Forever A Fangirl

Dirty Sexy Money Fairs Poorly in Ratings, Risks Cancellation, S2 E4 "The Silence *SPOILERS* S2 05 "The Verdict" I'm Done

EDIT 11.20.08/ Dirty Sexy Money Officially Canceled

"Readers have heard plenty about the grim prospects for Pushing Daisies, but fans of Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone should start worrying in earnest. They’ve both dropped into the extreme danger zone of our Renew / Cancel Index."

Dirty Sexy Money Fairly Poorly in Ratings, At Risk of Cancellation

Dirty Sexy Money

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC 

"The Silence" - As Election Day nears, senatorial candidate Patrick insists to a disapproving Tripp that he wants to take his relationship public with his transgendered mistress, Carmelita. Meanwhile Ellen's brother, Chase, shows up and demands from Patrick the truth about his sister's death. In other developments, Nick and Lisa are in couples therapy; Jeremy asks Nola to ease Letitia's house arrest so she can go to Patrick's election night party; Brian Jr. goes missing, and, at Karen's request, Nick talks to Simon about his real motive for wanting to marry her. 

 

This episode,"The Silence" was a train wreck.

There was not one single moment* I could pick from it that I liked.

I can tell you a number of things I didn't like, however.

First, lets talk about what they are doing to the character of Nick George (Peter Krause).

Who the hell is this guy? I know the showrunners said that this season Nick George would be more tempted by the nefarious influences of the Darlings--but he's turned into a complete ass monkey.

That scene at lunch where he was to have "special time," with Lisa (Zoe McLellan) as recommended by their couples counselor? I ask again, Who Was That?! Was that Hypocritical Nick George? Controlling Bastard Husband Nick George? Trying to act Like His Brother Brian, Nick George?

Lisa had asked Nick for his permission for her to have Jeremy Darling's (Seth Gabel) name on the lease for a chi-chi art gallery which she couldn't get without out a "name" partner. The scene was almost surreal in that she explained quite clearly what was her heart's desire and Nick did not even listen. He put on his stony face and refused to budge--and it was so far removed from the Nick we used to know they may have been writing for a different  character. In fact, they seem to have written both Darling nemesis Simon Elder (Blair Underwood) and Nick as the same character in separate bodies. UGH.

Letita Darling (Jill Clayburgh) now walks around cocktail glass in hand, in a constant state of inebriation. Are we supposed to be getting that she is frail because that's all we know about her essentially. She's fragile and she cheated on her husband for nearly forty years with Nick George's dad.

BTW, the driving premise of the show in S1 was Nick trying to find out who killed his father. That seems to only be a peripheral concern at best, now.

Patriarch Tripp Darling (Donald Sutherland) is simply becoming a one-note character. He's spewing forth the same set routine no matter to whom he's addressing it. *The one thing he said that resonated with me was when Sutherland, a Canadian by birth, pronounced "about" as "aboot."

Carmelita. I was really looking forward to  Candis Cayne returning because she gives the show a shot of vitality but they barely used her and by episode's end she was leaving again because she found out the truth about "Paddy's" (William Baldwin as Patrick Darling) dead wife's "burial." <shakes head>

To wrap up I am so, so sick of Brian Darling's (Glenn Fitzgerald) woes with his ex-girlfriend (Sheryl Lee), the mother of his son. It's as if everything out of their mouth's is on a loop. It's the same ol', same ol' every week.

Too bad about this show. They had a great start this season but Dirty Sexy Money has, at almost blinding speed, gone to complete crap.

I give up. No more DSM for me.

Cast: Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, Glenn Fitzgerald as Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling.

Guest cast: Sheryl Lee as Andrea Smithson, Laura Margolis as Daisy, Candis Cayne as Carmelita, Elaine Kagan as Dr. Amy Wallace, Jim Moret as anchor, Michael FitzGibbon as Tripp's assistant, Scott Hlroyed as Chase Alexander, Ron Butler as Severin

Dirty Sexy Money Sneak Peek S2.04: "The Silence," Promo Video, *SPOILERS* S2.05: "The Verdict"

I cannot bring myself to rehash Dirty Sexy Money, Episode 3, "The Family Lawyer." I want to think of it as a misstep, a gaffe.

