What I’m Watching: Dirty Sexy Money

Dirty Sexy Money: Season 2, Episode 11 “The Convertible” (B-)

The first real new episode of ABC’s departing dramedy is a whole lot better than last week’s waste of time, but it’s not that terrific. It’s an incredibly silly episode that’s altogether preposterous like the pilot, though still a lot of fun. Pairing up the show’s two most ridiculous characters, Karen and Brian, is a great idea, and having Nate there to temper them probably sounded like a smart idea, but in this case, he’s just as ungrounded. I don’t know if anyone else thought that perhaps the plane had been sabotaged just like Dutch’s, but things still got crazy when the plane started hitting turbulence. Karen’s confession is no surprise, but Nick’s, on the other hand, is quite a whopper. He’s so effortlessly casual about it that it almost doesn’t seem real, and I must say that their joint surprise at the plane not crashing was an unfortunate moment for the acting world. But Brian, on the other hand, was spot-on, and everyone’s amazement at his actually stopping to pray was quite funny. Everyone’s arc throughout the episode was entertaining if not spectacular. Karen’s own, highly selective search for a sperm donor was enjoyable, and her ultimate revelation that she’s pregnant with Simon’s baby is a pretty nasty twist. Nick’s realization that his wife is seeing someone else and that, for the sake of his daughter, he should let her stay for the weekend. The newfound relationship between Nick and Karen is perfect, and I hope that her pregnancy doesn’t stand in the way of that. Brian is the only one who actually matures, although his impure repeated attempts at trying to get with his ex-wife are a load of fun. Patrick isn’t doing much at the moment, and guest star John Schneider, while nice to see out of his boring “Smallville” shell, was an appropriate force to meet with him, and I was entertained by how that interaction ended with Patrick completely messing it up after sending the wrong signals and getting shot down after shooting him down. The wackiest part of the episode came at the end, when the most outrageous character, Simon Elder, confirmed Jeremy still had his memory, and in true uber-villain fashion, ominously told Jeremy he’d have to kill someone, and that someone would be Elder himself. I have a slight suspicion that Elder’s faking his own death, but it’s still pretty out-there, and it’s hard to care very much about what’s going to happen next when the show’s fate is already sealed. That’s not the fault of anyone involved with the show, however. Two more episodes to go – what crazy things will occur next?