DROP DEAD DIVA Discussion: ‘False Alarm’

Hello DROP DEAD DIVA watchers! How are you liking season three so far? I’m curious for your thoughts, because though I liked this episode more than the season premiere, something still feels off. This episode didn’t have any dreams or musical numbers, so I can’t blame those (even though I do like them sometimes), but I just can’t get past the feeling that my discomfort is Jane-related.

Perhaps it’s deliberate and the fact that we’re seeing Jane have to deal with some conflict over Grayson’s upcoming wedding means we have conflict as viewers. But we’ve seen Jane have conflict over Grayson and his love life before, and it didn’t seem as manipulative, I guess? Maybe it’s that Grayson’s really not having any conflict at all with his decision, so it feels like Jane is wasting her time? IS it time for Jane to move on and forget about Grayson? What do you think?

I liked Dr. Bill Kendall, the brain surgeon, in this episode, and I loved that he liked two of Jane’s lovely qualities — her eyes and her compassion. It’s an interesting dynamic, that good men (like Tony in the past and others) see “Jane” for who she is, but she’s still stuck on Grayson, who doesn’t see her for who she “is.” Perhaps it’s just that the storyline has played out. I don’t know — what say you?

Surprisingly for me, the couple I find I’m most interested in is Parker and Kim. Parker is as lawyer-y (not a word, but let’s go with it!) as they come, and so is Kim, and yet there’s a genuineness to their relationship and the struggles they are currently having that is keeping me intrigued. I think Parker’s not used to not getting what he wants, but he’s probably also not used to wanting something or someone so badly. I’d guess Kim isn’t interested in getting hurt, but she’s probably also not used to even putting herself into situations in which she COULD be hurt. See that? It’s interesting and subtle character development, and I’m looking forward to more.

With those two couples down, we can move to Fred and Stacy who spent most of the episode trying to get from the kissing phase to the bow chicka wow wow phase. Apparently, as Jane tells Fred, kissing is not the whole shebang. That’s what she said.

I liked the way both Stacy and Fred came to Jane for advice and that she was able to help them. The scene where Jane was hunkered down over her restaurant menu and feeding Fred the optimal moves to put on Stacy was funny. And when Stacy complimented Fred’s technique to Jane by telling her she “saw angels,” I laughed. A good nod to Fred’s character.

Our fourth and final romantic couple involved Teri and her sexy firefighter boyfriend, Gary. Their relationship becomes a case when Gary is sued for saving a woman’s life. When Parker insists that Jane offer the firm’s help to Kim on another case, Jane makes him take Gary’s case. As he does so, it’s revealed that Gary is not a true firefighter. But Teri forgives him — after all, he did save the lives of many, and that makes him a hero. But when Parker digs deeper, he finds out that Gary purposefully staged fires and then “heroically” saved people — leading Teri to break up with him once and for all.

Meanwhile, Kim begrudgingly accepts Jane (and the firm’s) offer for assistance on her case. The trial is over the death of a young woman — Sarah Miller. Her mother is suing the surgery center where she died while attempting to receive breast augmentation. The doctor’s lawyers are persistent and insist that Sarah was on anti-depressants that would just as easily contributed to her death and they also insist the doctor didn’t do anything wrong. Death is certainly a risk, but Sarah and her mother should have known that. When her mother is distraught and decides to drop the case, Jane and Kim grow determined to make sure that doesn’t happen. Jane has an epiphany while watching Sarah’s modeling video and learns that Sarah was being encouraged to have surgery by a sleazy agent. When she does more research, she finds out that the lawyer also had a stake in the surgery center. Kim and Jane win the case, but the end of the episode still has them both feeling very melancholy.

I liked this case a lot and it reminds me more of cases from season one. Sure, Jane still comes out the victor most of the time, but she’s our hero in this show, and we can cheer for her. I only wonder if cheering for her in the relationship department is having negative ramifications. It seems to me that both Stacy and Fred are trying to warn her that helping Grayson so closely isn’t healthy.

What do you think? Is the show leading up to a shocking reveal at Grayson’s wedding, or will there be wedding bells? Do you agree with Jane that helping Grayson with his wedding is a lot safer for his sake than trying to tell him how she feels? Is there hope for Parker and Kim, or are they done for good?

Let’s discuss!