The Return of An Old Friend

It felt like the return of an old friend…

As the hour progressed, I actually started talking to the TV. I gasped, I laughed, I cheered. At one point I felt positively giddy.

And then it dawned on me. I was reacting this way to “Dirty Sexy Money.” The show that has been beyond dreadful all season long.

And then something else hit me. My favorite show from last season had finally gotten itself back together just in time for the last episode we’ll see in who knows how long (if we ever see the rest of them).

It made me a little sad…Okay, a lot sad…

So what happened with the show? I couldn’t even begin to tell you. It’s like some temporary writers came in after the strike and screwed everything up for seven weeks and then left so the regular ones could get back to work. As I told you earlier, the last two weeks have shown a major improvement. But last night’s was classic “DSM”—dirty, sexy fun!

I was a little worried when the episode chose to pick up from last week’s cliffhanger with a news documentary that picked up a month later and briefly grazed over what happened. But it actually worked. It allowed one story to get resolved and the others to move forward.

Karen (Natalie Zea) returned to her old self. Simon (Blair Underwood) continued his mustache twirling ways (and I mean that as a compliment). Lisa (Zoe McLellan) got limited air time and the time she got didn’t consist of needless whining. Jeremy and Nola (Seth Gabel and Lucy Liu) actually made sense as a couple. Brian (Glenn Fitzgerald) once again struggled with being happy—which is always worth watching. And Donald Sutherland finally remembered how to act again.

But the best part was a super twist that I should have seen coming, but didn’t. The show introduced the possibility that Nick and Brian’s dad, Dutch, is alive.

And as usual, it was Brian who put it all into wonderful perspective with one of the best lines I’ve heard all year. As Brian and Nick sat in Brian’s church contemplating the possibility, Brian said, “Hey Nick, this whole freakin’ building is dedicated to the idea that everyone thought some guy was dead and then he wasn’t. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.”

Like I said, I should have seen it coming. But with all of the horrible crap the show has been producing this season, I think it’s easy to see why I didn’t.

Now, we wait to see when or if ABC will schedule the three remaining episodes so we can see if Dutch is indeed alive.

And considering my luck with ABC shows, I’m not going to hold my breath…

As happy as we are to see old friends return, it’s even tougher when we have to say goodbye, isn’t it?

You can see the episode for yourself at ABC.com…

Photos Credit: Vivian Zink/ABC