Variety reported Monday evening that the premium cabler has canceled Heels, Run the World, and Blindspotting and is scrapping The Venery of Samantha Bird ahead of its premiere.

Heels, Run the World, and Blindspotting lasted for two seasons on the premium cabler, but it seems that the trio didn't have enough interest to sustain additional seasons.

The highest profile of the three shows was Heels, which starred Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, a man who inherited the league from his father.

However, he struggled to keep things running well, leading to plenty of drama across the two seasons.

The cast also included Alexander Ludwig, Chris Bauer, Mary McCormack, Kelli Berglund, Allen Maldonado, and Trey Tucker.

Rounding out the cast were Robby Ramos, Alice Barrett Mitchell, Roxton Garcia, David James Elliott, Joel Murray, and CM Punk.

Fans faced a grueling 19-month wait for Heels Season 2, which very likely dampened the buzz for the show.

Unfortunately, Heels Season 1 didn't have much buzz, but there was certainly interest from those who watched in finding out what happened after the events of the freshman run.

Sadly, lengthy hiatuses rarely work shows not named Stranger Things or Game of Thrones.

Meanwhile, Blindspotting was a follow-up of the 2018 movie and starred Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward, and Rafael Casal.

Run the World starred Amber Stevens West, Andrea Bordeaux, Bresha Webb, Corbin Reid, Tosin Morohunfola, and Stephen Bishop.

As for The Venery of Samantha Bird, it was picked up to series in 2022, with 13 Reasons Why's Katherine Langford in the lead role.

"Visiting family in New England, Samantha Bird reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance," the logline reads.

"But underneath their fever dream lurks a more unsettling interpretation of this affair."

"The Venery of Samantha Bird is a haunting portrayal of addictive love and the repercussions that a relationship has on the families in a small New England town."

Deadline reported in May that the new drama had been shut down with two episodes left to shoot due to the WGA strike.

Unfortunately, there's a good chance the episodes will not see the light of day.

Completed seasons of TV stand a better chance of being picked up by other outlets.

For example, Starz picked up Minx Season 2 when Max opted to scrap the season that was already in the can.

Starz also picked up Showtime's Three Women drama series and plans to air it later this year.

The network's strongest performing shows are the three shows in the Power universe, P-Valley, and BMF.

What are your thoughts on the cancellations?

Hit the comments.

Love Is In The Air For These TV Couples

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The post Heels, Blindspotting Among Wave of Cancellations at Starz appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Robin is writing stories for her college applications. Willie says college isn’t even necessary, and Robin asks what’s in her coffee mug. Ted wonders if she wants Robin to be just like her — angry and reactive. He says this house and this family used to be her refuge, but now she’s caged in, staying late at the DWL every night. He says the rules of the house are different than the DWL, and she won’t change to suit them. He’s hardworking and honest and has dedicated his life to supporting her. She missed everything at ever stage their lives, and he’s tired.

Staci is going through the Dome basement. She wants to get organized. Jack will help after the cross promotion is over.

Gully calls for a cross-promotion update. How’s the writing coming? Gully is pleased with his performance at Dystopia, but Jack wonders how he’ll do in Duffy. Their conversation quickly descends into a battle of fuck yous before they hang up.

Brooks gives the update to his boss, Jennifer, about what he experienced. She gives him a new directive to make themselves important and worthy of TV. They need to impress her.

Big Jim is late, and Willie thinks he’s wasting time clearing his head so that any good the ride did is gone. By the ring, Bill is razzing Miles for giving Bobby the chin. After he launches into it, Jim has to weigh in. If they’re not willing to give it their all, give all of their heart, their relentlessness, then they’ll never take it to the next level.

Brooks calls Jack while they’re eating dinner. He delivers the news that Jack and the DWL need to impress his boss to get on the ticket. Jack isn’t confident, but Staci says he impresses people just by walking in the room. Even Charlie Gully is relying on Jack now that he’s gotten a taste of what Jack can accomplish. Look how well he can sell lawn mowers. Just sell what he really loves.

Ace is thrilled with his role at Greener Gardens. He feels useful and like he matters.

Willie pulls Crystal aside after the meeting. She wonders if Crystal gave any thought to Gully’s offer, and she shows her cards when she asks if it was Crystal’s decision or Bobby’s. When Crystal begins a sentence with “sorry,” Crystal goes into a never put others aside at your expense speech. Willie feels short changed in her life, it seems.

Jack really doesn’t want Staci going through the past. He wants her beside him, helping him focus.

Ace is the games man, and he finds a man who isn’t in his right mind and tosses poop all over him.

Gully gets Brooks’s call, and he’s super excited.

Bobby and Crystal are at the doctor’s office for a checkup on his leg. He’s nervous, but she thinks it will be OK despite the fact that these offices are set up to make people nervous. The doctor, though, has bad news. He needs complicated surgery.

Ace shows up with his horrifying experience, but Jack needs to focus on impressing the woman tomorrow. Ace says a dopey arena doesn’t mean shit, just like shit in your mouth doesn’t matter for more than a minute. The DWL is about the people.

Ace asks for a legal pad. He knows how they’re going to do it. They’re going to shoot a promo showing just who they are. Everyone gets a part, and it brings up a lot of emotions for each of them.

When Bill and Willie get ready to do their part, she shares with Bill that she’s afraid her past mistakes are catching up with her, and there’s no way to escape. Her feelings for Tom made her blur the lines between right and wrong. Maybe she should leave.

They’re going to have a big pot luck to show their visitors what Duffy and the DWL is all about. The place is fully decorated. Staci is so impressed and never realized how much people loved this place until she started spending more time here.

The party at The DWL is in full swing, and they needed to leave 40 minutes ago to make it to Georgia. When it seems like she’s ready to leave, Gully sends in Rooster to sell the DWL. He compares them to people’s greatest fears. They are their church. It’s about survival and spectacle. They tap into human emotion, fear and pain.

Jen wonders where The Condamned and Crystal Tyler are, but she doesn’t make a move to leave the venue.

Ace talks with Crystal, apologizing for breaking Bobby’s leg and wondering if what they had was real love.

When Bill steps a side, Staci confronts Bill. What do they owe him? How much did he give Tom? What did Willie do for Tom to get them into trouble? She knows that nobody is going to buy the DWL with the amount of debt they have. If Bill had any money left to give, he’d give it. She’s worried about what will happen when Jack finds out about their current state of affairs. Bill doesn’t want her to tell Jack about any of it. He’s just happy to be back here and building the DWL with them.

Jen is a jerk. She won’t leave the party. She wants the DWL to email their presentation and for Gully to get Crystal and Ace down there right now. He calls Willie to make it happen. He plays on her worst fears and then opens his purse strings.

Gully asks if he should give Jen another mojito or if he should remind her to get on the road to get to Duffy. She says nothing and he decides to go with another drink.

