TVSquad

(S01E08) I remember thinking after episode two that it was good, but mostly setup for the good stuff that would eventually come along as we follow the Malloy's story. With the return to traveler camp last week, and the big scam this week, that setup has really started to pay off.

This episode is very much what I envisioned when we first met the family. It's a classic con, with all manner of stumbling blocks along the way. And each of those is handled creatively by the ever inventive team Malloy. If that wasn't good enough, how about a little Clancy Brown to go with it?

That was a nice bit of casting. I've yet to see Brown in anything that I didn't like, and he delivered again here. As much as he was a stroke of luck for the producers, so was Rudy Blue for Wayne. As he was blowing smoke at Hugh to dodge the lie detector test I was wondering just how is he going to score a mark that will live up to the secrecy. Really, it probably wouldn't have mattered, as long as the money was right. But being able to add in that the secret investor was Rudy Blue really cemented Doug's spot at Panco.

I have to ask though, was I the only one that thought we were going to see Wayne beat the lie detector? I had visions of Detective Dietrich from Barney Miller dancing in my head. I certainly could have been sold on that being one of Wayne's talents. But I'm more than happy to take his irrational fear of the machine instead. It makes some sense if you think about it. Everything in Doug's life right now sits atop the house of cards his lies have built. That machine represents doom and chaos for everyone around him.

Back to the scam, I loved the setup. I was a Minnie Driver fan coming in to the show, but she impresses me more and more as the series goes on. The scenes between Cherien and Rudy were great. I totally bought into Rudy's infatuation with Cherien. She really sold the "nympho routine." Even while she had a problem doing it the whole time.

I especially liked the irony of Dahlia covering Sam's ears so he wouldn't hear any of the sex talk, but uncovering them so he could help them plan the huge felony that they were undertaking. Dahlia is a complicated character, as is the rest of her family.

The protection racket being run by the denizens of the trailer park was a nice setup for bringing them into the scam. I thought they worked well and it would be interesting to see some of them pop up again from time to time. While it was obvious from the get go that the FBI agent was part of the plan, Cael not breaking character being the first clue, the twist that he was the pool guy was funny.

It didn't really come as a surprise that Di Di was the one that had reservations about the plan. However, Dahlia's speech about why they were going to do it wasn't what I was expecting. It marked something of a change in Dahlia. I'll chalk it up to the events at the camp, along with her natural instinct to protect the family. It also laid the groundwork for the final scene with Doug.

That was a very different Dahlia than the one we have come to know so far. "You got a job. I got a job. The kids are in school. We live here now." With that, I think the whole family is now fully committed to the plan. That scene also served to float something of an escape clause. Now that they have seen just what kind of opportunities this new life has brought them, they could make a big enough score to get out of it. Of course, before that can happen, there are other fish to fry. Dale, and Ginny, are still lurking on the horizon. That part of the story isn't done by a long shot. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Another round of great performances from the cast, a fun con to play along with, and a great guest star in Clancy Brown have me giving this one 7, out of 7. The Riches has hit its stride.