True Lies: Pour le meilleur et pour le pire

Ridiculous motor chases, fireball explosions, a million bullets fired but no one ever gets hit...you got it. We have 'the formula'. Remember The A-Team? They invented the formula, it works for stupid people and ten year old boys. And let's face it, The A-Team sucked as well.

Now picture this secretive organisation, Omega something. Like the CIA but not. They have high tech gadgets coming out of the wazoo. They jet set, save the world on a daily basis, they are the good guys.

Main guy, Harry, (Steve Howey) is a boring salesman by day, a dashing spy by night. Wife, Helen, (Ginger Gonzaga) a typical middle class suburban mum with a teaching gig, just so happens she teaches languages. This comes in handy later on.

I realised that I should treat this as a comedy in the manner of a spoof. It made it bearable, almost enjoyable. Ginger's emotional range when she accuses Harry of having an affair made me think she was just a little mad at some minor misdemeanour. I cracked up.

No spoilers. If you try this, just think 'Spoof' like Austin Powers; The Spy Who Shagged Me and you'll be fine.

Seems this series is relying completely on name recognition.... without even understanding why the original film was popular.

1) The film worked because Harry was a spy who had to lie to his family constantly..... and Helen was a rather clumsy housewife who felt bored and wanted more out of life. The series "jumps the shark" and blows up and dismisses this imperative plot aspect 10 minutes into the first episode.

2) Ginger Gonzaga... while I think she's a very competent actor.. does bring with her the "kiss of death" for network series. She's appeared in MANY series.. and NEVER had one be successful past 1, maybe 2, seasons. When she appears as a "guest star" in an existing series.. that series has generally been canceled that same season. Again, Ms. Gonzaga is a competent actor.. I don't know why she brings the curse with her, but she does.

3) The "little old lady" next door is so clichéd I think I hurt myself rolling my eyes too much.

4) D'Angelo is ruining what reputation she has here.... simply becoming unwatchable. I suspect cast for the name.. not her (now) gravel voice and wooden acting.

5) The stories in the first 2 episodes are just hack work.. unrealistic technology that SUDDENLY makes the impossible possible.

6) Characters, including Harry and Helen, are completely shallow and without ANY depth.

7) Helen discovers the spy thing in episode 1... in episode 2 she's sent on her first "mission". That's some stunningly rapid, and moronic, job advancement.

...fun drinking game.. drink every time "Jimena" is said in episode 2.. just plan on passing out before the show ends.

Has this series been written by ChatGPT???? It's got as much warmth and originality as ChatGPT output.

"Write me an action spy thriller with Harry as the primary spy working with Helen, his wife, who has just become a novice spy."

It is one thing to be campy, it is another.to transcend the Adam West Batman style, and only lacking the on screen "wow" "pow" cartoon bubbles.

There is no tension in threats or danger faced by the characters and you know they are going to survive anything with some idle banter and cliches. The missions they supposedly go on are imminent threats with huge consequences yet are engaged with simple-minded alacrity. A little darkness, drama, the potential consequences of actions would lend believability to an otherwise shallow narrative.

Omega's spy systems flourish with fancy digital stuff that makes it seem even more comical.

If everything is a joke, then the action never becomes exciting, and you just have to sit through the explosions.

When you run away from bad guys, shooting at you, if you argue with your wife at the same time, it illustrates that the bullets are not real and the danger is not real.

That means, the audience disengages on the action. Which is okay, if the humor is good. I mean - it can be done. Castle and Burn Notice was fun. Mixing action and humor.

But alas - the humor is not really funny. We laughed in the movie because Arnold was a real action star with big muscles. This guy and this girl are just some people in some situation whom we have no relation to.

To get better comedy, be more serious.

In the first episode we learn that the wife speak suitable languages that just happen to be spoken by some goons, she can fight those goons no problems, and she can knock out said goons with her legs. Not to mention she is not scared, not very surprised and adopt so quickly to all situations that she looks like the super-spy and not her husband.

And of course the wife, Mary, last name Sue, also comes up with the best plans, is able to think quicker and better than her husband.

I lost complete interest after that one.

The show (first episode) is also badly written with awful dialogue.

With those big negatives out of the way I also need to mention that this has some charm and the idea is not too bad. This could easily been pretty good, but the writers decided that they wanted a bad show so I am moving on.