Jack delivers the bad news to everyone and confides in Bill, who says send the email. Their effort is all they can control, and how that effort is received is out of their hands. They decide to play the promo.

There is laughter and there are tears both on screen and off as they share their message of acceptance and courage.

Jack and Ace aren’t down and out. It’s just more fuel to kick ass at the cross promotion. Fuck the big time.

Jack and Staci talk at home about what a great night they had. Their promo reminded Jack of what makes them special. But Staci is far away in her thoughts. She reveals there is stuff in those boxes that are not very good, including some weird stuff, deliberately shady stuff. She thinks Tom did stuff that can destroy everything they’ve rebuilt. Jack says, I hate him.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: The Things That Matter appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Bobby and Crystal listen to the news about her rising star while in each other’s arms drinking espresso.

The same announcer says maybe Jack isn’t a fan of Diego Cottonmouth who has been MIA.

Ace is making a vision board, which Carol finds odd. Ace said has started looking his missteps for what they are — bad decisions. He wants to be part of a greater good. Light. She says he seems to be swinging from branch to branch like a monkey.

Brooks seems taken with the small-town atmosphere of Duffy. Wild Bill and Willie wonder if it will be good or bad news. They recall a time when Ted Turner came for a similar proposition. Bill stashes the booze elsewhere.

Bill and Willie leave Jack and Ace on their own. Here we go again, Willie says. She’s not confident. Staci drops by on her way into the meeting, and Willie is offended that they weren’t invited but Staci was.

Tom went to Ted Turner’s office on the day OJ was acquitted. Outside, Bill and Willie were nervous. They need to make themselves indispensable, hardworking, and reliable. Turner is behind schedule, and eventually has to reschedule. Tom doesn’t take the news well.

On the other hand, Brooks is thrilled to meet both Jack and Ace. Brooks tells them that they might be merging with a larger service, but before that, they want to build something from the ground up.

Bill holds a meeting with the wrestlers and what it might mean for their future. Part of that is validation for what they’ve accomplished. They brought attention to Duffy. They’re at the tail end of wrestling about to be dispensable, and they need to think of what they want from this endeavor and what they’ll do to get.

Rooster is filming a spot calling out Jack and The Condamned. Rooster talks too fast, and Gully asks him to slow it down.

Gully’s guy comes in with numbers on the last bout. Crystal was through the roof. Gully wants her and places a call to Willie saying so. Gully wants Crystal to defect, and he wants Willie to be the front house manager, where she should have been long ago.

That sends Willie to the past again. Six months later, and Tom is heading back to CNN. It turns out that they just want Ted, not Bill. Tom is going to sign a contract and will bring them in once he’s a part of the organization.

It’s with that in mind that Willie takes Gully’s offer to Crystal. She doesn’t think Crystal should take the offer, but in never hurts to know what’s out there.

In the past, Tom was blown off again. Tom is appalled. This isn’t how you treat someone. A man doesn’t do this to another man. The guy tries to placate him, but it doesn’t work. When Tom gets back to the Dome, he’s got bad news for Bill and Willie. He’s stepping away from the deal. Vince has also been circling, and he wants to put the screws to Ted Turner. Oh, and Tom thinks Willie should be his valet, not Bill’s. Bill says it’s Willie’s decision — and it was.

Bill and Willie talk about the past. Bill says that people collide into each other and never think about what they do to each other. They never look back. She wonders why they’re talking about it again. Now that they’re around each other daily, he’s humbled by how he can be struck blind by something that happen to him long ago and how there’s still an ache. He understands that if it happened to him, then he did it to others, left them some unresolved aches. He doesn’t want that head-on collision anymore. He wants her in front of him with him giving her directions and guiding her instead of saying fuck you and cutting her off. Willie says she doesn’t need directions.

Once, Tom and Carol listened to the quiet in their house. Tom says he’s got plenty of noise in his head without the kids. He can’t pay the mortgage on the Dome and then can’t pay the mortgage on the house. She wonders why he doesn’t call Bill. He says he doesn’t need him. This wasn’t the life he promised her or the one she should have. She says she was foolish for believing he could do all of that, and if he can’t make the bad times good again, then it’s time for her to go.

Tom heads to a studio to meet with Bill, who had told the security guard Tom was there for Make a Wish. Billy is filming a Christian movie. He’s playing an angel.

They chitchat a bit, but they don’t even get five minutes before Bill’s called to set again. Everyone thinks Bill is a legend, and they make plans to go out for drinks later. Tom wonders how much he’s been paid, and Bill says he’s netting about $200 grand after taxes and fees. Bill laughs at Tom. He can’t even ask. Bill says this chicken wing dinner might be the best performance of his life, pretending they’re still pals. Bill has loaned him $460k to date. They’re not pals. He’s an ATM. They argue. Bill made millions and Tom just fucks up everything. Bill says Tom has a great family, but Tom envies Bill.

Bill says that Tom and Willie kicking him to the curb launched him in a different direction, so maybe thanks. Tom says he was always going to bring him with him but needed launch his own career first. Bill thought that Tom would protect him from being a clown, but instead, he’s doing Heaven Forbidden.

Tom could have been a scriptwriter. He rewrites a good portion of the movie and takes it to the studio for Bill.

Brooks leaves the Dome while everyone watches him leave, wondering what he’s thinking. Jack, Staci, and Ace say it’s nothing yet, but it’s not nothing. They have an opportunity to show him they’re special, and groundbreaking, and unique. They need take the promotion and make it what they always have all along. He believes in all of them, and they’ve always believed in him. Bill begins the DWL chant, and Willie considers that maybe Jack is different than Tom.

Bill asks for a second take on Heaven Forbid using Tom’s words, and they words are the story of Bill, Willie, and Tom.

Tom shot himself that morning. Carol makes the call to Bill. Carol says that Tom was too proud to ask for help. She chastises him, so only Bill knows the truth.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: Appearances appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Jack races to Ace with his excitement. Ace considers it a first step.

Gully is angry with the shtick.

Big Jim touches base with Ace. Part of the reason he unretired and came back was to do this with Ace. He wants Ace to stop by and visit his goddaughter. And he can stay the night because he’s babysitting while Jim goes out with his wife.

Crystal tries to get Tanya to stay, but she’s ready to get on the road.

After the match, Ace is surrounded by fans and well-wishers hoping to get his autograph. Rooster and another fella say Gully’s pissed, but Gully’s always pissed.

Gully is in the office sharing his displeasure with the group. Jack said he let Rooster know it might be coming, but Gully doesn’t care. If nothing else, he could have called Gully, but Jack failed to do it.

Gully says it looked like his guys got beat up by a guy named after a nonword. It really irks him that they’re spelling it wrong. Jack apologizes because he doesn’t understand how to work with a partner. Gully says a whole lot of stuff in his anger that’s pretty funny. Find it in quotes.

