In the course of a regular season, this episode might have worked very well. Instead, it played as the return episode for a canceled series that had been off the air for more than four months. As such, with the details of the Darling family saga less than fresh in my mind, I think Clark may have just confused me more.

I appreciate the inventiveness of the script, the blatant nod to one of my favorite films of all time. Clark has been loyal to a fault to the Darling family, so I’ll admit that I was confused by his openness and candor to the reporter. And while the details of his story seemed a little odd, I found myself struggling with my memory of past events. Read the rest of this entry »

ABC

(Season 2, Episode 5)

Well, the episode title was a little misleading. Yes, we got a verdict in the Letitia Darling trial, but it didn’t come as you would traditionally expect one to. We also got a little deeper into the goings-on behind Simon Elder and what he’s up to as it relates to Darling Enterprises, and how far his reach is. It’s interesting to me that when we first met Elder, he was this philanthropist billionaire, every bit as powerful as the Darlings, but seemingly far more benign.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

ABC

(Season 2, Episode 2)

Despite the absence of Juliet, and the absence of an explanation as to her whereabouts, with only the briefest explanation, I slid right into the Darling drama as if we’d never been apart. I think that’s a wonderful testament to the quality of the cast, direction and writing that the series, that despite an absence as long as Pushing Daisies, it didn’t miss a beat in keeping things rolling right along. Dare I say it, but I think the Walkers and the Darlings are two equally mesmerizing family soaps.

That said, I don’t really get yet the role of Lucy Liu on this show, other than to tempt Jeremy. Nor am I too thrilled with the Darling craziness infecting Nick’s marriage and home life. While I knew it would be a struggle for Nick and Lisa to maintain their marital happiness while Nick is so ensnared by the Darlings, I was hopeful that the strength of it would always be there to pull them through. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the relationship is on the ropes, but the writers have thrown it into play. Tonight, though, the focus will be on the Darllng fire and reports of a Darling death.

Read the rest of this entry »

ABC

(Season 2, Episode 1 – Season Premiere)

I’m not usually the person who cares about shows dealing with the filthy, filthy rich. Maybe it was the presence of Peter Krause, or the always reliable Donald Sutherland, or maybe it was just that this show seemed to revel in just how disgustingly rich the Darlings were, but I found myself drawn-in last year. While the series only eked out ten episodes due to the writers strike, they managed to pack in so much drama and mystery about this sprawling cast in that time that it felt like a full season.

Truly, this is a high-class prime-time soap opera. It has all the classic elements of its daytime brethren including nefarious villains, lots of sex and opulence and secret siblings, lovers and children. When last we left the Darlings, Lisa was fired from her job, Brian’s been suspended from the church and forced into sex addiction counseling. Meanwhile, Carmelita is missing, Patrick is distraught and Tripp had his daughter Karen sleeping with Simon Elder for some unknown nefarious purpose. Now, Juliet’s off the show and Nick tries to have a low-key birthday party but the Darlings don’t do low-key.

Read the rest of this entry »