(S01E09) One of the most interesting aspects of The Riches is that, because of Dahlia's jail term and the family's Traveler history, any disruption that the writers can throw in the Malloys' way seems at least somewhat plausible. Heck, I think the only thing that would make me roll my eyes is if Godzilla came to visit Eden Falls. And even then, I would give the story at least a half hour to play out before dismissing it completely.Up until this week, we didn't know much about what Dahlia went through in her two years in prison. We still don't know everything, but after meeting her Chunky Kay, we know that Dahlia's two years could have been a whole lot worse if not for her "cellie." We also know that friendship on the inside doesn't necessarily translate to friendship on the outside.
Davenia McFadden did a nice job as Chunky; we know that deep down she's a good person, but for life circumstances -- she killed her abusive husband and readily admits it to Wayne and the kids -- and a bit of an anger control problem. Despite the fact that her idea to market rabbit meat was a little stupid, and her way to get back at Hugh was to have him snort coke (or was it heroin?) off her boobs, she still seemed sincere in her desire to honestly get ahead in life. But Wayne knew things weren't quite right with her: seeing her sniffing glue was the biggest clue. He was right on the money when he told Dahlia that they were most likely "drug buddies" than anything else, and I'd imagine he now knows who helped make his wife the addicted mess she currently is.
Well, make that was. She didn't take what Chunky offered her after she asked her cellmate to leave. You want to respect Dahlia's efforts to want to share the Malloy's new-found wealth, but every effort to poke an opening in the walls she says they're building around themselves is another opportunity for their cover to be blown. It's going to be a constant fight for the Malloys; how do they make their way in this buffer life and not let their emotions cloud their judgment?
Speaking of judgment-clouding... Wayne came awfully close to becoming a partner at Panco, didn't he? Luckily, he decided to hold off singing the agreement Hugh put in front of him at the dinner party. It would have just been too much too soon for the Malloys; they're still Travelers, and Hugh being a partner would have made him into a buffer far too quickly, and Dahlia let him know that. But I also think he passed on the partnership because he saw Hugh being a raging asshole tweaking out on his first snort in eight years, and I'm sure he thought that maybe ownership wasn't the best thing for him.
And Hugh was certainly being a raging asshole, publicly outing the Riches' neighbor Jim. How he knows Jim was gay is beyond me; maybe that's better left unsaid. But now we know why Nina sucks down those pills like they're Skittles; she's been in a sham of a marriage for 18 years. How sad for her that the only thing that keeps her going is the thought that people who drive past Eden Falls on the highway are jealous that she's living there. Compared to Nina and Jim, the life of the Malloys seems a whole hell of a lot more fulfilling.
What were those adjectives Chunky gave Hugh to convince him to make Wayne a partner? Or were the adjectives hidden under her bra? We'll never know, I guess.
The kids weren't particularly involved in the story this week. I still want to see more of Sam, but I was happy that the writers briefly explored some of his cross-dressing tendencies in this episode. "It's just a barrette," he says as he chafed in his dinner party suit. But we knew that, as soon as he eyeballed the lipstick in his hand that he'd come to dinner in his prettiest Sunday brunch wear. Nice cover by Di Di; Hugh is enough of a prick that he would have never let Wayne live that down, while ripping Sam a new one in the process for not being part of the "B" team ("B" for "boy").
This was an entertaining episode, with a nice mix of humor and drama. There were a couple of loose ends presented (will Chunky seeing Doug Rich's degree come back to haunt the Malloys? How about her calling Dahlia by her real name in front of all the guests?) that may or may not get resolved. But it was well-plotted and well-acted as usual. I'm giving it a six. Let's hope the scuttlebutt is true and the show gets another season. It deserves it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-08-2007 @ 3:15AM
LORI said...
I REALLY HOPE RICHES GETS ANOTHER SEASON I JUST LOVE IT.. I LOOK FORWARD EVERY WEEK FOR THIS SHOW ID HATE TO SEE IT GO.
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5-08-2007 @ 8:07AM
Rogphi said...
Another top notch episode! I love how every character has layers, always something more than meets the eye!
I love Mondays at Ten! FANTASTIC!
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5-08-2007 @ 8:13AM
Kristin said...
It was another great week!!
It was Chunky who outed Jim as she was serving the pork and Hugh ran with it. I am sure she was overhearing conversation in the kitchen as the ladies were getting ready for the dinner party. I think I missed a minute or two and maybe that part specifically, but that is my take from it.
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5-08-2007 @ 10:26AM
Tom said...