Bill, Willie, and Jack try to untangle what happened, laughing about Gully’s deep cut pop culture references and note that they have no input about how make this particular situation work.

Bobby is worried about Crystal and Ace.

Crystal wonders when Jack will be trying out women for the new league. Willie thinks she can use the time wisely. When Willie puts down Bobby as dim, Crystal puts her foot down and when Willie says to lighten up, Crystal says how about you don’t tell me to lighten up about you being mean.

Staci mentions the money in then safe thing, and Jack asks if she can step up a bit. They kiss. Staci wonders if things might be falling through the cracks. She tells Jack about what she saw. That woman was the county tax assessor, who comes across as dour and grumpy, but it will be alright.

Gully brings up with Rooster the fact that he knew in advance about The Condamned. Rooster sees things a bit clearer, and the Condamned gimmick is already better than anything else Ace did.

Gully’s daughter has good news. A guy from Hollywood wants to put Dystopia on TV. That lightens the mood considerably.

Crystal visits mom in prison. She tells her what Tanya said about the road and watching out for peepholes. Mom hates that she’s not out there for Crystal. Crystal just wants her home. To change the subject, she tells mom about Bobby.

At church the next day, Ace is in good spirits. Jack tells him about Gully’s desire to host The Condamned at Dystopia. Ace shuts it down. Jack tries to prod Ace into accepting the assignment, but Ace has a whole conversation to shut it down further.

Diego is set up for Bill’s podcast, but he’s in a dour mood. Bill wants to know why he’s pouty pout man pouting. Diego says Bill treats him like a scrub, doing everything to boost his own ego. Bill doesn’t respond. Instead, he changes the name of the podcast to the Wild Bill and Diego Cottonmouth Podcast. Diego is happy.

At Continuum, a guy named Brooks is the one scoping out professional wrestling. His boss hates the sport until she hears that he’s it got 1.9 billion the year prior. Brooks has a boatload of ideas his boss calls optimism mental illness and sends him on his way.

Willie finds Staci caulking windows to keep the AC in the Dome. She passive aggressively brings up the tax assessor, shocked that they pay taxes in cash. Willie says she gets her hands dirty and fixes shit so people like Staci don’t have to worry about it. She and Tom made a deal years ago to keep the place afloat no matter what, and Staci says we’re not doing that anymore. Willie wonders what if knowing stuff means you know the DWL can never keep itself afloat. Or that they didn’t have to pay $100k in taxes because the assessor had a crush on Tom? There’s a lot going on that Staci will never want to know, but if she can fix it, have at it.

Rooster is there on Gully’s behalf. Ace admits that if Jack tells Ace he has to do it, he’ll go back to Dystopia. Jack would rather go down in flames than for Ace to give up his character by going to Dystopia.

Willie suggests throwing Crystal to the wolves, but Ace and Jack are hesitant. Crystal has more faith in Crystal than they do, and she heads down to the ring to talk with her about it.

She does a great job of selling it, adding that she’ll be there to protect her. The door is open, so all Crystal has to do is step through it.

Bobby is so sweet. He tells her God placed her in this moment to shine. She wonders at what point his romance novel android face falls off revealing a monster.

Jack wants to write what happens in the ring and he sells it to Gully by saying Gully will get to punch his in the face. Sold.

Crystal’’s fight goes really well, with her getting booed by the crowd. Gully admits she’s great. How is she with words? He was in Godspell. Willie says, Pipe down, Pippin. Gully says he didn’t do Pippin. Buy the end of the fight, Brooks is really into it. The competitor slinks away, leaving Crystal in the ring alone. Rooster and his entourage are next to arrive with Gully following behind. Gully gets into the ring with Crystal.

Someone brings in a briefcase. Gully wants to be in the Crystal Tyler business. He wants her to sit to hear his pitch. (I can’t tell if this is part of what Jack wrote or not!). She says she deserves it all but no. DWL for life. Instead, Gully brings out a briefcase full of cash and a contract. (Again, I can’t tell if it’s real or not.)

Gully says that she’ll never see the kind of money as long as she’s with the DWL. Everyone climbs into the ring chanting sign sign sign. That brings Jack into the ring. Jack is there to fight along side Crystal, and Crystal picks up a chair and slams it into his back. Gully punches Jack and Crystal signs with Dystopia.

Ace comes flying into the ring. He’s got Jack’s back. They all pile on The Condamned, and the lights go out and the others are on the ground and Jack and Ace are gone. A huge rivalry was born.

Brooks approaches Willie. He wants to know everything there is to know about Crystal and the Spade brothers.

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Things are changing in the DWL, and it's impossible not to feel the excitement creeping back into everyone. They might have hit a rough patch, but they're moving through it and taking things to the next level.

There were three significant developments on Heels Season 2 Episode 4, and that's where we'll focus our time in this review.

First, let's talk about Crystal and the Women's Division.

She's done a lot of work getting herself into ring shape, but when she had to face off against a woman, the gloves came off, and she had to fight harder than she ever had to with the guys.

Tanya, aka El Dorado, has seen it all. She's been on the circuit for a long time, living on the road and taking each fight as they come available. Without an actual women's division, she was effectively freelance.

She doesn't have insurance, her body is battered and bruised, and she doesn't even have a place to call home.

For the first time, Crystal understands what it takes to make it in this business, and she also realizes how valuable the advice Willie has been giving her really is and why she has to take her licks and earn a top spot.

Willie never got her chance, and it still eats away at her. She's struggling more than ever. If she can do anything to help make a difference in Crystal's career, she wants to do it.

Crystal can be her own worst enemy, but she's also learning how to show herself and those around her grace, and it will take her very far.

She's growing closer to Bobby every day, and any residual feelings she might have had for Ace have taken flight.

Ace, meanwhile, has gotten reacquainted with his family, and spending time with Thomas put the wind back in his sails for wrestling. He learned a lot about himself on the road, and reconnecting with Thomas was the final piece of the puzzle to make him whole again.

Jack needed his brother for support and to use his considerable talents in the ring to command the audience again.

What happened during Heels Season 1 put Ace in a bad place personally and with the audience. They still loved him, but he also recognized how they can turn on you on a dime.

Reenergized, Ace came up with a plan to take the audience by storm. To carry it out, he needed Crystal's help.

Ace's path to redemption has been swift and pure of heart. How he hurt Crystal couldn't go unrecognized, and he used his plan as an excuse to get back into her good graces.

It was a way for them to bond and forge a new relationship based on friendship.

The scene was filmed to show how close they are to each other, and it was incredibly effective, all the more so since Crystal has given her heart to Bobby.

She's found peace and happiness, so she can open her heart again and allow Ace a place in her world. Knowing they can lean on each other like that is priceless.

The only problem with Ace's plan was that, once again, it meant throwing a wrench in what Jack and Charlie Gully worked on together.

With Gully still reeling from the negative attention he's getting on social media and the chip on Rooster's shoulder for how Jack treated him previously, Ace's stunt could go very wrong.

