'Roadies' Episode 2, Season 1 Review

Image from Recap Guide

By Darian Scalamoni

            Showtime's newest music drama from the mind of Cameron Crowe had its second episode last Sunday and it has taken me so long to write this review because man, this show is hard to get through. I've talked in the last post after episode one how Crowe needed a hit to get back to relevance but in my opinion, this show is not what he needed.

            This week's episode starts by the crew trying to deal with the loss of Phil (Ron White) due to his firing by Reg (Rafe Spall). Without Phil, the tour is missing its usual shenanigans and hijinks and Bill (Luke Wilson) is now in charge of absolutely everything. This leads his character to constantly be in panic and angst leading to high blood pressure and fears of having a heart attack. Shelli (Carla Gugino) is always there to lend a helping hand though and try to calm down Bill throughout the tour.

            Though the show is able to get across a tone and direction, it just seems to be a downward direction. The writing is poor and clichéd most of the time. It's easy to pinpoint every moment and even the exact lines that are uttered next by most of the characters who are poorly designed. Especially Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino's leads. Imogen Poots continues to impress as Kelly Ann though as she shines as one of very little bright spots on the Showtime original series. She provides the audience with a real young, hard-working, confused woman who is trying to figure out her life. This week Shelli gives her the task of running the teleprompter after Christopher House listens to her advice to change the set list completely for a change rather than routine.

            While this episode has its moments that are enjoyable including Reg interviewing the crew members to see how much value they have for the tour and whether or not they're expendable; also, Reg and Kelly Ann's odd relationship continues to be the main reason I continue to tune in. They have what seems to be a mutual respect even though when Reg comes in initially, he wants to change everything about the tradition that this crew has.

            Overall, the episode is underwhelming as it fails inspire and invoke a warm feeling while watching over Crowe projects like Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire. Luke Wilson's protagonist is a middle aged man who has daddy issues and is worried about his health. Not something you want to see from the main character you're supposed to root for. This is only episode two but I'm willing to give this show one more episode to try and change my mind but it seems that you're either a fan or you're not of this series and I am on the negative side.

5.6/10