TV REVIEW: ‘Hustle’ Returns with Finally Nuanced ‘Episode 16’: This is Really Must-See TV
By David M. KinchenEditor, Huntington News Network
Hinton, WV (HNN) --- It was serendipity: On arriving home from a vacation trip – via Amtrak, of course – to Chicago, I caught a promo for “Hustle” on AMC. At 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 (repeated at 1 a.m.) I watched “Episode 16”, where the gang of British grifters – plus American actor Robert Vaughn – put the con on an Indian (from India) tycoon.
Albert’s (Vaughn) old friend Harold, from the subcontinent himself, tells him the story of Kulvina Samar, a greedy sweatshop owner who's caused pain and suffering to Harold's sisters -- and London’s Asian community in general -- for many years. Samar is an ardent fan of Bollywood films – actually he wanted to be an actor himself -- making him a perfect target for a classic movie investor con.
Mickey “Bricks” Stone (Adrian Lester) plays Gerard Bruce, a producer making a Bollywood film. Film investor Harry Kaplan (Vaughn) is out of his depth and knows nothing about Bollywood; he suggests that Samar take his place and invest in the movie instead. Thrilled by the prospect of turning his dreams into reality, Samar agrees to the investment--with the condition that he visit the set and meet the lead actress (Stacie, played by Jaime Murray) and director (Ash Morgan, played by Robert Glenister). As perfectionist Samar mulls over this amazing offer, he realizes it's too good to be true--he announces that it's a con, and the revelation surprises his chauffeur (Danny Blue, played by Marc Warren) so much that he crashes his limo. At the hospital, Danny explains that the con is off--that is, until Albert discovers that Samar has amnesia.
The crew decides that such a vulgar character deserves to be conned again, but with a little less perfection. As they replay the con, they're baffled by Samar's apparent change in nature; he's no longer cruel or arrogant. Their grifter sense tells them to walk away, but is Samar just playing them at their own game? “Hustle” is outstanding television; it uses nuance superbly, so Samar could or couldn’t be conning the con gang.
“Episode 16” will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20 and 10 p.m. Friday, July 21 on AMC. Check the schedule for more repeats: This is a show you will want to see again!
Click for the January review of Hustle by David Kinchen