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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2019)
B5 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 ‘Stumptown’: Portland-set series is one of fall TV’s best By KRISTI TURNQUIST The Oregonian It’s never easy to tell from just one episode whether a TV series will be worth sticking with. But ABC’s new “Stumptown” starts off strong, quickly introducing us to characters we want to get to know better, avoid- ing the usual private inves- tigator clichés, and giv- ing us a setting that’s fresh and brimming with story possibilities. OK, so we’re a little biased. “Stumptown” is set in Portland, and it’s inspired by graphic novels written by Portland-based author Greg Rucka. But “Stumptown” looks like it will be good enough on its own to make us forgive the fact that the show – despite some scenes fi lmed locally – will be pro- duced in Los Angeles. Cobie Smulders, best known for “How I Met Your Mother” and Marvel mov- ies, is a perfect fi t for Dex Parios, a military intelli- gence veteran who’s not exactly keeping it together in Portland. After the fi rst episodes gets off to a literally fl ying start with a stunt involving Dex, two thugs, and a car we see soaring in the sky with the Broadway Bridge in the background, we come crash- ing down to earth. Dex is gambling at a Native Amer- ican-operated casino, and to do a job for the cool, tough-minded boss of the casino, Sue Lynn Blackbird (played with steely charisma by Tantoo Cardinal). Dex hadn’t really thought of turning her military skills into a career as a private investigator, but when Sue Lynn’s granddaughter goes missing, Dex might just be the right person to fi nd the young woman. As Dex pursues leads, we meet the other people in her life. She takes care of her younger brother, Ansel (played by Cole Sibus), who wears a Portland Timbers shirt to display his loyalty, and who has Down syn- drome. Dex’s friend, Grey McConnell (a winning turn by Jake Johnson, of “New Girl”), also pitches in when it comes to looking after Ansel, even as Grey is open- ing his own bar. Once Dex starts tangling with bad guys – like the ones who lock her in that car trunk we see in that open- ing action sequence – she gets beaten up, lied to, and meets members of the Port- land police force, including Detective Miles Hoffman (Michael Ealy) and Lieu- tenant Cosgrove (Camryn Manheim). Along the way, we learn that Dex has enough demons to populate a Halloween haunted house, and that her self-destructive impulses are at war with her yearning to ‘STUMPTOWN’ IS SET IN PORTLAND, AND IT’S INSPIRED BY GRAPHIC NOVELS WRITTEN BY PORTLAND-BASED AUTHOR GREG RUCKA. though she’s enthusiastic, she’s not particularly lucky. Dex is shrewd enough to instantly spot a fi shy come-on from a guy hitting on her with a made-up story, but she’s also gotten herself in deep debt to the Whisper- ing Winds casino. Which is why she reluctantly agrees make things right, even after she messes them up. For Portlanders, there’s fun in seeing the scenes fi lmed on location (the pilot also includes scenes fi lmed in Vancouver, B.C.); meet- ing Dex’s friend, Tookie (Adrian Martinez), who owns a taco food cart (how Kailey Schwerman/ABC Cobie Smulders delivers a sharp, sexy performance as Dex Parios in “Stumptown,” based on comics-turned-graphic novels by Portland-based author Greg Rucka. Portland can you get?); hearing references to Old Town, Bend and more Ore- gon spots; and, once again, seeing the “Portland, Ore- gon” neon sign in Old Town, letting viewers know where this is supposedly taking place. Even better is how exec- utive producer and showrun- ner Jason Richman’s script mixes suspense with Dex’s self-deprecating jokes, and the expert performances from everyone in the cast. It’s particularly satisfying to see Smulders fl ex muscles we maybe didn’t know she had. She makes Dex both a deeply human, self-sabotag- ing mess, and a brave, gutsy heroine we’re willing to fol- low down dark alleys, in Portland, or anywhere else. “Stumptown” premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, on ABC. Matthias Clamer/ABC The cast of “Stumptown,” including, from left, Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Cosgrove, Adrian Martinez as Tookie, Michael Ealy as Detective Miles Hoff man, Cobie Smulders as Dex Parios, Jake Johnson as Grey McConnell, Cole Sibus as Ansel Parios and Tantoo Cardinal as Sue Lynn Blackbird. Classifieds SELL YOUR VEHICLE HERE! Searching for Employees? If it Drives or Floats... GARAGE SALE PLACE YOUR JOB POSTING HERE SEASON IS HERE! 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