When James Cameron's "True Lies" hit theaters in 1994, the story of a muscular spy (Arnold Schwarzenegger) working as a computer salesman while his bored wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) found secret ways to pursue a purpose was funny, fresh and provocative. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and many of the film's tropes and stereotypes just don't hold up.
So when it came to adapting the movie into a TV show, the changes were necessary. Unfortunately, when updating the material, showrunner Matt Nix failed to keep to the essence of what made the movie so funny in the first place: the lies between husband and wife.
Stars: Ginger Gonzaga, Steve Howey, Annabella Didion
Like the movie, the TV show centers on a spy named Harry (Steve Howey). His wife, Helen (Ginger Gonzaga), and his two teenage children think he's a boring computer salesman with too many business trips under his belt and no sense of adventure. Helen, a linguistics teacher, is bored with her routine life and craves excitement between her kickboxing and yoga classes.
She thinks her marriage is stuck until her friend wonders if the long drives and secret phone calls could be an affair. She tells Harry's guilt and an invitation for his wife to accompany him on his next business trip to Paris.
That's where the marital tension ends and the spy drama begins. Twenty-six minutes into the first episode, Harry's cover is blown and Helen finds herself drawn into her life as a spy. Not only that, but the fighting skills she's acquired through her training videos, along with her knack for languages, lead Harry's boss (Beverly D'Angelo) to recruit her for the team at the end of the episode. In the world of action dramas, it's always a good idea to suspend disbelief.
For example, it is refreshing to see a grown woman go directly to her husband and ask if she is having an affair. However, it's also hard to believe that she would make a great spy when she couldn't check her phone or check her pocket for receipts. As for Harry, the immediate integration of his wife into his work life doesn't force him to mention that he's been criticizing her for the past two decades, well-meaning or not.
Speaking of that job. While it was necessary to make Helen a smarter wife with her own skills and knowledge, bringing her into the fold so quickly is also the show's biggest mistake. It eliminates the tension between husband and wife, at the same time that it eliminates the promised lies of the title. As a result, there is a lack of passion between the couple. What makes them work as a couple? How was she able to forgive him so quickly? Aren't you worried that something might happen to you at work that could leave your children orphaned? Is there lingering resentment on either side?
Throughout the first three episodes, there are quick references to the couple's backstory, but nothing solid to help understand their motives or quirks. It's a very cursory look at a pair you're supposed to root for and bond with as they work together to take down the bad guys.
After screening those episodes, taking down bad guys while taking care of routine household chores and raising children seems to be the essence of the series. Sure, there are the occasional Easter eggs in movies if you've seen them recently, like the famous helicopter stunt and the scene where Harold and Helen are tied to chairs. There are also fun action sequences and fish out of water setups as Helen learns the ropes. But this "True Lies" sits tonally among other CBS primetime prods that feature teams working together to eliminate threats. Except here, two of the members are married and argue at work every week.
In other words, it's okay, but there's nothing new. If that's the kind of show you're looking for, then you'll want to tune in. Howey is charming enough, and Gonzaga plunges into the role with aplomb; you get the feeling there's little she's not willing to try. She makes her the most watchable part of any scene as she perfects that balance between action and comedy.
The scenes are clever, the action is fast, and the results are predictable. Sometimes that's exactly what you want from your watch on weekdays. But if you're hoping for a deeper story, constant tension, or layered characters, you might want to keep switching.
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