The Spoils Before Dying

When I Sky plussed (it feels weird writing that. Is there a term I don't know about to better describe this action? Recorded, maybe?) The Spoils Before Dying, I didn't actually know what it was about. I hadn't seen nor heard of the first series and to be honest, I only really recorded it this time because I saw it had Wiig in it. Sorry not sorry. The episode started with a bearded, food loving Ferrell comparing some kind of burger to a child he had never sired. I have this weird thing about not wanting to watch people eat on screen. I would go as far as to say it repulses me but that seems mean, so I'll just say I strongly dislike it. So as you can, my opinion of the show got off to a great start! From what I could gather, Will Ferrell's character Eric Jonrosh is a film direction whose work 'The Spoils Before Dying' is something of a crime movie. The Spoils Before Dying is essentially a film within a TV series, with Jonrosh's commentary framing each extract. Comprende?

It did get jazzier, though. Like literally. In the smoky glamour only found in early jazz scene comes Maya Rudolph playing Fresno Foxglove, singing with true soul and wearing what looks like a giant meringue on the side of her head. (Up close, it was clearly two white flowers but you know, in my mind it started off as a meringue.) Unfortunately, Maya's role was to be short-lived; a few minutes later she was found dead and our leading man is the one the police want to pin it on. Filled with hilarious interrogation scenes and severe comical overuse of the phrase 'you dig', The Spoils Before Dying embraces all the worst clichés of every bad 50s era crime film.

Determined to prove his innocence, Michael K Williams travels to Mexico City in a bid to certify his freedom. Given three days by the police, Williams's character heads to Jaz-Tec, what looks like an underground jazz bar where Delores DeWinters has taken the stage to sing about booze and pills and not much more. Though the lyrics are sparse, our royal and regal queen Kristen Wiig is flawless as a jazz age singer and boy, can she sing. Seriously, is there anything she can't do?! I loved the staging for the fictional Jaz-Tec too. Low glowing skulls and decorative hanging light bulbs? Hell YES. I totally dig. (Sorry)

The first episode ends with Wiig recognising Williams before Ferrell's Eric Jonrosh closes the episode literally just saying words seemingly arbitrarily. The Spoils Before Dying is definitely funny and fantastically star studded. I, for one, can't wait to what happens next.