New TV Review -- Rubicon

Rubicon
Gone in the Teeth
AMC Sundays 9 p.m.

In some ways, Rubicon, AMC's new original series, bears a good deal of resemblance to the show I was talking about here yesterday, USA's Covert Affairs. Both shows are centered around the cloak-and-dagger world of international intrigue. Both shows come from creators that have had limited experience as TV showrunners (Jason Horwitch, the creator of Rubicon, helmed NBC's Medical Investigation a few years back but otherwise has almost no notable credits to his name). And both shows are airing on cable networks where the ratings expectations are relatively low.

That's pretty much where the similarities end. AMC has been slowly developing a very interesting and impressive slate of original programming (their forthcoming adaptation of The Walking Dead has me pretty excited), which puts Rubicon under a different level of scrutiny than Covert Affairs. It's only fair to be expecting big things from the home of critical darlings Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I'm nowhere near ready to pass judgment yet on whether Rubicon as a whole will grow into an equally appealing show, but this pilot left me fairly underwhelmed.

Gone in the Teeth certainly has many things going for it, however. The first part of the show that jumped out at me was the music - Rubicon's pilot has an arresting and well-made score running throughout, and serves a useful role in enhancing the intensity and creating a familiar thriller-sounding atmosphere. The opening scene, where a man (Harris Yulin - Mr. Chief Watcher dude from Buffy) blows his brains out after examining a four-leaf clover pressed into his newspaper is appropriately captivating and mysterious, and I really enjoyed the way that director Allen Coulter filmed an important train collision sequence. In general, Gone in the Teeth is shot very well, with solid production values that evoke the '70s suspense movies like All the President's Men that Rubicon is clearly drawing from. Furthermore, the show's approach to the world of intelligence operatives is unique and refreshing - in contrast with the sexy and action-packed CIA of Covert Affairs, the American Policy Institute in Rubicon is filled with neurotic and exhausted-looking staffers that seem to have almost no concept of what the situation actually is. I especially enjoyed the scene that showed some of the analysts in the building's cafeteria, if only for the fact that we see that these people eat lunch just like any other office worker - just try to imagine 24 including something so mundane. (Also, for Eli: I think they played like 3 seconds of Big Daddy Kane, but I could be wrong)

And yet while I thought the pilot was visually satisfactory and I think the tone and focus of the series show a lot of promise, Gone in the Teeth just felt a little...empty to me. The episode hooked me with the mysterious shooting at the start, but it never felt as if the line and sinker were delivered. I mentioned All the President's Men earlier - in that movie, the audience was very clear on what the stakes were from the very beginning (and not just because it was based on real events, but because the movie showed us the break-in and made it clear how important the story was), but just from watching the pilot I couldn't really tell you what the whole conspiracy in Rubicon is about, except that it seems to be rather obliquely nefarious. I'm willing to give Rubicon some time in this department, but I need to feel invested in the story soon or I won't have much of a reason to watch. Speaking of being invested, Will Travers, the show's protagonist, felt a tad undercooked here. James Badge Dale, who impressed me in what I've seen of The Pacific and seems to be a fine actor, is given remarkably little to work with in the pilot. Much of his character's backstory is filled in through other characters talking about him - for example: Will is sad because his family died in the World Trade Center. The pilot uses exposition-filled dialogue as a bit of a crutch throughout, because it doesn't give Will a lot to do except rush about trying to unravel the events that are unfolding around him. If the show gives us more of a look into his character through his actions and interactions with other people, maybe I'll feel more connected to his character, but right now I'm not feeling it.

I'll definitely be back reviewing the second episode, and probably more, because despite being a bit disappointed in the pilot, I think Rubicon has a good chance to develop into a much stronger show. AMC's earned enough of my trust that I'm almost uncharacteristically optimistic - though I do wish they could tell all the actors to speak up a little bit, as I kept having to rewind to catch what everyone was muttering (ugh, I sound like my parents). Check back later this week for the thrilling second installment in my coverage of Rubicon!

Grade: C+

"Getting the donuts is your most important job"