I’m not going to lie, I liked Betrayal. I’m not usually the one to go for soapy plots, but when it is presented with great actors, good story-telling and it’s well-shot, why resist it? (Like the first season of Revenge.) Oh, the soundtrack is pretty good too.
I’d never check it out if I hadn’t seen Stuart Townsend’s and James Cromwell’s names attached. But once I did check, I wanted more.
Some critics use the word soap as if they were disappointed. I’m sorry, but what were they expecting? It’s a soap. Just a well-done, modernized one. You could put J.J. Abrams in the director’s seat, and it’d still be a soap. OK, maybe not with Abrams. But you get what I mean.
It is a fun show. It can remain a guilty pleasure or turn into something more. Only time will tell. Of course I’m not above fast-forwarding or giving up if I get bored, as I did with Revenge (many episodes were watched on fast-forward) and Once Upon a Time (fast-forward for season 2, not watching for season 3). I don’t always need to be impressed, but I need to be entertained.
Here’s the plot in a nutshell, though I strongly advise you to watch the trailer:
Sara (Hannah Ware) is a beautiful, married photographer with a kid. She keeps getting neglected by her prosecutor husband (Chris J. Johnson). Then she meets Jack (Stuart Townsend) during her art show and they really hit it off. A chance meeting triggers a planned one and that turns into the start of something passionate and irresistible.
Unfortunately, Jack is also married with kids, and his wife (Wendy Moniz) happens to be the daughter of his boss (James Cromwell), a tough businessman who might have ties to crime. And as if this weren’t enough, a murder case lands Jack, the family lawyer, against the husband.
*
A lot of the complaints seem to involve the show being a soap (I’m sorry, but next to Grey’s Anatomy, it wouldn’t even feel like one, and again, what were they expecting from that trailer and story?)
Another complaint from some viewers mentions they don’t/won’t/can’t root for the lead characters because they’re betraying seemingly good people for seemingly insignificant reasons.
While I have a list of movies where you can root for the betraying parties because the betrayed are cruel/indecent/presumed to be dead/etc. and the other person is just lovely, you don’t need to be rooting for any character or approve their behavior. That being said, the cheating aside, they are OK people The makers have gone for grey, and they’ve managed it.
If you don’t find the chemistry satisfactory between Stuart Townsend and Hannah Ware, I can’t argue with that. I like their interactions and chemistry just fine. But my personal opinions on cheating (I’m %99 against it, again see these posts to see where and why I might condone it) don’t prevent me from having an easy good time.
Maybe I’m just happy to see Townsend, Cromwell and Chris J. Johnson on a weekly basis. And I’ll argue that I understand why the characters are straying.
For one, the “perfect husband” is so career-oriented that he will be worrying about his own image even during his wife’s gallery night. He won’t buy the tie she has bought him, deeming it not good enough for the night. Hello, it’s her night, her gift and it wasn’t like the tie had inappropriate imagery on it! Then he exchanges it, saying he got something better. She constantly has to run after him for any attention, and she might maybe get morning sex, but that’s about it. Yes, in an ideal world, she should try to talk things out and not cheat. But we hardly watch ideal worlds on TV. And take his behavior, multiply it by 10 years and you might also be yourself craving the attention and chemistry you found with a stranger.
And while I found nothing wrong with Jack’s wife, I can also see where he’s coming from. Barely in his early 40s, he is much too young to be a dad to two teenagers. He has been with the same woman since he was 19, and she is his boss’ daughter. He seems to be more understanding of her father’s involvement in their lives while she questions his loyalty – she’s not happy he respects/admires her dad. Which is not exactly sensitive on her part because his dad raised him, funded his education and all that. This also backs up his argument on feeling his world is too small. Because it is. He hasn’t branched out to a new family and career. He has just expanded on the one he was brought up in. Again, ideally, he shouldn’t cheat. But does it make sense? Yes, it does.
They could make the dialogue a little better, and they could have spent more time developing the attraction/chemistry between them. But it isn’t bad the way it is.
Good old mindless, harmless fun with beautiful people. Let’s see what the next episodes will bring.
Fun trivia: My post isn’t the only thing the show has in common with J.J. Abrams. Merrin Dungey has a recurring guest role as Sara’s editor. Dungey starred as Sydney’s best friend on J.J. Abrams creation Alias.
great comments !! love the show…..and S Townsend. Hope it is not canceled !! such a great cast ! so much better than the comedies that keep getting renewed. Yuk.
Love Jack and Sara !!! She is a lovely gal.
