MagneticMediaFed

Don’t buy it, but love it.

Yesterday afternoon, while watching the second season premiere of The Riches I began to think about the general improbability of the action on the show — how the set-up is so inherently ridiculous I’m astonished that they’ve already gotten an entire season under their belts and can hardly fathom the creators putting out at least another half-dozen this spring. I mean, how have these characters not been caught yet? But the thing is, the show works. I mean really works, like way better than a lot of those series that actually have believable plot lines. I started to think about which method makes for a better television experience. The short answer is its all about execution. The longer answer is after the jump…

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Easy kids, it’s just red paint

I LOVE THIS SHOW. The Riches is hands down one of the biggest surprises of the TV season, and while I know plenty of people who watch it, it seems to have built little buzz — the ultimate currency in television programming. I blame this on the time of year the series premiered. It’s hard for a new show to carve out its place at the water cooler so close to the end of the broadcast season (especially when the cable competition is The Shield and The Sopranos). I hope when The Riches comes back, its in the summer. It is the perfect summer show.

But that’s neither here nor there as the first season has just wrapped and demands to be discussed… which we’ll do right after the break…

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Apparently people really liked Dirt. That’s strange. Haven’t we, as a culture, tired of the celebrity worship game? No? We haven’t? Oh, I guess I didn’t get the memo. In any case, Dirt and The Riches have been rewarded for their strong viewership (over 5 million viewers each week, comperable to that of Rescue Me and The Shield) and given second seasons. Good news for fans of drama, I suppose, even though I question whether The Riches can pull off what they’ve done this season a second time. Either way I’m glad that Eddie Izzard gets to keep his job. As for Courtney Cox, I have no plans on starting to watch the show now.

In other FX news, Rescue Me is moving from Tuesdays to Wednesdays, apparently to make room for the new legal drama Damages. Leary and co. start their fourth season on June 14th. Damages doesn’t premiere until July 24th. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia isn’t coming back until September… which sucks because Ricky needs some summer comedy!

More deets on Zap2It!

I never got around to posting about last week’s episode of The Riches, which is a shame since the Malloys left the reservation to return for a “Travelor Funeral” which kinda-sorta wrapped things up on that front (the big cliffhanger from last week was completely absent in yesterday’s episode). It was also, dramatically, quite good if light on laughs. MagneticMediaFed does not dwell, (yeah, right) and will take this time to reflect on this most recent entry from Mr. Izzard and company.

A few weeks back I predicted that the Malloys/Riches were on the downfall. There are only so many cards you can play before the deck runs out, and with a premise as shaky is The Riches, we have to wonder about second season renewals. At this stage in the game, the writers are basically floating checks. Last week Wayne stole money from Hugh to pay off the money he stole from the family. This week they conned an ex-ballplayer out of a cool quarter-million in order to pay back Hugh (and get him off their back a bit). I suspect this trend will continue, but for how long?

Not that I’m not enjoying the ride. Izzard is still fantastic in the role and Minnie Driver’s performance is simultaneously manic and mannered. Dahlia is undoubtedly crazy, but when she’s required to “play the part” (whatever part that may be) she does so as well as anyone. I can only imagine that playing a character who is in turn playing a character and doing so well must be something of a challenge. It isn’t an Edie Falco tour-de-force, but it is clearly something we aren’t use to seeing on television.

Elsewhere, I absolutely love the kids. Each one is completely distinct and seems to have their own motivations for continuing this suburbia act — a position that has changed over these eight episodes. Right now, the Malloys have embraced the Riches entirely. It can only be a matter of time before it all falls apart.

I think The Riches peaked last night. The episode was great, but it also signaled the show’s inevitable demise. In short, they simply can’t keep up the con for much longer and still make it believable. Eventually Wayne/Doug is going to have to do some lawyering that requires a bit more work than a para and great interpersonal skills. Eventually Dahlia’s drug problem and/or not-so-great interpersonal skills when not hustling. Eventually the creepy traveler gang is going to find them and rat them out.

Still, we can enjoy the ride before it comes to brilliant collision in what I hope to be this single-season run.

What’s funny about the Malloy’s situation is that the kids are arguably the best con artists in the family. Of course, they simply have to play the part and don’t need to worry about working or paying the bills and such.