But Gully knows that audience reaction is everything, and it's more likely than not he'll be intrigued and want to see more of what Ace has to offer as The Condamned.

He was once Ace's biggest fan, and as a passionate cross-promoter, whatever gets Gully and the Florida Wrestling League attention, he'll appreciate.

And dang it, when Ace swooped in all dressed in black, it was the real deal. You could feel the electricity in the air as the mystery unfolded. People love that stuff, and Ace has a knack for it.

Since he's playing a character, there's a chance he won't get caught up in the celebrity of it all. As himself, he let it go to his head. There's always a chance it could happen again, but with what he's learned of late, you have to hope he's on top of it.

My favorite storyline comes from Wild Bill Hancock as the realization that he has nothing to show for his life slaps him square in the face.

When I spoke with the incredible Chris Bauer, we chatted about this at length. Bauer does an incredible job conveying the simmering fear Bill feels when he and Diego meet with their old friends Alvin and Jimmy John.

Bill is a very good guy, and it was fear that he might never find the happiness Alvin and Jimmy John found that caused him to be such an ass in their presence.

Bill: So, Alvin, what you’re tellin’ me is that when your knees started hurt, you turned into a giant pussy who likes dogs and froyo. Or do I have that incorrect somehow?

Alvin: Is this a bit, Sporto?

Bill: Honest question.

Alvin: ‘Cause if you want to do a bit-

Bill: I want an answer.

Alvin: I’m a happy man, Sporto. Most of our generation are crippled, broken, or dead. One way or another, we were all addicted — the crowd, the adrenaline, to stand in the center of that ring. So when I see you still clawing away on that same damn hill, I understand, and I cheer for you, but I don’t wish I was you.

_{🔗 permalink: I’m a happy man, Sporto. Most of our generation are crippled, broken, or dead. One way or…}

I ached for them, though, as Bill's attitude took them by surprise. They expected a nice reunion with old friends and were raked over the coal instead. It was embarrassing.

That embarrassment increased when Jimmy John, being egged on by Bill, rose above and walked away without giving Bill the satisfaction of a fight.

Growing old is hell even in the best of circumstances, but Bill is in a physically demanding sport that comes with all kinds of goodies like boozing and one-night stands.

He's put his life aside to pursue his passion for wrestling at the expense of everything else in his life.

It's always seemed that Willie Day was the one that got away, and when he couldn't have her, he flushed any chance at that kind of happiness down the toilet.

These three stories alone set up some very interesting avenues for the show going forward.

Which story was your favorite? Was it the dawn of the Women's Division, The Condamned's arrival, or Bill's sad realization of all he's missed in life?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Heavy Heads appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Jack is meeting with an attorney about the Gully case. He knows that it’s worthless, but he doesn’t want it to be. Staci wonders why Jack can’t just apologize man to man to see if it works. He figures it’s worth a shot, even if Gully doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.

Ace heard them making love and is embarrassed. Jack wants the two of them to do things together, but Ace wants his own plan that puts wrestling behind him. He just needs a couple more days to figure it out.

There’s a woman in the ring. She’s muscular, fast, and skilled, and Crystal is visually intimidated. Her name's Tanya aka El Dorado, a mountain of pure gold. Crystal is overmatched, and she knows it, but she finally uses the ropes to her advantage. Crystal is frustrated.

Gully reminds Jack that the most-watched video on their site is of Jack punching Gully in the face, and they need to build on that momentum. Jack is reticent to get into the ring with Gully, but Gully is adamant. His character needs to be restored. He leaves the details to Jack and Rooster because his daughter won a full scholarship to Notre Dame, and he’s getting her sushi.

Jack says he’s unsure of the story, but Rooster says he just practically wrote it long hand talking with Gully. Rooster and Jack’s talk is antagonistic.

Willie chess the safe for cash, loads her bag with it, and leaves.

Diego and Bill are chatting, but Bill can’t follow his thoughts. They’re at a convention, and Diego is so excited to meet with someone who will be there.

Willie passed out on the floor, and Ted left her there all night. She threw up all over the bathroom. He will give an excuse to Robin.

Jack is struggling to hold it together since Willie is AWOL.

Thomas has a meeting with a therapist after school, and Jack thinks he should hang out with Ace afterward to give them both something to do.

Jack is putting Crystal’s photo on the wall of fame. Next, he tells them about the cross-promotional card next month. Rickey is appalled that Big Jim calls Gully a C word with Crystal in the room.

Jack gathers the troops to film a prompt for the cross-promotion.

Bill and Diego enjoy each the convention, where Bill realizes he’s getting old. He clowns around with an old friend or rival named Alvin who is happy in his normal life. He’s there with another fellow who lost his marbles as a result of the sport.

A woman shows up looking for Willie, but she doesn’t give her name to Staci. She wonders if maybe Willie left an envelope. Nope. Must have gotten the days mixed up.

Ace and Thomas stop by the shop where Crystal works, and Thomas waits in the car to give Ace time to chat. Crystal admits she’s got a lot to learn. Ace props her up. Jack’s got her back.

When he gets outside, Ace is worried that he can’t find Thomas. He dropped Tom’s crown on the ground, and a car dragged it into the highway. It’s ruined. Ace says it’s OK. It’s just a prop. Back at the house, the two of them talk about wrestling. Ace offers to show Thomas how to wrestle. Thomas is thrilled.

It prompts Ace to head over to the DWL and get into the ring. He tossed himself around in the ring. Maybe he needed to see Thomas’s excitement to get excited about it himself.

He leaves before anyone sees him.

Bill antagonizes Alvin, and neither are happy with the answer. When everyone leaves the table, the dim guy, Jimmy John, proves he’s not down and out. Bill is trying to prove that he’s not down and out, too, and he drinks the guy’s martini, hoping for a fight. Instead, he just says he always likes seeing Bill and leaves.

Bill isn’t getting off of the horse, he tells Diego. Everything in life is a choice, and if his only choice is to turn into … he still ain’t gettin’ off the damn horse!

Crystal offers Tanya some ibuprofen. She takes six because that’s what it takes to stay in the ring. She’s got no insurance, and she’s road doggin’ town to town, so that and an apartment aren’t possible since, without a real women’s league, she’s constantly on the road.

Rooster doesn’t like what Jack wrote. Jack doesn’t care.

Ace shows up at Crystal’s place with hair dye. He’s got an idea but needs some help. She’s cleaning up when Bobby drops by. She assures Bobby it’s not a big deal.

At the next match, they announce the new Women’s Division, hailing the inaugural women’s champion with her own belt. Debbie is backstage wiping tears from her face. The match begins, and El Dorado starts making jam with Crystal. She’s getting lots of kudos. Crystal gets a foot to the face, and the two are really going at it before Crystal wins the match. The crowd chants her name.

