Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

'Rubicon' - 'Gone in the Teeth' & 'The First Day of School': Puzzle palace

Slow and steady wins the race in the debut?

By Alan Sepinwall Sunday, Aug 1, 2010 10:00 PM

James Badge Dale as Will Travers in "Rubicon."

Credit: AMC

Press tour time demands are going to prevent me from writing much about the two-hour "Rubicon" premiere beyond what I wrote in Thursday's pre-season review. But even if I had unlimited time, I'm not sure what else I'd have to say at this point. I love James Badge Dale, love the look (courtesy of Michael Slovis), love the atmosphere and the idea of intelligence analysis as something that will drive you nuts, and am waiting for the plot to materialize.

For both people who watched the pilot when AMC sneak-previewed it and those who came to both episodes for the first time tonight, what did you think? And given that creator Jason Horwitch left after the pilot and was replaced as showrunner by Henry Bromell, did you notice a significant difference in tone, story or anything else between the two episodes?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Rubicon, Alan Sepinwall

Echos Myron

Better than True Blood, nowhere near as good as Mad Men or Breaking Bad, at least right now. I like that all three female leads are hot in quirky ways.
August 1, 2010 at 10:06PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jim I disagree. I think True Blood Season 3 is incredibly well written. In fact, it's just as good as Buffy was.
  August 2, 2010 at 4:42AM EST
- Echos Myron And Buffy is supposed to be some kind of measure of quality in TV writing? It was a teenage drama aimed at impressionable young girls.
  August 2, 2010 at 5:22AM EST
Josh

I loved the pilot (watched it on Hulu as part of AMC's "sneak preview"), and I really enjoyed the second episode as well. I think there is a lot of potential there, and I'll watch anything with Dallas Roberts.
August 1, 2010 at 10:17PM EST Reply to Comment
sbbillings7

Was that the guy that plays Clay Davis on The Wire at the end?
August 1, 2010 at 10:20PM EST Reply to Comment
- bunson sheeeeeeit, yeah it was
  August 1, 2010 at 10:31PM EST
- shraf Best part of the episode haha
  August 2, 2010 at 12:03AM EST
- Sareeta LOL, that was my first thought when I saw him. We didn't get a very good look at him, but it definitely looked like Clay Davis.
  August 2, 2010 at 6:59AM EST
- GuiltyFeat It's confirmed. Roofwatcher #2 was the corrupt senator for the state of Maryland.
  
  I thought Rubicon was just plain rubbish. I wrote up my full-sized rant here: http://guiltyfeat.com/2010/08/04/crossing-off-the-rubicon/
  
  Enjoy.
  August 5, 2010 at 1:58PM EST
Mark S.

It wasn't a bad premiere (haven't seen episode 2 yet), but interesting enough to make me continue watching. My review is up at: http://whatmarkread.blogspot.com/2010/08/rubicon-review.html
August 1, 2010 at 10:45PM EST Reply to Comment
Troy

The first episode was excellent. The second episode was little choppy and a lot of slow. The separate story-lines aren't handled as well as on Mad Men. I can definitely tell a difference between the first and second episode in quality and style. The lesser of the two being the second. Hopefully they will find their feet in the next few.
August 1, 2010 at 10:51PM EST Reply to Comment
- JWIII The second episode doesn't feel as dark or dramatic. Plus, there seems to be way more music in the show.
  
  August 2, 2010 at 2:07AM EST
- Sareeta Actually, I felt like episode 2 was an extension of episode 1, like the first 2 episodes were a 2 hour pilot. Episode 1 was about introducing Will and getting the ball rolling with the 4 leaf clover conspiracy. Episode 2 was digging a little deeper into the lives of the main and supporting characters and showing the toll their job is taking on their personal lives. Also it introduced some potential "bad guys".
  August 2, 2010 at 7:05AM EST
Jack Frost

I loved the first episode, i must of watched it 10 times. Can't wait to watch the second.
August 2, 2010 at 12:04AM EST Reply to Comment
JWIII

I too liked the premier and have yet watched the second episode. I question the pacing of the show and wonder how it can attract a large audience at that pace. It's a nice slow burn but 10 episodes is a long ride.
August 2, 2010 at 12:17AM EST Reply to Comment
- Echos Myron 13 episodes, not 10.
  August 2, 2010 at 5:23AM EST
The crappy crossword puzzles drive me nuts (so many things about the puzzles they show are just wrong, wrong, wrong), but other than that minor annoyance, the show's OK. Slow, but OK.
August 2, 2010 at 1:13AM EST Reply to Comment
berkowit28

