First of all, that kid deserved it. If you decide to watch it or have already watched it or you don't plan on watching it, let me be clear: that little boy deserved what was coming to him. If I even attempted half the stuff he did, I would not be here today. Now, he shouldn't have been slapped by another adult who's not his parent, but he did deserve it. I won't tell you what he did, but again, the brat deserved it.

It's so hard to talk about this without wanting to tell you everything he did leading up to it, so for the sake of spoilers, highlight over the next part in between the asterisks for my thoughts on it.

* When I say that kid deserved it, I mean that kid deserved it. He was tugging on his mother's dress, he threw and broke Peter Sarsgaard's character's vinyl records, pulled up his rose bushes, hogged the gaming tablet, swung a wooden bat dangerously close to the other kids, and kicked an adult in the shin. I would never be heard from again if I threw someone's vinyl records, let alone get picked up and shuffled off into another corner where I could do more damage. 

And the parents were the most self indulgent, hippie, "I believe in time-out" BS that messes up kids nowadays. They should have been the one to whoop their kid and instead just kept casually telling him to stop. Um, if he didn't stop the first time you told him, or the fifteenth time, then he should get his ass beat. But they just sat there, leaving it to someone else to do it and then they want to sit there and cry foul. What? *

Second of all, this show was adapted from a book, then an Australian format, so that's where they also made a mistake. Nothing against Australian tv, but they have a slower format than Americas 'gimme now' format where a shocker or scandal has to happen every two seconds so viewers will stay tuned in. I'm kind of on the fence about adapting shows from overseas only because I have a great love for British shows, but they tend to be a lot slower in pace and content than its American counterparts. While AMC tries to bring us back to that sort of slower storytelling, and I'm all for it, some content just can't be that way. So when a show makes its way over here, the producers like to copy it shot for shot. Gracepoint and Broadchurch anyone?

Again, I'm all for the slower format if it's justified. NBC centered this entire show around the premise of a kid getting slapped and the ethical and moral corners it sticks people in as they decide who was right and who was wrong. But it's clear from the very get-go that this show has more to do with the lives of the adults. Suffice it to say, been there done that. None of these storylines are anything new and there are plenty of ways they could have gone. Let me explain:

Roll over in between the asterisks for the spoilers:

* Peter Sarsgaard plays a guy named Hector who is just reaching his 40th birthday. His coworkers throw him a party but then comes the hammer from the big boss that he didn't get a promotion. So now he's upset. He goes home to where we see he has a biracial family, his wife is black and English, and their kids are mixed. Okay, that's new and I'm digging it, but it's obvious he's an overworked dad. 

He goes upstairs, puts on some jazz, the only thing that makes him happy, and he's dreaming of some young girl who barely looks old enough to drive, and he's fantasizing about her and making excuses to go and see her at some clinic. Apparently, she's the nanny for his kids...I mean the list goes on and on. They're not actually doing anything, yet, but how cliche can you really get? Boo hoo, his mortality is staing him in the face so now he wants to entertain the idea of some new girl who actually wants him while his wife slaves over making food for his birthday and taking care of his kids to stop and give him birthday sex in the morning. Puh-leese!!!!

Then, Uma thurman is dating some younger actor guy who she's all in lurve with, but judging from the other previews, she's scared of how much she likes him which only means she's going to mess it up somehow. Need I go on? *

Third of all, I was confused by so many relationships in the episode that I focused more on that at times rather than why the kid wasn't getting disciplined by his hippie mother, Rosie played by Melissa George who was also on the Australian show in the same role. Far as I know, Peter Sarsgaard as Hector is the guy we start out with. He has a black English wife Aisha, played by Thandie Newton, and they have two kids together who never stop arguing. Hector has an overebearing mother and a tired father and they're Greek, and Aisha doesn't like the mom very much. Then there's Harry, Hector's cousin played by the gorgeous Zachary Quinto, who's rich as he's rolling around in a range rover and worried about it getting stolen. He has a wife, Marin Ireland, and a son, but that's where I lose it. I have no idea how Rosie and Gary, Thomas Sadoski, fits into the family. Maybe I just didn't catch it, I don't know. And then there's a completely anonymous black couple way in the peripheral who I can only assume is related to Aisha, but they serve no purpose other than to fill out the party. Again, unclear with that relationship. And then there's Uma Thurman who plays Anouk, and I have no idea what her relationship is. Maybe she's Hector's sister?? I don't know, but judging by the name, I'd say she's related some kind of way. 

Honestly, the only thing this show had going for it was the Greek aspect and the actors actually speaking Greek and that whole language divide because Harry and Gary already hated each other. Harry slapping Gary's kid, Hugo, was just icing on the cake and a catalyst for them to come to blows. Though they never actually do, that would have at least livened things up a bit.

And unfortunately for The Slap, they had some top tier talent. People who may not have the global box office domination but have a strong enough fan base who will tune in to their projects. So it's a wonder why they even signed on to this thing. Peter Sarsgaard is just coming off of The Killing, Zachary Quinto off of Star Trek, Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton, Brian Cox from the RED movies, and Thomas Sadoski off of The Newsroom and guest spots from Law and Order: SVU. It just really makes you wonder.

I won't be tuning in for any more of this drama despite the talent. Because I'm sure in another universe, Peter Sarsgaard, Zachary Quinto and Thomas Sadoski are my soul mates. Le Sigh.