Conviction Review: Finding Its Footing

In my review of Conviction’s pilot, I conceded that the show had flaws but also potential. Three episodes in, I feel the same, though I think small steps are being taken in the right direction.

For one, Hayes is becoming a more nuanced character than she was in the first episode, a byproduct of spending more time with her. At first, she was too brash for me to buy any moments of softness (such as that scene with her mom in the pilot). Now, though, they’ve pulled back on that extreme a bit, making me believe Hayes’s compassion, especially in scenes with victims or their families. I still think that her brand of oversharing is more cringeworthy than it is humorous or shocking, but that may mellow out in future episodes.

They’re also doing a nice job of making Hayes morally ambiguous enough to do a sometimes morally ambiguous job, though I see her as more of a prickly character than an outright anti-heroine (think Jane the Virgin’s Petra or Supergirl’s Cat Grant). Basically, I get the sense that, at the end of the day, Hayes will do what’s right, even if it really, really pains her to do so. Even here, she apologized to Conner for going against him, while in reality she did her job and she did it well, albeit originally for the wrong reason. Plus, a murderer would have continued to walk free if not for Hayes’s commitment to the case, something that wouldn’t concern a true anti-heroine.

Meta-ly, I’m glad the show did a case that wasn’t as clear cut as the first two because I worried the “innocent guy gets out of jail” schtick was beginning to feel like a foregone conclusion. In last week’s episode, they deviated a bit, with one person guilty and two innocent. Here, they went even further, delving into the gray space between innocent and guilty. This case also showed that Hayes isn’t the only morally ambiguous character, as Sam recognized that the accused wasn’t guilty of what he was imprisoned for, but knew he deserved to be there regardless.

On that note, they’re doing a nice job of fleshing out the supporting characters, slipping in little pieces of backstory and introducing friends and family slowly enough to not overwhelm viewers. I also like their technique of recreating each crime; it’s an effective device that subtly sets the show apart from other procedurals. I do think that the dialogue is still pretty clunky and generic, but the cast is strong enough to compensate for it, at least for now. Plot-wise, I was glad that the truth came out about how Hayes got the job, as that could only serve as motivation for so long without becoming irritating and unrealistic. The promo for next week didn’t tease any fallout, but I expect (and hope) that there will be some.

How are you feeling about Conviction at this point? Sticking with it for a while more? Let me know in the comments!