The “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” episode of SCOUNDRELS is all about loyalty and betrayal. Logan proves his loyalty by proving (with an assist from Hope) that Mack framed Wolf for the theft that landed him in prison, Cheryl loses friends and is forced to step back from her lingerie business because people think she snitched on a drug dealer, and Tanya double-crosses Cal by telling the police she lied about his alibi in the strip mall robbery after he balks at commitment. Heather betrays both common sense and herself by marrying Grant for his money, but the biggest knife in the back comes when Cheryl kisses and almost sleeps with Mack, then kisses him again even after she learns he planted the evidence.
That’s quite the cozy final scene as Wolf and Logan walk in on Mack professing his love to Cheryl, with Hope lurking in the background. As far as season finale cliffhangers go, that’s a good one, but given that a second season is far from a sure (or even likely, given the low ratings) thing, it might be a wasted opportunity. Cheryl and Mack do have terrific chemistry, more than I have felt between Cheryl and Wolf, and in a strange way, the relationship is made more interesting by Mack’s framing of Wolf. Instead of Cheryl making a simple choice between the good cop and the bad criminal, everything has been newly painted in shades of gray.
Logan, who has been smugly superior all season, is much more likeable tonight because he, too, explores the shades of gray in his character. Wolf must have been blind to not see how much Logan craved his approval, but he certainly gives it after being released from jail and the gratitude on Logan’s face is stunning.
While Wolf won’t implicate his father in a crime, Hope has no problem getting him to crack a safe looking for cash. She really might be the most ruthless (she’s definitely the smartest) of the bunch. Diabolical girl. She has been a consistent high point of Scoundrels, and that she finds the evidence necessary to spring Wolf is more than fitting.
If Hope is the smartest, Cal and Heather are in a race for dumbest. Heather consistently sells herself short and now she has sold herself into marriage for security and possible modeling jobs. Cal is simply clueless about everything from handling money to not angering someone who could put him in jail. I just want to slap sense into both of them.
Scoundrels, to me, never lived up to its potential. While the premise and cast are first-rate, the characters are mostly painted in overly broad strokes and the writing isn’t sharp enough and there is too much telling, not showing. That said, Virginia Madsen has done so much with so little. Just her reading of “Use your inside voice” kills me and I hope she can find the right show because I’ll miss seeing her on television.
What did you think of the Scoundrels season (series?) finale? Let me know in the comments.
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