What I'm waiting to understand is why David (the boss who died, maybe, in the train crash) told Will that there was nothing to the crosswords, then immediately told *his* boss (whose name doesn't seem to have been mentioned at all and no one calls him by name so I have no idea what it is) about the crosswords and that "no one else internal" knows about them, and is congratulated for a "good catch". From what we know about David by now, that he's a good guy, he wasn't scheming to take credit for something that Will, his subordinate, did, but rather was protecting Will. Why? I hope this is eventually spelled out and not forgotten, not a red herring.
August 2, 2010 at 3:35AM EST Reply to Comment
- Sareeta To protect Will, perhaps? He didn't want Will to keep digging, so he said there was nothing to the crossword puzzle... Considering he had E.B. create a similar puzzle in 1983, maybe David knew the meaning and wanted to take the secret to the grave. Why David told the boss I'm not sure. Maybe he wanted to draw attention away from Will to himself. He had already lost his daughter; he didn't want to lose his son-in-law too.
  August 2, 2010 at 7:01AM EST
- Angela I thought the same as Sareeta, meaning to protect Will.
  Also when David's boss (name?) was standing out in the hall while Will was inside David's office looking at the chess pieces, I assumed he was wanting to see how much Will knew. I admit there is much I am not clear about.
  
  August 2, 2010 at 6:26PM EST
Sareeta

I had already seen the pilot, but I watched it again while doing some household chores. One thing I didn't mind, which a lot of critics hated, was the lunch scene where they explain Will's past. They could have waited longer to bring it up, or done a flashback, but I am happy they got it out of the way early on. I like the way Dallas Roberts explained it. So I liked the pilot as much as the first time I saw it.

The 2nd episode was good, too. I like the slow build. Too many shows of this nature feel the need to bombard viewers with information overload and action sequences too early. With Rubicon, they are providing bits and pieces of a bigger puzzle at a constant pace (we found out that there was another crossword phenomenon in 1983 and later in the episode what happened after it appeared...possibly hinting at something big happening very soon) and slowly building towards something grand.

My favorite part of the episode was near the end when Will broke out of character and lit a fire under his team's arses on the Yuri case. Grant (?) or whatever his name is was really irritating me, so I was glad to see the look on his face after Will yelled at him. By the way, is he the same actor who played the gay vampire on True Blood (season 1)?

I also liked getting a glimpse into the lives of the co-workers. It looks like working at API is really taking its toll on their personal lives.

August 2, 2010 at 7:16AM EST Reply to Comment
When I found out about this show, my interest was piqued. As a crossword addict, the use of the puzzle coordinate the loss of an operation in different cities was a good hook.

I thought the pacing was appropriate across both episodes and the casting seems appropriate. Peter Geherty as Will's was an interesting choice considering his past roles on The Wire and as that crappy cop on Homicide. I felt sad at his fate.

The API offices where the analysts work were a complete 180 from the cube farms typically used for this type of stories and it seems each analyst's office is a reflection of their characters.

The characters I'm most interested in are Arliss Howard (private Cowboy!) EB, and the executive assitant (?) whose feeding private Cowboy her observations about the team.

Not sure where the guy who committed suicide's secrets are gonna lead but they must be impartant since he received the four leaf clover.

Overall, I'll keep watching.
August 2, 2010 at 7:51AM EST Reply to Comment
- jon88 As someone who knows how the crossword sausage is made, I'm afraid the very tired nonsense of that took me completely out of the show. Let's just say that, for that to be pulled off, the conspiracy would have to include an enormous number of people beyond what we're supposed to think.
  August 2, 2010 at 9:19AM EST
JanieJones

I enjoyed both episodes. I like the slow burn tone of both episodes. I did think ep. 1 was slightly better but I was still intrigued as ep. 2 ended.
The dimly lit colours and tone gave it a more layered feeling.

@Berkowit-I'm hoping that David told Will there was nothing to puzzles to protect him rather have some devious motivation. However, we have quite a bit of time until it's revealed (I hope that it is).

Was Will the best choice to replace David? I feel as though Will is so introverted but his little freak-out showed he can exercise some authority (if you want to call it that).
August 2, 2010 at 9:52AM EST Reply to Comment
DoubleLifeofaSalesman

The show reminds me of many things, such as the nice setup at the beginning of "Three Days of the COndor" before Max Von Sydow shoots it all up. It feels very old-school (like David's book code) -- so old-school that I'm not sure I buy it in 2010. We're living in an age of vast sophistication of encrypting, the sort tackled way back in the movie "Sneakers." Also, I have to wonder at a "go code" of a sort first attempted back in 1983. Is this some sort of plot to take over America, or what? But I'm a fan of this sort of stuff, going all the way back to the old UPN show "Nowhere Man," so I'm along for the ride -- provided an oncoming train doesn't hit.
August 2, 2010 at 1:34PM EST Reply to Comment
malman noobject

Why did Horwitch leave?
August 2, 2010 at 1:47PM EST Reply to Comment
I liked the second episode better than the first. I thought the first hour was too boring when I saw it a month ago, but now that we're getting more details about this world, I'm getting interested. I really like the twist about Will's secretary reporting to his boss behind everyone's backs. I also really liked the scene where Will was in his apartment preparing to attack the person outside the door and they just leave.