Please, unpair Nola Lyons (Lucy Liu) and Jeremy Darling (Seth Gabel). They have no chemistry what. so. ever. Nothing against the actor, but he is a one-trick-pony in this role. All he is is a pretty face. There is a large cast and they should have dispensed with Gabel as they did with his "twin," Samaire Armstrong.

Bringing Nick George's bio mom into the storyline gave it nothing except a chance for Letitia (the woefully underused Jill Clayburgh) at the very end of the episode to declare her deep mother love for "Nicky."

In re: Nick and Lisa George (Zoe McLellan). Please break them up. Her constant whining is driving me to distraction and it's hard enough to stay focused with an eppy like this. I dread the upcoming marriage therapy sessions unless the end result is they they should quit it.

I want to like this show and it came out of the gate strongly this season so I'm hoping that this was just a creative slip and it will be back next episode being as dirty and sexy and it needs to be.

Dirty Sexy Money

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC 

"The Silence" - As Election Day nears, senatorial candidate Patrick insists to a disapproving Tripp that he wants to take his relationship public with his transgendered mistress, Carmelita. Meanwhile Ellen's brother, Chase, shows up and demands from Patrick the truth about his sister's death. In other developments, Nick and Lisa are in couples therapy; Jeremy asks Nola to ease Letitia's house arrest so she can go to Patrick's election night party; Brian Jr. goes missing, and, at Karen's request, Nick talks to Simon about his real motive for wanting to marry her. 

Cast: Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Rev. Brian Darling, Samaire Armstrong as Juliet Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling.
Guest cast: Sheryl Lee as Andrea Smithson, Laura Margolis as Daisy, Candis Cayne as Carmelita, Elaine Kagan as Dr. Amy Wallace, Jim Moret as anchor, Michael FitzGibbon as Tripp's assistant, Scott Hlroyed as Chase Alexander, Ron Butler as Severin

------------

Episode 2.05 - The Verdict - (Press Release)

"The Verdict" - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

While constantly being challenged in court by prosecutor Nola Lyons, Nick is facing an uphill battle defending Letitia in the murder case. But the situation changes quickly after Nick discovers a dirty little secret about Nola. Later  by chance he learns some surprising news about Lisa from Joel Madden, one of the attendees at her art gallery opening.

Meanwhile, Karen asks Nick to tell Tripp that she's marrying family nemesis Simon Elder, Tripp attempts to wield his influence over Patrick in choosing his chief of staff, and Brian and Andrea learn some shocking news after a visit to the doctor, on "Dirty Sexy Money," Guest Stars: Joel Madden ("Good Charlotte") and Ron Glass ("Firefly" "Barney Miller") as D.A. Dennis Ford

Cast: Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling and Lucy Liu as Nola Lyons. Guest starring are Joel Madden as himself, Will Shadley as Brian Jr., Sheryl Lee as Andrea Smithson, Laura Margolis as Daisy, Isabella Hoffman as Judge Fey Powell, Thomas Kopache as Dr. Little, Ron Glass as D.A. Dennis Ford

Photos courtesy of Spoiler TV

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season 2, E2, "The Family Lawyer," *SPOILERS* Video E3, " The Star Witness"

Episode 2: " The Family Lawyer"

The newscasts report and speculate on the fiery demise of the Darlings' Valhalla estate, as well as a Darling's death in the fire. At the same time, the family must also deal with funeral arrangements and the aftermath of the arrest of an unforeseen suspect in the murder of Dutch George. Brian recommends to Tripp that, in order to restore confidence in Darling Enterprises, a successor be named a role Simon feels that Karen deserves. Meanwhile, a smitten Jeremy learns Nola Lyons true profession, Nick and Lisa discuss having another child, and recording artist Kenny G performs.

