Stumptown: Season 1, Episode 1, "Forget It Dex, It's Stumptown"

 Stumptown: Season 1, Episode 1, "Forget It Dex, It's Stumptown"

September 25, 2019 

I gotta say…I really liked the premiere episode of this private investigator series Stumptown. I was worried because the first ten minutes didn’t really do it for me. Then I was able to warm up to Cobie Smulders’s sarcastic, barely-able-to-do-her-job character, Dex. Her character, or the show itself, is nothing revolutionary but Smulders’s charm is able to make her character easy to root for even if she makes bone-headed mistakes on the job or in her personal life. Her character is surrounded by a likable cast whom we mostly get to meet in this episode. Michael Ealy plays Detective Hoffman, an immediate romantic interest for Smulders. Jake Johnson plays Grey McConnell, her best friend and potential slow-burn romantic interest. His character is interesting enough, but is not fleshed out enough. Thankfully, Johnson is another underrated actor who knows how to be charming. The cast is rounded out by Camryn Manheim’s Lt. Cosgrove, Tantoo Cardinal’s Sue Lynn, and Cole Sibus, who plays Dex’s younger brother with Down Syndrome’s, Ansel. As a premiere, it is a responsibility for the showrunner to draw in a crowd with some big, flashy action setpieces. There is some here, but writer and executive producer Jason Richman is more interested in the characters and their personal relationships. Dex herself is bisexual, uses sex for means of pleasure (and doesn’t care whether it’s a dude or gal), and suffers from PTSD from her wartime experiences. So from the get-go, the main character is very interesting. Interesting, indeed!

 

From big-screen comic adventures (Marvel) to little-screen comic adventures (yes, this is based off a totally different kind of comic book), Smulders is able to grab your attention as Dex Parios whose life is in a downward spiral. She takes care of her younger brother, Ansel. Yet she is able to stay unemployed because of her PTSD issues. She wastes what little money she has on gambling. And she is barely competent as a PI. Her failures are what makes this show work. We get enough of people who solve mysteries or save the world with barely a scratch. Not Dex! She is hired by her ex-flame’s mother, Sue Lynn to track down her granddaughter, Nina. She barely scrapes by, but she impresses enough people (ahem Detective Hoffman) where her services are retained on a case-by-case basis.

 

Stumptown has an impressive tongue-in-cheek attitude. Dex is an easy character to root for despite her shortcomings. She takes all her failures in stride and uses humor to help her cope. I already see the formation of a love triangle further down the road as that is an obvious path to take. The cliches prevalent in this series is elevated by strong performances and sharp writing. Some characters, mainly Jake Johnson’s, do need to be further developed. But we are off to a strong start! And I like Dex’s car! It knows how to play some awesome tunes.

 

My Grade: B+