A Review of ABC’s “Mistresses” by Tiffany A. White
Based on the popular British television series of the same name, Mistresses is a sexy new drama following the lives of four girlfriends as they discover who they really are via their friendships, relationships, and sex.
Sound familiar? I’m thinking of one of my favorites here… Sex and the City.
The series stars: Alyssa Milano (Charmed) as Savannah “Savi” Davis, a successful lawyer, married and trying to have a baby… that is until she and her husband learn they have fertility issues; Jes Macallan as Josslyn Carver, Savi’s single and carefree younger sister, who is not looking to settle down anytime soon; Rochelle Aytes (Detroit 1-8-7 and The Forgotten) as April Malloy, a recent widow and single mother, who owns her own shop; and Junjin Kim (Lost) as Karen Kim, a successful therapist, who had an affair with one of her patients.
The pilot begins with hot and steamy sex… for network TV… as did the second episode as well. Viewers watch Savi and her husband “role playing” during their attempts to make a baby. We also meet Joss while she’s having a little “afternoon delight” with her then boss. And let’s not forget about the flashback sex scenes between Karen and her patient. April might just be the only one who’s not sweating between the sheets at the moment.
They’re all beautiful; they’re all successful; and they’ve all got issues. Serious issues.
When Savi and her husband (Harry, played by Brett Davis) learn of their fertility issues, he pushes her away as he blames and punishes himself for having abnormal sperm. This catapults Savi into the arms of her coworker (Dominick, played by Jason George) and they have one night of hot, steamy sex. And guess what? She’s pregnant…
Meanwhile, as if sleeping with her dying (now dead) patient wasn’t a big enough issue for Karen, the patient’s family just can’t seem to stop themselves from leaning on her. His wife (Penelope Ann Miller) doesn’t appear to have a clue about the affair, but his son (Sam, played by Erik Stocklin) knows there was another woman and he wants answers… from Karen.
Then there’s April… poor April. She’s having a hard time letting go of her dead husband, so much so that she believes that a few recent prank calls she has received are actually his ghost telling her to not move on. But it turns out those calls aren’t from her husband, they are from her husband’s mistress and their illegitimate son. As if that’s not enough to deal with, the woman wants money… after all, her son is entitled to some of the inheritance April’s daughter received from the insurance company.
And last but not least, we have Joss… we discover early on that she has climbed her way to the top of her realty company by sleeping with her boss. But he’s gone now and her new boss isn’t falling for any of her tricks. She has to actually work now and sell a few properties before he’ll let her have all of her listings back. Work doesn’t seem to be what she’s best at, thus the fact she’s technically homeless and living with a friend right now (I can’t remember the details, but she slept with her landlord too). Oh, and let’s not forget she successfully, yet unintentionally, broke up a lesbian romance and now she is testing those waters out herself.
Now let’s talk about the title for a minute.
According to Webster, a mistress is a woman who is the head of a household, country, or state… or a woman with whom a man is having a prolonged affair with.
Let’s focus on the latter.
Not only do I watch a lot of television programs, but I also enjoy a good talk show here and there. Especially when the guests are stars I like. Alyssa Milano has stated in at least two TV interviews that I have seen that the girls, her character included, are not all mistresses. Not by the definition we are most familiar with anyway. She included the show is in no way glorifying mistresses or situations that tend to break up marriages and relationships… (even if it does seem to us, the TV audience, that each woman is connected to a traditional mistress in one way or another—it’s true; I know people who have already stopped watching the program for this very reason).
Ms. Milano also stated in an interview that while this program is based on the BBC series, the writers took an entire season of the British version and wrapped up the storyline in one episode… I’m assuming that was the pilot… and that this series is all its own.
I went into Mistresses not expecting to like it. For one, I’m a big Sex and the City fan and initially felt this series was trying to cash in on Carrie’s and the girls’ success. But because I’m an Alyssa Milano fan (I watched Who’s the Boss? as a little girl and LOVED Charmed more than words can say), I knew I’d give it a shot.
And it’s turning into a guilty pleasure…
Oh, and I’m glad I didn’t stop with the pilot because Gary Dourdan has guest starred in a few of the episodes. Remember Warrick Brown from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation? Uh, I’ve missed those blues eyes…
And then in episode three, I see a Twitter friend. That’s right; a Twitter friend. Matthew Del Negro may guest on some of the hottest shows on television (love his recurring character on Rizzoli & Isles), but he’s also a very nice guy and I enjoy chatting with him on occasion via the Twitterverse. It’s nice to see him in more of a recurring role!
So, it seems I will keep watching Mistresses…
*****
Tiffany A. White is the author of the YA mystery “Football Sweetheart” series. She blogs at The Ooo Factor and is available for contact via Twitter at , Facebook at , or by email at .
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