Izzard was brilliant again, and I think he’s finally nailed the accent — he’s created something of a British, Southern American, Martian sort of drawl that at this stage in the game works. Though the character that might be the secret weapon is Greg Henry’s Hugh. Hugh, as Wayne says, is an asshole, and he plays it brilliantly. He’s twisted and sadistic and is generally careless about most things, but not in a cold-hearted killer sort of way. He’s careless in an eight-year-old way where he doesn’t have the slightest insight into the effects of his actions. It’s brilliantly fun to watch.

We’re half way through the series. I don’t expect the next seven to be nearly as good as this first six, but like any good tragedy the downfall makes for the best drama.

Alpacas are the new puppies… apparently.

Another rock solid episode with the faux-Riches. I’ve made it known how much I like this show, though four episodes in, I’m starting to see the intrinsic problems with the premise. The series hinges on the fact that the Malloys continue to live as the Riches without being found out, but with each passing episode the lie becomes harder to pull off and the fact that they are pulling it off, makes it the harder to buy into. Again, thank god for Izzard and Driver who are absolutely phenomenal. This episode in particular I think I finally saw Driver’s brilliance. Previously, her character was far too crazy to come off as anything but a cartoon. Now that her heroin problem has turned into a more manageable (and fun!) prescription meds problem, we’re able to see the finesse in her performance.

All in all, I’m just hoping for one solid season — or some type of crazy shift in the show’s focus (a trick that seems like it should be used all the time in television, but is unfortunately used rarely, if ever).

While watching The Riches this week I noticed something. The episode had started and I was excited to be watching it because the past two weeks had convinced me it was one of the better things to be watching on television. Though during those first few minutes of the episodes I just couldn’t get into it. The show seemed off. It felt different. It was like I was watching it again for the first time, feeling my way around and trying to see if it was going to fit. I suspected the problem was Eddie Izzard’s horrendous “southern” accent. I quote “southern” because I’m not even entirely sure that’s what he’s going for. It could be Australian for all I know. Either way it’s bad.

Then about ten minutes into the show Izzard’s character “Doug” (which technically isn’t his real name) has to lie his way through an introductory speech at his new job. He fumbles around, looking for the right way to sell his falsity, and eventually finds his groove. Obviously by the end of his presentation the whole office is with him. That’s his game and he does it well. What was interesting was the speech seemed to win me over just as it had the officemates. From this moment forward, I was back in love with the show. The accent didn’t bother me because his performance selling himself in that early scene sold me.
I’m curious if this pattern will continue each week where Izzard has to personally win me over each and every time? I suspect watching it week to week might make this the case as just as I start to buy that damn accent, the show ends and I have to get reaquainted all over again the next week.

We’ll see how this all plays out. All in all, it’s still a great series.

Listen to “Something In The Air” by Thunderclap Newman which played during the last scene.

A lot of things can change over the course of the season. Last spring Rescue Me started its run with three fantastic episodes before ultimately spiraling out of control. Still, right now The Riches is without a doubt the best thing on television. I suspect that won’t last as both The Shield and The Sopranos return early next month, but at this moment Monday nights on FX is the ultimate destination for fans of medium.

Last night’s episode also highlighted the importance of giving a drama a couple episodes to let it show you what its all about. A good drama won’t reveal all of its cards in the pilot. It’s an organism and needs room to grow. This can, of course, work two ways. The Black Donnellys started strong, but by the third week I realized that the show just didn’t have any juice. Last night’s episode is on my DVR and likely won’t be watched. The Riches was good in last week’s premiere but it was last night’s episode that knocked it out of the park.

My only real complaint with the show (and lets get this out of the way early) is that the title sequence is absolutely horrible. It’s too vivid and bright and fluffy for this show, which is as dark emotionally as it is visually. It’s a shame because we’ve had a pretty good run recently with televised dramas having really kick ass titles sequences. Luckily, that’s why the good lord gave us the option of fast-forward.

Accent aside, Eddie Izzard is absolutely sublime in this role. He owns the frame when he’s in it, which is fitting since his character is a natural charmer and a natural lier. Really, we’re watching a great actor playing someone who is also a great actor, but living the role.

Perhaps it’s early to make a statement like this but The Riches seems to be the first suburban satire that really understands what suburbia means. It isn’t a depressing wasteland with “little boxes made of ticky-tacky” or a place where people have depressing existential actualizations about their life or lack of life. Suburbia is gated paradise where everyone, to some extent, is lying.

Read “The Riches Off To A Good Start” via BuddtyTV.com