Dahlia’s Dream Didn’t Involve The Riches

I’m laying it out on the table - I give The Riches’ “Dahlia is lonely after prison” story arc three more episodes before I’ll become absolutely sick of it and hope that they’ll deal with it more constructively, possibly giving her another story line to focus one. Last night’s episode, though, was intriguing because of the ways in which they tried to let her work out her demons. The fact that Dahlia could connect with her new boss so deeply, in so few words, served well to show how damaged her psyche really is. When she appeared in Wayne’s office for the first time in the episode, I felt for him, trying to muddle through with his wife turning herself into a giant distraction. When she appeared the second time, after losing even that new connection with her boss, I felt, profoundly, for her. She must have spent her time in prison hating that Wayne wasn’t there, and hating that she wished he were the one behind bars. She must have longed to be back on the road with her family. What she got instead was some version of the alleged American dream in which she spends most of her time alone in a giant house, not surrounded by her husband and kids in an RV. The house, the life, the societal restrictions – those are certainly not part of Dahlia’s dream.

I’m excited for The Riches marathon on Friday. I think this show is good enough that it would definitely be a shame if it didn’t catch on, and it’s generated enough buzz that I’d guess it will pull in new viewers if they get the chance to watch it from the beginning.