(S01E11) Whoa... we got a live one here. It took eleven episodes, but we finally got a really good one from Dirt. It was tense, had a cool twist, and none of the dependence on crappy character history that had been a trend as of late.
Using the whole "36 Hours Earlier" technique, we got a cool re-telling of a day in the life of Don. It was a little hard to swallow at some points, but more than anything else we found out that Don is ridiculously smart. From his "3 P's," to the "always carry empty rolls" rule, this guy has his job down to a science. I know a lot of people have suggested that he get his own show, and while I was against it, this episode made a pretty good argument in favor of it.
First off, I absolutely loved how this episode introduced an obstacle. We really haven't had a bad guy yet... as long as you don't count Lucy as one. Ozzie's rival photography agency caused quite the stir. It was good though. It gave a much needed urgency to Don's hunt for the right shot.
Then, to better things even more, we got a new character who wasn't a rip-off of some actual celebrity. Great turn from Lukas Haas as Marqui, the young photographer looking to learn from Don. He's been everywhere lately it seems. Criminal Minds, 24, and now Dirt.
Other Episode Highlights:
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When Lucy let Don use the stun gun on himself. Priceless.
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Lucy asking Brent if he shaved off his balls in addition to his sideburns.
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Don comparing Oregon to jail. The difference? Oregon has trees.
Beyond those humorous moments, two other scenes really stood out for me. First was when Julia had lunch and the only person who showed up to meet her was her agent's assistant. It's the first time Julia actually realized that she's washed up. A has been. The best she can get is an offer to play a body on CSI. With two episodes left, I think we're gonna see her spiral down fast and it started here. Self-mutilation feels a little overused now doesn't it?
Then, we finally got the scene that this show is really built on. We know Lucy is being stalked by someone but now we finally got to find out how she feels about it. Not good. It's ironic too and I don't even need to explain why. That's the whole dynamic of the show right there and I'm looking forward to see how it eats away at Lucy for the remainder of the season. She doesn't like having her picture taken. Cry me a river.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-14-2007 @ 9:37AM
Jon said...
I don't know. To me, the whole concept of a gangster paparazzi was just ridiculous.
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3-14-2007 @ 9:50AM
justelise said...
Don is brilliant. The idea of him as a teacher is also excellent.
I don't know how I feel about the gansta paparazzi. I know that the paparazzi game is highly competitive but you never hear about paparazzi getting whooped on by anyone but the stars they harass.
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3-14-2007 @ 12:26PM
rvkey said...
Gangster Paparazzi? Julia is a cutter? What the...?
I was actually starting to root for Holt and Julia but now I'm like meh.. This episode seemed to be stretching a bit for me. But Don makes up for all of that. He's great and I've loved him since the very first episode! His facial expressions and nervous ticks are stellar! He can deliver a whole scene without saying a word.
When the Marqui character showed up, I kept thinking he may be the one that had been stalking Lucy and he was using Don as a way to get closer to her. I don't know what led me to believe that though. There were a few moments between them that were a bit creepy. But then when he got beat up I wasn't so sure because I thought surely he was dead. I guess since he's not, he still could be.
Now that Willa had dumped Mr.Sideburns, I wonder if his little sex tapes with her will ever come out. I actually felt a little sorry for the guy when he shaved his facial pubes and still didn't get the girl. I mean, come on! What does it take to get a lady nowadays ? :)
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3-15-2007 @ 10:30AM
TomB said...
I think Don's just about the best character on TV. I wish more people were watching. If Dirt get's the ax maybe Don can be a spin-off.
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3-17-2007 @ 5:33PM
Aeryn said...
I like Dirt. My fave character has to be Don, then the Don/Lucy friendship. Only two more episodes left? *bites fingers* I didn't know that. I want more!
The cutting isn't overused. Don't really see that in shows now, plus it fits her character. Not that I am a fan of Julia's.
This was the best episode till now. I love how Lucy let Don stun himself. That is like his character. I thought the pissing and zapping Marqui was harsh and a bit over the top.. I mean I thought dude was dead. I was sad to see him in a coma because I want him to come back.
The portrayal *sorry spelling is bad this late* of Don living with schizophrenia is very good. It shows how change, trauma and stress can tip the scales. Being in the mental health field, I thought this will probably piss me off at some point, but this past episode was done really well.
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