Dirty Sexy Money – The Plan

Is a Darling Down?
Days before Patrick’s inauguration, Chase Alexander starts running his mouth about his theories surrounding Ellen’s death. Tripp asks Nick to take care of it but Nick is at first reluctant, still feeling some guilt about interfering with the man’s life in the first place. However, as he usually does, Nick gives in to Tripp and agrees to meet with Chase.

Nick finds Chase moving boxes out of his house. He learns that Chase’s wife has taken his kids and left him. He blames the Darlings and the deal that he made with them for the loss of his self-respect and, subsequently, of his family. Although Nick is largely just the messenger, Chase seems to be holding Nick responsible for convincing him to deal with the Darlings.

In the meantime, Chase goes to find Carmelita at the salon where she has been quietly working. He’s not there for a cut, but she senses his anger and suggests that she give him a quick style while they have a chat. After Chase leaves, Carmelita feels compelled to come out of hiding and warn Patrick about Chase. She heads to Patrick’s office where Nola tries to turn her away but Patrick arrives just in time and invites her into his office (and back into his life) instead.

Later, Nick reports in to Tripp, Patrick and Nola about the likelihood of Chase going public with his suspicions. For once, Patrick, Nola, and Tripp are in agreement – they need to stop this from happening. They plan to stop it by having him put under a 72 hour psychiatric hold. This will keep him tucked away long enough for Patrick’s inauguration to go off without a hitch. Nick is strongly opposed, citing the fact that Chase is a human being as his reason, and asks that they give him one last chance to try to reason with Chase. Tripp agrees…or so he says.

Nick arranges a meeting with Chase in the park. They talk things over and just as it seems that Nick is making some headway, the police arrive and apprehend Chase. Chase thinks that the whole thing is a set up and that Nick knows about it but Nick is just as blindsided as Chase. A furious Nick goes back to Tripp’s office and confronts Tripp. Tripp denies having any responsibility, but Nick is not buying it.

As Chase is being transferred to a psychiatric hospital, he finds an opportunity to escape. If he wasn’t in need of psychiatric help before, he sure is now, because he heads straight to Nick’s apartment with a gun in hand. Unfortunately for Karen, it is not Nick that he finds there. Chase has a bit of a chat with Karen and it doesn’t end well. Lucky for Karen, he doesn’t shoot her, but he does leave her with what looks like it is going to be a nasty head wound. Before passing out, Karen is able to call Nick and try to warn him about Chase.

Nick doesn’t immediately recognize that it is Karen calling him from his home phone and he isn’t entirely clear on her warning but once he learns from Tripp that Chase has escaped, he starts putting two and two together. He starts racing around, telling everyone that the inauguration ceremony needs to be stopped. Unfortunately, he is just a bit too late. Chase is already in the crowd, dressed as a cop. Nick sees that he has a gun and screams for everyone to get down. Nick throws Jeremy to the ground, successfully getting him out of the line of fire but possibly injuring him in the process. Next, he tackles Chase and they wrestle for the gun. Chase wins the battle and pushes Nick aside. The screen goes to black and we hear three shots being fired. Who gets shot? Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion….

The Love Doctor is In
So Patrick and Carmelita have been reunited, ironically thanks largely to Ellen’s brother. Much to Tripp and Nola’s dismay, Patrick is dead set on publicly incorporating Carmelita into his life. She accepts his invitation to the inauguration and she is walking down the steps behind Patrick just as Nick begins trying to stop the event. Will these two lovebirds ever catch a break?

Back at the home front, a typically boozed up Leticia offers some advice to Karen and Jeremy, regarding their respective love woes. She first points out to Karen that Simon Elder was the true culprit in Karen’s latest marital debacle. Karen has been angry at Nick, blaming him for depriving her of her one shot at true happiness. But, as Leticia tells it, Nick is a hero who saved Karen from making a terrible mistake, therefore saving her chances at happiness. Karen sees the light but, unfortunately, it is that same light that causes her to go to Nick’s apartment, which puts her in the wrong place at a very wrong time.

Jeremy tells Karen and Leticia that Nola has confessed that she still has feelings for him but that it “is complicated”. Karen translates this to mean that Nola is seeing someone else. Leticia agrees and Jeremy is at first devastated, but Leticia brushes it off as no big deal. According to his mother, all Jeremy needs to do is find out whom Nola is seeing and do whatever he can to remove that person.

Taking his mother’s advice, Jeremy follows Nola one night and sees her hopping into a limo with Simon Elder. He confronts her the next day and she denies having a relationship with Simon. He pushes her further about the issue and she ends up confessing to him about the hold that Simon has over her. Jeremy rushes to take care of things by talking to Nick about it and midway through their conversation, Simon enters the room to deliver some partnership papers to Nick. Jeremy quickly exits but Simon has heard enough to reprimand Nola about it. At the inauguration, Nola begs Jeremy to drop the issue but their conversation is interrupted and they come to no resolution before the ensuing chaos occurs.

If I Only Could, I’d Make a Deal with God
Andrea is in the hospital and not doing well. Brian is having a very difficult time coping with what seems to be her imminent death. During a hospital visit, he bumps into his former Bishop in the hallway. The Bishop questions him about whether he will return to the priesthood now that his 6-month leave of absence is up. From their conversation, it looks like Brian is in no hurry to return.

But wait – Brian goes to visit Tripp and spells out his unhappiness about the partnership agreement with Simon Elder. With Simon, Tripp, and Nick running the show, what place has Brian in the family business? Not one at all anymore, because he quits!

Cut to the chapel where Brian has an angry conversation with Jesus. Along with some general complaining about the prerequisites of suffering, Brian essentially offers up a deal. If Andrea is spared, Brian will return to the church. I’ve been taught that these types of deals rarely work, but I guess it is different if you are a Darling (like everything else) because when Brian next visits Andrea he learns that her treatment has taken an unexpected positive turn – she is recovering! Looks like when we next see Brian he’ll be back in black and on a mission (not necessarily the right kind, but a mission nonetheless) to get the Bishop’s job. Maybe he took more away from his downward spiral on the corporate ladder than anyone would have expected….

Anyone still watching or are you over it already? And who’s with me on wondering why Nick just doesn’t quit? Yacht or no yacht, exactly how long is he going to continue being Tripp’s whipping boy?

– Posted by Gretchen

Gretchen is a stay-at-home mom of two awesome little girls who has the good fortune of being married to a husband who is completely cool with her slightly out of control television addiction. During her precious few sleeping hours, Gretchen frequently finds herself ridding the world of pesky vampires and demons, as well as taking down fake secret branches of the CIA.