HOLLYWOOD—You know when you hear the buzz about a TV series, it makes you as a viewer have to consider a watch. So, people had been chatting about the new Netflix series, “Nemesis” which is a cop tale that is a bit in your face. The series is the brainchild of Courtney A. Kemp. She is responsible for that fantastic series “Power” on Starz. Gotta say that series was a must-watch that not many people learned about till like season 4.
Is “Nemesis” equivalent to “Power?” No, but it is indeed fun, but it has some issues. For starters our focal protagonist Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law) is quite flawed to say the least. The guy is dealing with some series trauma, and I wanted to see that trauma explored a bit more. This one fashion-forward cop who is known for wearing labels like Gucci and Amiri caught me off guard. That just popped out and caught my attention because I just would expect that from someone in the police force; you’re overly flashy.
I will admit about half-way thru the first season something changed with the protagonist whereas a viewer you start to root against him. His ego is a bit too much and you want to see him knocked down a peg or two. Not sure if that’s a direct result of this intensity of the character that is all at a 10 and rarely at a level playing field.
Isaiah’s nemesis as noted from the series title is Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel), who is a witty, clever thief. He has a crew that includes Dion, Darren and Chris that steal elite jewelry from people with lots of money. During one of those heists, a colleague of Stiles was killed, so this is personal for Lieutenant Stiles to catch the culprits. What the series does well is give us a slice of the personal lives of these two gentlemen.
We get to meet their wives, their friends, their circle, but once it becomes apparent that both guys realize the other is out to get them, things intensify. It’s an eye for an eye type of game. You take someone who matters to me, I take someone who matters to you. As exciting as the guys are, their wives Dr. Candice Stiles (Gabrielle Dennis) and Ebony Wilder (Cleopatra Coleman) are more impressive. I loved Coleman because you get to see a woman conflicted about her involvement in her hubby’s criminal organization. She wants out but finds herself teetering on loyalty.
Dennis, I had issues with at times. It seems her character was written to just be dumb and make mistakes that you should. I mean you know your husband is investigating a potential threat, yet you’re having lunch with that guy’s wife and just giving up information on your husband freely. Not to mention you have this lingering feeling for your ex, Malik Jacobs (Jeff Piere) who happens to be the DA and is friends with your husband? That’s just messy.
I would make the argument I was guessing how things would unfold for like the first 4-5 episodes, but after reaching that halfway mark, you could start to connect the dots and see where things are headed. You sympathize with the bad guys, but at the same time root against them, and vice versa with our protagonist who is desperately not trying to fall into the trap that his father fell into when it comes to his family. Isiah is actually Amos (Moe Irvin), which explains why his son, Noah (Cedric Joe) is driven to have a relationship with his grandfather, Amos. He realizes his father is neglecting his family for his career aspirations or own personal needs.
“Nemesis” was fun to watch, but I would totally be lying if I told you I was not pleased with how the first season ended. I will not spoil it, but it felt anti-climactic and unfinished. I wanted more, and I think the writers could have easily amplified the mayhem, which just felt slightly messy and unnecessary at times.