Yeah, I like them too. Of course I will like Jack better if we discover something bad about his wife. She gets a little annoying about her father, but so far
Jack looks a bit like a jerk for cheating;)
omg don’t cancel this show is better then revenge, scandal, sorry this show is too hot and so is stu, hang in there guys, if abc cancel they are well you no
I can’t quite guess which shows will be cancelled, and I don’t like to check out ratings every other week. I loved the sci-fi remake V, it got killed after season 2.
Awake with Jason Isaacs was one of the most emotionally compelling and original shows ever, and it didn’t get a second season. In theory, Betrayal should be a safe bet because of its actors and plot. It reminds me of Revenge in several ways. But unfortunately critics don’t seem to be fond of it, and many viewers are reacting like Sara and Jack are cheating on them. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get cancelled. I’m enjoying it so far. But with Betrayal, I don’t have the addiction and emotional connection I had for Awake or the curiosity I had for V.
So much chemistry between Jack and Sara…I can see how it would be almost impossible to resist. Love the show. Hope it stays on and hope Sara and Jack end up together.
I guess it depends on how many seasons we’ll get. I kind of want them to get together too, but it’ll be weird with the kids and they cheated on their spouses. I can see Jack’s don’t lie/sneak around lecture to his daughter backfiring:)
saw this today 🙂
Sunday Ratings: Good Wife, Betrayal Rise, Once Upon a Time Continues to Sink
Thanks for the good news, and revisiting the blog:)
I really enjoyed episode 4.
I think Jack will turn against Cranston; hope so. Maybe someone was aiming at him and shot Sara instead?
I just want to see the show come to a finale and not always wonder what was going to happen and, I want to see lots more of Stuart Townsend!
Love the show.
Sorry; it’s Karstan, not Cranstan!
Seeing Townsend regularly is the main attraction of the show for me too
🙂
Let’s see how many episodes in she will get shot and by who. Maybe by Jack’s wife? Maybe it’s about the affair, maybe the case or both.
We’ll see.
I agree…..the more the better for seeing ST !!! I plan to view About Adam this weekend.
there are so many possibilities for this show..and its ending…which I surely hope we get to see….it would be a disaster to not know !!!!
About Adam is a weird romantic/comedy. As in it’s not romantic at all:) Townsend plays a bit of a jerk, but he has decent screen time. I really like him as Vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned and he has this cool thriller with Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron called Trapped. Have you seen those?
I have not seen Trapped as yet…nor the vampire movie. Will get them soon. Will see how I like About Adam this weekend.
I did see Head in the Clouds that he did with C Theron. Looked a lot younger of course.
Just hope to see the ratings rise again this weekend. Time will tell.
About Adam is a bit hard to characterize but ST is darling to watch. I thought Trapped was good but he wasn’t in it enough, and I’ve seen only parts of Queen of the Damned so far. I’ll be getting it from Netflix soon.
watched About Adam last eve….quite a role for him. He is toooo cute in it. I loved that ending…..that look he gave at the end…..just that cute smile !!! Then I watched episode four of Betrayal…again.
How did About Adam end? It’s been many years, I don’t remember it. Please do spoil:)
Queen of the Damned is not the best movie ever, but I love the atmosphere and how it combines a rock legend with a vampire legend:) He is also extremely beautiful, and I love how grey his character is. And you do get enough Townsend there.
he marries… Kate Hudson…but has made out with the other two sisters..and at the wedding the two sisters keep giving him kisses…..and the last scene is just him…looking at the camera..with this very mischievous grin !!! so you can imagine what his life will be like..lol.
he is just toooooo cute…..and good looking. tonight at nine…….ahhhh…..saw a clip of tonight’s show….wow !!!!!!!!
I’m addicted. Hope the show stays. Jack and Sara have chemistry not to be denied.
I’ve only seen parts of this movie but ST is, indeed, almost beautiful in it. I’ve found him almost beautiful in several of his old movies; he was a beautiful young man.
Loved this episode:)
I think he’s still really good-looking, in a more rugged way. He doesn’t look 41, though:)
I didn’t like episodes 2-3 that much because Sara was going crazy but I loved 4 and 5. They’re developing stuff very fast. And I liked the wine guy:) His wife should have a fling of her own. Not that I approve cheating, but she’s already being cheated on…so…
yes……glad you are a fan also. Stuart Townsend is sooooo awesome….esp with Hannah Ware. Wow ! I read today that the show had better ratings last eve..despite the Series and football…..and I don’t understand how anyone can enjoy the Walking Dead !!!!
yes……I too loved the show last eve. Things are really moving fast !!!!
