‘Hightown’ Recap: ‘Love You Like a Sister’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We are taught from a very early age, that life changing moments don’t just happen out of the blue. That they are instead a journey of sorts, the kind that slowly build to a crescendo and there is some merit to this line of thinking. After all, when we reach a reflective point in our lives in regard to a life changing moment, we speak to the journey in question. But the fact of the matter, is that such thoughts are designed to do nothing more than give us comfort and cause. For in reality, life is chaos and life changing moments do indeed come out of the blue, and it is how we react to them that gives us a journey to talk about and really, the power of a single moment is relevant to our discussion today, because it is central to the series premiere of the STARZ show, Hightown.
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For ‘Love You Like a Sister’ is a story that indeed features an out of nowhere, life changing moment for a National Marine Fisheries Service Agent named, Jackie Quiñones, but it sure doesn’t seem as though that’s going to be in the cards early on. Because this is a series that really helps us to get to know Jackie and show us that she is something of a reckless free spirit, since she is eager to get drunk and high on her off time and just live as she sees fit. But one morning, when she tries to shake off the rust of the night before, she stumbles upon a dead body. One that was involved in a drug related murder and just like that, her life does indeed begin to change. Not because she’s had a real taste of ugly police work, but because seeing something that traumatic, amplifies her darker actions. Since she goes on harder benders after that, to quell the images haunting her mind.

Which in turn, puts her into another surprise moment. One that forces her to face her problems with drugs and alcohol, when she makes the poor choice to get behind the wheel while wasted, and well… that aspect of the story is what makes this series premiere so powerful. Because addiction and its consequences are so rarely presented in an honest and earnest light on the silver or small screen. So, to see an addict genuinely relish in the wonder of drugs and alcohol, to the point where the high makes them deny they're in any trouble… is powerful stuff for certain. Since it really does give us a raw examination of what addiction is like and how hard it is for addicts to admit to the problems their cravings cause and their outright power for that matter, and that makes this aspect of the story quite engrossing and engaging. Since the viewer is immediately curious to see what other harsh aspects of this illness are going to be put on display. 

Yet while that is powerful and poignant for certain, we would be remiss to not point out that Jackie’s stunning encounter with a dead body is also going to lead to quite the powerhouse story as well. Since that moment introduces us to the seedy underworld of Cape Cod. Where drugs are flowing through the city like wine and where a small handful of heroes are trying to stop that. Such as Detective Alan Saintille, an honest cop that clearly loves his work and wants to do good in the world and Detective Sergeant Ray Abruzzo, a bit of a freewheeling cop in his own right, who tends to go above and beyond in a risky manner to solve his cases, and meeting them and seeing how the dots connect to the body in question, is what informs us that we are about to embark on a powerful journey. One that will tie everything together in a clever manner, while digging deep into a taboo and uncomfortable topic that audiences and everyday people try to avoid talking about or sugarcoat if they do.

Which means that in the end, this is a brilliant series premiere for certain. One that does a wonderful job of taking its time to help us to get to know our principal cast of characters and what makes them tick, so that we care about them and their journeys before the tough stuff amplifies and challenges them further and this episode also deserves a round of applause for treating us to some genuinely moving moments. Since Jackie’s time with the counselor and her best friend Ed were tough to watch because of their visceral nature and the brilliance of this series premiere doesn’t end there. Because it is a huge deal that that an LGBTQ+ individual is the lead character in this story since representation matters and well, in the end, this writer is outright hooked on this series and cannot wait to enjoy more and geek out about it with all of you, in the days and weeks to come. Until next time.

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