Staci sees Willie meeting with the unknown woman, handing her a wad of cash. Willie heads over to Jack, catching him up, and Staci is very confused.

It’s time for the title match. Rooster comes in with his Liberace-looking ensemble amidst boos from the audience. He calls Duffy a pissant one-horse town and begins talking disparagingly of Jack, portraying him as a bad guy who only thinks of himself. Rooster is going to get out there and grab all he can. He’s doing a great job selling the cross-promotion match.

Bill and Diego are in the ring when Ricky Rabies jumps in. Rooster and another guy go in and make short work of Ricky. Rooster then steals the belt, posing with it. The lights go out, and Rooster is still in the ring. A hooded man comes flying in from the second floor. Is this Jack Spade in a hoodie? It’s The Condamned, Ace with jet black hair, beard, and mustache.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: Heavy Heads appeared first on TV Fanatic.

For a full recap of Heels Season 2 Episode 3, just click that link.

For the purpose of this review, we're going to discuss two developments because they're worth the deep dive.

While more happened than the two areas we're about to cover, these are so juicy that everything else pales in comparison.

Crystal's rise and the need for a women's league come first.

Women in sports and violence against women

There is so much conversation of late about women in sports, and there's no better jumping-off point than examining the physical power imbalance between males and females in the context of professional wrestling.

The audience was divided when Crystal Tyler grabbed the belt for herself. Part of them loved the shtick, and others thought it was a ruse. A woman, especially of Crystal's size, was highly unlikely to win the belt fairly.

Because she's been accepted so quickly and cheering her on is a new favorite pastime in Duffy, she got her big break, and she was written into the DWL.

It was only a matter of time before reality smashed up against that dream, no matter how fun it was in theory.

"Discord" made a point to note it's a good time for a women's league because violence against women is on the rise. Is there any data to support that? Not that I can find.

Data has always been skewed since so many women don't report violence against them, but overall, there have been many laws and measures put into place to make reporting it less painful and ensure those who engage in it are taken to task.

What is true is that we know a lot more about it when it happens, thanks to social media and the influx of cameras and video. When someone is abused, it's much harder to escape culpability than it once was.

And most certainly, a news broadcast about a woman being "rag-dolled" would do irreparable harm to a wrestling league looking to make rag-dolling a woman in the ring a form of entertainment.

What takes place in the fictional world of a professional wrestling ring is not the same thing as a professional athlete abusing his significant other.

Debbie's rant about it puts words to what many people think about these situations.

Debbie: It’s so sexist that we can’t have make wrastlers beatin’ on female wrastlers because people get upset when they see real men beatin’ real women. I mean, OK fine, but, how come they can’t separate the two? I, me, the Debs, know Crystal gettin’ punched in the face is pretend for my entertainment, just like when it happens to Jack or Diego or Bill.

Crystal: I said this exact thing to Bobby.

Debbie: Why can’t people find it cool that a man twice her size is launching her across the room. She’s in character. She’s not dead. She has the belt. We’re gonna make sure she wins. We just don’t want it to look implausible every second. She needs something to fight against. You show me a woman who doesn’t have to fight against men. You can’t. So sexist. And the heck with women who can’t handle watchin’ it. I’m so sick of estrogen and fragile female egos.

_{🔗 permalink: Why can’t people find it cool that a man twice her size is launching her across the room….}

But you have to keep in mind that there are fans of professional wrestling who refuse to believe the storylines are scripted, too. In other words, we are not all alike, and it's better to err on the side of caution than add fuel to a raging fire.

The last thing anyone wants is to be held accountable for actions over which they have no liability. Crystal wants her chance to shine, and the DWL wants her to fly. Putting her into a ring against a large male opponent, even if she wins handily, could send the wrong message to the wrong people.

It's just not worth taking the risk, especially since there is a viable alternative and a growth opportunity to boot.

If men can do it, so can women. They don't have to compete against each other, but they can coexist.

Willie: We need a women’s division. It’s time.

_{🔗 permalink: We need a women’s division. It’s time.}

Willie Day has been aching to have more in-ring responsibility, and creating a women's league will be an excellent use of her talent. She believes in Crystal and has been in the position herself.

Willie understands the business like few others do, and if she thinks she can make something of a women's league, there's no reason to doubt her.

We've never seen much of other women in Crystal's shoes on Heels, but it will be very fun to find out what can become of it. And it squashes any of the ickiness that the series is promoting violence against women at the same time it does it in the DWL.

You can't run from yourself

The Spade men have had a tough time of it lately. From Tom taking his own life to Jack and Ace struggling in the wake of it, it's been rough going for them.

Tom Spade killed himself rather than face the facts of his life. It made an indelible impression on his sons, and Jack can't shake the fact that Spade men are made for nothing more than the legacy Tom left behind.

Everything that has happened since his death, though, has given Jack and Ace a chance to grow, and with "Discord," it seems they've finally learned lasting lessons that will solidify their relationship with each other and everyone else.

To find their way back to each other and a place of peace, they've had to sink pretty low. They've had to run, not as far as Tom, but metaphorically, it wasn't far behind.

Ace chucked it all to find himself, and what he found was that he was not worthy of everything he wanted, and he alone is to blame for where he finds himself now.

We discussed in my Heels Season 2 Episode 2 review how Ace believes he's owed a living, and it took falling over a cliff and spitting in the face of his saviors to realize just how far of a drop he'd experienced in life.

I'm not going to post them here, but I captured some incredible dialogue between Jack and Ace in the Heels quotes once they found each other again and began sharing their realizations about themselves and how desperately they wanted to be worthy brothers once more.

Heels writers excellently captured what it's like to uncover your dirtiest secrets are all of your making and what it feels like to want to wipe the slate clean and start again.

There was room for both Jack and Ace to admit their faults and share what they'd learned about themselves. Their conversation was raw and passionate, and from the heart.

It was exactly as you'd expect brothers to communicate, simultaneously blaming each other and themselves, using self-deprecating humor and a keen understanding that if anyone could get what was driving their behavior, it was the other.

Their conversation wasn't sophisticated because they're not sophisticated, but it was multi-faceted and showed the power of hindsight, love, and forgiveness.

We can't go it alone in this world. If nothing else, we get lost in our own heads, failing to realize where we've come from or where we're going. Jack and Ace have had each other, but they've been reluctant to fully open up to one another.

Now that they have, we can only imagine what it will mean for their family and the family business.

They're going to need each other and everyone around them to make it. Jack has to stop cutting off his nose to spite his face. Charlie Gully offered a way to move past transgressions, and when Jack didn't accept (those olive branch mentions cracked me up), he decided to wave around his power legally.

The DWL can't withstand a legal blow. They're barely holding it together. But this story is the equivalent of The Little Engine That Could, and if they work together, they can climb mountains.

