This third episode of King & Maxwell, ‘Wild Card’, begins much in the same way as the previous two – our protagonists, Michelle and Sean, catch a doomed criminal while furiously quipping, trading sarcastic comments and trying desperately to force a sexual chemistry that just isn’t there. If only these openings changed from week to week, we might not notice how similar and generic the rest of the hour is.
There was, to the show’s credit, an attempt to flesh out the backstory for both King and Maxwell, as we learnt more about their time in the secret service. Michelle, we’re told, has only been out for around 18-months, and has found the transition to private detective a hard one to adjust to.
Sean, meanwhile, is still wracked with guilt over his charge being shot while he was on duty. He blames himself because he lost his sunglasses and the sun shone in his eyes at the exact wrong moment but, as Edgar so eloquently put it, you may as well blame the sun.
These moments of true vulnerability for the two characters are really strong and, somewhat tellingly, they both take place when they’re alone with Edgar. I said last week that Edgar could become my favorite part of this detective agency, and my prediction hasn’t yet been proven wrong.
Michelle and Sean are able to open up to him in a way that they wouldn’t be able to in front of each other – sometimes wit and sarcasm get in the way of some much-needed deep conversations. When King & Maxwell manages to translate this across, my guess is that the series will improve.
Because the private detective element does add a freshness to a concept well-worn in the cop and lawyer genre, and the former government agent element even more so. The focus on their past lives was welcome here simply because it hints at future storylines focusing on the characters rather than the cases they take on, and that’s always more interesting that the case-of-the-week episodes like this.
There’s still plenty of potential in the show, but there’s also a high chance that it’ll never live up to that promise. For now, the cases are still boring and, as it stands, I’m not interested enough in the central cast.
What did you think of the episode? What do you think Edgar saw on the video? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
King & Maxwell Season 1 Review “Wild Card”
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