Review: Blood and Oil

Known for their popular television dramas, ABC released a new show, “Blood and Oil”, about three weeks ago. With ABC’s long line of successful shows such as “Scandal”, “How to Get Away with Murder”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, and “Nashville”, ABC found it fitting to throw a new one out there and watch the heads turn.

“Blood and Oil” tells the story of a young couple who long to escape their working class background and start a chain of Laundromats and watch the “american dream” happen for them. When this falls through and with a baby on the way, young couple Billy and Cody find themselves in North Dakota, the location of the biggest oil discovery in history. Billy wants to desperately break into this business to make the big bucks, but finds he has gotten his family into deal with the wealthiest and most scheming family around. Will Billy and Cody stay true to who they are, or find themselves stuck in the scandals with these money hungry capitalists?

What is captivating about the show at first, is the interesting combination of cast ABC has chosen to portray the characters in this Soap Opera. Don Johnson, as we may know him from the 1980s “Miami Vice” plays the millionaire oil business owner, Mr. Briggs, who many shy away from doing business with. From a completely different background in television, Chace Crawford from a famed show “Gossip Girl” plays the social climbing husband of the young couple who finds himself hypnotized by Mr. Briggs’ power.

The wives of these two men are played by Rebecca Rittenhouse and Amber Valetta. Author Rodes Fishburne and screenwriter Josh Pate spent time in North Dakota during the oil boom in 2006, and drew their inspiration from what they saw. The oil boom can be compared to the California Gold Rush beginning in the late 1940s. When discoveries like these happen, all of the money thirsty people show to up get a piece of it, as we see being portrayed in “Blood and Oil”.

Overall, the idea to illustrate the drama behind such a real-life issue is unique to itself, however the premier got off to a slow start when getting to the point of the show. The scenes take their time to build up, but slowly draw you into the plot and schemes happening right before your eyes.

Although many shy away from a TV show once it is labeled a Soap Opera, I feel that the characters in “Blood and Oil” are a twist on what America has already seen in previous soaps. With all of the drama of infidelity, to family tensions, to marriage struggles, to the desire for money, the characters reveal realities that are true in our society today, which is what makes it so intriguing.

With only being three episodes in, it is not too late to begin watching this riveting drama. Once you force yourself to get through the first episode, you will be hooked into the backstabbing twists of plot and won’t be able to wait until the next episode comes out every Sunday night,