If the rest of Heels Season 2 promises episodes as moving as this one, it will be well worth the journey no matter where it ends up.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Discord appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Bobby asks Diego if he has any idea what Crystal’s kiss at the fair might have meant, and Diego says just ask her before one of her mysterious suitors gets a handle on her.

Crystal is in the ring tossing Big Jim out of it and gets a round of applause.

Ace has been rescued. He tells a girl who is surprised that he did that he knows how to fall. He asks them to stick around and get high because he thought they were being nice because they wanted to hook up. They’re disgusted and tell him to be better than that assumption.

Rooster and his dad are listening to Bill’s podcast, and Rooster calls Gully to tell on them.

When a towel rack falls off the wall in his motel room, Ace goes ballistic and smashes up the place.

Thomas shares his feelings with Staci, who he thinks lied to him about his dad. She won’t allow him to speak to her like that. He’s just sad and misses daddy so much.

Willie gets a call from Ted because Robin needs help with an essay. Bill sticks his head in to say Willie’s cookin’ up probably one of the best shows they’ve ever done. His closeness doesn’t thrill Ted, but he lets them get back to work.

Jack found Ace, and Ace isn’t happy to see him. When Ace gets to hell, the first thing he’s going to beat the shit out of Steve Jobs, which Jack thinks is excessive unless he hurt cats. Jack notices the room is a mess. Ace is angry about everything, from the past to the present. He’s angry Crystal is taking his spotlight, but he doesn’t want to return, either.

Jack tells him he’s been thinking about his actions and how they have affected those he loves. Ace blah blah blahs him. He’s heard it all before. Jack needs to say something, and then he will leave.

Jack remembers when he and his mom made a cake for Eddie. Jack seemingly took a piece of cake, and she whipped him for it. Tom thought that was nuts, but she was all in on making Jack a better person. Later, she talks with him, getting some ointment for his wounds.

Today, Jack visits his mother and has strong words for her. She’s oblivious. But in his mind, if he and Ace kill each other, she will have played a big part in why.

Ace is stumbling around on his small ledge, which is beyond stupid, given his health and stupid shoes.

Bobby is helping Crystal push herself during training.

Rooster is visiting his dad, who worries about the wrestling he’s doing with his new outfit.

Diego interviews Wild Bill for a new podcast Bill is starting. They talk Crystal, and Bill will take her on like any other opponent. They talk about his intestinal distress again, too.

Willie was left in charge and gets busy writing her own feelings on events.

Some girls find Ace.

Crystal works with Willie crafting the weekend’s events. She wonders if Ace is OK, but Willie is in the zone.

Crystal gets flowers and marriage proposals. Everyone reminds her that one day's admirer could be the next day's stalker.

Willie starts sharing her story ideas with everyone when Eddie comes in to say he’s got a surprise.

Jack calls Staci, and Thomas answers. He wants to go home. And when can he go back to school? That surprises Jack since he thought it was all settled.

Eddie has given the auditorium a Jumbotron on which they can play all kinds of things, including backstage interviews and whatnot.

Jack and Ace have an honest and raw conversation, at the end of which Ace says he’s not coming home.

Staci prays to God for help. She needs help.

Ace plans on going anywhere that isn’t Duffy. He sometimes wonders if Dad is happier dead or, if it’s worse, what comes after. Jack’s just focused on this life. Ace doesn’t want something that he wants so much it makes him sad and mean like Tom. Jack thinks he made life hard on Ace. He shouldn’t have. Ace tells Jack all is forgiven. They shake hands, Jack gives him some cash, and they part ways.

At the Dome, Willie finds Diego doing a move she scripted for the dad. He thought it would be better if he rag-dolled Crystall instead. Willie worked on that into the wee hours of the morning and disagrees.

Debbie runs into the ring. There is video of a linebacker rag-dolling his wife. Violence toward women is on the upswing, and now is not the time for Crystal to be subjected to it in the ring.

Rooster is with Gully. He’s got a super chip on his shoulder after not getting what he wanted at the DWL.

Bobby and Crystal chat about her future and how it will be affected after the news of increasing violence. She wonders if he wants to grab something to eat, and he asks what the kiss meant. She says she didn’t feel anything extra, and he’s sorry to have asked.

She shows him what a real kiss will look like and suggests that after dinner, they go back to their corners. But one more kiss…

Jack gets back and is entirely in the dark, which takes Jack a little by surprise. More than anything, he’s still in a fog over what happened with Ace. Willie reminds him that there was a reason Tom didn’t think this was for Ace but it was for Jack. Willie continues sharing her enthusiasm, but Jack doesn’t want to talk about Crystal. He’s rethinking everything. Willie is visibly upset and leaves with her head down.

Gully is in the ring tossing rocks at the office window. Rooster still had a key, and Gully’s brother spent a summer touring with Billy Squire, so they worked the lights. Gully wants to do a cross-promotion. One ring, red rover, people get rich.

Gully says a smart man with bills and obligations stops to listen. Gully is very angry about Bill’s video and wants payback. It’s all free story, Gully says. They sound like gangsters. Gully considers his idea an olive branch and isn’t happy when Jack says to shove it up his ass. When Jack refuses to take the olive branch out of his ass, Gully pulls an attorney out of his ass instead with a suit to serve Jack for trespassing and punching Gully in the face.

Ace has a nightmare that Crystal is there, breaking his ankle for Bobby’s retribution. Bobby breaks in afterward, followed by Tom, his jaw blown off but still talking. Tom tells him not to give up the fight. Compete, compete, compete!

Everyone’s at the bar while Debbie complains about people who can’t tell reality from fantasy, thereby ruining Crystal’s time in the spotlight.

Jack gets him to find Staci and Thomas in Thomas’s bed. Jack apologizes for not being the best, and Staci apologizes for keeping Thomas away. They love each other very much.

Ace knocks at Jack’s door the next morning. Can he stay there? Everyone is all in.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Discord appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Heels Season 2 Episode 2 is chock full of so many interesting character dynamics and life lessons; on top of that, it makes you feel good.

These aren't flawless people; they're deeply flawed and working hard as hell to be better people.

Let's start with the Ace size hole in the DWL.

Diego: Oh, Jesus. The minute we get some momentum. These fuckin’ brothers, man. Now Ace quit? Rooster defected. Poc’s gone AWAL, Bobby’s leg’s broken. Just fuckin’ great.

_{🔗 permalink: Oh, Jesus. The minute we get some momentum. These fuckin’ brothers, man. Now Ace quit?…}

I've got a couple of observations off the top of my head that are neither here nor there storywise, but I've got the space, so I'm going to share.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the past is always present in entertainment these days. Whether it's muscle cars or classic rock, they're so prevalent, which makes an old geezer like me feel warm and fuzzy.

On Heels Season 2 Episode 1, Ace left town with Boston blaring, and the follow-up is The Rolling Stones. Great music never dies, and dang it, it just warms my heart.

