Review: 'The Catch' is truly a guilty pleasure

Posted Monday, September 26, 2016 at 4:38 PM Central

by John Couture

Over the years, it has become much more difficult for the wife and me to find suitable television watching that is both enticing for both of us, yet also kid-appropriate enough that we aren't left diving for the remote if they get up and stumble into the family room. When we learned that Castle was coming to an end last Spring, we started to feverishly search for a replacement.

We decided to give the latest series from Shonda Rhimes, The Catch, a shot as it seemed to capture the sexual tension from the early seasons of Castle and Bones, but with fewer dead bodies. After all, con artists sort of avoid killing at all costs since a dead body tends to draw unwanted attention for the con artists.

Sure, like other Shondaland shows, a certain level of intimacy was expected, but we are much more comfortable with a little primetime back skin over rotting flesh. My wife was pretty much on board from day one thanks to the slick commercials which focused on the passion between the two leads, while I was intrigued by the intricate con game. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the early seasons of Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, but they quickly spiraled into sappy soap operas and my attention waned.

So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I watched the pilot, but thankfully, the show was a great blend of action and romance. The term "cat and mouse" is woefully overused in today's society, but it's a perfect description of the series that will remind movie fans of such similar fare as Heartbreakers and The Grifters. The show also features a secret weapon in the guise of Mireille Enos.

I've been a huge Mireille Enos fan since her performance in The Killing, so I knew that if she were able to bring her full repertoire to the show, then it would certainly be worth watching. As private investigator Alice Vaughan, she displays just enough vulnerability in the flashback sequences to make the overriding con of the season more believable. Later, in the present, her dramatic chops help to sell a woman who has had her heart broken and is dead set on revenge.

On the other side of the equation Peter Krause has the perfect levels of charm and smarm that makes you both fall in love with and detest his con artist persona. The best part of his character is that the longer the series goes, the writers will be able to bestow upon Ben even more shades of gray. The bottom line is that we have to believe that his feelings for Alice are genuine, or else the series completely falls apart.

But yet, it's the ride to the destination that is the most fun. And it is quite the fun ride. The show is both stylish and cunning to a point that you often wonder if you're watching a film or a TV series. The real challenge as the show prepares to come back for season two is to continue to keep that delicate balance between Alice's other cases and her obsession with Ben. I won't give away any details from the season finale, but it's safe to say that the show will continue to evolve as it grows from episode to episode and season to season.

The best shows on TV are able to evolve and end up in places that even their creators never saw coming. When you stop evolving, that's when it's time to pull the plug on the series and from what we have seen so far, that's not going to be for a few years at least with The Catch.

The supporting cast is diverse and full of strong character actors. My favorite is Lost alum Sonya Walger who plays fellow con artist Margot Bishop. She's able to stretch her legs much more here than she ever did as Penny on Lost and that's a real victory for The Catch.

If you weren't fortunate to catch The Catch when it first debuted last Spring, then you are in luck. The complete first season is now available on DVD and at 10 episodes, it's a quick watch that will leave you wanting more. The good news is that you won't have to wait long. While ABC hasn't scheduled it yet, a second season is coming, probably after the new year.

While the bonus features are pretty slim on the offering, the outtakes and deleted scenes add to the enjoyment of the show. It's obvious from these selections that the cast and crew truly enjoy their work and it's a good sign that The Catch will be around for many seasons.