Advance Review:  Boss – “Pilot” is No Double Snore Drama

Rating: ★★★★★

Air date: Friday, October 21 at 10pm ET/PT on Starz

Is the mix of Chicago, politics, drama and Kelsey Grammer a winner for Starz?

Boss is the story of Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer), the ruthless mayor of Chicago with eyes and ears everywhere. Kane is also the keeper of a secret which could endanger his power hold and political career.

“Take a seat, please,” Dr. Ella Harris (Karen Aldridge) says to Kane in the opening sequence. It’s a good thing Kane listens to her as he’s about to hear news that should be taken sitting down.

Kane stoically reacts to the painful medical explanations and advice regarding the deadly degenerative neurological disorder he’s been diagnosed with.

Just as viewers may start feeling sympathetic towards Kane, he interrupts Harris and draws her attention to their unexpected surroundings: an abandoned slaughterhouse. Their conversation showcases two thematic patterns I anticipate will be a part of the series: Kane’s cover-up efforts regarding his condition and the use of Chicago history as a device which hints to viewers about the characters’ motivations.

So, Kane has taken a hard blow but he’s not a wuss. As he sends Dr. Harris off after she delivers the devastating news, he makes a call. “I’m ready,” he says. This is a fasten-your-seatbelts call as the show is about to dive head first into the complex world of Chicago politics and Kane’s non-stop schedule. Based on the tone set from the beginning, we quickly learn things are not going the way Mayor Kane would prefer as he deals with staff, minions and foes.

Mayor Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) and Kitty O'Neill (Kathleen Robertson) following a press conference

Dark clouds soar in the horizon. The airport expansion project runs into issues. A re-election campaign rally to support Governor McCall Cullen (Francis Guinan) sheds light on Cullen’s sentiments towards Kane. During a public school visit, reporter Sam Miller (Troy Garity) alerts a colleague of a scoop – a strange move in a cutthroat profession. Scenes later, Miller shows his pitbulll-hold tenacity to hound Kane’s camp. He can smell that the mayor is hiding something.

A conversation between Mayor Kane and the charismatic State Treasurer, Ben Zajac (Jeff Hephner), is the standout episode scene. Zajac comes across as the political equivalent of an Eagle Scout. He’s the working class Stanford and University of Chicago educated lawyer turned dedicated public servant.

There’s a powerful reason why Kane wants to talk to him and he chooses to highlight the lessons learned from former Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak’s tenure – a deep contrast from his earlier speech introducing Governor Cullen.

The conversation takes place in the stunning and historically appropriate Chicago City Hall green roof. Kane elaborates on Cermak’s accomplishment of unifying immigrants to serve as a political force:

“He understood something basic about people, they want to be led…and they want their loyalties rewarded to those who lead them to all they want. They get power. It’s a covenant, unspoken and elemental. When a part fails, it’s needs to be fixed.”

This is where Grammer gives his most powerful and poignant performance of the pilot. The determination in his voice and his mannerisms show he’s a man with a plan which he intends to see through regardless of the consequences.

Kane decides to take a foe out and this fact, along with the rest of the actions he takes to ensure his strong power grip, support that philosophy. “Sometimes it’s necessary to let the other guy know you’re coming,” he says.

Zajac’s responses reveal he’s no amateur in the political rodeo but his cocky demeanor and non-verbal exchange with Kane staff member Kitty O’Neill (Kathleen Robertson) warns us there is an edge to him that will bite someone badly at some point.

Connie Nielsen is compelling in her role as Chicago’s First Lady Meredith Kane, who is PR savvy and a committed partner in a marriage of convenience. She and Tom have a distant relationship with daughter, Emma (Hannah Ware) who works as a minister dealing with Chicago’s less fortunate. Her secretive nature and reaction after being notified of her father’s phone call proves she’s a Kane.

The Mayor (Kelsey Grammer) and his wife Meredith (Connie Nielsen)

The production and writing staff of Boss is detailed-oriented in their portrayal of Chicago, which is an ever present character. The show’s storyline draws significantly from the city’s 20^th century history and recent past. White Sox fans will be pleased to see a familiar face in a cameo appearance.

Chicago’s cultural diversity is well represented and its inclusion is often used to bring comedic relief in unexpected ways. “Quien quiere peces, que se moje el culo,” the Mayor says, mentioning ‘buttocks’ during a formal dinner. Spanish speaking people, however, may be the only ones to catch on that one character’s last name is the equivalent of the word snot (the unfortunate Alberto Moco).

The episode builds up to Kane’s private chambers outburst and to a city council meeting in which all hell breaks loose as the monster Kane is trying to keep inside the closet rears its ugly head. The disease provides needed sympathy points for Kane.

The ”Pilot” introduces characters and dynamics gradually, but just like its key events unfold, they are revealed swiftly. To those paying attention to details, the characters’ motives are transparent but the Mayor’s inner thoughts remain elusive—a clever string-along ploy.

This is a well-thought out series with solid performances. With efficient editing to support its storytelling, Boss doesn’t shy away from the nature of politics while avoiding text-book style clichés.

Tune in to Boss Fridays at 10pm ET/PT on Starz. For more on the show, visit http://www.starz.com/originals/Boss.

All photos © 2011 Starz Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

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