What I’m Watching: How to Make it in America

How to Make it in America: Season 1, Episode 4 “Unhappy Birthday” (C+)

We’re four episodes in now, and while the show seems to have gotten off the ground a bit, it hasn’t gone far and still isn’t terribly interesting. The friendship between Ben and Cam is being defined as very close, with Cam bailing on an opportunity to make $450 in one night to comfort his best bud after he learns that it’s his ex-girlfriend’s birthday. What still seems unconnected is everything involving Rachel, who is there only as someone for Ben to yearn after and presumably eventually get. The crucial difference between this and something like Hank and Karen in season one of “Californication” is that they shared a child. In this case, they have nothing linking them except a friend in common. The reason that Rachel’s presence on the show is worthwhile, however, is her boss. Martha Plimpton is hilarious as Edie, who makes reservation for her employee’s birthday and pledges to get her so high that she won’t notice if the man at dinner is her current boyfriend or her ex. The conversation at dinner was entertaining, and I’m not sure whether to be impressed with Darren, who lied about purposely changing his flight but then managed to save his reputation and elicit delight from Rachel’s friends with a sweet remark. Their run-in with Ben was pretty awkward, and I don’t think that seeing Ben and Rachel together again would really be that great. Seeing less of David Kaplan would be fine since he’s just a little too awkward, and the way he so callously throws around his money is definitely going to come back to haunt him one day.