What I do not appreciate, though, is how terribly driving is portrayed on TV and in the movies. Ace checks his voicemail and reads pamphlets instead of looking at the road. That is so aggravating!

Have you ever tried looking away from the road for as long as an actor does? At a high rate of speed, I can barely look at the radio, let alone pick up reading material. It sets a terrible example for those unfortunate enough not to understand the difference between reel life and real life.

Frankly, Ace would probably be one such person.

Have you ever seen anybody so woefully unprepared for, well, everything? Heels has given us the impression that Tom coddled his youngest son, and nowhere was that more apparent than on this spur-of-the-moment road trip.

With no plan in mind, he just took to the road — with his Xbox! That's so childish that it would be cute if he weren't so self-centered.

Part of what got him in this mess with Jack was how a little fame went to his head. He couldn't have been brought up to treat people like dirt, but he did it anyway. That comes from the aforementioned coddling and lack of consequences for his actions.

Who takes their Xbox on the road but doesn't consider their need for cold hard cash? He couldn't order an actual meal for lack of funds, and instead of accepting someone's offer of kindness, he figuratively slammed the guy's face into his plate for it.

Ace: Hey, here. I don’t know why I did that.

Man: I do. Ya feel the world owes it to you. So, you keep it.

_{🔗 permalink: I do. Ya feel the world owes it to you. So, you keep it.}

What that kind stranger said was spot on — Ace thinks the world owes him a living.

That attitude might get wiped off the map with this road trip. He refuses to believe anyone knows better than he does, which has put him in grave danger.

Before he fell over the side of a cliff deep in the forest, Ace tossed around his arrogance and ignorance with another kindhearted soul at the camping supply store.

I've seen the episode twice and still rewind to watch that guy's incredulous reaction to Ace's questions about raincoats.

Employee: Hey, I just want to make sure you know what you’re doin’ up there. I mean, you’re askin’ me about the efficacy of a raincoat.

Ace: This, this particular raincoat.

Employee: Raincoats always work, man. That’s why they’re raincoats.

Ace: Do you sell tents?

Employee: [rubs his eyebrows] Oh my God.

_{🔗 permalink: [rubs his eyebrows] Oh my God.}

His delivery was perfect, and I don't know who he is, but I'd love to see him pop up in something else. Someone with a small part cannot often make such a significant impact.

That interaction made me laugh when later Ace, who was so sure he would be right as rain in his broken-in tennis shoes on rough terrain, slipped on those silly shoes and over the edge of a cliff. He deserved that!

Alexander Ludwig is a star on this show, and he's not going anywhere. How his predicament is resolved remains to be seen, but he got a good comeuppance for now. The question is whether or not he'll take what happened to heart and mend his ways.

He's so sure that he has all the answers and taking advice is above him. Surely, this will change that to some degree.

What we do know is that Ace shares that trait with his brother, and I'd venture to guess they both share it with dear old Dad.

Like Ace, Jack Spade likes to think he's got it all figured out. What's weird about that is, at the same time that he's giving that impression to the world, he seems to know better. He needs his wife and brother's support to walk through this world.

Tom Spade did a number on his sons, and trying to clear away the muck in the wake of his death is their journey.

You know it will come to pass when Jack takes responsibility for the sh!tshow that was the state fair fight (regardless of how well it turned out) by apologizing to his team and thanking them sincerely.

But as soon as he does the right thing by adding Crystal to the DWL roster, he turns around and pulls the curtain on her excitement by nullifying the results and stripping her of the belt.

One thing you can say about Jack is that with each mistake he makes, he learns something. It may not always be what the other party wants him to learn, but there is something.

Wild Bill knew how much the belt meant to Crystal, but he also knew how much Crystal could mean to the DWL. He's got volumes of experience (and notes for stories) that he wants to share with Jack to bring the DWL to the next level.

Sharing his notes is a great show of confidence in Jack, who hasn't been at the helm of the DWL for very long. Bill has seen a lot, and he knows opportunity when it arises.

While they didn't come out and say that they worked on the fight that Jack threw to Crystal, Bill and Jack's discussion after the match gives credence to the idea.

Bill was right — it takes a big man to be willing to be bested by a tiny woman for the betterment of the group. Ace is gone, and nobody knows how long before he returns. Crystal won hearts as his valet and with her guts at the state fair. Taking advantage of that momentum is a very good call.

As Debbie said, Crystal Mania has arrived!

Like everyone else in the episode, Crystal had to let go of believing she was right, too. She did it with Willie's help. Willie has been in her shoes with the same aspirations. She never got her chance and didn't want to see a talent like Crystal squander hers.

I had no idea that Willie was considering leaving the DWL. It's been so long since Heels Season 1 that if that came up, it was already forgotten.

Could Jack run the DWL without Willie's help? I hope we don't have to find out. Mary McCormack's ability to weave a cuss-filled yarn is without equal, which makes Willie a hoot to watch.

I can say that she's got a lot going on, and she will find herself at a fork in the road as the season continues. There will be many forks and choices, some right and some wrong, so keep your fingers crossed that all roads lead her back to the DWL.

The other person Jack needs in his life desperately is his wife. Staci's resolve to stay away from her husband is cracking, but his actions at the school meeting didn't settle well with her.

I'll never understand how or why kids operate, but there seems to be something to what Jack said about bullying and how fights are started.

Staci: Thomas is a sensitive boy who responded in a way we don’t prefer.

Jack: Thomas got told to go fuck himself. That’s bullying. Thomas taught that bully a life lesson about usin’ threats and fightin’ words.

Principal: There’s no such thing as fighting words, Mr. Spade. Fighting words escalate into a school shooting, and you don’t want that, do you?

Jack: Did you just ask me if I wanted this to escalate to a school shootin’?

_{🔗 permalink: Did you just ask me if I wanted this to escalate to a school shootin’?}

For one thing, there ARE fighting words. If there weren't, some words wouldn't be frowned upon. Philosophically speaking, verbal and physical violence should both be punished, but one often goes unheeded, even while being the provocation to the other.

It's a terrible battle that kids will likely be navigating forever. There is never a simple answer, and although he didn't say it well, that's what Jack was driving at with his less-than-eloquent statements.

All Staci really wanted was for her husband to work with her and not against her to get their son back to school.

Staci: They wanted us to acknowledge that punching was wrong. How could you not read that?

Jack: ‘Cause punchin’ is not always wrong. Listen, are we supposed to live according to principle, or are we just supposed to suck it up?

Staci: We’re supposed to live according to principle and common sense.

Jack: Well, let me know when to use which.

_{🔗 permalink: Well, let me know when to use which.}

Unfortunately, they are not living together, and their communication is suffering. Had they had the opportunity to discuss in advance what they expected from the conversation and each other during it, things would have gone much more smoothly.

Now, we wait to discover how Ace gets out of his predicament and how Jack will work magic to reunite with his brother.

What's your guess about how it will unfold?

