DIRT 2.4 – "The Ties That (Don't) Bind"

Writer: Robert Nathan
Director: John Fortenberry

Cast: Alex Breckenridge (Willa McPherson), Josh Stewart (Holt McLaren), Courteney Cox (Lucy Spiller), Ian Hart (Don Konkey), Ryan Eggold (Farber Kauffman), Julian Acosta (Adam Proteau), Richard Karn (Holt's Dad), Danny Comden (Ted Rothman) & Rochelle Aytes (Jasmine Ford)

Willa and Farber uncover dirty secrets behind a hit TV series. Meanwhile, Holt's racist father gives negative press about him, and Lucy decides to rekindle a relationship with a powerful executive...

Lucy: What the hell is he carrying?
Willa: Teddy bear and a bottle of booze.
Lucy: Well, got to love a paedophile who is a romantic.

If you want proof that Dirt's second season is struggling, look no further. It wasn't high art last year, but there was a punch and pace to everything. The Ties That (Don't) Bind is an unmitigated disaster on many levels, not least the simple fact it's boring and full of frustrations...

One storyline concerned Holt (Josh Stewart), the main squeeze of Lucy (Courteney Cox) last year who's somewhat adrift in season 2. His white supremacist father (Richard Karn) appears on the scene, perhaps inspired by Mel Gibson's anti-semitic remarks to the tabloid press. It's an intriguing layering of Holt, even if does arrive out of nowhere and doesn't really go anywhere interesting. Holt shows his disgust for his dad on national TV, coached by Lucy, and that's about it. And I'm not that interested in seeing Holt get back together with Lucy, as Stewart plays most of his scenes like he's half asleep.

The best storyline, providing the only semblance of a spine to the episode, concerned Willa (Alex Breckenridge) and Farber (Ryan Eggold) uncovering the identity of a TV vigilante called The Dark Guardian, who goes around exposing paedophiles in an investigative crime entertainment series. And, wouldn't you know it, but he's a paedophile as well! But Willa and Farber need proof, and there's always an incriminating video-tape in the world of Dirt.

At the moment, the pairing of Willa and Farber is a bit drab, primarily because Breckenridge and Eggold have very little sexual chemistry together. It works on a basic mentor/student level, with Farber increasingly finding he actually enjoys working for the "gutter press", and helps that they're the only pro-active characters right now.

Don (Ian Hart) has gone off the boil without a decent recurring subplot, and this episode's decision to have him rush to his brother's bedside in hospital just didn't work. His brother was mentioned last week, but we don’t know enough about their relationship to make any of it work – and it all came down to one rather limp scene anyway. And couldn't they cast someone who actually resembles Don – in looks, or accent?

Another big disappointment was how Adam (Julian Acosta), the weird playboy billionaire who now owns DirtNow, was thrown into the mix. Where was the big scene we were promised last week, with Brent Barrow rubbing Lucy's nose in the fact she's got to contend with Adam and his ideas for massive change? Missing. Maybe it's because Jeffrey Nordling's dividing his time between Dirt and 24's seventh season, but Lucy instead just arrives to chat with Adam – and within the space of minutes she's pretty much tamed him. Cancel the fireworks. It doesn't even look like Lucy's job is going to be threatened. That's the problem with a character that routinely proves they're the best – every money-grabbing character that could potentially screw with them doesn't have a financial reason to.

I'm very, very disappointed. We're 4 episodes into this season and there's still no movement on the murder of Julia Mallory – who was run over by Leo, Lucy's brother. Why not? Leo hasn't even been mentioned yet! There are only 3 episodes left of this strike-shortened year and it's like the writers have forgotten about the only compelling aspect to the season 1 cliffhanger. I had my doubts any Dirt's change of direction, but the sophomore slump is undeniably in evidence here.

It's frustrating because it really didn't have to be this way. The decisions to ditch the serialised nature of season 1, tone down Lucy's bitchiness, and give Don some mental peace shouldn't have had such a negative effect. You could argue that standalone episode suit the tabloid-based series better, Cox will have the chance to show different colours, and Hart won't be just a twitchy conduit for freaky visuals. So what happened? Everything's just gone pale and awkward. There are small moments that remind you of last year's trashy silliness (the paedophile TV investigator), but most of the time it's bland, boring, and has you itching for season 2 to end – so the writers can regroup and give us a third season that holds true to Dirt's rebellious spirit.


19 May 2008
Fiver, 9.00 pm