I didn't like the conspiracy about the crossword puzzle before, but now that we have a better idea of what it's about, I'm into it. The show is still too slow, but this was promising. I'm in for at least another two episodes.
August 2, 2010 at 3:08PM EST Reply to Comment
Angela

I have not seen the second episode but there is a lot that I was unclear about from the first one, and that bothers me because I don't think they intended to be unclear. I'm not even sure what questions to ask here.

But one is, why did David tell Will it was time to leave by way of the gift of the motorbike? David didn't know Will knew about the crosswords yet, or at least it seemed as if the gift was planned before then. Was it because he felt that Will needed to get out due to the 9/11 death of wife and child, and because of how this job effects them all?

I do like the way they brought in 9/11. 9/11 will continue to have a powerful impact on America's people. It still needs to be addressed properly more than once, because even if we don't realize it, 9/11 traumatized everyone in this country.

TV is a wonderful medium that could be used in a positive way for helping people to move forward from that point in time. 'Er, it's hard to put into words, sorry. For example, perhaps that is what Rescue Me is trying to do in it's own way?

In general I was hoping to see more of that fantastic photography that Michael Slovis uses in Breaking Bad. In fact that is why I tuned into this show in the first place. But it was pretty subtle. I even wondered if it my TV was going bad.

It's too early to judge, but this show didn't Wow me, and it will take some effort for me to watch the second episode.

August 2, 2010 at 6:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- Sareeta I thought David gave the motorcycle because he knew he was going to be killed so he wanted to give Will, who is like a son to him, a parting gift. Maybe Will had always wanted a motorcycle?
  
  I watched a special on Rubicon and the creator talked a little about his thoughts on 9/11 and certain conspiracy theories surrounding that event. I won't say anything more because he was just hinting, but I wonder if 9/11 is central to the story of Rubicon.
  
  August 2, 2010 at 9:01PM EST
- Angela Sareeta, thanks for the input about the creator of Rubicon and his thoughts about 9/11. I wish I had seen that. I'm not into conspiracy theories in books, but in a TV show it could be interesting to see play out.
  Maybe the show will shed light on the facts too. Many people who should listen to the news don't, but they do watch TV. They could learn something.
  Ah, didn't think that David might have known that something might happen to him. Him meaning David, not Will. Interesting.
  August 4, 2010 at 2:08AM EST
Asap

This may sound weird, but to me Rubicon feels like AMC's first crack at network TV. The 9/11 back story, the sensationalism, larger than life characters and conflicts. Of course the pace is slow, and the production fits cable budget shows, but the aesthetics feel much more like ABC than AMC. Hey, if this means cable could draw as many people as network, or at least be as profitable, I'm all for it. Anyway, do you guys feel the same or is it just me?
August 3, 2010 at 9:50AM EST Reply to Comment
- Angela I didn't notice the ABC/AMC similarities. But it's still early days and it may become more apparent for those of us who didn't see that.
  I kind of hope not though. I'm selfish and do not want cable aesthetics to go the way of network. Network is too cookie cutter for me, every has the same look.
  I'm thinking of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and SOA. The aesthetics of those shows could not be better if they tried.
  August 4, 2010 at 2:22AM EST
- berkowit28 To me , it feels more like a lot of British - BBC and ITV - miniseries. There have been a few of them on PBS Masterwork Sunday nights. I'm thinking especially of one involving commercial spies and smuggling illegal immigrants into England from the Netherlands,but I don't remember the name. But there have also been a number of police shows from the UK that had the same tone - if not quite so slow. I'm definitely curious to see where it will, eventually, lead.
  August 4, 2010 at 3:02AM EST
kabak

im bought in. i can deal with a slow paced show with good acting. they just need better looking chicks.
August 3, 2010 at 2:32PM EST Reply to Comment
- Angela One of my favorite shows was Boston Legal and it was cancelled largely because supposedly no-one wants to watch shows with older actors. (Thank god for Betty White.)
  Apparently America's population is people 20 years old and younger.
  