Definitely a handsome and seemingly sensitive guy with a great body. That smile just lights up the screen.
ABC must tie up the many loose ends!!!
http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/post–more-shows-we-think-are-doomed
This says we’ll see the entire season, but how many shows is that and will they be able to wrap up the lose ends?
It’s actually beginning to be hard to keep all the people and events straight! How can others not be hooked to a show with so much going on? I think many people think it’s just about a love affair–but look at all the successful shows where that’s true.
I started to really like TJ. I want to know more about the accident. And I want to see more of the wine guy. Love affairs are central to all shows but not all of them are interesting. The trial, the good-looking and nice spouses are making this one compelling. It’s all very black and white when the cheated party is a horrible human being. But it’s very grey here. I look forward to seeing how it’ll play out.
Thanks for the link. To be honest, I prefer Hostages over Betrayal, but I think The Hostages was planned as a mini-series from the get-go. So as long as they air the full season, viewers won’t have much to complain. That includes me, because their storyline shouldn’t go over 13 episodes or so anyway to keep it compelling and end the same way. Betrayal, in my opinion, would also serve well as a mini-series, so if the producers shoot with a suitable ending in my mind and the channel airs them all, we will be OK. And additional season could be a nice surprise, though.
thanks for the link. People gave up too soon on Betrayal. It is so good. At least we should get all the story lines finished. People don’t know what they are missing. Such a good cast.
A commercial said that the next two episodes would answer all the questions, and I read again today that ABC will show all episodes.
I watch Hostages and Masterpiece Theatre on Xfinity.
great news !!! I have not been watching Hostages lately…I watch Blacklist at nine. So good. Love J Spader.
Wish I would catch those commercials you see for Betrayal.
Will have to see how the show does tonight….vs football etc.
I want to watch Secrets of Southridge tonight..love the Selfridge show..starts again in March.
The more episodes of Betrayal…the more to see ST !!!
Unhitched is in…and also Queen of the Damned…..will get this week.
So many things remind me of the show…..at a swim meet..a woman had a camera similar
to Sara’s….I seem to hear or see the word…connect.. a lot…..and mac and cheese ads…etc.
whoops sorry………should be Secrets of Selfridge……..:)
I enjoyed Secrets of Selfridge too. I’m totally hooked on The Paradise and in love with Emun Elliott. Have you seen it?
Something happening every minute on the show. If more people would give it a watch…………..
by the way……the great music is by BT and Michael DiMattia.
Like the soundtrack in general, too.
I just go to youtube and watch Betrayal promos there:)
Blacklist is a lot of fun. Hostages’ logic is a bit off in several places, but I still like to see how it will all end. I wish “the hostages” weren’t so stupid though. Especially, Ellen. She’s not exactly very smart for a surgeon! 😀
have not seen Paradise .
Question….in the first episode…it seems Sara’s studio is where Jack came to see her….now it seems she is elsewhere…..where he came to see her..and where that book
was delivered. Does she have two places ???
Seems the episodes will expire…one by one…and I cannot tape or dvr…..darn.
just hope there is a dvd for us later.
Have not watched Queen yet..and Unhitched is in !!
I watch Hostages on Xfinity. I’ve always tried to support Dylan McDermott in every show he’s in because he’s so easy to watch and I think he’s good in this show too. Wasn’t it wild when Ellen found out who her lawyer really is????? And what was in that injection?????
This coming Sunday’s Betrayal should be really wild! Can’t wait!
It was a shocking discovery!I’m posting my review on Hostages soon. But I don’t like how stupid and irrational she acts. She knew secret service agents were involved, so it obviously involved more than Duncan and she still tried to kill him until her former lawyer spelled it out for her. Geez….
I know, right? Does it have two entrances or two beds? She can’t possibly be making enough to have two studios…Come on…:)
It surely will be a wild one. Looks as if Jack shows up for the kids party.
and Zoey….I am still not sure about the studio of hers…guess it must all be in one studio.
Drew did mention an office …and she did mention a studio..so..maybe there are two places.
I still cannot figure out why more people don’t watch the show……could be what is on
against it..and of course..that darned Sun nite football.
Could be:)
I’ve noticed that too. I’ve tried to put the two of them together–the studio has two entrances? Maybe she has an office at work but she was there when she first called Jack about the photo being framed and it was just an office. Good question.
You will love Unhitched!