“Kayfabe” is what wrestling calls the unconditional preservation of the fourth wall. The roles and storylines, the maneuvers agreed in advance, the rivalries, all this is the quintessence of the sport. In short: the great spectacle in the ring of good versus evil. And because of the entertainment factor, wrestlers better not leave their roles outside of the show arena. Actually – and that’s what the new series is all about Heels – Wrestlers always act. At home at the dinner table, in the day job as a lawnmower salesman, at the bar fight, having sex and bragging about it.
At the center of the plot are two brothers, Jack (Stephen Amell) and Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig), who appear together in a small Georgia town in a regional wrestling league – one as “Face”, the hero, the other as “Heel.” “, the rogue. The “Duffy Wrestling Association” is the legacy of the dead father that one brother tries to restore and the other brother would rather leave far behind. The roles are clearly assigned, which is not good for the series’s dramaturgy. Because it has surprisingly little new to tell about mostly annoying stereotypes from the American South.
Especially the testosterone-soaked figures are really annoying
The script comes from Michael Waldron, who last worked on the TV series Loki added a new chapter to the Marvel Universe. One looks for the self-irony with which he scratched the hero-villain template here Heels rather in vain. The private frictions and financial problems of the wrestling family seem rather protracted in the eight episodes. And the testosterone-soaked characters in particular are really annoying: men who worry about biting their lower jaw, are actually always unfriendly, and have a very big problem with crying – and who still have women sticking to their side. The women? Well, they are so secondary – understanding wife, sexy decoration for the wrestling show, reliable assistant – that you wonder how long it will be before you can at least marvel at a fulfilled, serious female character in a southern drama series gives.
This is a shame, especially because the absurd and rowdy world of the wrestling spectacle actually yields a lot: Above all, more humor in view of the unusual performance practices and gimmicks of the wrestlers. After all, takes himself Heels Time for the beauty of the acrobatic tricks in the ring. For an exciting story, however, it takes more than flying bodies in the colorful spotlight.
Heels, eight episodes, on Starzplay from August 15th