Theres a grim attraction to Vegas in the 1960s; its folk are glitzy and glamorous types during the evening, but gritty and New Yorker-esque gawkers during the day. The contrast between tough-as-nails Sheriff Lamb (Dennis Quaid) and slick businessman Savino (Michael Chiklis) is depicted effectively in the second episode of CBSs new period/crime drama. As charming as Quaid is in the lead role, even when hes tossing lowlifes through glass windows, Chiklis is the one who continues to stand out as casino boss Vincent Savino. His capitalistic tendencies drive his character forward and his belief that
money plays is an important theme introduced in this episode and one that will be ubiquitous throughout the shows run, Id wager (pun intended).
Vegas does well to combine a tale of two stories this time around; though the
Pilot was slightly lacking in execution and understanding of its characters,
Money Plays served as an effective follow-up which allows the viewers to invest in the main players. Lamb, his brother and son roll around town trying to solve a murder mystery; theyre smart folk and were supposed to root for these guys with minor resources compared to the fat cats across the street. For the most part, we do; Quaid is a likable guy as are his family but eventually, a line will have to be drawn. I dont buy that theyre as clean-cut as theyre being portrayed but lets wait and see. Meanwhile, Savinos having a bit of a nightmare under the neon signposts of his casino. A former employee is about to reveal all his inner-most secrets to the FBI and whilst trying to orchestrate a clean and simple way to silence this problem, he faces more money woes in the form of his bosss daughter Mia (Sarah Jones), who arrives to take over as floor manager. Though her suggestion at having Blackjack dealers hit at 17 will make a short-term profit, Savinos been in the game long enough to know hell take a hit eventually and it doesnt improve his mood that his leadership is being undermined by this new arrival. There are a lot of social questions raised by
Vegass constant barrage of brutality and shady dealings. In a way, its easy for the producers on the show considering they know full well that no one will do the research and most things can be chalked up to the time period. Its not so much a problem and I dont expect it to be; the show is entertaining for now and the continuous contrast of the rancher vs. the city is proving to be more than effective. In future episodes, I really expect to see more. We know who will win ultimately, as does Lamb. The real test is going to be whether he can get on board with the changing times and ride the neon wave thats about to break loose and sweep through everything he holds dear. What did you think of "Money Plays"? Share your thoughts below...