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Family intrigue, wealth and murder abound in 'Deception' By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it All families are complicated, and coming off of the holidays, few would disagree. But few families are quite as complicated as the Bowerses. The Bowerses are the family of NBC's drama "Deception," premiering Monday, Jan. 7. The family has amassed the sort of obscene wealth that usually comes at others' expense. This features people behaving really badly and expecting to get away with it because they are so rich. The pilot is crowded as it tries to lay the foundations for many stories, but stick with it. By the second episode, the pace improves, and the characters are more nuanced, and by the third, it becomes compelling. Set in New York and Connecticut, the show opens with the death of the family's adult daughter. It was initially considered a drug overdose, but Vivian was clearly beaten. Figuring out who did it sets up the series. The FBI recruits a police officer, Joanna Locasto (Meagan Good, "Californication"), to go under cover and infiltrate the family. It's easy for her to do so because she was Vivian's best friend growing up. Joanna's mom, yet to be seen (S. Epatha Merkerson, "Law & Order") was a maid for the family, and the girls were close until Vivian veered off into substance abuse. "Joanna is very determined, and she has a moral compass, and she loves hard and has been through a lot and has seen a lot," Good says. "And at this point in her life what she loves most is justice and pursuing right, and that is why she chose to be a police officer and part of why she is passionate about getting justice for Vivian." The Bowerses own a pharmaceutical company, which father Robert (Victor Garber, "Alias") 2 runs. He's charming and ruthless. Robert is more concerned about the company's stock and bringing a cancer-fighting drug to market than he is with family. Still, Garber manages to infuse him with humanity so he's not a one-dimensional monster of capitalism. There's a scene where he watches his son Edward (Tate Donovan, "Damages") with obvious pride, and when talking with Joanna, Robert becomes more than the monomaniacal CEO. "I describe him as a loving father with some issues," Garber says. "His intentions are good, but sometimes he has to be devious to get what he wants." "Deception" premieres Monday on NBC. up in a less privileged guilty. It's like when you Robert's sons, Julian environment. But Robert call a kid bad, and he (Wes Brown, "90210"), a and Edward don't want becomes bad. He does doctor by training and a them to move, so Robert not care if people like playboy by practice, and asks his wife, Sofia him, which I really enjoy Edward, a lawyer, work (Katherine LaNasa, "Big playing because I am just for their father. Edward Love"), to talk with her the opposite." wanted to be a politician, daughter-in-law. Even Donovan, who but his aspirations were Sofia is delicious fun, is directing some of cut short when he was in that nasty ultra-queenthe episodes, hasn't a accused of rape and bee way. Trying to school clue if Edward's past is murder. Though he her granddaughter on felonious. was never indicted, the eating foie gras, Sofia "The beautiful thing accusation follows him. says, "Very little value about playing this role is Many suspect that the in the world happens I don't know," Donovan family money covered up because an angel kisses says. "It sort of switches. his crime. a unicorn. Get used to It is sort of wonderful Asked to describe his that, young lady." to have that gnawing at character, Donovan says, Sofia and Edward are you — to have that not "He is extraordinarily, suspicious of Joanna and shockingly handsome. For knowing." why Robert takes her in His home life is rocky, me, he is an intriguing so easily. But Sofia is a and Edward's wife, character because he second wife and did not Samantha (Marin Hinkle, has this sort of terrible know Joanna growing "Two and a Half Men"), event in his past. He was up. Edward is suspicious wants to move their accused of raping and by nature. Complicating daughters to California murdering a girl, and the matters — as if that and have them grow whole world thinks he's The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • Jan. 7-13, 2013 needed to be done — the other son, Julian, and Joanna were lovers when they were teens. The youngest Bowers daughter, Mia (Ellie Rae Peck), in her angry teen years, has too much money and not enough sense. It's clear early on that Mia is different. In fact, though the show initially could seem like another melodrama about lifestyles of the rich and infamous, it, too, is unusual. "It is so different," Good says. "All of the elements of this show and all of the different characters and storylines. You get your procedural fix. You get your drama fix. You get your love triangle fix. You get your family drama fix. You get it all."

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