Oh, for the love of money!
Dirty Sexy Money, that is. Welcome to the world of the Darlings and their nonprofit-minded lawyer, Nick George. With a stellar cast including
Peter Krause,
Donald Sutherland,
Jill Clayburgh and
William Baldwin, ABC just might have a killer hit on their hands.
We quickly learn of Nick's propensity to be a "do-gooder" and the Darling family's propensity to get in a lot of trouble. This juxtaposition between Nick's righteousness and the Darlings' sense of privilege plays intriguingly, oft times to great humor. Nick begins questioning whether "the love of money is the root of all evil" and ends wondering if maybe money isn't the real problem - maybe it's people wanting too much of anything.
The brief recap: For $10 million plus an undisclosed amount for salary, Nick George accepts the job his father used to hold as family lawyer to the richest family in New York, the Darlings. The family has very few boundaries when it comes to other people, while Nick is the epitome of well-mannered. He quits after his first day on the job as each character reveals something very sordid about themselves and Nick ends up brawling in the Darlings' marble foyer with the Reverend, who hates him already.
Nick's father has died in a mysterious plane crash and when Karen Darling, his former lover, calls him and reveals that her brother, the Reverend, has paid off an airplane mechanic, it looks as though there's more to the plane crash than meets the eye. Nick intends to find out what happened. He also finds out about the 40-year-old secret affair that his father and Tish were having for his whole life.
Here's the trouble with:
" Karen: She is still in love with Nick and prone to marry men who love her for her money rather than herself.
" Reverend Brian: He is a bitter man who hates Nick and has two families: one with his wife and one with his lover, with whom he has a son.
" Jeremy & Juliet: They have too much time on their hands, too much money in their pockets and no sense of direction, but perhaps Nick's sense of propriety can get under their skins.
" Tripp: He's likable on the surface, but having a wife who has been in love with another man for 40 years, and as the head of a completely crazy family, there's something brewing way down deep that's ready to explode at any minute.
Peter Horton directed and Craig Wright wrote the pilot. And they've done an excellent job. The show has a wonderful feel to it; Tripp Darling's children may all be shipwrecks but he is the grand patriarch who wills them together. Sutherland plays this role with such a remarkably likeable persona, I almost cheer for him, and his riches. And they've used music to humorous effect, from Led Zeppelin escorting Tripp's car through the crowd to Dutch's funeral to the ringtones Nick's assistant applies to each family member, each more apropos than the next.
Some definitive highlights for me:
" Tripp wanting Johnny Cochran or Bill Clinton to become the family lawyer
" Peter Bogdanovich as the producer of Juliet's play
" Dan Rather as a guest at the Darlings' party
" Patrick Darling's secret lover, Carmelita, a transgendered "hooker"
" Tripp's nonchalant yet guarded look at Dutch's briefcase, which was recovered from the crash site
" Elle Fanning as Krause's daughter, last seen with him in
The Lost Room
" Jill Clayburgh. Period.
The best line? Easy. Tripp: "I'm gonna put my nuts on the table."
This is by far one of the best pilots coming out this season and I encourage you to keep watching as the plot thickens, relationships become entangled and lives are endangered - all the makings of an excellent nighttime soap.
While you're waiting for next week's show, check out these clips in our
Online Video Guide.
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Oh for the love of money Dirty Sexy Money that is Welcome to the world of the Darlings and their nonprofit-minded lawyer Nick George With a stellar cast including Peter Krause Donald Sutherland Jill Clayburgh and William Baldwin ABC just might have a killer hit on their hands We quickly learn of Nicks propensity to be a do-gooder and the Darling familys propensity to get in a lot of trouble This juxtaposition between Nicks righteousness and the Darlings sense of privilege plays intriguingly oft times to great humor Nick begins questioning whether the love of money is the root of all evil and ends wondering if maybe money isnt the real problem maybe its people wanting too much of anything The brief recap For 10 million plus an undisclosed amount for salary Nick George accepts the job his father used to hold as family lawyer to the richest family in New York the Darlings The family has very few boundaries when it comes to ot
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