Dirty Sexy Money – The Star Witness

ABC

(Season 2, Episode 3)

I don’t know why we haven’t heard an order for more scripts on this series, or a full back nine commitment. I mean, seriously folks. Knight Rider got picked up and its ratings aren’t that great. Hell, The Sarah Connor Chronicles has terrible ratings and FOX is notorious for yanking series off the air immediately and it got a full season order. So Dirty Sexy Money isn’t setting the ratings world on fire. Did you see tonight’s episode? Now that is what damn fine drama is all about.

This cast is just overflowing with acting talent and every single solitary character on the show has been fleshed out into such complex and intriguing personalities. My God, where to begin. Early on, Karen seemed a throw-away character; a sexed up tart who served only to make passes at Nick and destroy his marriage. Jeremy was nothing more than a party boy who got himself into trouble. Patrick was a stereotypical pampered politician and Brian was simply psychotic. Well, that last part hasn’t changed much but there’s a real heart underneath the crazy.

And that’s not even touching Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, Blair Underwood and Lucy Liu. What more could you want? For tonight’s review, we’re going to look at which characters really stood out in the episode. As always, there’s just so much going on in a typical hour with the Darlings that we could be here all day just recapping it.

Karen Darling – We’ve reached the point where I really feel for her. I don’t know what the hell Simon Elder is up to, but he is playing her hard and it’s going to end in heartbreak for her. And, as with all the Darlings, underneath her loose lush exterior, she’s a genuine person. That moment between her and Lisa was so poignant and beautiful I could actually feel the sorrow that both women felt. It also gave me a little more sympathy toward Lisa, who’s been incredibly harsh to Nick of late.

Patrick Darling – Another character you have to feel bad for. Isn’t it interesting that you wind up feeling for so many of the characters under Tripp’s thumb. And poor Patrick is trapped so far under it he can’t even see the outside any more. And Tripp is just masterful at reigning him in, producing Carmelita at just the right moment to avoid Patrick coming clean about the death of his wife. Masterful and so twisted; Tripp is truly a trip! And now with his wife out of the way, what of Carmelita?

Nick George – Well, not so much Nick really this week as it was his mom. We finally got to learn some more about what happened with Nick and his mother all those years ago, and how she too was a casualty of the Darlings. I loved the dinner conversation with her new boyfriend. The discomfort on her face when he was asking Nick about his parents. Again, the writing and acting on this show is so good why aren’t more people falling in love with this? It’s like the new Dynasty, isn’t it? That show was huge!

Brian Darling – How uncomfortable was it to watch Brian screaming over the computer at his son, if not directly at him. And how hilarious was it to watch his son just slowly close the computer. Kid knows his father. Brian is still an absolute hoot to watch as he is 99% rage on the surface but a really compassionate father underneath. The guy has to be certifiable. Still, there will be fallout from his little unknown stowaway, and this time it’s not even his fault. Though how the kid got on board a private jet without anyone knowing is beyond me.

I know there were more things happening, but this is what jumped out at me. I like that different members of the cast get a chance to shine in each episode. Tripp was almost non-existent, though as always his presence was felt everywhere. Letitia had a few moments with Nick, and Jeremy and Lucy Liu of course have their burgeoning relationship. I didn’t even mention Dan Rather or Ron Glass (cameos!). Damn, why does this show have its claws in me so deep? How did this happen?

Songs from this episode:
The Weepies – “Somebody Loved”

Buy this episode on iTunes:

Clacked by Jason Hughes
on Oct 23, 2008 @ 11:00 EST5EDT