Hallelujah! With this episode, Dirty Sexy Money hit their mark--and then some! Dirty Sexy Money  finally put together a superb show which was fun to watch from start to finish.

As promised in the hype preceding this season, Nick George is turning more towards the dirty side or at least is not countering others moves to do so Lucy Liu, just cast in the  episode as lawyer Nola Lyons, is fitting seamlessly into the Darling landscape. Bastard son Brian Darling, out of the collar and into the thick of things is holding his own just fine, even plotting with half-brother Nick about what to do next in defense of Letitia. It's a given that Donald Sutherland is going to do the thing he does and he did it. Fabulously. The audience still cannot figure just how "dirty" he is.

Natalie Zea as Karen and her lover, enemy of Darling Enterprises, Simon Elder (Blair Underwood) seem to be clicking very nicely. She has spilled the beans about her initial interest in him (which was ordered by her father) but finds herself, true to character, involved yet again with the wrong man. Underwood for his part seems to be giving some more weight to his character because let's face it, even though DSM is a nighttime soap, it needs enough heft to keep the story ever-so-slightly grounded. Alas, Jill Clayburgh (Leticia) seems to be permanently stuck as a delicate thing needing protection and caring lest she fall apart in a thousand pieces. I would love to be surprised to find a steely core within this character--but with so much going on in the storyline at this point, it's fine with me to leave her as she is right now. The only cast member--and this is and amazing change from last season--the only one that doesn't resonate at all with me is Nick George's wife, Lisa (Zoe McLellen). Because Nick has such a galaxy of Darlings revolving around him he doesn't need a wife to pop in every now and again to remind him that he's at their beck and call too often. He's exasperated enough, though given that he's assumed Leticia's place in the company as well as defending her for his father Dutch's murder I don't think he's all that bothered. I still think we can dispense entirely with Nick having a wife, leaving the storyline  open for him to get entangled with a character that perhaps we have yet to meet.

The next episode of DSM doesn't air until Wednesday, Oct 22 at 10C/11E on ABC so mark your calendars.
Official Dirty Sexy Money website

In TWO weeks: “The Star Witness” – Now that Nick has agreed to defend Letitia in the murder case of Dutch George – Nick’s father and Letitia’s secret lover – he is disturbed to learn that his estranged mother is on prosecutor Nola Lyons’ witness list. Meanwhile, because they have to keep their affair a secret, Jeremy surprises Nola with a private concert by the Weepies; Patrick plans to clear his conscience about his wife’s death, but Tripp dissuades him in a shocking way during a senatorial debate moderated by Dan Rather; Brian goes to Brazil to kidnap Brian Jr.; and Simon and Karen continue their loving ways, still unclear if one is plotting against the other.

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“Dirty Sexy Money” stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling and Lucy Liu as Nola Lyons.

Guest starring are Dan Rather as himself, Candis Cayne as Carmelita, Will Shadley as Brian Darling, Jr., Sheryl Lee as Andrea Smithson, Laura Margolis as Kaisy, Chloe Grace Moretz as Kiki, Caroline Lagerfelt as Clare George, Cari Champion as TV reporter, Mary Linda Phillips as Hillary type, Michael Lerner as Martin and Ron Glass as Dennis Ford.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season 2, E1, "The Birthday Present," Preview Widget, *Spoilers*

Official Dirty Sexy Money website

 

"The Darlings are throwing Nick George a fantastic yacht party -- anyone who is anyone in New York is there... And soon so are the NYPD."

Synopsis: Season 2, Ep 1: "The Birthday Present"

Aired: 10/1/2008

Even as Lisa and Nick planned to celebrate his birthday privately and quietly, Tripp and Letitia Darling decided to throw a lavish party for Nick on their yacht. Nick helps in reconciling Tripp and Patrick, who is still burdened with his troubled marriage and missing transgendered lover. Brian is reunited with his illegitimate son while Karen and Simon Elder escalates their relationship. Jeremy reveals his feelings for Lisa to Nola Lyons. Amidst all the Darling drama, a death occurs within the family and someone is arrested for murder.

