Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Show Me the Murder

Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 2, “Show Me the Murder,” features a carousel of potential culprits in a murder investigation, but the lengths Max and Ellis go to in order to tie up loose ends are what stand out most.

Written by Morwyn Brebner and directed by James Genn, this episode has fun with its winding web of sports agents, doctors, and athletes.

More broadly, “Show Me the Murder” bodes well for the procedural drama settling into itself. After all, the CBC and CW show must maintain its momentum after the success of Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 1, “The Infinity Thief.”

Unsurprisingly, this second outing immediately instills confidence when Max tries — and mostly succeeds — to win over Ellis’s coworkers with donuts. Vanessa Morgan’s delivery of “Catch more flies with honey, honey” is absolutely perfect.

The oddball pairing keeps that energy in their presentation about porch piracy. That incentive for the murder investigation could be only that, but Wild Cards takes it further by making it an arc that gets its own resolution by the end.

The episode doesn’t necessarily need to circle back to Bonnie and the porch pirate because “Show Me the Murder” finds a resolution for its more pressing A story. That said, the show bookending the episode with that storyline makes for a less frustrating viewing experience with fewer loose ends.

It supports the argument that Wild Cards can become a comfort show.

Gaining that status comes (at least partly) from the case-of-the-week resolving and instilling the belief that everything will work out in the end.

Of course, as the series progresses, its serialized beats will become more dramatic, and maybe a few cases will linger into more intense, two-part episodes.

Nevertheless, these first two episodes assert that Wild Cards favors more comedic and easygoing tones, but it knows how and when to infuse tension into the stories. For instance, “Show Me the Murder” does so when Max knows in her gut that Hailey Chen-Lin is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit.

That sequence finds its roots in the conversation between Hailey and Max. Lines like “Here, I get to be loud, I get to be rough, and I get to be queer” are the quick bursts of exposition required to move the plot and create characters like Hailey, worthy of investment — if only for one episode.

It’s also telling from a characterization standpoint that Hailey, Candice, and Bonnie choose to be vulnerable with Max. She sees people in a way that Ellis doesn’t. While Max notices shoes and straw wrappers, Ellis asks for security camera footage and finds weapons.

Together, they make a perfectly unlikely team.

It’s early in Wild Cards‘s run. Reminding audiences — and Max & Ellis — why this partnership works is imperative, especially when similar pairings are on TV.

Even with similarities, Vanessa Morgan is so quick on her feet with Max’s disguises that it’s difficult to imagine one will tire of Max doing the opposite of what Ellis wants. Sure, Act 1 ends on a cliffhanger that Curtis may have murdered Jake, but it’s more exciting to see Max put on an accent and cause a scene.

Morgan effortlessly embodies Max’s confidence, intelligence, and quick wit (The backstories she comes up with in seconds!). But Wild Cards is on to something deeper with the character when her guard falls around her dad.

It’s believable that, at some point, Max’s confidence would falter.

With the details of whatever long game Max and George are playing still under wraps, getting to know George through his pep talk to his daughter is beneficial.

“Show Me the Murder” makes an effort to build out their father/daughter dynamic through Max’s trust in and love for George. Knowing she lost her mom when she was young, George is one of the only consistent and true forces in Max’s life. 

That sentiment alone makes their relationship one to watch.

In turn, Wild Cards is slowly creating a roster of recurring guest stars that build out the show’s world. Terry Chen’s Chief Li and Fletcher Donovan’s Ricky are two other examples, even though the former has stronger roots right now.

That said, Max’s nomadic living arrangements always include Ricky, making their dynamic an intriguing sticking point. How long have they known each other? Why are they so loyal to each other? How did that trust develop? Wild Cards has the opportunity to answer all of those questions and raise new ones. 

Understandably, “Show Me the Murder” is still more preoccupied with detailing the relationship between Max and Ellis. 

Giacomo Gianniotii and Vanessa Morgan are a delight together on-screen.

Their organic chemistry makes the constant push and pull between Max and Ellis anything but a tiresome fight. Yes, Max’s con artist background means she’s essentially trained in reading people, but there is something endearing in her knowing Ellis is doubtful from a wrinkle in his eyebrow.

Ellis may be more hesitant to view their team-up as a true partnership, but it’s telling that he appeals to Summer’s better judgment with the message in Max’s fortune cookie. And the look Max gives Ellis when he does? Oof, the slow-burn journey to whatever comes next between these two will be good.

With “Show Me the Murder,” Wild Cards continues its revival of the consultant procedural with cases-of-the-week grounded by a dynamic duo. Here’s to Max and Ellis securing that theme song to accompany the show’s slick title card.

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Wild Cards airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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