  Teenage girls made up to look like their in their 30's gets old (no pun intended) too. And gives young girls a bad self image because they can't possibly live up to those standards.
  
  Personality is what makes someone attractive. A drop dead gorgeous guy can become very unattractive if he's a jerk. Same goes for women. But if it's pretty chicks you want, you only have to turn the channel.
  
  August 4, 2010 at 11:33AM EST
Mary

If anyone knows the "Frosty, Heidi and Frank" radio show on KABC in Los Angeles... does Grant remind you of Frosty?
August 4, 2010 at 10:03PM EST Reply to Comment
alan

boring really disappointed. what is going on with the old woman with the will too much time is spent in the first two episodes of her walk through homes its insignificance to the plot now cant be overstated. oh and bad news about breaking bad... they're taking a full year off
August 5, 2010 at 4:52PM EST Reply to Comment
- berkowit28 What's this about Breaking Bad? Do you have a link?
  August 5, 2010 at 5:48PM EST
- berkowit28 OK, found it:
  
  http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/tv/50061060-63/bad-2011-amc-breaking.html.csp
  
  And it's not a whole extra year - just a year from now. It's an extra 4 months off. Instead of coming back in late March 2011 as expected, it will be July 2011.
  August 5, 2010 at 5:52PM EST
Eightiesologist

I really just do not get the insistence on comparing this show to Mad Men or Breaking Bad. This is like comparing Lost to Cougar Town. Shows aren't always strung together by their host network. Credit to AMC for doing something new with each original program.

Hold Rubicon up against its contemporaries....of which there are very few. Only time will tell if it solves its puzzles better/worse than other puzzle-solving mysterious shows. For now, it clearly set out to be a slow-burning, conspiracy theory mystery more in the vein of Three Days of the Condor than some breakneck, popcorn conspiracy thriller. And to that, it seems to be succeeding. I thought the first episode was compelling enough to lure me in and get me excited for more. And during this time of year, i can really focus on something smart like this. Before i sat down, the plot sounded 100x more intriguing than anything new the networks are debuting this Fall.
August 5, 2010 at 9:34PM EST Reply to Comment
riffraff

Watched the first two episodes recently, and I'm definitely in for the long haul. There's so much more to this series so far than just the overall mystery. Love the '70s thriller mood, Will's quirky team members, the creepy Kale, the bumbling but intimidating Truxton and, of course, Will, played perfectly by Dale. And pace be damned! If ever there was a story that should be told at a slow pace, it would seem to be this one.
August 7, 2010 at 5:14PM EST Reply to Comment

News From Our Partners

Follow HitFix:

Follow @HitFix

Get Instant Alerts on What's Alan Watching

Latest Posts

HitFix First Look: 'Hannibal' is worried about Will Graham

Will's gift takes an increasing toll; can the bad Dr. Lecter help him?

Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Series finale review: 'The Big C: Hereafter'

Cathy and her family prepare for the end as the Showtime dramedy concludes on a strong note

Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Season finale review: 'Rectify' - 'Jacob's Ladder'

Daniel ponders a trip out of town as the terrific first season comes to a close

Monday, May 20, 2013
Review: FOX's 'The Goodwin Games' has potential it won't get to realize

Some interesting pieces in a new sitcom from the 'HIMYM' guys, but it's a dead show walking

Monday, May 20, 2013

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

'Rubicon' - 'Gone in the Teeth' & 'The First Day of School': Puzzle palace

Send to your friends

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/26tb3o7

'Rubicon' - 'Gone in the Teeth' & 'The First Day of School': Puzzle palace

Share this Post on ...

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/26tb3o7

'Rubicon' - 'Gone in the Teeth' & 'The First Day of School': Puzzle palace

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Echos Myron Better than True Blood, nowhere near as good as Mad Men or Breaking Bad, at least right now. I like that all three female leads are hot in quirky ways.

Jim I disagree. I think True Blood Season 3 is incredibly well written. In fact, it's just as good as Buffy was.

Echos Myron And Buffy is supposed to be some kind of measure of quality in TV writing? It was a teenage drama aimed at impressionable young girls.

Josh I loved the pilot (watched it on Hulu as part of AMC's "sneak preview"), and I really enjoyed the second episode as well. I think there is a lot of potential there, and I'll watch anything with Dallas Roberts.

sbbillings7 Was that the guy that plays Clay Davis on The Wire at the end?

bunson sheeeeeeit, yeah it was

shraf Best part of the episode haha

Sareeta LOL, that was my first thought when I saw him. We didn't get a very good look at him, but it definitely looked like Clay Davis.

