K, this is the last English paper I’m going to post today. The assignment was to take something and write a review about it. Since Troy and I were getting into watching this show, I decided to use it as the topic of my review. I wrote it on 2/16/13.
“Vegas” is an exciting new show on CBS based on the life and career of Sheriff Ralph Lamb of Las Vegas, Nevada. Using a mix of police drama, western lifestyle and mob history to tell the tale of how Sheriff Lamb used his own brand of police authority to rid Las Vegas of the hold the Chicago mob was trying to take on the fledgling city, “Vegas” comes out as a dynamic new show showing just how far back the sin in Sin City goes.
“Vegas” premiered on September 25, 2012, to 14.85 million viewers, beating out both Private Practice (6.45 million viewers) and Parenthood (4.85 million viewers) in the same time slot. This is not surprising when one looks at the star-studded cast of the popular new show. “Vegas” boasts a cast starring Dennis Quaid as Sheriff Ralph Lamb, Michael Chiklis as mobster Vincent Savino, Carrie-Anne Moss as ADA Katherine O’Connell, Taylor Handley as Deputy Dixon Lamb, Jason O’Mara as Deputy Jack Lamb and Sarah Jones as Mia Rizzo, Vincent Savino’s count room manager.
When first looking through the list of new fall 2012 shows, “Vegas” stood out on the list. Growing up, Las Vegas was only two hours away and any show about the city draws curiosity. After reading the synopsis of the show, a strong desire to watch it was not present. Western tv shows are not of much interest to me and the last investigative drama about Las Vegas casinos seemed more of a slapstick show than an in-depth drama. But, “Vegas” seemed just interesting enough to be given a chance and see what it was all about.
In those first moments of the first episode, the character of Ralph Lamb appears as a modernized version of John Wayne with his down-to-earth, gruff, cowboy style. When faced with a group of men sent to manhandle him, Ralph Lamb single-handedly put them all on the ground without the use of a gun. By the end of the first episode, similar acts along with Lamb’s personal integrity and honor solidified the show as Law & Order meets John Wayne and the Untouchables.
The basic premise of “Vegas” is Ralph Lamb’s career as the sheriff of Las Vegas. After seeing several episodes, a need to see how closely the show followed history became apparent. No full bio on the real Sheriff Lamb was found, nor anything stating whether or not any of the events in the episode were based on true events. All that could be found were several articles stating that Lamb was instrumental in curtailing mob activities in Las Vegas during his 18-year reign as sheriff from 1961-1979.
Lamb’s tough stance on mob activity and illegal action is a major story line in “Vegas”. The main story revolves around Sheriff Lamb trying to keep Chicago mobster, Vincent Savino, and his casino, the Savoy, from breaking the law and taking over Las Vegas. Sheriff Lamb wants to keep his city clean from corruption and he maintains a strict eye on Savino and his associates. Keeping in line with his honor code, Sheriff Lamb uses the law to his advantage in dealing with and thwarting the plans of the Chicago mob.
Around the main plot of the show are crimes that Sheriff Lamb, his brother, Jack, and his son, Dixon, investigate along with a handful of other deputies. While the brother and son do not actually exist in real life in the same context as they do in the show, these characters lend a complex dynamic to the show and also the character of Sheriff Lamb. Jack raised Dixon while Ralph served in the Army during World War II, which causes them to bump heads from time to time on how to best utilize Dixon in the law enforcement world. Ralph lost his wife in a car accident while he was stationed overseas and he wants to do everything he can to keep his son safe. Jack wants Dixon to have every opportunity to experience the life he excels at, being an investigator, and this causes various arguments with Ralph about what is best for Dixon.
During all of the investigations and family interactions, it is very apparent that Jack and Ralph are good, honorable men. They believe in treating people right, being respectful, standing up for what is right and helping people. Vincent Savino, head of the Savoy casino and a mobster from Chicago, is constantly offering veiled bribes and trying to get the brothers to be in his debt. Jack and Ralph always turn him down and stand by their code of walking a path inside the law.
With Vincent Savino being a mobster from Chicago, his character is assumed to follow the typical mobster typecast of being ruthless and hard-edged. In some ways, he is consistent with typical television portrayals of people in the mob: he looks for new ways to make money, he contracts hits, he strong-arms people to get what he wants and he launders money in his casino. The ways in which he is not consistent are that he stands up for Sheriff Lamb when the higher-ups in the mob discuss ‘taking him out.’ He also works to save lives he doesn’t see as necessary to take and he disobeys orders from his superiors. One notable instance of both is when a casino employee notifies the count room manager of a mistake, how he thought the mistake was made and what could be done to keep the government auditors from catching similar mistakes. When Savino is discussing this with his superior, the superior immediately insists that the employee needs to be ‘dealt with.’ Savino argues against that course of action, stating that the employee has been talked to and that his loyalty is not in question, but Savino’s intercession is unsuccessful. Instead of going through with the order to kill the employee, Savino gives the young man money and helps him leave town with a new identity.
Another way Savino differs from typical mob characters is that he is trying to start up his own legitimate business to run along with his mob duties. He has promised his wife for years that he is going to move into more legal business ventures and jumps at the opportunity to do so the moment it arises. This plan is thwarted fairly quickly, but Savino is still looking for ways to accomplish his dream.
Even though Savino has his good guy moments, he is still a member of the Chicago mob and has a goal of strengthening the foothold the mob has on the young city of Las Vegas. We get to see into planning sessions to take over other casinos, decisions of who to strong arm and the mechanics of corrupt practices that take place right there within the Savoy. Though these events may not be the exact replica of what really took place in the 1960’s, they give a good idea of how the mob may have gone about weaving their web to encompass Las Vegas.
In all, “Vegas” is a compelling portrayal of Sheriff Lamb’s life full of police drama, western adventure and mob history. There are the requisite good guys who are easy to like and the bad guys one can’t help but root for and hope they change their ways. There is a good message about standing up for what is right along with not giving up on goals and the importance of family. So far the show has been an entertaining and insightful look into what Las Vegas was like during the early 1960s. Further episodes will only paint a more vivid picture of what it may have been like to live in Las Vegas during that embroiling time in history.
