The Chiavennasca~ First aired: 10/17/2007
Plot synopsis:
Tripp sends Nick to a vineyard in Italy to get information about his father's death. Nick decides to bring Lisa along to spend some time with her away from the Darlings but Freddy and Karen are following them everywhere they go. After Leticia admits she was unfaithful to him, Tripp decides to find out if all of his children are really his.
I've been pondering this show on and off-again since viewing Episode 4 yesterday (DVR'd it).
I'm pretty sure I'm finished with it. It's got a few solidly fine actors stuck in a horridly unfunny nighttime soap.
Seriously, since when did being utterly awful toward a very young child week after week become funny? And let's use as many stereotypes as we can cram into the hour by having the child bully--one more person to pick on Brian, Jr. be a fat, unattractive girl. Great.
Maybe I'm too far removed for what passes for "good" on network television. Am I being too hard on this show? Isn't it a bad thing when I can know many of the actor's lines before they say them? This show is that contrived.
Still, Donald Sutherland soldiers on through the muck as turns in consistantly good performances, but it's such crap that he's must work with as the patriarch of the ultra-dysfunctional ultra-rich clan, the Darlings.
Side note: This is a large family with lots of money. Whythen do most of the adult children live at home? Same reason as Brother and Sisters, right? I realize that they do this so meal scenes can be shot in which sooner or later there will be throwing of silverware or food--but for real here--no adult that rich would still live with his/her parents!
I'm trying to think of anything that I liked about this episode and in honesty--nothing.
An example:
Tripp to Mrs. Tripp--who had a 40-year affair with the family's now-dead ( murdered?) attorney.
"Are all the kids mine?"
Mrs Tripp: "Yes, of course."
Mr. Tripp (paraphrasing) "I hate you. You are sounding way too slick about this."
Later Mr. Tripp goes to see to Mrs. Tripp's OB-GYN with whom she has a 30-year patient history (eww, and are we supposed to believe that all her kids are under age 30?!).
Tripp: "You sold me stolen art or you had something to do with stolen art or something. Something about it's blue paint pigment not having been invented at the time of the painting's creation." (Ripped from the headlines! Remember the most recent Jackson Pollock story of possible forgeries discovered except I think the paint colour was yellow not blue?)
OBY-GYN: Looks scared.
Tripp: That's okay. I just want you to sell your soul, I mean give me a report on all of "my" children. Now.
A short while later...
Tripp: I have your gyn reports. (ewwww) Though I haven't read them I know one kid isn't mine. Tell me which or I won't sleep with you tonight.
Mrs. Tripp: looking alarmed... or something. They are using a lot of "gauzy" effect on Jill Clayburgh's face, obscuring her face somewhat, which I realize is the point. I digress...picks up envelope containing report like she's going to open it (has she forgotten which kid is not Tripp's?) but no, she puts it down and kind of flings it across the table.
Mrs. Tripp: I'll tell you.
*crickets*
Audience: groan (not that plot contrivance again!) Wonder how long they'll keep us "guessing?"
I don't even care that they are trying to stretch this out, obviously in an effort to stoke the audience's interest. I think I'm supposed to care.
The rest of the show is still hitting it's one-note. The Twins: annoying and ridiculous, Karen Darling: former crush of the main character family attorney, Nick George, annoying and ridiculous (still loving Peter Krause--always will). Lisa George (Nicks' wife) cute, but dull.
What a good read, i always enjoy these. Thank you.
Posted by: KathyC | November 06, 2007 at 03:52 PM