'City on a Hill' episode 6 review: Rohr's infidelity makes him squirm while Ward proves he can take a hit
This review contains spoilers for 'City on a Hill' Ep.6: 'It's Hard to Be A Saint in the City'
Three points come to the fore in this episode. The way two men look at a case, a man who's not realized the s**tstorm that's about to hit him and the women who have now decided to go on the offensive.
Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) and Ward Decourcy (Aldis Hodge) are fighting the same enemy, but it's just brilliant, the way they look at things. They are hot on the trail of the armed robbery chaps and Rohr does not believe in second chances. The opening conversation between the duo sees them debate over being ideal or staying practical after Ward interrogates a few suspects linked to the case. Not one to distinguish between black and white people, yet both have their own outlook towards the justice system.
In our review of episode 4, we wrote that the women of the show may have been bogged down without a voice, but cometh the hour, the women show that they can hold their own. While the show deals with the larger picture of crime and corruption in Boston, the episode titled 'It's Hard to Be A Saint in the City' focuses on family, relationships, and hardships.
It's a riveting episode that sees the world come crashing down like the walls of Jackie Rohr and Reverend Fields (Seth Gilliam).
Rohr's marriage is pretty much down. His daughter Benedetta (Zoe Margaret Colletti) is a victim of Clay Roach (Rory Culkin); his way of getting back at Rohr. The fact that she was attacked by two men after her heroin dose comes across as a heart-wrenching image, not to mention devastating. Rohr's pregnant mistress showing up at the family's door prior to Benedetta's attack is another surprising move, one that saw a hysterical woman afraid that Rohr may press her to kill the baby.
Jill Hennessy's Jenny Rohr endured a lot of pain since the start of the season, and the fact that her husband was a cheat was probably the last straw as she lashes out at him, absolutely no-holds-barred. Hennessy delivers a strong performance as a woman who has been constantly broken. She moves effortlessly between being confused and having an outburst. Take the instance when Benedetta decides to do a Jackie Rohr and gets a royal outburst in return.
Bacon has been the show-stealer throughout the show and like our prediction of how things may go out of whack, Rohr's life has hit a downward spiral. But the man is still crooked, so much so that we find it hard to believe that he's actually planning to turn over a new leaf and make amends to Jenny.
Moving onto Ward, the moral compass of the show, his skirmish with the sleazy and impudent Reverend Fields is a major highlight in the episode. We've known that the man could take a hit and despite some tough opposition, Ward manages to hang in there. He ends up being scolded for supporting Siobhan (Lauren E. Banks) and while it may be a tough pill for him to swallow, he learns that some fights are those best fought alone.
The episode also deduces that Siobhan is more than able to defend herself and that comes after she manages to turn the coalition against Fields.
The baddies have a lot on their plate too. Things have been pretty bad on the homefront, and with Frankie Ryan's (Jonathan Tucker) mom hospitalized, the need to see the green to pay off the bills mean that they plan for another heist. How will it end? Only time will tell.
'City on a Hill' continues to excel. The seamless integration of multiple subplots makes it a treat to watch. Bacon and Hennessy are the stars of the episode with Hodge following suit. The crime drama has been ambitious throughout and still manages to stay that way after six scintillating episodes.
'City On A Hill' airs Sundays on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