Cutting to the chase I have to say that this was one of the better episodes of the series so far.

It managed to thumbnail recap the high points of last season and still move forward with setting the stage for Season 2.

It looks like we'll be seeing Carmelita (in the Adirondacks?!) further into the season and for that I say "yay." Candis Cane (above, with Billy Baldwin) just brings the right amount of camp to a show that's foundation rests on being over the top.

The sex in this episode was not given short shrift. We had Karen (Natalie Zea) bedding Darling nemesis Simon Elder (Blair Underwood), following Daddy's directive (Donald Sutherland) to do so to gather intel on Elder. The ick factor is pretty high if you think too much about that.

We had new character Nola Lyons (Lucy Liu) whispering a few choice words into the ears of rejected horndawg, Jeremy Darling (Seth Gabel), leading them to a hot sex scene in Jeremy's limo (I hope they excused the driver). Previously, Jeremy had gotten to first base with Lisa George (Zoe McClellan) outside the restaurant where Nick George stood her up for their birthday date. Both Jeremy and Lisa were very drunk so predictably got caught by Nick when he finally showed up. Jeremy might just be the stupidest Darling.

Oh yes, this isn't sex per se, maybe potential pre-sex but Karen's happy birthday greeting to Nick George (Peter Krause) was to surprise him in his office by dropping her clothes.

As usual, there was plenty of dirt, this time involving making the accidental death of Paddy's abusive, hard-drinking wife look like a different kind of accidental. Then Daddy Darling arraigned an alibi by having Brian Darling (Glenn Fitzgerald) be prepared to give the police a phony story about where his-high profile brother Patrick "Paddy" Darling (Billy Baldwin) was at the time of the death.

It was revealed as well that Simon Elder is playing Karen (no surprise) when after she refuses to get in really deep and give her dad what Simon thinks Daddy Darling wants, Elder makes a phone call to a mysterious someone stating, "We have her."

While I was scanning the internet for spoilers and such I came across what may or may not be true about why Samaire Armstrong, half of the Darling twins, is no longer a regular on the show. It's said that she has a drug problem that impaired her ability to perform her role. Hmm. That could explain a lot.

DIRTY SEXY MONEY - ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Rev. Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling and Lucy Liu as Nola Lyons

NEXT Episode: The Silent Auction

Airs: Wednesday October 8, 2008

Season 2, Ep 2:

Tripp and an old acquaintance from his work with United Way, Flavia Carozzi, chance upon each other as Nick tries to start with putting up his children's hospital. Nick convinces Tripp to ask the help of Flavia in organizing a silent auction to raise funds for his project.

Dirty Sexy Money Premieres Oct 1 *SPOILERS*, DSM Widget

Official Dirty Sexy Money website

The fall season start is a long one with Dirty Sexy Money beginning Season 2 on Oct 1, 2008.

Surprisingly, ABC is spoiling who gets killed in the season opener. They state that it is a family member while at the same time announcing that Samaire Armstrong who played Juliet Darling will no longer be a series regular.

I'm not at all upset that they are removing a character that I've described thusly : "... I'm finding the references--outright ripping off actually, to utterances made by the real life celebutante Paris Hilton becoming tiresome. If there are many more I'm going to have to hunt down the writers and clock them over the head because I get it already, OK? The Juliet Darling character (the female half of the Darling twins) is not written; she's just cribbed from the lives of several tedious, spoiled celebutantes and semi-celebrities."

Joining the show is Lucy Liu who will play yet another of her patented "do not mess with her"-type characters. It is a huge improvement.

