Heels Review: Double Turn (Season 1 Episode 8)

As everyone prepares for the state fair show, family problems threaten to derail everything Jack has worked for on Heels Season 1 Episode 8, “Double Turn.”

Heels has always been the story of two brothers overcoming their father’s legacy. Jack and Ace are good guys who can’t get past the way Tom treated them. The season finale sees all that come to a head in the biggest match of their lives.

Whether it’s a true ending to the season, or sets up future stories, finales should be memorable. While the final minutes of “Double Turn” give viewers the moment they’ve been waiting for, the rest of the episode is a mixed bag.

There are no resolutions to Jack and Staci’s marital problems, the feud with Charlie Gully, or Jack and Ace’s fractured relationship. We assume Heels wants us to come back for Season 2 to get those answers, but if we’re being honest, the show may not have done enough for us to return to the DWL.

Following his very public confrontation with Gully, Jack returns home and finds out Staci left. She tells him she’s not happy with the person the DWL turns him into, because the man she married is a face.

In one of the most honest conversations they’ve had, Jack confesses about how much of an immature jerk Ace really is, and that he has to hold Ace back to protect him from himself.

Throughout “Double Turn” Stephen Amell delivers his most emotionally open performance of the season. Allowing Jack to actually acknowledge how much he loves Ace, and how much guilt he carries about turning him heel.

For his part, Ace accepts that he’s a jerk, so it was easy for people to boo him. Of course, even his apology attempt comes off as self serving and disingenuous.

When he finally finds out the truth about the tissue spot, he snaps, beats up Jack for real during the match, then storms out at the end.

Alexander Ludwig has been great at drawing us into Ace’s few moments of maturity, but we can’t pretend that his lack of character growth has been interesting to watch.

We’ve talked all season about how we couldn’t wait for Crystal to have her moment to shine, so when she finally gets it in this episode, we pop so hard.

Bill soils himself during the match, then Ace loses control, leading Crystal to jump in, and get things back on track. She takes out both Spade brothers, climbs the ladder and becomes the new DWL Champion.

Like the best promotions, Heels has been great at building to its memorable moments, and Crystal’s big win is no different, as it’s expertly handled. The episode beautifully drops breadcrumbs throughout the outing, letting us know something special is coming.

While the authenticity of the wrestling is the highlight of Heels, the family drama is what keeps us invested in the season. We just wish it ended with a stronger, more definitive episode, as “Double Turn” leaves us feeling incomplete. Like a bad ending to a great match.

What did you think of this episode of Heels? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Heels is streaming on STARZ.

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