Dirty Sexy Money: The Injured Party (2.6)

Wooooo, catfight alert! Now, I appreciate a catfight as much as the next soap opera viewer, and while the big Lisa/Karen slap-fest was a lot of fun, the sensationalist agenda of this season has made the whole thing explode into ridiculousness. Lisa in particular has had such a swift turnaround in personality in the space of one episode that I honestly don't know what the writers are thinking. She ends last episode weeping and desperate for her marriage to remain intact, she's suddenly chipper and only 'weirded out' by the separation at the opening of The Injured Party, then she turns crazed and beverage-happy at the party, before schtupping Jeremy, oh, about six minutes after her marriage hit the skids. Huh?

At the same time, Nick is equally ridiculous. He once again manipulates Karen and lets her think that they just might have a future, before standing her up again. Then, after he and Lisa split, he runs into the arms of the young, attractive houseguest currently residing at the Darling home. Once again, huh? Speaking of injured party Wrenn, she also strikes up a weird bond with Tripp, who is seemingly willing to throw away his 40-year marriage after spending thirty minutes or so with this nasal blonde. The ending of this episode was ridiculous in the amount of people hiding behind doors and on the edges of walls listening in on private conversations. Heh. But I'm thankful that they're revisiting the confused marriage between Tripp and Leticia. There's clearly no real love between them anymore, what with her a cheating drunk and Tripp wrapped up in his political affairs. I don't believe Tripp could be tempted so quickly, but I guess we're not supposed to see this show as believable anymore.

And as if this show couldn't get even more Dynasty-esque, we have Simon revealed to be holding Nola's little brother captive. He's becoming more cartoony by the week, now he's some woman-terrorizing, kiddie-kidnapper, surveillance fiend. Yeesh.

What sticks out like a sore-thumb right now is Andrea's cancer plot, the one straight story stranded within a sea of madness. Both Sheryl Lee and Glenn Fitzgerald are working wonders here, selling their mutual distrust and hatred for one another, along with the bizarre lust they also share.

I adore this show right now, if only because its brand of all-out absurdity is lacking in modern television (of course, there may be an obvious reason why - heh). So much is happening right now, with so many secret allegiances and ridiculous plot twists that missing just one scene can completely throw you out. It's dumb-as-hell, but pretty darn irresistible. A-

Credits
Guest stars Shawn Michael Patrick (Clark); Sheryl Lee (Andrea Smithson); Laura Margolis (Daisy); Sarah Carter (Wrenn Darcy); Will Shadley (Brian Darling Jr.); John Rubinstein (Dr. Zwerling)
Writers Paul Redford, Sallie Patrick Director Dean White