GuiltyFeat It's confirmed. Roofwatcher #2 was the corrupt senator for the state of Maryland.I thought Rubicon was just plain rubbish. I wrote up my full-sized rant here: http://guiltyfeat.com/2010/08/04/crossing-off-the-rubicon/Enjoy.

Mark S. It wasn't a bad premiere (haven't seen episode 2 yet), but interesting enough to make me continue watching. My review is up at: http://whatmarkread.blogspot.com/2010/08/rubicon-review.html

JWIII The second episode doesn't feel as dark or dramatic. Plus, there seems to be way more music in the show.

Jack Frost I loved the first episode, i must of watched it 10 times. Can't wait to watch the second.

JWIII I too liked the premier and have yet watched the second episode. I question the pacing of the show and wonder how it can attract a large audience at that pace. It's a nice slow burn but 10 episodes is a long ride.

Echos Myron 13 episodes, not 10.

The crappy crossword puzzles drive me nuts (so many things about the puzzles they show are just wrong, wrong, wrong), but other than that minor annoyance, the show's OK. Slow, but OK.

Angela I thought the same as Sareeta, meaning to protect Will. Also when David's boss (name?) was standing out in the hall while Will was inside David's office looking at the chess pieces, I assumed he was wanting to see how much Will knew. I admit there is much I am not clear about.

jon88 As someone who knows how the crossword sausage is made, I'm afraid the very tired nonsense of that took me completely out of the show. Let's just say that, for that to be pulled off, the conspiracy would have to include an enormous number of people beyond what we're supposed to think.

malman noobject Why did Horwitch leave?

kabak im bought in. i can deal with a slow paced show with good acting. they just need better looking chicks.

Mary If anyone knows the "Frosty, Heidi and Frank" radio show on KABC in Los Angeles... does Grant remind you of Frosty?

alan boring really disappointed. what is going on with the old woman with the will too much time is spent in the first two episodes of her walk through homes its insignificance to the plot now cant be overstated. oh and bad news about breaking bad... they're taking a full year off

berkowit28 What's this about Breaking Bad? Do you have a link?

berkowit28 OK, found it:http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/tv/50061060-63/bad-2011-amc-breaking.html.cspAnd it's not a whole extra year - just a year from now. It's an extra 4 months off. Instead of coming back in late March 2011 as expected, it will be July 2011.

News From Our Partners

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever What's Alan Watching is updated

Latest Posts

Recent Activity on Facebook

Most Popular on Facebook

About HitFix

Advertise on HitFix

Subscribe to HitFix

Popular Topics

Echos Myron

Better than True Blood, nowhere near as good as Mad Men or Breaking Bad, at least right now. I like that all three female leads are hot in quirky ways.

Josh

I loved the pilot (watched it on Hulu as part of AMC's "sneak preview"), and I really enjoyed the second episode as well. I think there is a lot of potential there, and I'll watch anything with Dallas Roberts.

sbbillings7

Was that the guy that plays Clay Davis on The Wire at the end?

GuiltyFeat It's confirmed. Roofwatcher #2 was the corrupt senator for the state of Maryland.

I thought Rubicon was just plain rubbish. I wrote up my full-sized rant here: http://guiltyfeat.com/2010/08/04/crossing-off-the-rubicon/

Enjoy.

Mark S.

It wasn't a bad premiere (haven't seen episode 2 yet), but interesting enough to make me continue watching. My review is up at: http://whatmarkread.blogspot.com/2010/08/rubicon-review.html

Jack Frost

I loved the first episode, i must of watched it 10 times. Can't wait to watch the second.

JWIII

I too liked the premier and have yet watched the second episode. I question the pacing of the show and wonder how it can attract a large audience at that pace. It's a nice slow burn but 10 episodes is a long ride.

Angela I thought the same as Sareeta, meaning to protect Will.
Also when David's boss (name?) was standing out in the hall while Will was inside David's office looking at the chess pieces, I assumed he was wanting to see how much Will knew. I admit there is much I am not clear about.

malman noobject

Why did Horwitch leave?

kabak

im bought in. i can deal with a slow paced show with good acting. they just need better looking chicks.

Mary

If anyone knows the "Frosty, Heidi and Frank" radio show on KABC in Los Angeles... does Grant remind you of Frosty?

alan

boring really disappointed. what is going on with the old woman with the will too much time is spent in the first two episodes of her walk through homes its insignificance to the plot now cant be overstated. oh and bad news about breaking bad... they're taking a full year off

berkowit28 OK, found it:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/tv/50061060-63/bad-2011-amc-breaking.html.csp

And it's not a whole extra year - just a year from now. It's an extra 4 months off. Instead of coming back in late March 2011 as expected, it will be July 2011.

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever
What's Alan Watching is updated