By Brandon Nolta
It’s been a long time since I’ve been fishing, so I don’t know the etiquette for catching corpses. Do you have to throw them back if they’re a certain height, or is it whatever you get? Is there a limit? New Orleans officers Marlin Boulet (Anthony Anderson) and Trevor Cobb (Cole Hauser) probably know the rules; they and their colleagues seem adept enough at catching them. In fact, as we join the boys’ latest adventure in progress, a fairly fresh one has just been reeled in: a former district attorney and local mover and shaker. The one piece of evidence they find is a broken fingernail, which leads to a well-known brothel run by a tough-ass madam (Adrienne Barbeau).
Boulet and Cobb do some knocking on doors and find a possible witness, but get their questioning shut down by Captain Embry (John Carroll Lynch), who seems to know this girl a lot better than perhaps he should. Despite getting stonewalled at every turn, Boulet and Cobb keep pushing, and discover links between the dead lawyer and the leader of a Latino gang across town. What the hell does all this have to do with a near-abandoned neighborhood or two? Our favorite N’Awlins boys in blue find out, and just in time to help Embry deal with a home invasion by some motivated gangbangers.
This show just keeps getting better every time I watch it, and that’s because the show really focuses on character. This episode, despite having one of New Orleans’ dead spots figure prominently in the plot, could really happen anywhere. The real focus, and the real point, is the damaged relationships that Captain Embry has with his daughter and his daughter surrogate, the aforementioned hooker. Lynch makes good use of this opportunity to show his acting chops, and it’s always welcome to see the burly character actor, likely best known for FARGO and his recurring role on THE DREW CAREY SHOW, do his stuff.
As usual, Anderson and Hauser show up and make it all look easy; their chemistry as partners is so natural and unforced that it seems like they’ve known each other far longer than the few weeks the show has spanned. Frankly, I bet it would be entertaining watching these two mow lawns. The only downside to all this is that, with Anderson, Hauser and Lynch drawing all the interest, Cypress and Shields are left in the dust to be movable scenery. Cypress in particular deserves better; the character she was saddled with on HEROES was lame, and didn’t die soon enough for this viewer, but the actress herself isn’t to blame. As in every other endeavor, you got to work with what you’re given.
After three episodes, K-VILLE is looking like it was a good investment for Fox, which means you better watch the damn thing quick because it’ll be gone in another three. While it’s on, though, it’s well worth your time. If nothing else, you get the unusual pleasure of hearing Anthony Anderson sing a song from ANNIE.