminine detective within the vein of Stumptown‘s Dex Parios.) Mad Males alum Jay R. Ferguson has a whole lot of enjoyable as filthy wealthy gun runner Jake Spivey; a scene of him snorting coke and strutting round to the Items’ synth-rock thumper “Excessive Strain Days” hints on the sort of impressed lunacy that Briarpatch may be able to.

The entire thing has first rate power, and boasts sufficient attention-grabbing visible prospers that it’s tempting to let it slide by purely on type factors. (It’s actually extra interesting than one more assembly-line procedural or medical drama.) However it’s laborious to find the humanity buried beneath all this type. Like fellow oddballs Claws and On Turning into a God in Central Florida, Briarpatch tries to get by solely on quirk at instances — however, sadly, man can’t reside on quirk alone.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: USA’s Briarpatch is a enjoyable and quirky murder-mystery, however its abundance of fashion finally ends up outweighing its substance.

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