TVSquad

(S01E03) So I am really starting to enjoy Cashmere Mafia. And the reason? It's that little lady in the blue shirt above. Frances O'Connor is fantastic! Can you believe she's British? Her American accent sounds so natural. Furthermore, her comedic timing is always spot on.

Everyone else's storylines range from mediocre to pure crap. There's Juliet, who's moderately interesting. There's Caitlin who I like but they are trying to hard with her. And then there's Mia. Oh, Mamma Mia! You're story was so interesting that I checked my emails, Windexed my kitchen counters, and tidied up my living room during your scenes. And I didn't miss a thing.

More about Zoe:

Zoe was great this episode. I had a feeling something was going to happen with her co-workers. In the past two episodes, Katherine and the secretary guy (didn't catch his name) were both funny and quirky. I thought: why spend so much effort on these incidental characters if nothing will come of it?

I loved how the writers took Zoe's insecurities from the last episode (i.e. about losing her husband to the stay-at-home uber-mom) and carried them into this one with her slight jealousy of Katherine. Zoe told her husband that she dislikes that Katherine "shakes what her momma gave her" to get ahead in business. I think the show is doing a great job with the development of this character and I can't wait to see more interactions with Zoe and Katherine (as Katherine is totally under-qualified for her new job).

And then there's Juliet:

Juliet's story confuses me. I know I'm supposed to sympathize with Juliet but I just don't. In fact, in the beginning of the episode I even felt bad for her penitent husband Davis. I think the show should have spent more time building up how in love Juliet was with her husband and how dedicated to their marriage she was. Then they can drop the infidelity bomb. I only had half the pilot episode to get to know Davis before I was told that I should hate him because he cheated on Juliet.

And I really feel bad for Bobby, the poor sap Juliet dated in business school. This guy clears his schedule and flies in from London to see Juliet. She cancels on him then goes to him after meeting with Cilla then laughs in his face while they are about to have sex.

And Caitlin:

So, from the previews for next week's Cashmere Mafia, it looks like Caitlin is back to batting for the heterosexual team. And thank goodness for that. Now, I have nothing against the L-word, but Caitlin and Alicia have NO chemistry. It's just not fun to watch these two women. I feel like Caitlin should call Alicia and cry on her shoulder about some guy that didn't work out--not make out with her in the street.

I did love the blemish snafu that poor Caitlin dealt with this episode though. I know it probably seemed shallow to some viewers but I thought it was pretty original. It was refreshing to hear some dialogue about real stuff. I felt like I was listening to normal women when Mia and Caitlin walked in the park and complained about the pimple. These ladies are always talking about such big things: their big jobs, their big break-ups, their big plans for revenge sex, their big questions about their sexuality.

And Mia:

I just don't even want to discuss Mia. I think it's a damn shame what Cashmere Mafia is doing with her character. And what an ill-use of Lucy Liu. Mia is great in dialogue with her friends but her story is just not compelling enough. It's very contrived in fact.

After I heard that Jack was the one who approved the cover for "Modern Man" (which pictured a woman eating a man holding on to the plate), I just knew where all her conversations would lead. They would all be about how she was hurt that Jack didn't call her back, while she pretended that she fundamentally disagreed with the cover. And of course, it was obvious that she would still run the cover. After all, while she's an emotional mess, she's still a savvy businesswoman. Note the sarcasm, please. I hoped that the voiceover at the end would save her storyline this episode and it started well but wrapped up too quickly and cleanly. What do you think about her?

A few extra nuggets...

• I loved the blog shout-out! They could've used Page Six of the New York Post but no, Cashmere Mafia bowed the phenom that is the BLOG. "I hate the internet!" --Caitlin
• Do these ladies always order the same exact thing when they eat together? At breakfast they all had fruit salads and orange juices. And for lunch they all had salads and the same pink lemonade-looking drinks.
• Quote of the night: "I'm not your lesbian test-drive." --Alicia to Caitlin. No one likes to be a lesbian test drive. But, while we're on the subject, of the four "Cashmere Mobsters," Frances O'Connor would be my lesbian test drive.
  
• Mia's (Lucy Liu's) ponytail was ridiculous.