Dirty Sexy Money: Is my show back?

Last night's episode was the first time this season I felt like I was watching the show I fell in love with last year. It's too early to tell, yet, and it's entirely possible that this episode shone brighter than the first two because of the emphasis on the Brian storyline, who is now definitely my favorite character. There are still things that bug about the show this season - Tripp is still one-note, calculating and manipulating in every scene he's in (which, thankfully, were very few this week, which is sad, because I used to love the scenes he had with Brian but especially Nick, when his compassion and regret and insecurity and HUMANITY would come through...sigh)...I don't know what the heck is going on with Karen and Simon Elder. They both seem to be playing each other, but for what purpose? Why do I even care?... I used to love Jeremy Darling and his naivete and his love of money but wanting to be loved for himself and not his wealth, and now he's being sucked down by this non-story with Lucy Liu and I'm too bored to watch his scenes.

So, what did I like? I liked that Lisa is once again Nick's connection to the real world, the non-Darling world, because where's the tension and why is he fighting to stay grounded (or not fighting, as it were) if all parts of his world are blinded by the glitter? Glad to see the writers not only remembered they have a daughter, but gave her a few lines. Nick confronting his mother felt a little forced at first, but it shows that he's trying to fit in somewhere in life (with his family, with the Darlings) because he was abandoned and felt he didn't belong which brings me to my favorite Darling outsider, Brian...

Because of his characterization of being smart and moody and snarky, Brian gets all the best one-liners. I love that he's so angry. I love that he feels the ends justify the means. I love that he thinks he's right, so you must be wrong. I love how obviously lost he feels, how much he wants to belong and fit in and be accepted, and I love, love, love how much he loves his son. He may be an ass, but he's an ass with a heart. He is so passionate about everything in his life, whether it's driven by hate or whether it's driven by love, but he is easily the most flawed, the most complex, and the most real (and maybe most importantly, the most consistent!) character on this show.

If this week disappointed me, I was going to put DSM on hiatus on my tv viewing schedule. Unfortunately for my overstuffed schedule but fortunately for this show, I've decided to not give up on it just quite yet.