Also in the works is to "dirty up" lead character Nick George (Peter Krause) having him be less morally conflicted and more willing to act like the people he works for. Says Krause, "While I enjoy the ambivalence of what world am I in and how can I maintain my integrity, I think that we need to see Nick give into some more temptation, and that, I would say, is the change of course for the character of Nick, that rather than standing back from it and seeing it and weighing it, there's going to be a few times when he makes the choice in a direction where it's going to make him a little dirtier and it's going to cost him.”

DIRTY SEXY MONEY - ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Rev. Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling and Lucy Liu as Nola Lyons. (ABC/RANDEE ST. NICHOLAS)

Dirty Sexy Money, Season One, Episode 10, The Nutcracker (Spoilers)

First aired: 12/5/2007   

Synopsis: Season One, Episode 10, The Nutcracker

Nick learns Simon and Karen are secretly together, but refuses to say why it truly bothers him. Karen doesn't attend the family tradition of watching "The Nutcracker" in order to meet a mysterious person. Brian's suspension from the ministry makes him look elsewhere for a job, and Letitia suggests he go to Tripp for guidance. Meanwhile, Juliet has a visitor from the Seychelles, and Carmelita tells Patrick she thinks she's being watched by someone.

(Left) Lisa George (Zoe McClellan, not shown) and Jeremy Darling (Seth Gable) go to her gallery after hours and end up smoking pot and canoodling on the couch. This gets her fired and him dumped by his girlfriend for whom he's been pretending to be a starving artist.

In other news, unbeknownst to Nick George (Peter Krause), Karen Darling (Natalie Zea) is "spying" on Simon Elder (Blake Underwood) for her father, Tripp (Donald Sutherland). Karen's spying includes really close physical contact with Elder.

Note: This concludes the first group of episodes that ABC ordered. At the beginning of the months-old writer's strike, ABC announced that it had ordered "a full season" of Dirty Sexy Money. However, the length of the writer's strike which is now moving from fall 2007 into the 2008 New Year could change the outcome of this and other shows. The decision may be made to cancel them, especially if their status was "iffy" like DSM's is. The only way to know will be to stay tuned.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season One, Episode 9, The Watch (Spoilers)

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season One, Episode 9, The Watch

First aired: 11/28/2007   

Synopsis:In this flashback episode secrets are revealed about Dutch (Nick's father) and the relationships he had with Nick, Tripp, and Letitia. Karen's intimate view towards Nick is put on hold as she takes a liking to Simon Elder. Brian's attempt to get his son takes a turn he didn't expect and Jeremy continues to hide how much he is worth from Sofia.

This was essentially a flashback episode in which we meet Nick's father, Dutch and mostly see scenes of his relationship with Letitia Darling (Jill Clayburgh) six months prior.

What fires up the flashback in the first place is Letitia spilling the truth of Brian Darling's (Glenn Fitzgerald) parentage to Nick George (Peter Krause)--revealing that they are half brothers. If you didn't see that coming that you haven't been paying attention--at all. It was pretty much standard soap opera fare with Letitia in flashback spilling the big secret of Brian Darling's parentage and Dutch taking it badly--not wanting to discuss it and declaring that he must get away "from you people."

A very good thing is that Dutch is being played by the still-hunky Peter Strauss. I really hope there are more flashbacks with him or better yet, that somehow he turns up alive to shake things up.

The reveal upsets both Brian and Nick and they hash things out somewhat with Brian making several missteps (of course). He blames part of his being distraught on his losing all custody of little Brian to Andrea (Sheryl Lee), who is leaving the country.

The scene in which little Brian tearfully hugs his daddy goodbye--helpfully telling the good Reverend Darling that he knows that his daddy loves him (though the words never pass Brian Sr's. lips) and then watches his daddy through the car window as his car pulls away was excruciatingly cringe-inducing.

