'Wild Rose' Review: Omarion Leads Assassin Drama Series on ALLBLK
A hitman with a conscious caught between family, loyalty, and secrets
A New Assassin Drama Arrives on ALLBLK
Wild Rose, created by Deji LaRay (Johnson, G.R.I.T.S) and executive produced by Omarion, Michelle Le Fleur and LaRay, premieres Thursday, March 12, on ALLBLK.
The show follows Rose (Omarion) who is raised in a family full of assassins, running an underground empire under the guise of a non-profit organization. While trying to understand why his wife and daughter suddenly disappeared from his life, he is requested to guard a famous pop singer who suddenly becomes the center of an assassination plot.
The pilot episode, which is available to stream now, introduces us to a man attempting to keep a low profile, honor his family, and do what he was raised to do: take out his targets.
A Family That Assassinates Together
The series stars singer, songwriter, author, and actor Omarion who plays the titular character Roosevelt, also known as Rose, his real life brother O’Ryan who plays his brother Chase, Milan Anderson who plays his sister Yari, Vanessa E. Williams who plays his mother Joyce, and Casey Gardner who plays pop singer Somaya.
Rose’s strict mother, Joyce (Williams), is the head of the organization and is a force to be reckoned with—demanding respect and invoking fear within every member who works for her. Yet as a mother to Rose, Chase, and their tech genius daughter Yari, she wants the best for them always.
[SPOILER-ALERT]
There is a level of integrity, values, and an ethos that must be upheld, but everything is called into question when the existence of the organization is disclosed in a public setting.
This creates a fissure amongst the group, especially when the person who disclosed this information framed another to take the fall.
Wild Rose is More Than an Assassin’s Story
The 8-episode series details the journey of a man who dares to take a glimpse beyond the curtain of the life he was born into.
Omarion does an incredible job at capturing Rose’s internal struggle while balancing it with the hardness of being an assassin, yet maintaining his humanity with his personal code of ethics (yes, even assassins have a code).
While the series does start off a bit shaky with some of the dialogue and delivery, each episode grants an opportunity to grow; the characters begin to feel like people you would meet at a club or at a bar in real life.
And as we dive into the lives of the ensemble cast, we are thrust into a world that reaches far and wide, impacting organizations both under and above ground.
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Humor, Heart, and Family
One of the funnier elements of the series is how everyone doubts that a man of Rose’s stature can be a bodyguard that people take seriously.
If you met his mother, you would never doubt him again.
This level of calling out the elephant in the room—that audiences themselves would likely question—is a clever way to acknowledge a stereotypical reality, but quickly gets the audience to suspend their disbelief.
The greater theme, however, is family and all it entails—pride, disappointment, jealousy, secrets, love, and hate. All of these feelings are at constant war throughout the series; swirling inside each character like hazardous chemicals ready to combust.
Deji LaRay’s Voice and Vision in the Television Landscape
One of the things I particularly like about series’ written by LaRay is the specificity of the stories he chooses to tell. They are the underrepresented voices within the industry that are now given the opportunity to take the main stage.
From a story about childhood friends who became lifelong brothers, to the sisterhood of the girls in Memphis and skate culture, to a family of assassins who all have the skills of Jason Bourne and Jason Statham.
Each story centers Black experiences as well as our endless imagination, daring to dream big. We deserve to be portrayed in these spaces too—in all the multitudes of our shared existence.
Wild Rose Cast & Characters
The series also includes the following ensemble cast:
Allen Payne as Bolden
Rayven Symone Ferrell as Carmen
Calida Jones as CoCo
Joi Symone as Summer
Micheal Marcelio as Quincy
Ninja Devoe as Detective Price
King Keraun (in a featured role)
Wild Rose premieres Thursday, March 12, on ALLBLK and weekly thereafter. Check out the trailer below.
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