TV Review: BALLERS: Season 1, Episode 4: Heads Will Roll [HBO]

HBO’s Ballers Heads Will Roll TV Show Review. Ballers: Season 1, Episode 4: Heads Will Roll TV Show Review Heads Will Roll develops a bit of spine to reveal Anderson Financial is not in tip top shape at the moment. Neither is Spencer (Dwayne Johnson). Come to think of it, not a single one of the main characters is doing so hot in the hangover period post the yacht party that doesn’t seem to ever retire. Regroup, guys. Don’t ignore challenges.

You are bigger than your problems.

This is not a good episode to dive into this series without your training wheels on. It’s just too serious for a first timer. Some vital head butting between manager and client is culminating, thankfully. If you missed how it all began, start over from the beginning with Ballers.  The beef between Spencer, Reggie (London Brown), and Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) over the contracts is getting drawn out staying true to the drama of the conflict. Writer Steven Levinson is taking every advantage of that conflict lasting between characters to construct an episodic story here. And finally, Spence is starting to make sense rather than marinate in Reggie’s sycophantic fantasy of him as their money man at his and Vernon’s beck and call. Whew.

Getting his head checked is psychologically huge for Spencer. Thank God for blackmail.

Reggie was a formidable pest. Now, he’s more annoying than anything. Spence is starting to realize how to regain control even when you want a client who is playing hard to get. And never take business advice from a client. We should probably be waiting on a lawsuit to be filed against Spencer, and Reggie would make an appropriate professional plaintiff.

Charles (Omar Benson Miller), oh, Charles. This guy is so tragic. I’m still not even sure why he is in the show. I have a theory that he will come in handy eventually, but right now, he’s not even really part of the story. He is part of a tortured subplot that hasn’t fully developed yet. The guy has to get a grip. His life really isn’t as bad as he thinks it is. Self esteem issues are going to teach this one a lesson come hell or high water. This fool is going to learn something of value. His wife, Julie (Jazmyn Simon), really is a ninja. Look out for that. And her sister. Inevitably his world will be upside down if he plays his next move with the hook we expect to follow through. Will it play out, or will he take his own advice?

Ricky (John David Washington) is interesting right now. He is the underdog. He needs a friend on his team. Watching him suffer is not quite hilarious, but this show isn’t really a comedy. I’m not sure how people came to expect it to be one or how it is categorized as one on IMDB.com. It is a male centered drama with bits of comic relief, and those bits are cruel.

Men can be so cruel with their cruel male bits of comedy.

I can’t wait to see how or if Joe (Rob Corddry) manages to keep his job after the stunt he pulled with the yacht. Not anyone’s finest moment yet. At least Spence finally showed some backbone. Will he get his $300,000 back? Not sure, but something tells me shoving Reggie at the party was a costly move. Ouch.

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