Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 1 has a plot that involves Detective Ellis and his totally-not-a-partner partner Max, speedy cars, and a kid held hostage to blackmail his parents into executing a heist. But, really, it’s very difficult to focus on all of that thanks to a certain combination of angsty broken trust and…arms. For what it’s worth, we’re not complaining. If we have anything to nitpick about this premiere at all, it’s that some parts of the story feel a little rushed. The only part that feels a little slow, in fact, is the actual car chase. Oh! And Marc doesn’t get nearly enough screen time. Even so, if we may borrow a line from “Con in 60 Seconds” to describe the episode itself: That was a blast.
But unlike Ellis, we actually mean it. No sarcasm from someone who just spent the whole car ride, hilariously grabbing onto various interior car parts for support like he’s some first-time driver’s grandma (or whatever), here.
MORE: Need help convincing your friends to give this show a try? Here’s our quick list of reasons to watch Wild Cards.
A rough, but not too rough, start to Wild Cards Season 2 for ElliMax
When we officially reconnect with ElliMax in Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 1, they’re listening to the recording Max showed up with in the closing moments of last season’s finale. It doesn’t give us a whole lot of information, but it’s something. And Max wants to use that something to help Ellis bring Daniel’s killer to justice. That doesn’t mean Cole has any reason to trust her, though. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t. Or, at least that’s what he says, over and over, in as many hurtful ways as possible. Based on how their last case went, he probably shouldn’t trust Max…or should he? Because she does have a point. She “could be on the other side of the world right now,” but she isn’t. She’s here, by his side, with this clue, wanting him to help him.
It’s no surprise that Ellis doesn’t believe there’s a gray area here, but it’s also entirely predictable that Max talks her way out of trouble. This is just who these people are. Not to mention, if Ellis was serious about turning her in for stealing the egg, she wouldn’t be riding next to him in the passenger seat. He probably also wouldn’t give in so easily, or confess to her that he’d smashed the counterfeit egg, or keep…looking at her…like that either.
Honestly, if we were living in a different era of TV, we might say everything worked out a bit too easily. Maybe we’d even say that, while the normal banter wasn’t quite as lighthearted as usual on Ellis’ part, we could’ve used even more bite. But this is the era of “everything gets canceled before it even gets to start,” and it’s already the year of “OMG all the news is very, very bad.” So, everything about the approach to this partnership plays out just right here. No point in dragging out the inevitable reconciliation.
Are things magically all better by the end of the hour, like nothing ever went wrong? No. And with all that broken trust, and even Max’s hurt feelings over some of the things Ellis has to say to her in this episode, trying to pretend everything’s back to normal before really working to rebuild would be disastrous. So, when Max starts joking about keeping the Mustang after a job well done, and Ellis just…shuts her down with a simple “not yet,” it has got to be just about the most perfect part of this season premiere. Maybe one of the top moments for the series. Ellis gets to set a boundary, Max immediately respects it, and her “we’ll take it slow” provides just that perfect, little slice of promise and confirmation that they’re on the same page.
Or…at least they were. And they will be again. Just not yet. Wait, no. Back to the original thought — they’re on the same page in all the ways that matter. Because let’s be real: They’re both totally on the same page with all the wanting, and all the caring, the mutual need to protect each other…the list goes on. They, and we, just need a little bit of patience to get this slow burn to ignite. Maybe they could borrow some of that nitromethane to supercharge or whatever?
More on Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 1
- Blink and you miss him, but Marc is getting good purrs in his future mommy’s lap!
- “I would never lie about this.” “How can I know that? When nothing about you is real?”
- “You didn’t catch me. I came to you. From the moment I heard what was on that USB, nothing else mattered but getting it into your hands.”
- “You’re honest, and good, and believe that people will do the right thing. But they won’t.” She’s right. On all of the above.
- Ok but Max’s “mazel tov” for Russo when she told them she’s running for mayor. That line was specifically for me, huh.
- Speaking of Russo: First of all, we do love a boss who forces our storm cloud to work with our ray of sunshine. On a more serious critical note, Karin Konoval makes the most out of every second. The overly-bright “good! Morning everyone” and super chipper “her too,” plus the wink on her way out…fantastic.
- “I just heard about your brother’s case. You alright?” “No, not really.” Imagine if more men were taught to be honest about their emotions like that instead of…*gestures at state of the world*
- Ok. But what’s the deal with this Uriah Heep guy, and what‘s the deal with the watch?
- Master bakers.
- Ok but “Ted” has great arms. Did we mention the arms? Arms.
- “Sometimes, you gotta…break the rules to protect the ones you care about.” Ok but those looks.
- Giacomo Gianniotti and Vanessa Morgan really do have that chemistry and unspoken communication that makes us think of [insert all your favorite partners here]. They both bring so much to these characters and this dynamic.
- No but her face when Jaws pulls a gun on Ellis…
- …and, again, when Ellis has to make the choice between going after his brother’s killer and saving that little boy. Which, for as well as they set up the “what are you going to do” of it all right before the ad break, there’s never any doubt that he’s going to save the kid. His code of honor is what it is. Will he break some rules for Max, no matter how much he swears he won’t? Yes. But could he ever live with himself if something happened to that little boy? Absolutely not. And, as we see when ElliMax make the decision to blow up the operation to save Jake in the first place, neither could she.
- TL;DR, they’re still the same two good people…even if her version of “good” is a little bit unorthodox. Deep down, their hearts are the same. Which is a huge, huge part of what makes this ship work.
- The slow-mo of that reunion hits hard, though, especially since we know what Ellis just gave up to make it happen.
- It’s the way Max immediately steps up and says she made the call for me.
- “Does Miley Cyrus buy herself flowers? Does Public Enemy fight the power?” Amazing.
- “Then, my favorite dynamic duo is here to stay!” Nothing but respect for my future mayor.
- The longing before they get in that elevator…
- His soft smile. Help.
- So, basically, if
Brandon from 90210George wants Max to do something, he has to tell her to do the opposite. - “Why are you sticking around?” My dude. You saw how she looks at Ellis when you got your little vacation from prison. Do the math.
What did you think of Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 1? Thoughts on ElliMax? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of Wild Cards air Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
