Tag: Anthony Head

Guilt on Freeform continues to irritate rather than entertain.  “Exit Wounds “keeps getting it so wrong in terms of the law in England.  This week it is specifically gun laws and the reactions of the “Old Bill” (slang for police) to guns and their use in self defense.  First of all the courts and law enforcement do not really want the citizenry to defend themselves.

The cops would much rather find your cold dead body and then work to prosecute the culprit rather than find you standing over your assailant victorious and unharmed. Violence, in the United Kingdom,  is left to the experts, i.e. the police.

This is, after all, the country where celebrity Myleene Klass was strongly rebuked in 2010 for “brandishing a knife” at intruders in her home. She was alone there with her child and flashed the kitchen implement in an effort to make them leave. The cops were not best pleased.

In terms of using a gun as self defense, Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was arrested in 1999 and done for murder after shooting at two  burglars. He killed one and did three years for defending himself and his property.

It is highly unlikely that the Old Bill would have been so understanding toward Mrs. Linley for getting a hunting rifle out to defend her husband and home. (Granted she shot her cheating hubby and Patrick Ryan and then lied about it. Regardless of her telling the detective’s “porkies” (slang for lies) they would  not responded so sympathetically.)

(One last sidenote about the rifle.  Gun laws in the UK are beyond stringent. Owners must have a proper certificate and the weapon, if stored at home, must be in a locked case.  Not to mention that in all likelihood the thing should have been a shotgun rather than a proper hunting rifle with a scope. Guns in the UK are exorbitantly priced and while a university professor may be able to afford a weapon that would cost thousands of pounds to own, it is unlikely.)

Back to the plot: This week Guilt sees Mrs. Linley paying a visit to her wounded husband and Grace.  Patrick is seen to by his girlfriend, aka Madame Prosecutor and  then turned in. Stan’s plan to recover Molly’s phone goes awry when the blackmailer turns out to be much cleverer   than he is. James is definitely not a nice man and the prince apparently got Molly pregnant.

Grace falters under the weight of all the haters on social media and overdoses on her sisters sleeping pills. Natalie feels responsible and when she waits to visit Grace meets the reporter who tipped Patrick Ryan off previously.

It does seem that the prince is the one with something to hide. He goes to intimidate  DS Bruno and it seems to work. (Which is rather interesting as the royal family have no real power at all.)  But this move can be somewhat overlooked as it appears that the prince has  information on Bruno that the detective sergeant does not want out.

Right now the prince probably  wants his visits to the “50 Shades” club kept secret. It would also seem that he wants any news of his being the father of the child Molly was carrying when she died kept quiet as well.

There was one high note in the third episode of Guilt. The bus scene with the blackmailer, her man and the Manchester football supporters, aka hooligans. It was odd that they got involved with the little fracas with the backpack. (Although later it all makes perfect sense.) At the end of the scene, Gutterie postures and threatens only to be head butted in the face and it is priceless.

It seems that the ex-pat lawyer is not “all that” after all.

Grace does a “Paula Deen” and speaks to her haters, except it appears to be either on periscope or snapchat and not on video. Her spiel goes over well and she gets a flood of support.  Herein lies the main problem (apart from the English things that are off) with Guilt.

We have a dead pregnant girl, slashed to rag doll ribbons that was the BFF of Grace Atwood. Thus far the amount of tears shed for her dead bestie would not fill a shot glass or an egg cup. Self centered to the nth degree, it has all been about Daisy’s pain and upset. Most annoying.

Guilt airs  Mondays  on Freeform.  Stop by and see how you feel about the show and Grace. It may get better. For example, Natalie was far less irritating this week…

CAST:

• Daisy Head  – Grace Atwood
• Billy Zane   –  Stan Gutterie 
• Emily Tremaine  – Natalie Atwood
• Anthony Head  –  James
• Cristian Solimeno  –  DS Bruno
• Sam Cassidy  –  Prince Theo
• Simona Brown   –  Roz Walters
• Kevin Ryan  –  Patrick Ryan

Since last week’s opening episode none of the characters have suddenly become likable. The plot is moving forward, with its hints at murderous members of the royal family and a high cost bordello where girls from university work for a bit of extra cash.  James (Anthony Head) becomes clearer in this installment of Guilt, entitled “American Psycho” and apart from having a romantic tryst, or two, with Molly,  is not a nice chap at all.

It is obvious that Grace’s stepfather impregnated her murdered bestie Molly. Although the stressed older playboy may be more concerned with keeping any connection with the high end bordello quiet.

Grace (Daisy Head) manages to  effortlessly appear in the worst light possible much to her sister Natalie’s (Emily Tremaine) alarm and Stan’s (played by Billy Zane) annoyance. “She’s like a whack-a-mole,” he mutters when spying her latest boneheaded stunt.

The negative publicity tops out with her getting the nickname “American Psycho” after a reporter takes a picture of Daisy laughing moments after her tearful memorial speech for Molly.

