Heels lets us in on what’s real in the world of pro wrestling

When Sons of Anarchy came out in 2008, it was with little fanfare or advance warning. It went on for seven seasons of brilliance (stream the spin-off, Mayans MC, on Showmax now). Heels is a bit like that. Only the first season so far of course, but it has been renewed for a second (warning: link contains spoilers)  and it has all the potential of becoming one of the greats.

The drama series is set in the world of professional wrestling. Very small-town professional wrestling; the scale may be less than WWE for example, but pro wrestling nonetheless.

The sport is defined as “a form of theatre that revolves around staged wrestling” and it’s been around a lot longer than the television and YouTube phenomena we know today – around the turn of the last century, in fact, wrestlers decided to script the match outcomes and adapt the moves to reduce injury and pain. Even so, professional wrestlers are injured more than any other athlete.

Welcome to Duffy, Georgia (a fictional town), and the DWL: Duffy Wrestling League. This is where we find Jack Spade (Stephen Amell, Arrow, Vampire Diaries), who runs the DWL, having inherited it from his father Tom (played in flashbacks by David James Elliott). He controls everything, from the wrestlers to their stories in the ring. This includes his younger brother Ace (Alexander Ludwig, The Hunger Games, Vikings).

Ace is what is known as a “face” – a good guy; Jack is a “heel”, the villain of the piece, and this can overflow and spill into real life. Faces can become heels and vice versa – it all depends on the story being told. Boos or cheers, it’s all the same in the end. The wrestlers must make sure the audience loves them … or loves to hate them.

The cast of Heels is fleshed out with superb characters, whose back stories are revealed over the eight episodes, and they all contribute to the overall narrative.

Why you’ll love Heels: our favourite moments

1. The writing

The writing is outstanding (and can at times remind you of Justified, in its southern eloquence), in particular in the locker room scenes and other occasions the wrestlers are together outside the ring. These pockets of light comic relief balance the intense drama, allow us to get to know the wrestlers a bit better, and simply to breathe. 

2. We love Bobby

Each character is important but Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker) is the sweetest nice guy. It’s a mystery why he is relegated to “recurring” status on Wikipedia because his role is central to the entire show. There’s a scene at the end of one episode where he calls his parents to share some good news and it’s just adorable.

3. Heels’ version of Hulk Hogan

Wild Bill Hancock (Chris Bauer, The Deuce, True Blood and oh so many more) is brilliant as an old dog in a snakeskin suit and horseshoe moustache (think Hulk Hogan) who pulls no punches as he sows disruption everywhere he goes, drinking and drugging along the way.

He whispers sweet nothings in Ace’s ear, convincing him to give up the DWL and move on to bigger and better things, which drives a massive wedge between Ace and Jack, whose relationship in and out the ring is already volatile. Ultimately, he has his redemption moment(s).

4. Episode 5 is everything

The whole of episode 5, without a doubt the most outstanding of the series, divides the first and second halves. There’s Bill’s apology for what he did on the aeroplane, Jack explaining to his son Thomas (Roxton Garcia) why bad guys are necessary, the rift between Ace and his valet Crystal (Kelli Berglund) and the triangle set up with Bobby, how she goes off script and Bobby pays the price.

I’ve watched the series twice and even though I knew what was coming, it was as shocking as the first time and I had to cover my eyes. 

5. Crystal’s badass move

A valet is a supporting character paired with a wrestler. In the case of Crystal it’s as a girlfriend, and it seems to be that way in real life too. But Ace is not always the nicest guy even if he is a face, and he treats her badly. This is where you ponder faces and heels and the parts they play.

Crystal, however, wants to be more than a valet. She wants to wrestle but can’t get through to Jack to have him grant her a storyline outside of being eye candy. She’s got at least one killer move though, and despite rewinding (so to speak) and watching it over and over, I still can’t figure it out but it’s badass and I want to see more.

6. The ending

The best moment of all is when the screen goes black at the end of episode 8 and you realise you have been absorbed into these two worlds and effectively set up who to be happy for, and who to root for in season two. Just like the wrestling audience.

Well played, Heels. Well played.