This is the best show on cable TV (non premium). Minnie Driver is awesome. This week's episode was one of the best one's yet.
By the way, I wonder how Di Di's ex Traveler fiance' is doing. The last we saw of him a couple weeks ago, he was getting the daylights kicked out of him.
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5-08-2007 @ 10:27AM
Amy said...
My sentiments exactly - FANTASTIC episode!!!
My favorite scenes were the conversation with Wayne & the kids about Chunky Kay's name - hilarious - and Dahlia & Chunky accidentally throwing salt in Wayne's face. Too. Damn. Funny.
And then there were the tender moments, like when Chunky talked about how she "got to be in Dahlia's light" when they were cellmates. That really touched me because I've had that same experience of being in the presence of someone with so much light & feeling blessed because of it. (Altho' not in prison!) And I loved the scene with Sam in front of the mirror... the kid who plays him is SO gifted! He conveyed so much confusion in such a quiet, plaintive way, and I really felt for him.
I think that Wayne didn't sign because signing would have been wrong. It would have been wrong to take advantage of Hugh in his drug-induced state (altho' Hugh deserved it). I think Wayne's not signing was symbolic of how much Wayne & Dahlia have become buffers, instead of the other way around - they do the right thing now, not just scam whoever crosses their path. Each week puts the family further into the buffer world, and I don't know how (or if) they would ever adjust to going back to the Traveller world at this point.
Is it possible Hugh is the biggest ass**** ever on television??? I can't think of any character that even comes close!!!
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5-08-2007 @ 11:56AM
Kurt said...
I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense to me that Wayne would not sign the papers. He's been playing Hugh since the beginning and he's got enough dirt on him that even if Hugh found out they were travelers he would end up going to jail too. He wouldn't even be signing his own name! His character isn't doing anything more unethical or immoral than what Hugh's character does. Didn't he just steal 500K from a poor sob last week?
And is it just me or do you also cringe when they say "buffers"? It's like on Battlestar Galactica when they say "Frak". It's nonsensical slang that does nothing to prove they are different from the rest of us. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
That being said, I love the show but the writers don't need to try so hard sometimes to remind us of where they come from.
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5-08-2007 @ 4:06PM
hotboudain said...
Didn't Nina insinuate to Dahlia in an earlier episode that Jim was gay? Dahlia probably told Chunky about it and that's how she found out.
Do track marks disappear? Dahlia doesn't cover her arms anymore like at the beginning of the season.
I wonder if Eddie Izzard inserted the cross-dressing aspect to Sam's character (some may or may not know that Izzard is also a cross-dresser)? There may be an interesting behind the scenes story to that..
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5-09-2007 @ 5:19AM
asm said...
Track marks are like scars; they fade with time. I don't know if Dahlia's were minor enough to have already faded so they're hard to see, though.
To Kurt: 'buffers' is not a term created by the creators of the show. The word is actually used by real Travellers.
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5-09-2007 @ 11:03AM
Amy said...
I might be making up stuff in my pretty little head, but wasn't there a scene in a previous episode that showed Dahlia using make-up to conceal her track marks? I can't really remember.
My husband & I were talking about last week's episode, and he was also a little confused about the Rudy Blue scam. They didn't really steal the $500K - they just tricked Rudy into investing in Panco. While it wasn't the land deal Rudy thought he was investing in, he could still end up making money on his investment if Panco does well. The 500K wasn't for the Malloy's, it was for Panco... the "big investor" was Wayne's cover for where he was when Hugh's money was stolen.
Speaking of which, Wayne also stole Hugh's gun. Did Hugh ever notice that missing??
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5-10-2007 @ 1:32AM
Dwel Matters said...
Davenia McFadden was AWESOME as Chunky Kay. Just as I was loving this show so much now I love it even more. She's coming back right?
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5-10-2007 @ 9:19AM
wadi said...
oh my god..can we please see more of Chunky K?
I love knowing what happended to Daliha in prison and Chunky knows more than she revealed on this episode!!
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5-10-2007 @ 1:33PM
David said...
My wife and I love The Riches. Regarding the signing, I think Wayne as put off by the way Hugh was treating his friends. That is why he didn't sign. They are developing serious consciences, which will make it tough to return to their previous lives. All of the writing and acting is brilliant. BTW, I read somewhere that Sam's cross-dressing storyline was in the works before Eddie Izzard signed on to do the show.
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5-10-2007 @ 2:10PM
Yak said...
Loved this weeks show the most of all.
Chunky K.is a great addition,funny,warm and some times very scary all in one buxom package.
More Chunky please.
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