Earlier there is a video of Daisy getting physical with Molly and a classmate threatens to go public with it unless a payment of £15K is received.  Stan takes care of this with his usual flair and the student ends up with enough for  a new laptop and a threat of punitive action if she approaches Daisy again.

Molly’s brother is doing his own investigations into his sister’s murder and when he tracks down the womanizing professor Patrick (Kevin Ryan) begins beating a confession out of the academic Lothario.  The man’s wife appears with a hunting rifle. 

Telling Patrick to get away from her husband, she then shoots him. Patrick is covered with blood. As the camera pans away from the house, another shot rings out.

This episode of Guilt piles on the twists and turns. There is the “50 Shades” bordello where a girl costs the pimp running it a cool £20K by refusing to provide some service. (One really has to ask what sexual act could be worth that much.)

There is clear evidence that Molly was having a fling with James and Grace’s other roommate is not a law-abiding type.  Madam Prosecutor is shagging her lead detective, and has been for some time apparently, and (back to James again)  the stepdad is paying well above the asking price for all this to “go away.”

Grace still comes across as the most self-centered and gormless student ever in a London university.  Natalie continues to annoy. (One wonders how she ever won a case back in Boston, she is so irritating.) Gutterie is amusing and somewhat droll. His love of hats is a nice touch as is his glib assurance that no one else could keep Daisy out of jail.

There is the small question of why an academic has a hunting rifle versus a shotgun as it is much easier to imagine the professor hunting pheasant with a 12 gauge rather than something bigger with a “proper” rifle and  a scope.

Guilt is piling on the intrigue  but still lacks any main characters we really care about. This may change if Daisy is allowed to stop being so vapid and self absorbed and if Natalie becomes less irksome.  Anthony Head gives good bad guy so smart money should be on him being the killer and not the faux royal “prince.”

The series airs Mondays on Freeform. Tune in and see what you think about this Amanda Knox type murder mystery. See if there is a legitimate James and Molly connection or not. Let us know who you fancy for the killer.

Freeform premiered “Guilt” on June 12. Mike’s Film Talk did a preview of the pilot beforehand and overall felt faintly optimistic about the show. Sadly, re-watching the opening episode  revealed a few flaws.  The characters were not likable and none of them evoked feelings that urged us to care one way or another about their outcomes.

This was a show I really wanted to like. With personal favorite Anthony (Stewart) Head, his daughter Daisy, and a setting in London, this should have been a winner hand’s down.   However things are not gelling  at all here.  (And the murdered party girl’s name being Molly did not help things either.)

Daisy Head is Grace Atwood; a self centered and not too bright student whose partying ends with her Irish roomie being murdered. When  questioned by the police, the young woman admits going downstairs to pee. She walked through her roommates blood but only got upset when she thought the killer might have been there.  This  lack of reaction to her best mate in the world being sliced and diced to death leaves little room for sympathy.

Emily Tremaine as older sister Natalie Atwood is just annoying.  Not licensed to practice law in England (and there is a world of difference between the two countries in this area) she takes it upon herself to replace Billy Zane’s charismatic counsel.  Zane plays Stan Gutterie a disgraced American lawyer who can practice law in the U.K. 

The allusion to the Amanda Knox murder case in Italy is all too clear.  Presumably the location change to England was to prevent subtitles or because ABC/Disney (which Freeform is part of) have contacts in England in the way of studios. (See: Galavant.)

There is the requisite sexual angle, although no sex games in the London flat to throw suspicion on the participants. Instead there is a sort of rich boy’s club where BDSM is the theme and members of the royal family come to play.

Natalie fails to remove Gutterie and centers her attack on the stepdad; James (Anthony Head).  In all fairness, he is an easy target. All smarmy charm and a slightly off personality makes James someone easy to dislike.  The accent does not help.

(Sidenote: Head’s American accent makes him sound quite cold and calculating. The actor’s native accent is charming and conveys a wealth of emotions. It should be noted that the actor was a baddy in “Dominion” where he also sported an American accent.)

Another complaint was/is the deference to these American’s in the capital.  Not once is the nickname of “Yank” used, yet in England that is a common (even congenial) term for folks this side of the pond. Professional dealings with law enforcement in the past in real life shows this is a common utterance when faced with an American, suspect or not.

Despite these problems there is the issue of the main suspects all acting like idiots.  The  couple doing a runner to Paris stunt, for example, and the “I’ll just go out side and be surprised when the press jump me” moment.

By then end of the first episode we do not really care  all that much for Grace. She appears to have little grasp on reality or even common sense. Natalie is just noise and aggravation and James is not seen enough for us to make an assessment of his character at all.

Thus far it is Billy Zane,  as the international lawyer,  who comes out best. His eccentricities and fondness for martinis does not, however, make him overly likable just yet.

“Guilt” airs Mondays on Freeform. Tune in and see what you think. Is this too much of a “watered down” Amanda Knox retelling or a tepid American abroad story? Let us know if you have connected with any of the characters yet.