‘Heels’ Rewatch: Back to the Grind

12/9/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

How ‘The Journey is the Obstacle’ Explores Our Return to the Grind When We Achieve Our Dreams

‘We’re back to square one.’

‘No. Mystery plus confusion equals ticket sales. We’re at, the very least, square two.’

‘Ticket sales? To what? Look, I don’t know what I’m promotin’. Is Crystal really champ? Bunny? Is someone calling someone else out? Maybe there’s an in-ring interview with Bill’s shit-stained tights. I don’t need a full script, just a gist, just a sliver of a gist, something to promote. We gotta pack the house, dude. We gotta pack it this week, next week, and the week after that. We gotta pack it over and over and over.’

- Willie Day and Jack Spade

Mary McCormack as Willie Day in Episode 202 of ‘Heels’ – ‘The Journey is the Obstacle’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ/Netflix.)

If there is one particular moment that everyone dreams of when it comes to the pursuit of our dreams, it would have to be the days that follow having our dream in hand. Simply because we outright believe that there will be a grand peace that accompanies that big moment. Wherein we can collect our giant check and perhaps… sleep for a couple of days and catch one’s body up after so many sleepless nights. Or perhaps we can walk out of our day job in a dramatic and fulfilling manner before enjoying some serious downtime. To perhaps sleep. For we expect there to be some incredible measure of joy and peace that follows finally having what we want. Because finally, we did it, and easy street is what remains and well… it doesn’t take long for us to learn that none of that happens when we reach the top. At least, not right away.

Because what we always forget when it comes to our dreams, is that life doesn’t end when our dreams begin. There are still bills to pay, in fact, there’s probably some debts we need to settle when we’ve reached the peak of the mountain. There’s still drama to be found and while we might be free of the day job and enjoyed the tearful goodbyes that accompanied bidding farewell to the office… there’s still work to be done. So much work. Because now… we have to maintain what we’ve claimed and well, that hard truth and what all that looks like, are top of mind today, simply because the next episode of Heels takes the time to showcase all of that in its next episode, and that made ‘The Journey is the Obstacle’, an even more powerful episode the second time around.

For it really does explore all of those elements, which this story accomplished by spending a lot of time at the Duffy Dome, with Jack and the gang, mainly because… it was indeed back to work. Because the league had to handle the whole Crystal Tyler mess. Which brought forth ups and downs for both Jack and Crystal. For Ms. Tyler, that mostly involved the fact that Jack had to strip her of her title and set up a new match for her to earn it to make the title legit. Which left her upset and angry, and ready to snap because for her… the wonder and majesty of being the champion allowed for her head to float off into the clouds. But thankfully, Willie pulled her back down to Earth and explained to her the why, and that helped her focus and get her title back. But more importantly, it did showcase how we don’t always get to sit back and revel in the wonder of our accomplishments, we have to work to maintain them.

Chris Bauer, Stephen Amell, and Trey Tucker as Wild Bill Hancock, Jack Spade, and Bobby Pin in Episode 202 of ‘Heels’ – ‘The Journey is the Obstacle’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ/Netflix.)

Speaking of Jack, well, he definitely faced some tougher pressures regarding this lesson. Simply because he too… had a measure of belief that easy street was on the horizon. After all, the DWL was the talk of the wrestling world. But it quickly became clear, that success wakes up those we owe debts to since collectors were calling, and it was up to him to keep the league in the news. Which meant, he needed to focus, get those scripts going and build on this momentum and that was work he was not prepared for initially. But he worked to commit to making that happen, since he too learned about maintaining a plateau. But he also came to learn… about how life goes on while we enjoy our new title of Ruler of Our Domain. Since there were still troubles at home for him to deal with via Staci and Thomas, and that was not going well in the slightest despite his best efforts. Plus, his star wrestler, was now MIA.

If anything, Ace’s journey in this story explored another concept that is rarely discussed regarding our dreams. In that, sometimes success in a manner that isn’t perfect… can put us in quite the reflective state. Wherein we just ponder upon our path, and whether or not we deserve where it has taken us. Which is what Ace did here. Since he hit the road and really pondered upon his life, his path, and everything in between. Which gave us some fascinating insight into the man, while showcasing the reality of imposter syndrome, and how self-worth can impact how we respond to success. All of which are important points to ponder upon when success finds us in the most unconventional manner, and it is something we all might have missed the first time around thanks to that literal cliffhanger ending. But that’s why you rewatch, to enjoy moments such as these.

Of which, there were plenty in this tale. In fact, this episode was simply a masterclass in how to portray realism. Which is a testament to writer Mike O’Malley’s skill set, since it is his script that made this episode feel more akin to live observation than orchestrated filmmaking, and it’s a wonderful thing Mike went this route. Because this is the stuff we need to think about when chasing our dreams, so we don’t stumble about as the Spade boys and their friends did here. If anything, this episode really did offer up, a refreshing examination on the pursuit of our dreams and it just reminds us of how special this show is and how it truly goes where dramas never go, and that’s all the more reason it needs a third season and beyond, and all the more reason to continue this rewatch. To learn more about the human condition and the ups and down that accompany the pursuit of our dreams.

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