Time to return to the Duffy Wrestling League in Duffy, GA, as the Spade Brothers, Jack (Stephen Amell) and Ace (Alexander Ludwig) are trying to keep the promotion afloat and not kill each other in the process.
Since last we saw HEELS on STARZ, Jack secured a deal at the Georgia State Fair, and in the Main Event, it was a three-way ladder match between him, Ace, and “Wild Bill” Hancock (Chris Bauer) for the DWL Heavyweight title. But it would be Crystal (Kelli Berglund), Ace’s former girlfriend and valet, that would claim the top prize, and the rift between the brothers would be driven farther apart as certain truths came to light in the match.
Hope that catches everyone up since Amell noted earlier in the year that there was a delay in getting the second season out, due to a split between LionsGate and Starz.
But, let’s get you back into the drama in the Duffy Wrestling League.
To start, Ace leaves in a huff after the main event, and Crystal celebrates, along with Rick Rabies (Phil Brooks aka CM Punk) giving kudos for delivering a stellar show, along with the management of the State Fair wanting to book more of his promotion in the future. Jack is grateful, but during the show, he keeps looking for Ace and trying to reach him but gets nowhere.
Crystal (Kelli Berglund) celebrates with her newly-acquired DWL championship. Courtesy of STARZ.
That leads to a flashback to their dad, “King” Tom Spade, who we learned last season had committed suicide. This season picks up from that point to the Spades dealing with the patriarch’s death and the funeral procession that followed afterward. Everyone in the Spade family processes it In their own way: from Jack being detached but willing to maintain the family facade, to Ace being unable to process waking up to see his dad dead from a self-inflicted gunshot and seeing his dad’s corpse as a final image, to Carol Spade (Alice Barrett) disassociating everything with her husband and the DWL. There’s even a moment when Carol has a moment with “Wild Bill”, and she gives him a good scolding for not being there for his friend and husband and wanting nothing in return, even though she takes any cash that is on his person.
Willie Day (Mary McCormack) and Jack start to take down the office and memorabilia as the Dome is looking to get knocked down after the passing of the elder Spade. Willie comes across a letter meant for Jack, who refuses to open it because there are unresolved issues between him and his dad. That’s when the DWL roster wanders in and suggests a “ten-bell salute” to “King” Spade, but Jack dismisses the idea. It wouldn’t be until later when he and Staci (Alison Luff) have a private moment and she plants the idea that it can be a memorial show.
Jack finally warms to the idea and gets the roster together to plan out the card, and Ace comes in and begs Jack to wrestle on the show. He pleads his case to Jack to be in the squared circle so that he can “have a different memory than waking up to a gunshot”, and Jack reluctantly agrees. Thankfully, as we know from last season, Ace is a natural in the ring and picks up the training quickly, despite being green.
Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwing) gets a crash course on what to expect in the ring from his brother, Jack Spade (Stephan Amell). Courtesy of STARZ.
That leads to a packed house wanting to remember the patriarch of the Spades and of the DWL, and the main event with Jack and Ace (with Ace in sweatpants, nonetheless) tearing down the house. But the poignant moment comes when Ace goes up the top turnbuckle and flashes back to a time as a kid watching his dad winking to him from the rafters before delivering a big elbow drop, and he does the same in homage to Jack. The fans are happy with the finish, as are the Spades in good spirits for (possibly) the first time in a long time, and Jack wants to keep that spirit going, along with wanting Ace to be the future of the DWL.
That brings us back to the present, as Jack comes to an empty home, and calls Staci, who’s now away from the house. They have a good talk, but much is left unresolved on what their family life is going to look like and is going to be a big arc of what the show is going to try to resolve. Jack goes to his nightstand and finally opens the letter his dad left for him, which simply reads, “Take care of Ace.” Meanwhile, Ace is driving on a lonely highway with his dad’s crown in a box in the passenger seat.
This is good jumping point for what HEELS will attempt to address for the second season as it relates to family issues in and out of the ring in Duffy, GA. Not everything will be so serious, as Gully (showrunner Mike O’Malley) returns and tries to bash DWL for placing to top title on a girl. There are also the flashes of wrestling talent making their returns, like Punk and Luke and PJ Hawx, who are billed on the show as “The Hole” and referee “Denny”, respectively.
There’s a lot that HEELS builds from last season, but most notably they added some good Southern/hard rock into the show, like Quaker City Night Hawk’s, Fox in the Henhouse, or classic oldies like Boston’s More than a Feeling
This was something my co-host Bill Frost of TV TAN Podcast (The Only TV Podcast That Matters™) noted was lacking from last season. I will concede that they had to operate with the budget available at the time, but here’s hoping Molly Hatchet or The Georgia Satellites feature into their playlist.
But one can only hope after the promise of this last season, and the beginning of the first episode of the second season that this isn’t going to be a ten-bell salute to a great show full of HEELS.
Slam Wrestling’s Heels story and review archive
Check out the STARZ-created website for the Duffy Wrestling League
Watch episodes of Heels through the STARZ website