Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Dial A for Alibi

Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 4, “Dial A for Alibi,” cracks the case of how to make this great season even better — Max & Yates and Ellis & Simmons work together.

This episode, written by Alex Zaroney and directed by Shawn Piller, shakes up the show’s usual partnerships to positive ends for the episode and the show.

Not only does it revitalize the case-of-the-week format, but it grants more depth to the characters. Both components work together to push Wild Cards from ever pigeonholing itself with its staple and fan-favorite partnerships.

Consequently, the consultant procedural strengthens its overall appeal.

Ellis & Max and Simmons & Yates are fantastic teams; there’s no denying that from Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 1, “The Infinity Thief.” However, the latter often comes in short compared to the former, which is to be expected to some degree.

The show gradually opens up to explore Ellis and Simmons’s dynamic more. That turn makes scenes from Wild Cards Season 1 Episode 8, “Eternal Sunshine of the Therapized Mind,” some of the best in the first season. 

Still, Yates and Max only form a passing banter with off-screen hang outs, and Simmons & Yates’s rapport mostly fits around Ellis and Max’s. 

Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 3, “The Lorne Identity,” works wonders for the latter, and “Dial A for Alibi” follows that up with pure excellence for the former.

That alone is plenty exciting, so seeing how the show sets up Yates and Max’s team-up is extra excellent. The former accruing so many parking tickets that she can’t work until she retakes the driving exam is simple, effective, and says enough about Yates without relying on exposition-heavy dialogue.

With Max, this episode channels Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window.

It’s a dynamic storytelling device to seclude one of Wild Cards‘s leads to a single set, let alone not allow her to move much because of a recovering ankle injury. Those choices challenge “Dial A for Alibi” to be creative — making the camera lens look like the end of a binocular, watching suspects (mostly) from a distance.

Max’s stationary position in her home means Wild Cards can finally follow Yates into the field, which is a welcome change. Not to mention, every undercover opportunity in “Dial A for Alibi” showcases Amy Goodmurphy’s comedic chops.

It would be nothing less than unfortunate if Wild Cards doesn’t utilize her more. 

Moreover, this episode proves that this show can more than juggle two cases-of-the-week at a time. Never once does the script buckle under the pressure; both come to satisfying resolutions after thorough investigations.

They may not be the most exciting cases, but they serve a larger purpose. It’s endlessly rewarding to watch Max keep calling Ellis, and Ellis bringing up Max on a scene. On the other hand, “Dial A for Alibi” highlights the strengths of Simmons and Yates’s partnership — they’re opposites; that’s why it works.

Alternatively, “Dial A for Alibi” is one of the first examples of what Ellis and Simmons’s partnership likely looked like pre-Wild Cards. 

It’s engaging to watch Chief Li expect the same from them when Ellis and Simmons work together differently now because of the work they have respectively done with Max and Yates. If anything, they are even more thorough in investigations because Max and Yates ask so many questions.

Wild Cards doesn’t further the serialized stories much with this one, but that’s okay. It doesn’t need to for the show to use its time wisely.

“Dial A for Alibi” throws in the whammy of Max’s fortune (!) after creative end-to-end developments for underrated partnerships. That’s a win!

—

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!