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

How to Make It in America: Season 1, Episode 7 “Keep on Truck’n” (B+)

And down the toilet these characters’ lives go. With the Rasta Monsta truck and their shirts stolen, Cam and Ben are now out of luck and back to square one, with more than one major debt to be repaid. While I imagined this would eventually happen, I didn’t think that the characters would be nearly as sympathetic. While Cam is certainly in sure for some major consequences as a result of Rene’s fury, Ben now has to choose between two women. His big decision to finally go on a road trip with the new girl was followed immediately by finding his ex-girlfriend drunk on his doorstep. Rachel’s life really is blowing up, as Darren contracts Edie and Rachel to design his hotel. I liked Rachel’s response to Edie’s offer to make Rachel a partner if she did the hotel, “and what if I don’t?” I’d love to see Edie and Darren interacting some more, but clearly Rachel and Darren clearly aren’t meant for each other. My favorite part of the whole thing is the people interacting with Rene. The old mentor from “The Pretender,” Patrick Bauchau, makes for a great head honcho, but he’s nowhere near as incredible as John Carroll Lynch as Rene’s parole officer. Having him constantly poke his head into Rene’s affairs to catch him in the middle of an illegal act and send him back to jail could be obnoxious, but he’s such a terrific character and therefore it will be a delight to have him around all the time. It’s also probably a good thing for Ben and Cam to have someone watching Rene to ensure that he doesn’t make their lives completely miserable.