You may have noticed that I just posted a Turn Back the Clock review of the movie Erin Brockovich and asked yourself why? That’s because I was leading up to my review of Rebel, a new television series based on the life of Erin Brockovich:
When I first heard about this new series, written by and inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich, I was intrigued. Then, I saw that Katey Sagal had been chosen to play the lead role and I just knew I would be seated in front of the television on Thursday nights, 10pm EST, to watch Rebel.
Annie “Rebel” Bello is a legal advocate with a heart of gold. Once Rebel sinks her teeth into a cause she believes is worth fighting for, she is relentless, much to the dismay of her adversaries and often to the dismay of her family and friends. This first season of Rebel pits Annie against Stonemore Medical, a heart valve manufacturer whose refusal to admit to serious problems with their valves has put many of their recipients at severe risk. At the heart of this battle is Helen Peterson (Mary McDonnell), a recipient of the heart valve who is dying and her pregnant daughter whose child is not expected to live due to a defect caused by her own heart valve implant.
While convincing her best friend’s lawyer husband, Julian Cruz (Andy Garcia) to take up the case against Stonemore Medical, Rebel must also balance her family life, something she has never been any good at if one can tell by the number of failed marriages she has been through. Making it all the more complicated is the fact that her ex-husband, Benji Ray (James Lesure), has lured their daughter Cass (Lex Scott Davis) over to his law firm…his biggest client: Stonemore Medical. Well, Rebel has lost one to the dark side, but she has two more willing to help her fight. Her son, Nate (Kevin Zegers) is a OB Gyn who is willing to use his connections at the hospital to conduct a clinical study of the valve and daughter Ziggy (Ariela Barer) is a recovering addict interning at Cruz’s law firm.
Along the way, Rebel finds herself drawn into other battles, helping a victim of domestic abuse get away from her dangerous drug-dealing boyfriend, helping a woman who was evicted from her apartment after complaining about the lead content in her water and an old friend whose dying husband is being rooked by the local funeral home.
I have to say, I love this show! Any show that makes me stay up past 10pm to watch it must be golden and I have found Rebel to be well worth the sleep loss. Katey Sagal has been terrific in everything she has ever committed herself to and she plays this role perfectly – a little bit of badass, a little bit of pitbull, a tiny morsel of frazzled with a side of pure compassion. Her interactions with Andy Garcia are terrific – they play off each other well. The writing is superb and this show will definitely pull at your heartstrings. But it will also make you laugh uncontrollably at Rebel’s overboard antics. The storyline will draw just about anyone in – greedy companies profiting despite the damage they cause are something every individual out there can understand. In fact, some of us may have fallen victim to one such company. To see that company get its due thanks to a blue-collar character we can relate to and cheer for is just what the doctor ordered!
The best thing about this series is that it keeps you coming back for more. I, want to see Stonemore get what it deserves, but I also want to see what other messes Rebel can get herself into. And so, I, for one will continue to find myself seated in front of my TV tuned to ABC every Thursday for another episode of Rebel.
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