Hayley Atwell plays Chelsea Clinton.
Hayley Atwell plays Paris Hilton.
Her name is Hayes Morrison, because all hip TV characters are named for one-term presidents.
Credit: ABC/John Medland
(True story: In the original draft, her first name was Carter.)
Her crime was possession of cocaine.
As punishment, the District Attorney of New York City (sleazy-charmy Eddie Cahill) gives her a job.
(And they say theres no justice!)
But what Hayes actually says is: His ex-con insouciance counterbalances your prosecutorial squareness.
Its one of the worst-written lines on television this year.
Thank god Atwell says it.
Atwell excavated dry teasing wit from the bland too-nicenessAgent Carter.
Given a wild character, she shines.
Hayes needs to be Chelsea Clinton and Paris Hilton, stylish and lazy and brilliant and approachable.
Did I mention her mother (Bess Armstrong) is running for senate?
A pleasant side effect of this years election: Nothing about TV politics feels fake anymore.
The fun ofConvictionis how it tosses such a high-camp character into a thoughtfully of-the-moment legal arena.
The dissonance almost works.
Theres a dark comedy at the core ofConviction.
ButConvictiondoesnt have the courage of its, errr, principles.
The show has a very web connection-y ticking clock element every caseneedsto be solved in five days or less.
AndConvictioncant quite commit to the potential of its own anti-hero.
Unfortunately,Convictions squareness counterbalances its insouciance.
Hey, I did it!C+
