DIRT 2.5 – "What Is This Thing Called..."

Writers: Mimi Friedman & Jeanette Collins
Director: David Arquette

Cast: Alex Breckenridge (Willa), Courteney Cox (Lucy), Josh Stewart (Holt), Ian Hart (Don), Ryan Eggold (Farber), Ashley Johnson (Sharlee), Aimee Garcia (Debbie Ann), Vicki Lewis (Cosmetician), Callum Blue (Graham Duncan), Derek Magyar (Roy Toy) & Danny Comden (Ted Rothman)

Don's friendship with a pop icon reaches new levels, Willa and Farber explore the love lives of celebs and reveal juicy secrets, and Lucy makes a serious decisions about Holt...

Holt: I'm just trying to live my life, man.
Don: I'm just trying to take pictures of it.

A slightly smarter episode than usual this week, although I'm still missing the sensational streak that permeated season 1. Dirt just isn't as deliciously perverse as it once was, so I'm having a tough time adjusting to what's clearly a dull attempt to re-imagine the show, at the expense of the stuff most people tuned in for...

In What Is This Thing Called... Don (Ian Hart) finds himself torn three ways between business, friendship and family. His teen popstar friend Sharlee Cate (Ashley Johnson) is going through an acrimonious split with her rapper husband Roy Toy (Derek Magyar), in the glare of the paparazzi after he tipped them off. Don is ideally placed to get the inside scoop for Lucy (Courteney Cox), but finds himself debating whether or not to abuse his friendship for a cover photo and exclusive insight.

Willa (Alex Breckenridge) is also working the same story, and eventually discovers that Roy Toy has been having an affair with ex-wife, and only married Sharlee for the money and career boost. Yes, the real-life antics of pop princess Britney Spears and duff rapper Kevin Federline inform this episode's plot – although, once again, it's all far tamer than reality.

Lucy herself is once again kept on the sidelines, although last week's ham-fisted beginnings of a romance between her and studio exec Ted Rothman (Danny Comden) continue here. But it's clear that Lucy only has feelings for spurned lover Holt (Josh Stewart), as she has Don hounding him on company time just to keep tabs on his love-life. Fortunately, Holt remains infatuated with Lucy, and the episode ends with them deciding to give their love a second chance, now that Holt's girlfriend Julia is out of the picture? Speaking of which; any news on her hit-and-run by Lucy's brother? No, of course not. It seems the writers still have amnesia.

There's also a new character in the suave shape of British hotshot photographer Graham Duncan (Callum Blue), whose cover photo for rival magazine Icon catches Lucy's eye, leading to him being recruited for DirtNow. Blue makes a good first impression here (nice to see a proper English accent on a US show, too), and it'll be interesting to see how Don reacts to having a rival of equal (maybe even better) talent.

Don's hospitalized brother Jason makes a quick recovery after his car accident, although I'm still irritated by his weak introduction last week. There's mild improvement this week, but he's essentially just there to provide Don with another harsh decision – as he turns away the chance to spend quality time with his brother at his ramshackle home, instead putting his DirtNow work ahead of family matters. But, as a clash between personal and private lives happen nearly every episode to Don and Lucy, it's becoming a pretty hollow plot-point.

Farber (Ryan Eggold) also gets a small, undercooked subplot about trying to prove a Hollywood hot couple, kooky Zack Bauer and sex siren Genevieve (ahem, Kate Hudson), are genuinely in love and not faking it to raise their profiles.

As a character-driven piece, it has some merit. As usual, Ian Hart is the most magnetic presence as Don, and his twitchiness over exploiting a friend to earn a living is the episode's most memorable element. The scene where he shamelessly takes photos of Sharlee cutting her hair in turmoil over Roy Toy's affair (Britney, remember?) is handled nicely, and at least the Lucy/Holt story took a proper step forward. I just wish I was excited about seeing human valium Holt snuggle up to Lucy once again.

Of mild interest is the fact this episode was directed by Courteney Cox's husband David Arquette, which probably accounts for the totally unnecessary (but slightly risqué) scene of Lucy getting a bikini wax. Arquette's direction was fine, if a bit choppily edited at times, but there wasn't much going on visually for him to struggle with. This was a mediocre episode with a few nice moments, but nothing to really grab your interest – and certainly nothing to indicate Dirt's second season has anywhere interesting to go in its last 2 episodes.


26 May 2008
Fiver, 9.00 pm