This episode may have been the most "bi-polar" yet with a couple of high notes but some retch-worthy lows.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season One, Episode 8, The Country House (Spoilers)

Synopsis: Thanksgiving has arrived and Nick George wants to spend the day with his wife and daughter, but Tripp has another idea. Tripp wants Nick to set up a meeting with Simon Elder so Tripp and Simon can talk face-to-face once and for all. Meanwhile, Letitia helps Karen try and to get closer to Nick. Brian fights to keep his ex-girlfriend, Andrea (Sheryl Lee), from taking his son away from him while Jeremy goes on a first date with Sofia.

First of all, Dirty Sexy Money needs to give Carmelita (Candis Cayne) a bigger role. I would in fact love to see her replace Patrick Darling's (William Baldwin) wife, Ellen (Bellamy Young) and become Mrs. Patrick Darling herself. (Oh,the scandal!)

The scene with Carmelita, and Patrick and Ellen Darling all together in one room for a "sit down" that Ellen demanded was very funny. I saw again too what the casting agents must have when they chose Billy Baldwin for this role. He is very good as the cuckolded husband-who-cheats.

Getting back to Carmelita, she just owned that scene--everything funny sprang from her presence and Candis Cayne simply acted the hell out of it.

Not really digging Bellamy Young as Patrick's wife. I was reading her bio and noticed that at least once before she played the cold, bitch of a wife as she is here. I hope that's not her primary acting persona--for the sake of her career.

This episode carried a big reveal having to do with (surprise!) Simon Elder and what possible reason(s)he may have for wanting revenge on Tripp Darling (Donald Sutherland). It was a neat little twist that immediately switched up the stakes in the dance that our hero, Nick George,Tripp Darling and Simon Elder are doing (though perhaps Nick is having his strings pulled by Tripp & Elder rather than dancing to his own beat).

I'm a bit disappointed that they couldn't give Jill Clayburgh more material to work with. Helping plot with the yet-again divorced Karen Darling to get the happily-married Nick back is just juvenile. That, coupled with bedding her husband and her lover for over 40 years really tars the character with one brush: shallow, superficial, and selfish. Hopefully, now that the show has been picked up for a full 22 episodes ("the back nine") the Darling matriarch can be given some material in which she displays more than one dimension.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season One, Episode 7, The Wedding (Spoilers)

Synopsis: Karen is getting married, but her strong desire for Nick might be more of a distraction then she could have ever thought. The mother of Brian's son comes back into town trying to get back her son, but the once arrogant Brian has another idea.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season One, Episode 7, The Wedding --First aired: 11/14/2007

This is the episode I've been waiting for. It was finally good. The actors seem to have settled into their roles and overall the "seams" of the episode didn't seem to be showing as they have. The plot didn't bowl me over but the characters are developing at last!

Karen Darling's (Natalie Zea) wedding is the centrepiece that the rest of the episode revolves around. She tells her mother, Letitia (Jill Clayburgh) of her misgivings about matrimony and Letitia's solution is to talk to Nick George (Peter Krause) for whom Karen has a massive crush/obsession and requests that he tell Karen about his lack of romantic feelings for her. This he does, but true to form and due to her belief that she and family lawyer Nick George are destined to be together, as the big moment draws near Karen gets more "confused" about the proceedings.

Meanwhile Tripp (Donald Sutherland), the patriarch of the Darling family does as is his stated custom "every time" Karen gets married--starts, and throughout the day and evening--finishes a fine bottle of booze. Mr. Sutherland does a great drunk.

Tripp appears to be happily intoxicated when passing by the minister of the wedding ceremony--Brian Darling (Glenn Fitzgerald)--and he affectionately slurs:

Tripp: (Drunk and with astonishment) Brian, what a wonderful wedding sermon, so much humanity, so much hope. There really is such a kind person buried deep down inside you. Deep, deep down! Inside you... somewhere!!?
Brian: Thanks dad.

The day unfolds with Rev. Brian Darling getting a visit from the woman-Laura Palmer! (Sheryl Lee)-who abruptly left their (previously unknown to him) son Brian, Jr. with him two months prior. They end up having sex after she discloses that she's returned for their son.

