TV Review: Stumptown S1E4 Family Ties
Stumptown‘s fourth episode picks up on the third with Dex trying to protect her client and baby from an abusive and slimy real estate mogul. That also pits her against Artie Backs, her former mentor when it comes to private investigation.
The episode is a good one and interesting in that it explores a lot of the different characters.
First, there’s the main story featuring Dex and Artie. Cobie Smulders is fantastically pitted against Donal Logue. The two actors just work against each other so well and the playful competition is great. There’s a ratcheting up of actions against each other and it’s just an entertaining tête-à-tête. There’s also some depth added to Artie that while he’s scummy, there’s more than just being a stereotypical private investigator. Hopefully, we’ll get more of Logue in the series as he’s just amazing in everything he’s in.
There’s also a story having to deal with Detective Cosgrove. A prisoner escapes and we learn a connection to Cosgrove’s past but also to Grey and his friend that was murdered. The series gives the storyline a decent amount of the show’s time and in doing so again gets us away from the Dex show and being just another police detective show. Stumptown has been smart in its use of its secondary characters and teasing their history.
The episode wraps up all of the various plot threads in satisfying ways either concluding them or taking them to the next level. The episode is a key one taking the secondary characters and putting them front and center, a lot of the characters. It’s a show that really is about the full cast delivering an entertaining hour and one of the best new shows of the year.
Overall Rating: 8.0