Kiss My Enemy review

The setup

Brooke steps into the ring knowing the result is already decided. Her promoter has booked her to lose, and the opponent across the canvas has been paid to finish her career, a fact delivered straight to her face. She protests and is told there is nothing to discuss. Most of the episode is the fight itself, close to fifty seconds of grappling with almost no dialogue. The closing beat flips the premise: the hired opponent repeats the threat, then tells her to fight back.

Episode 2

Episode 2 ends the match on a three count, and the result is not the one anybody paid for. Brooke corners the opponent afterward, demanding to know why the job went unfinished and what the fee was; apparently it was not enough. Then the promoter lays down terms: a major card in thirty days, a contract on the line, and a rematch where the wrong result means neither fighter works again.

Who's who

• Brooke: a fighter told her career ends tonight, and not inclined to cooperate
• The hired opponent: paid to take Brooke out, with feelings about the job that do not match the fee
• The promoter: books results in advance and settles disputes with ultimatums and thirty-day deadlines

Verdict: 5.6 out of 10

The premise is strong and the execution is minimal. A booked loss, a paid opponent and a promoter playing god make for good pulp, and the ultimatum at the end of episode 2 gives the series a real clock. The trouble is how little gets said. Long stretches of fighting carry no words at all, so the relationship promised by the title stays theoretical. Buy in if you want the rematch; the romance is still on credit.

Episode guide