“Wild Game” – aired on March 25, 2018
Written by: Carol Flint & Constance M. Burge
Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski
Grade: 4 out of 5
Notice: All episode reviews contain spoilers
Last Monday in my review of the “Pilot,” I noted that Instinct would have a problematic relationship with the ratings, one reason being the 37-minute-delay to the starting time of the episode due to the length of March Madness basketball games. The same issue resurfaced again last night, this time causing a 35-minute delay. I am curious if there are any records kept on this, but I would speculate that Instinct may be the only TV show to have suffered from having its first two episodes aired at later-than-advertised times, with only a few late notices by the network to inform its viewers. One piece of good news is that, despite this issue, the ratings appear to be fairly solid. The last half hour of 60 Minutes carrying over to Instinct‘s allocated time slot may (or not) have something to do with it. In any case, March Madness has reached its Final-Four stage, so next week’s episode will air on time.
The second piece of good news, a more important one for the survival of the show, is that “Wild Game” was, in several ways, a higher-quality episode than “Pilot.” A show that gradually improves over the course of the first few episodes will not only garner loyal viewers, but also gain their trust.
“Wild Game” managed to carry over the better parts of what we had seen in the first episode – another stellar dialogue between Alan Cumming’s Dylan the writer and Whoopi Goldberg’s Joan the editor, further development of the pleasant synergy between the two lead characters, and a fun classroom scene – and offered the viewers, at the same time, a more intelligently constructed case with a better-flowing narrative than the one in “Pilot.” Furthermore, Doug Aarniokoski’s experience came in handy as the director. He has helmed numerous episodes in other procedural shows like Criminal Minds and Bull.
For the second time in a row, we begin the episode with a murder scene followed by a classroom scene involving a student and Professor Reinhart. Next, we see Det. Lizzie Needham and her boss Lt. Jasmine Gooden (Sharon Leal) checking out the murder scene the next day. Then, we are treated to a conversation between Reinhart and his editor. If you need an example of the overall improvement I mentioned above, look no further than this four-scene sequence.
The murder is conveyed with a clear-cut vision and a back story, as opposed to the convoluted, obsessively blue-toned one in the first episode. The classroom scene provides us with more of the so-far entertaining dynamics of our professor’s relationship with the students. The post-murder-observation scene explains why Needham will need Reinhart’s help despite her police-partner problems. Finally, the writer-editor conversation features two five-star actors at work, again, engaged in a dialogue that deepens our knowledge of Reinhart’s inner conflict about going back to investigative work.
The sequence works in setting the stage and in compelling viewers to watch the upcoming developments, and it does so without even putting on display the strongest aspect of the show, which is the warm friendship – and the trust-building collaboration – budding between Reinhart and Needham.
A venture capitalist named Sebastien Trevor is killed while jogging and his body is displayed “rack-like” at the park. It’s a gruesome murder that involves some sort of ancient ritual according to Reinhart who is already busy profiling the killer with that high-IQ brain of his.
From that point forward, the investigation evolves with a couple of well-executed twists. There is a second murder that adds to the complexity of the investigation, forcing our heroes to modify their judgment on the killer’s possible motives. Of course, our protagonists end up solving the case. The value of a procedural show stems not from the denouement itself but rather from the creative narrative that guides the viewers along the way.
Carol Flint and Constance Burge – the episode’s writers – introduce us to several characters with ties to Trevor, each with an agenda of their own. The narrative is well-paced and succeeds in keeping us in the dark on the identity of the killer for the majority of the episode. And thankfully, we are riding along with Reinhart and Needham without being held by the hand, meaning being fed a neatly recited summary by the characters of what they are discovering every ten minutes (see my review of the pilot episode for reference). The guest stars perform well for the most part, notably Ashley Williams as Nora Cecchino, a friend of Trevor, and Afton Williamson as Haley, the short-fused chef of the restaurant owned by Nora and her husband.
The supporting regular cast, however, continues to be under-used. Daniel Ings as Reinhart’s husband Andy, Naveen Andrews as Julian, Dylan’s contact for hard-to-get information, and Sharon Leal as Lt. Gooden, Lizzie’s boss and friend, are billed in “starring” roles. Yet, they still have not benefited from any significant character development. So far, Gooden has only appeared in a couple of scenes, mainly as a head-nodder to what Lizzie and/or Dylan are saying. Julian is the most glaring example of a potentially fascinating character that is reduced to a plot device, only seen in a room filled with gadgets and computers while conveniently spitting out useful information to Reinhart.
Even worse, Andy is supplied with inconsistent lines over the two episodes. Wasn’t Dylan deeply concerned with Andy’s reaction if he were to begin investigating cases again? Did he not retire from the CIA so that he could lead a peaceful life with his husband? Is that not the concern he expressed to his editor in both episodes so far? In fact, he initially refused Lizzie’s offer to join him, precisely because of that reason.
So, when he decides to take on another case, you would expect to see some type of a consequential discussion between him and Andy, right? Wrong. Instead of seizing the opportunity to develop a meaningful side plot, the showrunners give us not only an unconcerned Andy, but a quasi-enthusiastic one who is busy rearranging the furniture in their home so that Dylan can work more comfortably on possible future cases! He says to Dylan with a smile: “Look at you! All fired up, excited to save the world. I love this part of you.”
On a side note, I applaud the showrunners for not presenting the gay couple as a main attraction to the narrative of the show. Interactions between Andy and Dylan are handled as-a-matter-of-factly and they appear to be a happy couple tackling their busy lives. They clearly enjoy each other’s company. Instinct cleverly avoids the tropes of gay couples often used by other shows to bait attention and puts the focus on its story-telling.
The episode falls into a couple of clichés toward the end. As if it were a requirement for all procedural crime dramas – I am beginning to think that it may be –, we get a nicely detailed confession from the killer in the climactic scene about the “whys-and-whats” of the crimes committed. As he did in the first episode, Dylan dishes out just enough psychological jive to distract the murderer and intervenes in time to avoid disaster. Credit to Aarniokoski, on the other hand, for the well-executed camera work in switching back and forth between the heroics of Lizzie and Dylan in that scene. Then again, I could also live with a little less bang on the background music when things get intense.
I said earlier that I enjoyed the classroom scenes with Professor Reinhart and his students. The one at the end with Lizzie sitting as a student was also cute and fit the narrative, but I am not sure if I am up to seeing that particular dynamic on a regular basis. It may well turn out to be a non-issue.
It appears that we have a definitive answer to whether Dylan and Lizzie would become partners or not. It’s an emphatic “yes,” and frankly, nothing less would do. They enjoy picking each other’s brain and work wonderfully together, as investigators and as the leading duo of a crime show. If you want to see examples of their cheerful relationship, watch first the hamburger truck scene – yes, Dylan is officially a lovable snob! Then, see the ending dialogue. It will leave you with a smile and looking forward to next Sunday.
Until next week…