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 2 Review: The Journey is the Obstacle appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Willie listens to message from the many creditors who want their money.

Jack is sleeping on the couch when Staci calls about a county meeting he was supposed to attend. He curses and jumps into action. She tells him it’s OK, but he knows he’s supposed to be at work, and he’s freaking out.

They also have a school meeting the next day, but he doesn’t see how he can swing it.

Staci tells her friend that Jack is always her guy. They’ve just got to find their way back to each other.

Willie calls Bill. If they’re going to work together, they need to make plans. She wonders why he’s whispering. It’s because he slept with Constance the fair commissioner, which is good since she hasn’t given them their fair commission yet.

Ace bolts to a rest stop bathroom to find it locked. The owner says he can’t use the bathroom unless he buys something. He’s upset that he bought four cokes fifty miles back but can’t relieve himself of them now. So he goes outside to piss in a grate, and the owner follows him, forcing him by baseball threat to wash it all away.

Bill and Constance say their goodbyes, and he’s got the check in hand.

Ace is listening to a radio program about life’s journey while reading a map for Dover Springs.

Bobby greets Crystal the next morning. She thanks him for being in her corner. She’s never had that before, and it’s dope.

Willie wants to know what’s next. She’s got nothing to promote. She needs a plan, even just a sliver of a gist. They’ve got to pack the house over and over and over. She wonders where Ace is, and Jack says he’ll go see him tonight. He heard the cheers; he knows they achieved greatness.

Jack leaves Ace a message. Tell him what he wants to do, and they’ll do it. Let’s build off of that greatness.

At the ring the next day, they boys are watching Gully’s video, wondering pretty much what he did.

Jack arrives and gives kudos to all, hoping Big Jim will make it official because he was incredible last night. He thanks Crystal for what she did and finishes the speech on Ace.

Ace could have taken the belt, but they shook hands in a bout of loyalty with Jack squandered. He deserves the blame, not Ace. It was Jack who put everyone’s hard work at risk, and he’s sorry.

Everything is great and Crystal is welcomed to the team officially, but then Jack invalidates the last match because of a technicality. She wants to fight for her belt in the ring, not relinquish it due to a technicality.

Jack reminds her that a week ago, she cried to Jack that she’d do anything for the DWL. So, she left something out? She would only do anything until she got the belt, not after?

Willie was listening and grabs Crystal to lay into her. Jack gave her a heap of praise and she stomps after him and whines? It takes 30 minutes in the ring to rise to the top of this craft, but she’s done relatively nothing.

Crystal stands her ground. Willie recognizes that Crystal has done a lot of work, but she’s got a lot more to do. Willie gives her a plan of attack and says if she fails, Crystal’s got no one but herself to blame.

Jack visits his mom, who tells him Ace left. Jack thinks maybe he went camping, but Carol says he took his X-box.

Ace stops at another place on the road to discover they only take cash, which he doesn’t have. A guy across the aisle offers to buy him a meal, but Ace says he ain’t lonely. The guy leaves a tip, and Ace takes it off the table. Outside, the girl accosts the other fella, and Ace overhears. He has to apologize, but the guy calls it like he sees it. Ace feels the world owes him a living. Ace takes the cash inside and puts it in the tip jar.

Crystal is practicing, and gets as far as 11 minutes and 44 seconds. She needs more practice.

Ace asks a store employee about the protection a raincoat will afford him, and the guy asks about bear spray and boots. Ace says he’ll be good hiking in a pair of soccer shoes, but the guy is both exasperated and worried for Ace.

Jack and Staci are at the school waiting for their appointment, and Jack fills in Staci about Ace. He never should have told him the truth. The district brings in a school psychologist, and the conversation is violence. She’s concerned about the proximity of wrestling to the family in that regard, and Jack wants more than a video.

He’d like to know why Thomas broke another fella’s arm. For example, when he was in fifth grade, Jack witnessed a kid pull down a little girl’s pants. Her brother then broke his nose and arm, and Dave learned something that day about bullying. And as a result, he turned into a pretty good guy.

Miraculously, they come through the meeting with Thomas reinstated, but Staci is beside herself afterward. They wanted them to acknowledge punching is wrong, and Jack went rogue about fighting words. Staci wants to listen to the what the social workers said about Thomas’s potential mental health issues.

She is ready to storm away but she stops. She just wants to hold his hand and walk through life together, but she can’t imagine anyone looking at them and thinking they have a good marriage.

Jack sees it as a threat to stay separated, but Staci isn’t familiar with this new way he’s been expressing his unhappiness and doesn’t like it. He’s going to stop asking her to come home because he hasn’t earned it. He disappeared the day his dad committed suicide. He thought was honoring his dad’s words to protect Ace, but clearly, he’s failing at everything.

He’s just a dude who’s trying, but all he’s doing instead if fucking everything up. He’s just a disaster. He has no clue what to do to find the man he was before, but he’ll figure it out.

Ace struts by the bring plenty of water and beware of bears signs in his soccer shoes. He has dirt in his shoes not to far in. Then he’s sporting his raincoat, overlooking the vista.

Jack tries finding Ace again, leaving an aggravated voice mail for him. He needs his brother by his side. He has to come back because he was born to wrestle.

Jack tells everyone that Ace is gone, and Jack is going to write around him. That means Crystal is on the card. Diego is like WTF? The moment they get some momentum.

Bill tells Jack he can’t be held accountable for not doing something right when he was never trained right in the first place. What he can do is write, and Bill’s got some good ideas he’d like to share. He’s got about 100 notebooks filled with ideas and wants to put his head together with Jack to get this shit going.

The DWL holds a press conference taking Crystal’s belt, firing the ref, and apologizing to Wild Bill for his intestinal distress. Bill was poisoned! He blames Bunny Bombshell, and there’s a new match called for Bill and Jack to take it to the ring for the belt.

Crystal throws herself into the melee, taking back her name and taunting Jack. Ace is watching it all from his tent, including the taunt that if he doesn’t return to fight for the belt, he’ll be knocked out of the running.

The night of the match, its standing room only. Willie is thrilled and wonders if Jack is sure about the ending. He gives her the thumbs up and calls Ace, giving him instructions should he arrive before it’s over. He needs his brother and will keep reaching out.

The crowd is chanting Ace’s name, and the audience is angry, but Eddie carries on, and Crystal suggests she’s the contestant to beat. The audience eats it up.

She gets in the ring and wins the title honestly. Everyone knows it’s an amazing success. Crystal gives Jack a huge hug after the match.

Jack looks at everyone’s happiness, but Jack still misses Ace. Ace, meanwhile, is listening to voicemail, overlooking a cliff. His soccer shoes give out, and he goes over the edge.

Ace is on a jutting edge of a cliff, very far below where he dropped. The only good news is his phone was on above, so maybe they’ll get a hit when they think to look for him.

The post Heels Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: The Journey is the Obstacle appeared first on TV Fanatic.