Blood & Oil - Hustle and Flow - Review: “Totally Saw That Coming”

I was impressed with the improvement I saw between the pilot and last week’s second episode, and I was really hoping that the third episode would continue that trend. However, I found this episode to be slightly disappointing. There was no real “wow factor” in it to me and I felt like there was just a lot of set-up. Hopefully, this means that the next few episodes will be more exciting and dramatic but after this week I’m not holding my breath.

After last week’s murderous turn of events, the sheriff is on the hunt to find the killer and Wick has decided to distance himself from his shady dealings and legitimately work with his dad. Obviously, this causes Wick’s partner-in-crime to start panicking. Even though Wick tells him to calm down and wait for things to settle, he still takes the stolen Briggs oil rig out to try to sell it. This results in an “exciting” police chase. As much as they tried to make the chase thrilling, it fell a little bit flat for me. There were no major players involved so I didn't really care, plus it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. The only suspenseful moment was if the police would see who the driver was and we, the audience, already knew that. Eventually, the police figure out who was driving the truck and arrest Wick’s partner. I haven’t bothered to learn his name because he seems too irrelevant right now. Things could get interesting next week though if he decides to flip on Wick.

The one high point of the episode was the relationship between Hap and Wick. I still can’t figure it out so it’s one of the more interesting aspects of the show. This week, Hap takes Wick out to the Koala One land and shares that it’s named after the incubator that Wick was kept in after he was born premature. This was a surprisingly touching moment which seemed to bring the two of them closer. I was actually really rooting for them to repair their relationship, however, by the end of the episode this was not the case. Wick and Billy are still at odds with each other because of Wick’s jealousy. When Billy gets involved as an investor on Koala One the animosity between them escalates even further. Koala One ends up yielding only a slight pocket of oil (who didn’t see that coming??) so all the money Billy put into that investment is gone. Hap knew there was a possibility that there wasn’t any oil and he tricked everyone, but Billy fell for it and trusted Hap even after being specifically warned about him last week, so I have no sympathy for him.

Billy continues to be one of the most frustrating characters I’ve ever seen! He’s so desperate that he’s just asking to be played. I guess he’s just so blinded by money but nothing is enough for him. It’s nice that he just wants to provide for Cody and they’re still cute as ever but he’s really messing things up for them. This episode brought frustratingly predictable to a whole new level though. Why would Billy think that this Koala project that Hap gave Wick, his troubled and irresponsible son, would be more valuable than the land that they fought so hard for in the pilot. It’s just ridiculous and stupid. I know he literally knows nothing about this industry and he’s out of his league, but come on! Anyways, I already know how I want the rest of this show to play out. I really want Wick and Billy to go from enemies to partners and team up against Hap. I’m not sure if that could happen because of Hap and Wick’s new project but I really hope Wick realizes whose side to be on before it’s too late.

Jules had more of a presence this week now that we know that she was involved with Hap. She’s still with Wick, and I’m glad to see that Hap’s threats didn't scare her off. Obviously, I prefer her with Wick but she thinks Hap is the right one for her. They end up secretly hooking up and I’m not into it. I don’t think it’s hot and it actually kind of grosses me out. She could be his daughter! Plus, I hate Hap and I like Wick. I feel like Jules is the only person that Wick has in his life. How can anyone expect Wick to be good and happy when he keeps getting screwed over by everyone in his life?? Now, Hap is even taking Jules away from him by manipulating Wick into leaving her to focus on their new oil venture. I don’t know, part of me wants Wick and Jules together but the other part thinks that Wick doesn't deserve to be with someone who cheats on him with his dad. I’ll have to see how things go in future episodes.

There were a couple of other parts of this episode that are worth mentioning. I enjoyed the Lacey and A.J. scenes. A.J is interesting, I wonder what his story is and who he’s working with. He's definitely shady. I really like Lacey too, she says what she wants and adds a bit of edge and fun. This episode also introduced a new character, Finn. I’m not sure how I feel about him but I like that he’s working on the food truck. I just hope nothing happens between him and any of my favorite married characters!

Overall, this episode might be a backwards step for me. By the halfway point there really wasn’t a whole lot of drama or steaminess. I’m sorry, but that’s the only way this show works. Let’s face it, this show isn’t that great so it needs to rely on it’s soapy drama and sexiness to get people to watch and keep watching. There can’t be any filler-y episodes where nothing really crazy happens, or it becomes obvious how much the show is lacking. I really wasn’t that impressed this week. I thought it was beyond predictable - frustratingly predictable - and totally unsexy. This episode just wasn’t that special for me.

What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!

About the Author - Kate Sidwell

Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!

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