Dirty Sexy Money

Episode Report Card
Couch Baron: A- | 480 USERS: B-
YOU GRADE IT
SECRETS AND LIES!
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description!

Berlanti, you cannot escape me. I will recap-stalk you to the bitter end. Of course, that's a lot easier given that your shows are, like, good.

So I saw Billy Baldwin on Jimmy Kimmel Live saying that he described this show as the Kennedys meeting Paris Hilton. For me, it's Brothers And Sisters meets Cruel Intentions (although I'll admit that description was more fitting for the original pilot). But really, either description makes me want to watch it, and I'd be surprised if they didn't do the same for you.

One other thing: as I mentioned above, I had the opportunity, thanks to the new setup at Bravo, to see the original pilot of this show a few weeks ago, and I was incredibly impressed. I'd heard that they did some reshoots for the aired version, but I wasn't sure to what degree they were changing the story. The answer is: a lot. Like, seriously, a lot. I have to admit that I was a little thrown by the new version, but on reflection, I understand that the biggest goal was to make the character of Nick more likable. I kind of preferred him the old way -- I thought it was more realistic -- but it's probably better for the show's long-term health to have him be a bit less aloof. I was thinking of doing a combined recap of both pilots, but I decided it would be too onerous and confusing a read. Hopefully, though, if the show sticks around, I'll get to do the unaired version as an Extra, and you can compare and contrast then. Onward!

We start with a lovely aerial shot (the camerawork in this episode is really awesome) of a crane on a barge out on the water somewhere. A close-up shows a small wrecked plane being pulled up as Peter Krause VOs that the love of money is the root of all evil, or at least that's what they say. We see the man in question watching from a nearby dock with a perturbed expression on his face. The VO goes on to say that Peter Krause (okay, his character's name is Nick George) always believed that about the love of money, because when he was a kid, his dad worked for the richest family in New York City, the Darlings. We fall into a flashback, wherein a kid of about eight or nine is watching his WASP-y parents have a fight about the fact that the dad spends too much time attending to the Darling family. The mother storms out, but the dad gives his son a wink, although he still looks chagrined. In another flashback, Nick's mom, suitcases in hand, walks down the brownstone steps as she tells Nick's dad, "Dutch," that she's not coming back. Considering that she killed herself in the original pilot, I'm thinking I believe her. Nick's mom stops to tell him (the kid looks to be about six and looks disturbingly like a young Haley Joel Osment) that it's not his fault, and then she's waving to him from a cab. I'm surprised she didn't fight to take him with her, but maybe it was a battle she knew she would lose. I'd imagine the consigliere to a filthy-rich family would have a few courtroom tricks up his sleeve. The VO tells us that he grew up in his father's shadow, as in another flashback, Nick and a group of kids, presumably the Darling children, are marching into a room at what looks like it might be a birthday or a Halloween party, but Dutch stops Nick following the other kids and tells him to wait out there; Dutch has to take care of a few things. Before the door closes, a boy of about Nick's age, in clown makeup, tells Nick he hates him, while a younger girl counters that she loves him. I'm going to make a completely random guess and say they're Brian and Karen. The door closes, and as a wider shot reveals that we're probably somewhere on Park Avenue, Nick's VO says he promised himself that when he grew up, he'd never be anything like his dad. Well, so far you're doing a pretty good job, what with being alive and all. "And I would never work for the Darlings." Oh. Well, as an attorney, you probably are aware that you can't win them all.

Dirty Sexy Money

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