The wedding does take place but within moments of the nuptials, Karen stage-whispers to Nick that she wants a divorce. Nick takes care of the divorce--that evening--and ex-groom Freddy walks away, his pockets heavy with a 3-million-dollar settlement.

***Note: It's my understanding from teevee news sources that Dirty Sexy Money has been picked up for a "full season." This of course, will be like virtually every other show affected by the writer's strike (which as of this writing is ongoing). However, since it's been confirmed that DSM shall go on, I'll continue with my post-episode blogs after each show airs. Cheers!

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season 1, Episode 5, The Bridge

First aired: 10/24/2007   

Synopsis:

Nick finds he has a lot in common with Simon, Tripp's nemesis. In a case of sibling rivalry Jeremy and Juliet decide to try and outdo each other for their separate birthday parties. Brian Jr. wants to tell Brian's wife the truth. Karen tries to get Freddy into a fancy country club.

This episode was probably the most uneven so far, though I mean that in a good way.

At least it had a few moments when one  thought "There, there it is--good acting, good flow to the story!" then we'd cut away to something shallow/silly spouting from one of the twin's mouths.<sigh>

As I've said repeatedly the problem is not with Donald Sutherland, Peter  Krause, Jill Clayburgh or even now, finally that I've seen him do more than one note, actor Glenn Fitzgerald as the priest with an illegitimate son who he's been hiding in plain sight as an "orphan." Fitzgerald did finally get to show empathy towards the boy! And he was convincing both then and when he appeared very distraught when his wife discovered his lies and demanded a divorce. But he seemed way out of character being nice to Nick (Krause) when he went to him for help. (I know he made one semi-disparaging remark but mostly he treated him as a normal person would). They need to be careful with Fitzgerald's  character's development unless he is just supposed to be a bully who occasionally gets his feelings hurt and makes nice.

The Darling twins continue to annoy. I just do not care if they get cut off from their turn-25-and- get 25-million-dollars inheritance (which comes from their mother's side of the family) or not. I don't care if suddenly, they both realize that a. they really do need each other, or b. they need to grow up, or c. both. Neither actor gives me any reason to care. Again, same same goes for the much-married Karen Darling. There's just nothing to like there for me. And someone, please, this women is super rich. Do something with her Farrah Fawcett-circa-1974 hairdo!

William Baldwin--I still don't see beyond that patented brand of smoothness that he must have picked up from his older brother, Alex. It just does nothing for me. Maybe they need to bring in Candis Cayne (his transsexual girlfriend on the show) more often to spice things up for him.

Nick's wife: Still cute, still bland.

Finally, in this episode we met Simon Elder, the multi-gazillionaire philanthropist who seems like a combo of Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Donald Trump. Played by Blair Underwood he's okay but they aren't giving him much in terms of script to work with and that needs to happen since so much of the rest of the story is coasting by on fluff.

So tomorrow (Halloween) is Episode 6.  I'll TiVo it but my internal debate continues about whether this show is worth my time or not.

Dirty Sexy Money, Episode 4, The Chiavennasca (Spoilers)

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.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Episode 3, Season One *Spoilers*

"The Italian Banker"

First aired: 10/10/2007  Synopsis: Nick tries to fix things when the Darlings are blackmailed over a sex tape starring a family member. Patrick is upset over being forced to end things with Carmelita. Brian's wife gets suspicious over the Swedish orphan he brought home. Jeremy tries to keep it quiet about him and Natalie, but when they all show up at a fundraiser for Patrick things get out of control.

Here we are at the third episode and I'm still torn though I'm feeling a bit more sure of the reasons I both like and don't like Dirty Sexy Money.

(Candis Cayne at right, as "Carmelita.")

