The writing staff of Showtime’s Resurrection Blvd. (premieres 10 p.m. ET Tuesday, June 26) has finally found the proper balance of tragedy and comedy–something it failed to do its first season. Season one was ultraviolent one week, Steel Magnolias the next, each episode hellbent on making viewers either wince or grin, but rarely both.
Tuesday night’s debut of season two, however, gets it right.
The episode begins with a jolt, as Miguel Santiago (Mauricio Mendoza) confronts corrupt boxing promoter Jack Mournet (Ray Wise) at an exclusive country club, demanding payment for his brother’s recent title bout. Mournet politely gives him a check for $2,400–well below the promised payout–and Mournet’s thugs then proceed to throw Miguel into a table of breakfast foods.
Not to be outdone, Miguel collects himself, tidies up a bit, and smashes a potted plant into the head of one of the thugs. Moving on to Mournet, Miguel slams the slick promoter’s face into a whipped-cream dessert, vowing revenge.
From there, the action immediately moves to the Santiago home, where Bibi (Elizabeth Pena) launches into a humorous, rapid-fire tirade about losing her salon because the business’ landlord didn’t feel she kept the place as clean as she should. Forced to cut hair in her own living room, she nonetheless remains lighthearted, bringing a much-needed tinge of comedy to the episode.
Over at the Eastside gym, Carlos Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo)-now recovered from the gunshot wound he received last season-is again training in the ring. However, who will promote him even if he is ready for another run at the title? What to do now that there’s bad blood between Mournet and the Santiagos? Enter Miguel-with California State Commissioner’s promoter’s license in hand. (Clearly, a very tense season is upon us.)
As for the youngest of the Santiagos-Victoria (Marisol Nichols)-a humorous storyline takes shape as she sees the need to get her first job to help pay for her extravagant teen-age spending. She feels she’s too “above” menial labor (“I can’t work in a kitchen!”). Her friend accuses Victoria of being “allergic to work,” which prompts her to pursue a saleslady job at a high-end boutique.
Brian Austin Green‘s (Beverly Hills, 90210) new character, Luke Bonner, makes his debut as a mysterious community college student who Carlos deems “a psycho.” We shall see.
Some interesting romantic twists with Bibi’s character also turn up, as do run-ins with the law that lead to the arrest of one of the Santiago brothers.
