Drama
Chief of War
Apple TV+’s ‘Chief of War’ paints an interesting portrait of Hawai’i’s history circa the 18th century. But like many historical dramas, it’s painted in blood.
Ever since she was a kid, all Darby Spencer ever wanted to be was a cop. Just like her dad.
But working on the force isn’t quite what she expected. She thought she’d be helping people and catching bad guys—making a difference in the world. Instead, she’s getting reprimanded for helping out pregnant women and criticized for disobeying her superiors (even though they were wrong).
So she quits.
It’s a tough decision. But to make matters even worse, she comes home to find her live-in boyfriend cheating on her. And since the condo is actually his, now she doesn’t have a career, a boyfriend or a home.
Well, there is one place she could go.
Darby’s mom doesn’t live far away. But Darby hasn’t been home in ages, mostly because Darby doesn’t really like her mom.
Victoria Spencer became a world-famous mystery author after Darby’s dad passed away. She spent the majority of Darby’s teen years traversing the globe, promoting her books. And Darby sort of resents her for it.
Darby had just lost her dad. She needed her mom, not a souvenir from whatever exotic location Victoria had just returned from. But Victoria didn’t know how to process her own grief either. And instead of focusing on her daughter, she decided to focus on her career.
The pair have a lot of healing to do. And what better way to start that than finding some common ground?
When one of Darby’s childhood friends is expelled from college for alleged plagiary, Darby and Victoria promise to investigate.
With Darby’s background as a police officer and Victoria’s expertise writing mysteries, they actually make a pretty good crime-solving pair. They form the Spencer Sisters Detective Agency (a jest, since Victoria is often mistaken for Darby’s sister). And soon, they’re finally fulfilling both their dreams: solving crimes and helping people.
The show has a few problems for parents to watch out for. There’s some language (though nothing too harsh) and occasional violence (Darby tackles a perp to the ground in the first episode).
But mostly, though we haven’t seen anything too tantalizing onscreen yet, the show comes with strong sexual undertones.
As mentioned, Darby was living with (and having sex with) her boyfriend. We spot him and his mistress partially disrobed. And Darby’s best friend is a gay man who has a husband and adopted daughter.
Considering how many mystery novels (and private detective stories) involve murder, sex or drugs, there’s a good chance those themes will get amped up as the season progresses. But from what I can tell at this early juncture, The Spencer Sisters isn’t far off from most Agatha Christie novels.
After quitting her job as a cop, Darby visits her estranged mother (and famous novelist), Victoria. The pair butt heads at first, but after one of Darby’s old high school friends is expelled from college for plagiarism, the ex-cop and mystery writer team up to crack the case.
Armed police officers search for a robbery culprit. (The owner, who fought back, is seen being treated by paramedics.) We see the culprit’s blood on a parking garage wall. And Darby knocks the man down with a shopping cart before tackling and arresting him. Darby jokingly threatens to tase Victoria.
We see Darby and her shirtless boyfriend in bed together, and later we see the guy wrapped in a towel. Darby realizes he’s cheating and finds his mistress (who’s wearing a skimpy nightgown) hiding in their closet. (And after blaming Darby for his own unfaithfulness, he kicks her out, leaving her homeless.) We hear some crass references to sex and male anatomy. There’s a poster of a shirtless movie star hanging in Darby’s childhood bedroom.
Darby’s best friends are in a gay relationship with each other, who’ve adopted a little girl. Someone is suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, which turn out to be for erectile dysfunction. A couple smooches.
Some women drink mimosas at breakfast and suggest that the drink isn’t “booze” if it’s paired with orange juice.
We learn about an admissions scandal, bribery, computer theft, and other wrong deeds. Darby and Victoria often lie while trying to solve the case. Darby gets upset when Victoria steals pills out of a suspect’s bag. Later, she breaks the law herself (and blames her mom for being a bad influence) by breaking into someone’s office and hacking into their computer.
A detective dismisses Darby because she’s not a detective too (Darby suggests it also has something to do with him being sexist). She’s unfairly reprimanded for insubordination even though her actions led to the capture of a dangerous criminal. So she quits her job, refusing to be overlooked anymore.
Victoria’s latest book is titled “The Cardinal’s Confession,” and she hosts a book reading in the ruins of an old church.
God’s name is misused seven times. There’s a single use of “d–mit.”
We learn that Darby’s dad, who was a cop, died in the line of duty. After that, Victoria dove into her work, neglecting Darby’s emotional needs. And now, she has a bad habit of insulting her daughter in what she thinks are attempts to improve Darby’s life. Darby, for her part, can be really harsh to her mom. And she almost seems to take pleasure in putting Victoria in her place.
Both women learn to be vulnerable with each other by the episode’s end, setting the stage for future healing in their relationship.
Victoria calls Darby the “prodigal daughter.”
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
Apple TV+’s ‘Chief of War’ paints an interesting portrait of Hawai’i’s history circa the 18th century. But like many historical dramas, it’s painted in blood.
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