On the big plus side is Donald Sutherland, former movie powerhouse, star of films such as MASH (right), Klute (left, with Jane Fonda) and 40 years ago, the classic, The Dirty Dozen. Though I was waffling in Episode 2 about whether Sutherland as Tripp Darling, the patriarch of this much-monied clan was in fact as he insisted, a truth teller, he was caught by the lead character Nick George (Peter Krause) in a whopper this time around. As I opined before, I believe that the ambiguity--is Tripp good, is Tripp evil? is fun to watch. Donald Sutherland is such a great asset to this series. I :heart: the Tripp character--with this great Canadian-born actor playing him :) but Tripp Darling has more to do with Sutherland's acting chops  and ability to inhabit his characters than the quality of the scripts please. I'm asking nicely. Please hired some writers who can do justice to what these actors bring to the table.

There really wasn't much more for me in this episode, "The Italian Banker." I'm finding the references--outright ripping off actually, to utterances made by the real life celebutante Paris Hilton becoming tiresome already. If there are many more I'm going to have to hunt down the writers and clock them over the head because I get it already, okay? The Juliet Darling character (the female half of the Darling twins) is not written; she's just cribbed from the lives of several tedious, spoiled celebutantes and semi-celebrities. Her brother, he of the perpetual flushed red face (he's got um, bad habits) is kind of pitiful. I like that they don't overly glorify his drug-taking though he though he's pretty much impaired all the time-- just totally messed up 24/7. Their much-married sibling, Karen Darling is another one note character. For the life of me I cannot figure out why this actress was cast as she holds no appeal in her appearance or acting skills.

The character in the running for who I like least, is yet another Darling sib, Brian Darling, a married priest with an illegitimate son whom he's recently reluctantly taken custody of. I know I'm supposed to hate this character but I'm hating the script even more. There's nothing redeeming or humorous about his behaviour towards his previously unacknowledged son--he is simply unkind. The character played by Glenn Fitzgerald. is striking one note--mean--and I'm not digging him at all.

Finally, in terms of  some decent screen time, where hypothetically some character development might occur, we have Billy Baldwin. I dunno, maybe I'm just not a fan of all things Baldwin---but he leaves me cold. However, his character Patrick Darling's, girlfriend --Carmelita is resonating a bit more if only for the fact that actor Candis Cayne is a transgender woman who plays a transgender woman with whom he is having an affair. It's actually one of the more authentic aspects of this series besides Sutherland, Clayburgh and a couple others. ;)

I'm still undecided about the show as a whole but I will tune in next week if only because Lost has not yet come back from hiatus.

Dirty Sexy Money~ Season 1, Episode 2, "The Lions"

First aired: 10/3/2007  Official Synopsis of  "The Lions":

Nick searches for his father's killer. When the family has a photo shoot Juliet refuses to be there. Patrick has to deal with his father who wants him to run for the senate.

I used our On Demand feature to watch the second episode of ABC's new series Dirty Sexy Money last night.

I rarely watch network teevee but on the strength of my undying love for Peter Krause (pronounced Krow-sah), formerly of the sublime HBO series Six Feet Under, I followed up the first episode.

The premiere show, though I was wowed by Peter's mad acting skillz, left me me with a bit of a "meh" feeling and I was 50-50 on whether I'd give the second show a gander.

I was lap swimming when Episode 2 aired so my choice came down to whether or not I'd pull it up on On Demand.

I'm glad I did as Peter was reliably great and both Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh as the patriarch and matriarch respectively of the "Darling" family, shone.

The rest of the cast is still leaving me meh, especially the much-married daughter in this Dynasty-like family, the twin sister and brother, Billy Baldwin as the eldest son who is having an affair with a tranny hooker and running for Senate, and the actor who plays an utterly unlikeable married priest with an illegitimate son.

Unfortunately, Krause's character's wife is leaving me cold too, with her one-note ever-sunny disposition. Blech. Krause brings plenty of sunniness. He needs a counterpoint in his spouse.

The storylines, as they are cut from the nighttime soap-opera mold, only promise to get more outlandish but if they don't do some character development of the "Darling" family soon they are, despite my happiness at "rendezvousing" with Peter each week, going to lose me as a viewer.

Three stellar actors with campy storylines does not a compelling series make.