At one point in Sunday night’s season opener of HBO’s “Ballers,” lead sports agent Spencer Strasmore (Dwayne Johnson) takes business partner Joe Krutel (Rob Corddry) to a spot below the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro.
Strasmore sadly explains how this was the place where his older brother, a onetime USC quarterback headed for fame but derailed by the NCAA, ended his life with a tragic fatal leap.
“That’s pretty heavy, even for me,” says Krutel, trying to break the tension. “And I learned how to cremate my wife on a do-it-yourself website.”
Following up a season where Strasmore and Krutel navigated the NFL’s move from Oakland to Las Vegas — which, surprise, actually happened in real life — Southern California might want to brace itself for more foreshadowing, even if sometimes it feels as if we’re having shade thrown at us in the process.