The Student News Site of Taipei American School

THE BLUE & GOLD

THE BLUE & GOLD

THE BLUE & GOLD

Notorious – But not in a bad way!

Notorious+-+But+not+in+a+bad+way%21

Sometimes, all you want is some light TV playing in the background while you go about your life. American television network ABC’s new show, Notorious, throws you right into the action and keeps you engaged.

The pilot opens with a black screen. Marian Hill’s “Got It,” an exciting, fast-paced song with sensual lyrics and melody plays. TV producer Julia George (Piper Scabaro) speed-walks out of the office where she just had quickie sex with her newly-appointed federal judge boyfriend. You can’t help but get excited for what’s to come.

The producers of Notorious based it on the real-life relationship between criminal defense lawyer, Mark Geragos, and Larry King Live! news producer, Wendy Walker . In Notorious, Jake Gregorian (Daniel Sunjata) fulfills the role of the handsome, sharp, and charismatic criminal defense lawyer.

Julia and Jake have a symbiotic relationship wherein they make a concerted effort to shape what the public thinks of Jake’s shady clients. Julia, in turn, gets to run exclusives for her show, Louise Herrick Live, hosted by Louise Herrick (Kate Jennings Grant).

The big story in the plot in the pilot is that millionaire tech wiz, Oscar Keaton (Kevin Zegers), one of Jake’s rich clients, has apparently mowed down some poor teenager in his pricey car. Julia has Louise ambush Jake on air with this news – and, of course, Jake tipped Julia off.

The show itself is exciting and fast-paced; by the end of the pilot,  viewers learn that Oscar’s wife, Sarah Keaton (Dilshad Vasaria) was the one actually driving the car… but just as the police go to arrest her, she winds up dead on her bathroom floor! Notorious’s writers definitely create good television plots that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Of course, the really scandalous stuff lies beneath the surface – such as the fact Jake and Sarah were lovers or Julia’s cheating federal judge boyfriend.

It is worthwhile to note, however, that so many plot twists within a single 42 minute episode diminishes the “Woah!” punch of these twists. Of course,the show is trying to introduce as much of its plot and the characters as possible so that people get hooked. But, it is my hope that the amount of plot twists will significantly diminish in future episodes to increase their effect.

The strongest part of the show isn’t the plot; it’s the the witty banter and chemistry between Jake and Julia. Although their relationship seems semi-romantic and they talk like they’re lovers, they have a strictly platonic partnership – at least at this point in the show.

Of course, no show is without flaws, and while I didn’t dislike Julia, I didn’t find myself rooting for her either. In addition, while I found it enjoyable to watch – I can’t see myself getting invested long term yet. Perhaps, as the characters develop and achieve more depth, viewers will be able to gain insight into the shady world of media with Jake and Julia for quite a while.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All THE BLUE & GOLD Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *